The ARF GTPase regulatory network in collective invasion and metastasis

Biochem Soc Trans. 2023 Aug 31;51(4):1559-1569. doi: 10.1042/BST20221355.

Abstract

The ability to remodel and move cellular membranes, and the cargoes regulated by these membranes, allows for specialised functions to occur in distinct regions of the cell in a process known as cellular polarisation. The ability to collectively co-ordinate such polarisation between cells allows for the genesis of multicellularity, such as the formation of organs. During tumourigenesis, the rules for such tissue polarisation become dysregulated, allowing for collective polarity rearrangements that can drive metastasis. In this review, we focus on how membrane trafficking underpins collective cell invasion and metastasis in cancer. We examine this through the lens of the ADP-ribosylation factor (ARF) subfamily of small GTPases, focusing on how the ARF regulatory network - ARF activators, inactivators, effectors, and modifications - controls ARF GTPase function.

Keywords: ARF GTPases; cell polarity; invasion; metastasis; network analysis.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • ADP-Ribosylation Factors*
  • Carcinogenesis*
  • Cell Membrane
  • Cell Transformation, Neoplastic
  • Humans

Substances

  • ADP-Ribosylation Factors