Rho proteins in cell migration and metastasis

The ability of tumors to invade, colonize, and destroy distant organs was first recognized by Jean-Claude Recamier in 1829. He termed this phenomenon metastasis.(1,2) Since it was first described, metastasis has been shown to be a complex multistep process.(3) One important step is cell migration a critical component of both cancer-cell invasion at the primary site (allowing cells to gain access to the vasculature) and for cells to penetrate the host tissue at distant sites.(4) The aim of this review is to examine the fundamental role of migration in cancer progression and to discuss the role of the Rho family of small G proteins and their effectors in this process.