Distribution of Rho family GTPases in the adult rat hippocampus and cerebellum

Small GTPases are monomeric guanine nucleotide binding proteins of 20-25 kDa mass. Rho GTPases belong to the Ras superfamily of small GTPases. The small GTPases of the Rho family have been shown to participate in the organisation of the actin cytoskeleton and signal transduction pathways leading to gene transcription. Recent evidence suggests that Rho family GTPases may play an important role in synaptic communication in the brain, and particularly in synatic plasticity. In this study the distribution of RhoA, RhoB, RhoG, Cdc42, and Rac1 was investigated in hippocampal and cerebellar tissue of adult rat brain using immunohistochemical techniques. Previous studies suggest that distribution of Rho family mRNA is uniform throughout these structures. Here we provide evidence for differences in expression of these proteins between different regions of the hippocampus, and between the molecular and granular layers in the cerebellum. These differences may prove important with regard to the physiological functions of Rho family GTPases. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.