GTPase HRas is involved in regulating cell division in response to growth factor stimulation. Growth factors act by binding cell surface receptors that span the cell's plasma membrane. Once activated, receptors stimulate signal transduction events in the cytoplasm, a process by which proteins and second messengers relay signals from outside the cell to the cell nucleus and instructs the cell to grow or divide. The HRAS protein is a GTPase and is an early player in many signal transduction pathways and is usually associated with cell membranes due to the presence of an isoprenyl group on its C-terminus. HRAS acts as a molecular on/off switch, once it is turned on it recruits and activates proteins necessary for the propagation of the receptor's signal, such as c-Raf and PI 3-kinase. HRAS binds to GTP in the active state and possesses an intrinsic enzymatic activity that cleaves the terminal phosphate of this nucleotide converting it to GDP. Upon conversion of GTP to GDP, HRAS is turned off. The rate of conversion is usually slow but can be sped up dramatically by an accessory protein of the GTPase activating protein (GAP) class, for example RasGAP. In turn HRAS can bind to proteins of the Guanine Nucleotide Exchange Factor (GEF) class, for example SOS1, which forces the release of bound nucleotide. Subsequently, GTP present in the cytosol binds and HRAS-GTP dissociates from the GEF, resulting in HRAS activation. HRAS is in the Ras family, which also includes two other proto-oncogenes: KRAS and NRAS. These proteins all are regulated in the same manner and appear to differ largely in their sites of action within the cell.
At least five inherited mutations in the HRAS gene have been identified in people with Costello syndrome. Each of these mutations changes an amino acid in a critical region of the HRAS protein. The most common mutation replaces the amino acidglycine with the amino acid serine at position 12 (written as Gly12Ser or G12S). The mutations responsible for Costello syndrome lead to the production of an HRAS protein that is permanently active. Instead of triggering cell growth in response to particular signals from outside the cell, the overactive protein directs cells to grow and divide constantly. This uncontrolled cell division can result in the formation of noncancerous and cancerous tumors. Researchers are uncertain how mutations in the HRAS gene cause the other features of Costello syndrome (such as mental retardation, distinctive facial features, and heart problems), but many of the signs and symptoms probably result from cell overgrowth and abnormal cell
Bladder cancer
HRAS has been shown to be a proto-oncogene. When mutated, proto-oncogenes have the potential to cause normal cells to become cancerous. Some gene mutations are acquired during a person's lifetime and are present only in certain cells. These changes are called somatic mutations and are not inherited. Somatic mutations in the HRAS gene in bladder cells have been associated with bladder cancer. One specific mutation has been identified in a significant percentage of bladder tumors; this mutation substitutes one protein building block (amino acid) for another amino acid in the HRAS protein. Specifically, the mutation replaces the amino acid glycine with the amino acid valine at position 12 (written as Gly12Val, G12V, or H-RasV12). The altered HRAS protein is permanently activated within the cell. This overactive protein directs the cell to grow and divide in the absence of outside signals, leading to uncontrolled cell division and the formation of a tumor. Mutations in the HRAS gene also have been associated with the progression of bladder cancer and an increased risk of tumor recurrence after treatment.
Other cancers
Somatic mutations in the HRAS gene are probably involved in the development of several other types of cancer. These mutations lead to an HRAS protein that is always active and can direct cells to grow and divide without control. Recent studies suggest that HRAS mutations are common in thyroid, salivary duct carcinoma,[8] epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma,[9] and kidney cancers.
DNA copy-number gain of a segment containing HRAS is included in a genome-wide pattern, which was found to be correlated with an astrocytoma patient's outcome.[10][11]
The HRAS protein also may be produced at higher levels (overexpressed) in other types of cancer cells.
^"Human PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^"Mouse PubMed Reference:". National Center for Biotechnology Information, U.S. National Library of Medicine.
^Wong-Staal F, Dalla-Favera R, Franchini G, Gelmann EP, Gallo RC (Jul 1981). "Three distinct genes in human DNA related to the transforming genes of mammalian sarcoma retroviruses". Science. 213 (4504): 226–8. Bibcode:1981Sci...213..226W. doi:10.1126/science.6264598. PMID6264598.
