Figure 3.
Regulation of Rho GTPase by isoprenylation. Rho proteins change between a cytosolic, inactive, GDP-bound state and an active, membrane, GTP-bound state. This cycle is controlled by several cofactors, including guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEF), GTPase-activating proteins (GAP), and guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitors (GDI). An important step in the activation of Rho GTPases is the posttranslational isoprenylation, which allows the translocation of Rho to the cell membrane and the subsequent activation.