Spatiotemporal Regulation of Rho GTPases in Neuronal Migration

Abstract

Neuronal migration is essential for the orchestration of brain development and involves several contiguous steps: interkinetic nuclear movement (INM), multipolar−bipolar transition, locomotion, and translocation. Growing evidence suggests that Rho GTPases, including RhoA, Rac, Cdc42, and the atypical Rnd members, play critical roles in neuronal migration by regulating both actin and microtubule cytoskeletal components. This review focuses on the spatiotemporal-specific regulation of Rho GTPases as well as their regulators and effectors in distinct steps during the neuronal migration process. Their roles in bridging extracellular signals and cytoskeletal dynamics to provide optimal structural support to the migrating neurons will also be discussed.

Keywords

• Rho GTPase
• guanine nucleotide exchange factor
• GTPase-activating protein
• neuronal migration
• neuronal development