| dc.description.abstract | Modulation of the actin-based cytoskeleton and transcription factor regulation are merely two essential functions in a wide array of cellular activities that the Rho family of small GTPases is responsible for mediating. Aberrations in, or loss of, Rho GTPase signaling has been found to lead to multiple pathologies, including both metastatic progression and lenticular differentiation leading to cataractogenesis. This study has examined the transcriptional regulation of the metastasis suppressor, KiSS-1. Although the mechanism by which KiSS-1 modulates an anti-metastatic effect is not entirely known, it is known that KiSS-1 mediates stress fiber formation, increased adhesion and reduced migratory and invasive properties through modulation of the Rho family of small GTPases. The loss of KiSS-1 that commonly occurs during metastatic progression, leads to a loss of proper Rho GTPase regulation. This study has examined how KiSS-1 is regulated in two tissue types, breast and skin, and how the loss of AP-2(alpha) and DRIP-130, respectively, leads to the progression of breast cancer and melanoma. In addition, this study has also looked at the importance of Rac1 expression and function in the lens epithelium. Activation of Rac1 and its downstream effector, SRF, have been shown to be key regulators in lens cell differentiation, possibly leading to lens opacification via its transcriptional control of the structural crystallins within the lens. The results of this dissertation research have made significant strides in understanding the nature of the anti-metastatic effects registered by the novel KiSS-1 peptide and its cognate GPCR. Additionally, it has shed light on the Rho family regulation of lens epithelial cell differentiation, indicating the elaborate involvement of Rac1 in mediating lens fiber development. In all, this research has determined previously unknown roles of small molecule GTPases in both the progression of metastasis, as well as in normal and abnormal lens cell differentiation. | en |
