PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Yi-Lei Zhang
AU  - Ruo-Chen Wang
AU  - Ken Cheng
AU  - Brian Z. Ring
AU  - Li Su
TI  - Roles of Rap1 signaling in tumor cell migration and invasion
AID  - 10.20892/j.issn.2095-3941.2016.0086
DP  - 2017 Feb 01
TA  - Cancer Biology and Medicine
PG  - 90--99
VI  - 14
IP  - 1
4099  - http://www.cancerbiomed.org/content/14/1/90.short
4100  - http://www.cancerbiomed.org/content/14/1/90.full
SO  - Cancer Biol Med2017 Feb 01; 14
AB  - Ras-associated protein-1 (Rap1), a small GTPase in the Ras-related protein family, is an important regulator of basic cellular functions (e.g., formation and control of cell adhesions and junctions), cellular migration, and polarization. Through its interaction with other proteins, Rap1 plays many roles during cell invasion and metastasis in different cancers. The basic function of Rap1 is straightforward; it acts as a switch during cellular signaling transduction and regulated by its binding to either guanosine triphosphate (GTP) or guanosine diphosphate (GDP). However, its remarkably diverse function is rendered by its interplay with a large number of distinct Rap guanine nucleotide exchange factors and Rap GTPase activating proteins. This review summarizes the mechanisms by which Rap1 signaling can regulate cell invasion and metastasis, focusing on its roles in integrin and cadherin regulation, Rho GTPase control, and matrix metalloproteinase expression.