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Chen Q, Fu WJ, Tang XP, Wang L, Niu Q, Wang S, Lin Y, Cao MF, Hu R, Wen HY, Wang Y, Zhang X, Yao XH. ADP-Ribosylation Factor Like GTPase 4C (ARL4C) augments stem-like traits of glioblastoma cells by upregulating ALDH1A3. J Cancer 2021; 12:818-826. [PMID: 33403039 PMCID: PMC7778538 DOI: 10.7150/jca.45052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioma cells with stem cell-like properties are crucial for tumor initiation, progression and therapeutic resistance. Therefore, identifying specific factors in regulating stem-like traits is critical for the design of novel glioma therapeutics. Herein, we reported that ADP-Ribosylation Factor Like GTPase 4C (ARL4C) was highly expressed in glioma stem-like cells (GSLCs). GSLCs, determined by the efficiency of sphere formation in vitro and tumor growth in vivo, was increased by overexpression of ARL4C. ARL4C induced the tumorigenesis through ALDH1A3. Analyses of 325 patient specimens showed that ARL4C was highly expressed in glioblastoma (GBM) as compared with lower grade gliomas. In addition, higher level ARL4C expression in glioma was correlated with poorer progression-free survival and overall survival of patients. Therefore, ARL4C may act as a novel prognostic marker and a therapeutic target for GBM.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qian Chen
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Ministry of Education of China, Chongqing, China.,Cancer Center of Daping Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Wen-Juan Fu
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Ministry of Education of China, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiao-Peng Tang
- Department of Nephrology, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Lu Wang
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Ministry of Education of China, Chongqing, China
| | - Qin Niu
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Ministry of Education of China, Chongqing, China
| | - Shuai Wang
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Ministry of Education of China, Chongqing, China
| | - Yong Lin
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Ministry of Education of China, Chongqing, China
| | - Mian-Fu Cao
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Ministry of Education of China, Chongqing, China
| | - Rong Hu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), Chongqing, China
| | - Hai-Yan Wen
- Department of Pathology, the Affiliated Provincial Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yan Wang
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Ministry of Education of China, Chongqing, China
| | - Xia Zhang
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Ministry of Education of China, Chongqing, China
| | - Xiao-Hong Yao
- Institute of Pathology and Southwest Cancer Center, Southwest Hospital, Third Military Medical University (Army Medical University), and Key Laboratory of Tumor Immunopathology, Ministry of Education of China, Chongqing, China
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2
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Liu Y, Cheng G, Song Z, Xu T, Ruan H, Cao Q, Wang K, Bao L, Liu J, Zhou L, liu D, Yang H, Chen K, Zhang X. RAC2 acts as a prognostic biomarker and promotes the progression of clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Int J Oncol 2019; 55:645-656. [PMID: 31364727 PMCID: PMC6685597 DOI: 10.3892/ijo.2019.4849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As one of the most commonly reported malignancies of the urinary system, clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC) is an advanced metastatic tumor with high mortality rates. The Rac family small GTPase 2 (RAC2) is a member of the Rho GTPases. Although Rho GTPases play an important role in numerous different types of tumor, whether they have functions in ccRCC remains uncertain. The present study utilized bioinformatics analyses in order to compare the expression levels of RAC2 in ccRCC tumors vs. adjacent tissues, and assessed the association between RAC2 expression and clinicopathological parameters. Furthermore, reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR, western blotting and immunohistochemistry assays were performed to validate RAC2 expression levels in human ccRCC tissues and cell lines. Functional experiments were also conducted in order to identify the roles of RAC2 in vitro. The results revealed that RAC2 was upregulated in ccRCC tissues and cell lines. In addition, elevated expression levels of RAC2 were significantly associated with a poor overall survival (P=0.0061), higher Tumor‑Node‑Metastasis stage and worse G grade. Receiver operating characteristic analysis indicated that high expression levels of RAC2 could be a diagnostic index for ccRCC (area under the curve, 0.9095; P<0.0001). Furthermore, knockdown of RAC2 in vitro attenuated the proliferation, migration and invasion of renal carcinoma cells. In conclusion, the results of the present study demonstrated that RAC2 may act as a promising prognostic and diagnostic biomarker of ccRCC, and could be considered as a potential therapeutic target for treating ccRCC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuenan Liu
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
| | - Gong Cheng
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
| | - Zhengshuai Song
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
| | - Tianbo Xu
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
| | - Hailong Ruan
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
| | - Qi Cao
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
| | - Keshan Wang
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
| | - Lin Bao
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
| | - Jingchong Liu
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
| | - Lijie Zhou
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
| | - Di liu
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
| | - Hongmei Yang
- Department of Pathogenic Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430030, P.R. China
| | - Ke Chen
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
| | - Xiaoping Zhang
- Department of Urology, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, Hubei 430022
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3
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De Vita S, Li Y, Harris CE, McGuinness MK, Ma C, Williams DA. The gp130 Cytokine Interleukin-11 Regulates Engraftment of Vav1 -/- Hematopoietic Stem and Progenitor Cells in Lethally Irradiated Recipients. Stem Cells 2018; 36:446-457. [PMID: 29235178 DOI: 10.1002/stem.2760] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2017] [Revised: 11/15/2017] [Accepted: 11/29/2017] [Indexed: 12/18/2022]
Abstract
During bone marrow transplantation, hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs) respond to signals from the hematopoietic microenvironment by coordinately activating molecular pathways through Rho GTPases, including Rac. We have previously shown that deletion of Vav1, a hematopoietic-specific activator of Rac, compromises engraftment of transplanted adult HSPCs without affecting steady-state hematopoiesis in adult animals. Here, we show that Vav1-/- fetal HSPCs can appropriately seed hematopoietic tissues during ontogeny but cannot engraft into lethally irradiated recipients. We demonstrate that the engraftment defect of Vav1-/- HSPCs is abrogated in the absence of irradiation and demonstrate that Vav1 is critical for the response of HSPCs to the proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-11 (IL-11) that is upregulated in the marrow of irradiated recipients. Vav1-/- HSPCs display abnormal proliferative responses to IL-11 in vitro and dysregulated activation of pathways critical to engraftment of HSPCs. The engraftment of Vav1-/- HSPCs can be partially rescued in irradiated recipients treated with an anti-IL-11 antibody. These data suggest that HSPCs may respond to different functional demands by selective usage of the IL-11-Vav-Rac pathway, contextualizing further the recent view that HSPCs capable of reconstituting the blood system following transplantation might be distinct from those supporting hematopoiesis during homeostatic conditions. Stem Cells 2018; 36:446-457.
