Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 26, 2025

RhoC GTPase Activation Assay
Published on: August 22, 2010
CAPN6 Regulates Uterine Leiomyoma Cell Proliferation and Apoptosis through the Rac1-Dependent Signaling Pathway
Lin Zhu1, Yangyan Sun2, Qunying Wu3
1Department of Central laboratory, Affiliated Jiangyin Hospital of South-East University, Jiangyin, China.
Objective:
Calpain 6 (CAPN6) is one of the calcium-dependent intracellular nonlysosomal proteases that are dysregulated in uterine leiomyomas (UtLMs). However, its function and mechanism in UtLMs is still unknown.
Methods:
The correlation between CAPN6 expression and UtLMs was analyzed by the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO). The expression of CAPN6 and Rac1 was detected by quantitative real-time PCR (qPCR) and western blot analysis. Cell proliferation ability was analyzed by a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Cell apoptosis was detected by flow cytometry.
Results:
CAPN6 was overexpressed in UtLMs compared with uterine smooth muscle cells (UtSMCs). The downregulation of CAPN6 resulted in decreased cell proliferation and increased apoptosis of UtLMs. Furthermore, mechanical investigations revealed that these inhibitory effects were correlated with Rac1/PAK1 signaling pathways. Silencing the expression of CAPN6 resulted in decreased Rac1 and phospho-PAK1. On the other hand, upregulated Rac1 expression could reverse the reduced phosphorylation of PAK1 induced by CAPN6 silencing.
Conclusions:
This data suggests that CAPN6 regulates UtLMs proliferation and apoptosis while being mediated through the Rac1/PAK1 signaling pathway.
Related Concept Videos
Abnormal Proliferation
Inhibition of Cdk Activity
mTOR Signaling and Cancer Progression
The mTOR pathway or the...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways
Convergence and divergence, and cross-talk between signaling pathways
Two distinct signaling pathways can converge on a single functional unit, which may either be a single protein or a complex of proteins. The response is either functionally distinct or synergistic between the two pathways but different from the response...
Regulation of Angiogenesis and Blood Supply
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:

