Related Experiment Video

Updated: Aug 19, 2026

RhoC GTPase Activation Assay
09:58

RhoC GTPase Activation Assay

Published on: August 23, 2010

The Ras signal transduction pathway

R Khosravi-Far1, C J Der

  • 1Department of Pharmacology, School of Medicine, Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill 27599-7365.

Cancer Metastasis Reviews
|March 1, 1994
PubMed

Insights

Recent research clarifies how extracellular signals, mediated by Ras proteins, influence gene expression for cell growth and differentiation. Understanding these pathways may reveal new cancer therapeutic targets.

Area of Science:

  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Signaling
  • Cancer Research

Background:

  • Extracellular signals regulate cell growth and differentiation by altering gene expression.
  • Ras proteins act as key intermediates in signal transduction pathways.
  • The Rho family of Ras-related proteins influences the actin cytoskeleton.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To elucidate the mechanisms of extracellular signal transduction.
  • To understand the role of Ras proteins as molecular switches.
  • To investigate the involvement of Ras-related proteins in oncogenic transformation.

Main Methods:

  • Investigating signal transduction pathways from cell surface receptors to gene expression.
  • Analyzing the function and regulation of Ras proteins.
  • Examining the role of Rho family proteins in Ras-mediated transformation.

Main Results:

  • Ras proteins mediate signals from tyrosine kinases to serine/threonine kinase cascades.
  • These cascades activate nuclear factors controlling gene expression and protein synthesis.
  • Rho family proteins are implicated in oncogenic Ras transformation.

Conclusions:

  • Significant progress has been made in understanding Ras-mediated signal transduction.
  • The identification of key pathway components offers potential for new cancer therapies.
  • Further research into Ras protein regulation and signal transmission is ongoing.

More Related Videos

Identification of EGFR and RAS Inhibitors using Caenorhabditis elegans08:12

Identification of EGFR and RAS Inhibitors using Caenorhabditis elegans

Published on: October 5, 2020

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants07:38

Intracellular Phosphoflow Cytometry of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Patient-Derived Xenotransplants

Published on: June 6, 2025

Related Concept Videos

Intracellular Signaling Cascades01:24

Intracellular Signaling Cascades

Once a ligand binds to a receptor, the signal is transmitted through the membrane and into the cytoplasm. The continuation of a signal in this manner is called signal transduction. Signal transduction only occurs with cell-surface receptors, which cannot interact with most components of the cell, such as DNA. Only internal receptors can interact directly with DNA in the nucleus to initiate protein synthesis. When a ligand binds to its receptor, conformational changes occur that affect the...
The Ras Gene02:38

The Ras Gene

The Ras-gene-encoded proteins are regulators of signaling pathways controlling cell proliferation, differentiation, or cell survival. The Ras-gene family in humans constitutes three primary members—the HRas, NRas, and KRas. These genes code for four functionally distinct yet closely related proteins—the HRas, NRas, KRas4A, and KRas4B. The involvement of mutant Ras genes in human cancer was first discovered in 1982 and is among the most common causes of human tumorigenesis.
Ras is a superfamily...
Interactions Between Signaling Pathways01:19

Interactions Between Signaling Pathways

Signaling cascades usually lack linearity. Multiple pathways interact and regulate one another, allowing cells to integrate and respond to diverse environmental stimuli.
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...
Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade01:22

Amplifying Signals via Enzymatic Cascade

When a ligand binds to a cell-surface receptor, the receptor's intracellular domain changes shape, which may either activate its enzyme function or allow its binding to other molecules. The initial signal is amplified by most signal transduction pathways. This means that a single ligand molecule can activate multiple molecules of a downstream target. Proteins that relay a signal are most commonly phosphorylated at one or more sites, activating or inactivating the protein. Kinases catalyze the...
Small GTPases - Ras and Rho01:24

Small GTPases - Ras and Rho

Ras and Rho are small monomeric GTPases that act downstream of receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) and regulate various cellular processes. These GTPases switch between active and inactive states by binding to guanine nucleotides.
Three regulatory proteins control their activity:
MAPK Signaling Cascades01:07

MAPK Signaling Cascades

Mitogen-activated protein kinase, or MAPK pathway, activates three sequential kinases to regulate cellular responses such as proliferation, differentiation, survival, and apoptosis. The canonical MAPK pathway starts with a mitogen or growth factor binding to an RTK. The activated RTKs stimulate Ras, which recruits Raf or MAP3 Kinase (MAPKKK), the first kinase of the MAPK signaling cascade. Raf further phosphorylates and activates MEK or MAP2 Kinases (MAPKK), which in turn phosphorylates MAP...