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Affiliation(s)
- Serena De Vita
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Yanhua Li
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Lab, Beijing Institute of Transfusion Medicine, Beijing, People's Republic of China
| | - Chad E Harris
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Meaghan K McGuinness
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Clement Ma
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David A Williams
- Division of Hematology/Oncology, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Harvard Stem Cell Institute, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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4
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Cabrera M, Echeverria E, Lenicov FR, Cardama G, Gonzalez N, Davio C, Fernández N, Menna PL. Pharmacological Rac1 inhibitors with selective apoptotic activity in human acute leukemic cell lines. Oncotarget 2017; 8:98509-98523. [PMID: 29228706 PMCID: PMC5716746 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.21533] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2016] [Accepted: 07/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Rac1 GTPase has long been recognized as a critical regulatory protein in different cellular and molecular processes involved in cancer progression, including acute myeloid leukemia. Here we show the antitumoral activity of ZINC69391 and 1A-116, two chemically-related Rac1 pharmacological inhibitors, on a panel of four leukemic cell lines representing different levels of maturation. Importantly, we show that the main mechanism involved in the antitumoral effect triggered by the Rac1 inhibitors comprises the induction of the mitochondrial or intrinsic apoptotic pathway. Interestingly, Rac1 inhibition selectively induced apoptosis on patient-derived leukemia cells but not on normal mononuclear cells. These results show the potential therapeutic benefits of targeting Rac1 pathway in hematopoietic malignancies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maia Cabrera
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica (ININFA-UBA CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Emiliana Echeverria
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica (ININFA-UBA CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Federico Remes Lenicov
- Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas en Retrovirus y SIDA, Facultad de Medicina, (INBIRS-UBA-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Georgina Cardama
- Laboratorio de Oncología Molecular, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Nazareno Gonzalez
- Laboratorio de Oncología Molecular, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Carlos Davio
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica (ININFA-UBA CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Natalia Fernández
- Instituto de Investigaciones Farmacológicas, Facultad de Farmacia y Bioquímica (ININFA-UBA CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Pablo Lorenzano Menna
- Laboratorio de Oncología Molecular, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina
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5
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Lai YJ, Tsai JC, Tseng YT, Wu MS, Liu WS, Lam HI, Yu JH, Nozell SE, Benveniste EN. Small G protein Rac GTPases regulate the maintenance of glioblastoma stem-like cells in vitro and in vivo. Oncotarget 2017; 8:18031-18049. [PMID: 28160553 PMCID: PMC5392305 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.14949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2016] [Accepted: 01/03/2017] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Glioblastoma is the most common and aggressive malignant brain tumor in adults. The existence of glioblastoma stem cells (GSCs) or stem-like cells (stemloids) may account for its invasiveness and high recurrence. Rac proteins belong to the Rho small GTPase subfamily which regulates cell movement, proliferation, and survival. To investigate whether Rac proteins can serve as therapeutic targets for glioblastoma, especially for GSCs or stemloids, we examined the potential roles of Rac1, Rac2 and Rac3 on the properties of tumorspheres derived from glioblastoma cell lines. Tumorspheres are thought to be glioblastoma stem-like cells. We showed that Rac proteins promote the STAT3 and ERK activation and enhance cell proliferation and colony formation of glioblastoma stem-like cells. Knockdown of Rac proteins reduces the expression of GSC markers, such as CD133 and Sox2. The in vivo effects of Rac proteins in glioblastoma were further studied in zebrafish and in the mouse xenotransplantation model. Knocking-down Rac proteins abolished the angiogenesis effect induced by the injected tumorspheres in zebrafish model. In the CD133+-U373-tumorsphere xenotransplanted mouse model, suppression of Rac proteins decreased the incidence of tumor formation and inhibited the tumor growth. Moreover, knockdown of Rac proteins reduced the sphere forming efficiency of cells derived from these tumors. In conclusion, not only Rac1 but also Rac2 and 3 are important for glioblastoma tumorigenesis and can serve as the potential therapeutic targets against glioblastoma and its stem-like cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Ju Lai
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jui-Cheng Tsai
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ying-Ting Tseng
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Meng-Shih Wu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wen-Shan Liu
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hoi-Ian Lam
- Department of Life Science, National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jei-Hwa Yu
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Susan E. Nozell
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA
