No abstract

The dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton and its regulation by Rho GTPases are essential to maintain cell shape, to allow cell motility and are also critical during cell cycle progression and mitosis. Rho GTPases and their effectors are involved in cell rounding at mitosis onset, in chromosomes alignment and are required for contraction of the actomyosin ring that separates daughter cells at the end of mitosis. Recent studies have revealed how a number of nucleotide exchange factors and GTPase-activating proteins regulate the activity of Rho GTPases during these processes. This review will focus on how the cell cycle machinery, in turn, regulates expression of proteins in the Rho signaling pathways through transcriptional activation, ubiquitylation and proteasomal degradation and modulates their activity through phosphorylation by mitotic kinases.

Small GTP-binding proteins of the Rho family orchestrate the cytoskeleton remodelling events required for cell division. Guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) promote cycling of Rho GTPases between the active GTP-bound and the inactive GDP-bound conformations. We report that ARHGAP19, a previously uncharacterised protein, is predominantly expressed in hematopoietic cells and has an essential role in the division of T lymphocytes. Overexpression of ARHGAP19 in lymphocytes delays cell elongation and cytokinesis. Conversely, silencing of ARHGAP19 or expression of a GAPdeficient mutant induces precocious mitotic cell elongation and cleavage furrow ingression, as well as excessive blebbing. In relation to these phenotypes, we show that ARHGAP19 acts as a GAP for RhoA, and controls recruitment of citron and myosin II to the plasma membrane of mitotic lymphocytes as well as Rock2-mediated phosphorylation of vimentin, which is crucial to maintain the stiffness and shape of lymphocytes. In addition to its effects on cell shape, silencing of ARHGAP19 in lymphocytes also impairs chromosome segregation.