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Updated: Apr 14, 2026
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Spatio-Temporal Manipulation of Small GTPase Activity at Subcellular Level and on Timescale of Seconds in Living Cells
Published on: March 9, 2012
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Inter-cellular transport of ran GTPase
Deepak Khuperkar1, Mary Helen1, Indrasen Magre1
1National Centre for Cell Science, Ganeshkhind, Pune, India.
Plos One
|April 21, 2015
Summary
The Ras-related nuclear protein (Ran) can move between cells, a process dependent on GTP and CRM1. This intercellular transport suggests new roles for Ran in cell communication and cancer.
Area of Science:
- Molecular and Cell Biology
- Cancer Research
- Cell Signaling
Background:
- Ran, a Ras-GTPase, is crucial for nuclear transport, mitosis, and nuclear envelope formation.
- Overexpression of Ran is linked to various cancers, but the mechanism remains unclear.
- The known functions of Ran are primarily confined to nucleo-cytoplasmic transport.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the potential for Ran to move between mammalian cells.
- To elucidate the molecular mechanisms and pathways involved in Ran intercellular transport.
- To explore the implications of Ran's intercellular transport in cell communication and cancer.
Main Methods:
- Transient expression of Ran in mammalian cells.
- Assessment of Ran's intercellular transport using microscopy and co-localization studies.
- GTP-dependency assays and inhibition studies using leptomycin B and CRM1 siRNA.
Main Results:
- Ran was found to be capable of intercellular transport between mammalian cells.
- This transport was dependent on GTP and involved the CRM1 export pathway.
- Ran in recipient cells mirrored its distribution in donor cells and co-localized with Nup358 (RanBP2).
Conclusions:
- Ran exhibits novel intercellular transport capabilities beyond its established role in nucleo-cytoplasmic transport.
- CRM1 plays a significant role in mediating the intercellular movement of Ran.
- These findings suggest a potential role for Ran in intercellular communication and may offer new insights into cancer development.
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