| | - Etty N. Benveniste
- Department of Cell, Developmental, and Integrative Biology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, AL, USA
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6
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Zeng Y, Broxmeyer HE, Staser K, Chitteti BR, Park SJ, Hahn S, Cooper S, Sun Z, Jiang L, Yang X, Yuan J, Kosoff R, Sandusky G, Srour EF, Chernoff J, Clapp DW. Pak2 regulates hematopoietic progenitor cell proliferation, survival, and differentiation. Stem Cells 2016; 33:1630-41. [PMID: 25586960 DOI: 10.1002/stem.1951] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2014] [Accepted: 12/18/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
p21-Activated kinase 2 (Pak2), a serine/threonine kinase, has been previously shown to be essential for hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) engraftment. However, Pak2 modulation of long-term hematopoiesis and lineage commitment remain unreported. Using a conditional Pak2 knockout mouse model, we found that disruption of Pak2 in HSCs induced profound leukopenia and a mild macrocytic anemia. Although loss of Pak2 in HSCs leads to less efficient short- and long-term competitive hematopoiesis than wild-type cells, it does not affect HSC self-renewal per se. Pak2 disruption decreased the survival and proliferation of multicytokine stimulated immature progenitors. Loss of Pak2 skewed lineage differentiation toward granulocytopoiesis and monocytopoiesis in mice as evidenced by (a) a three- to sixfold increase in the percentage of peripheral blood granulocytes and a significant increase in the percentage of granulocyte-monocyte progenitors in mice transplanted with Pak2-disrupted bone marrow (BM); (b)Pak2-disrupted BM and c-kit(+) cells yielded higher numbers of more mature subsets of granulocyte-monocyte colonies and polymorphonuclear neutrophils, respectively, when cultured in the presence of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor. Pak2 disruption resulted, respectively, in decreased and increased gene expression of transcription factors JunB and c-Myc, which may suggest underlying mechanisms by which Pak2 regulates granulocyte-monocyte lineage commitment. Furthermore, Pak2 disruption led to (a) higher percentage of CD4(+) CD8(+) double positive T cells and lower percentages of CD4(+) CD8(-) or CD4(-) CD8(+) single positive T cells in thymus and (b) decreased numbers of mature B cells and increased numbers of Pre-Pro B cells in BM, suggesting defects in lymphopoiesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi Zeng
- Department of Pediatrics, Steele Children's Research Center, University of Arizona School of Medicine, Tucson, Arizona, USA
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7
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Capala ME, Maat H, Bonardi F, van den Boom V, Kuipers J, Vellenga E, Giepmans BNG, Schuringa JJ. Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Human Leukemic Stem/Progenitor Cells upon Loss of RAC2. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0128585. [PMID: 26016997 PMCID: PMC4446344 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0128585] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Leukemic stem cells (LSCs) reside within bone marrow niches that maintain their relatively quiescent state and convey resistance to conventional treatment. Many of the microenvironmental signals converge on RAC GTPases. Although it has become clear that RAC proteins fulfill important roles in the hematopoietic compartment, little has been revealed about the downstream effectors and molecular mechanisms. We observed that in BCR-ABL-transduced human hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) depletion of RAC2 but not RAC1 induced a marked and immediate decrease in proliferation, progenitor frequency, cobblestone formation and replating capacity, indicative for reduced self-renewal. Cell cycle analyses showed reduced cell cycle activity in RAC2-depleted BCR-ABL leukemic cobblestones coinciding with an increased apoptosis. Moreover, a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential was observed upon RAC2 downregulation, paralleled by severe mitochondrial ultrastructural malformations as determined by automated electron microscopy. Proteome analysis revealed that RAC2 specifically interacted with a set of mitochondrial proteins including mitochondrial transport proteins SAM50 and Metaxin 1, and interactions were confirmed in independent co-immunoprecipitation studies. Downregulation of SAM50 also impaired the proliferation and replating capacity of BCR-ABL-expressing cells, again associated with a decreased mitochondrial membrane potential. Taken together, these data suggest an important role for RAC2 in maintaining mitochondrial integrity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marta E. Capala
- Department of Experimental Hematology, Cancer Research Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Henny Maat
- Department of Experimental Hematology, Cancer Research Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Francesco Bonardi
- Department of Experimental Hematology, Cancer Research Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Vincent van den Boom
- Department of Experimental Hematology, Cancer Research Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jeroen Kuipers
- Department of Cell Biology, University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Edo Vellenga
- Department of Experimental Hematology, Cancer Research Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Ben N. G. Giepmans
- Department of Experimental Hematology, Cancer Research Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
| | - Jan Jacob Schuringa
- Department of Experimental Hematology, Cancer Research Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
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