^Chiosea SI, Williams L, Griffith CC, Thompson LD, Weinreb I, Bauman JE, Luvison A, Roy S, Seethala RR, Nikiforova MN (Jun 2015). "Molecular characterization of apocrine salivary duct carcinoma". The American Journal of Surgical Pathology. 39 (6): 744–52. doi:10.1097/PAS.0000000000000410. PMID25723113. S2CID34106002.
^K. M. Reily; D. A. Loisel; R. T. Bronson; M. E. McLaughlin; T. Jacks (September 2000). "Nf1;Trp53 mutant mice develop glioblastoma with evidence of strain-specific effects". Nature Genetics. 26 (1): 109–113. doi:10.1038/79075. PMID10973261. S2CID23076620.
Further reading
McCormick F (Dec 1995). "Ras-related proteins in signal transduction and growth control". Molecular Reproduction and Development. 42 (4): 500–6. doi:10.1002/mrd.1080420419. PMID8607982. S2CID6507743.
121p: STRUKTUR UND GUANOSINTRIPHOSPHAT-HYDROLYSEMECHANISMUS DES C-TERMINAL VERKUERZTEN MENSCHLICHEN KREBSPROTEINS P21-H-RAS
1aa9: HUMAN C-HA-RAS(1-171)(DOT)GDP, NMR, MINIMIZED AVERAGE STRUCTURE
1agp: THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES AND PROPERTIES OF A TRANSFORMING AND A NONTRANSFORMING GLY-12 MUTANT OF P21-H-RAS
1bkd: COMPLEX OF HUMAN H-RAS WITH HUMAN SOS-1
1clu: H-RAS COMPLEXED WITH DIAMINOBENZOPHENONE-BETA,GAMMA-IMIDO-GTP
1crp: THE SOLUTION STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF RAS P21. GDP DETERMINED BY HETERONUCLEAR THREE AND FOUR DIMENSIONAL NMR SPECTROSCOPY
1crq: THE SOLUTION STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF RAS P21. GDP DETERMINED BY HETERONUCLEAR THREE AND FOUR DIMENSIONAL NMR SPECTROSCOPY
1crr: THE SOLUTION STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS OF RAS P21. GDP DETERMINED BY HETERONUCLEAR THREE AND FOUR DIMENSIONAL NMR SPECTROSCOPY
1ctq: STRUCTURE OF P21RAS IN COMPLEX WITH GPPNHP AT 100 K
1gnp: X-RAY CRYSTAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF THE CATALYTIC DOMAIN OF THE ONCOGENE PRODUCT P21H-RAS COMPLEXED WITH CAGED GTP AND MANT DGPPNHP
1gnq: X-RAY CRYSTAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF THE CATALYTIC DOMAIN OF THE ONCOGENE PRODUCT P21H-RAS COMPLEXED WITH CAGED GTP AND MANT DGPPNHP
1gnr: X-RAY CRYSTAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF THE CATALYTIC DOMAIN OF THE ONCOGENE PRODUCT P21H-RAS COMPLEXED WITH CAGED GTP AND MANT DGPPNHP
1he8: RAS G12V - PI 3-KINASE GAMMA COMPLEX
1iaq: C-H-RAS P21 PROTEIN MUTANT WITH THR 35 REPLACED BY SER (T35S) COMPLEXED WITH GUANOSINE-5'-[B,G-IMIDO] TRIPHOSPHATE
1ioz: Crystal Structure of the C-HA-RAS Protein Prepared by the Cell-Free Synthesis
1jah: H-RAS P21 PROTEIN MUTANT G12P, COMPLEXED WITH GUANOSINE-5'-[BETA,GAMMA-METHYLENE] TRIPHOSPHATE AND MAGNESIUM
1jai: H-RAS P21 PROTEIN MUTANT G12P, COMPLEXED WITH GUANOSINE-5'-[BETA,GAMMA-METHYLENE] TRIPHOSPHATE AND MANGANESE
1k8r: Crystal structure of Ras-Bry2RBD complex
1lf0: Crystal Structure of RasA59G in the GTP-bound form
1lf5: Crystal Structure of RasA59G in the GDP-bound Form
1lfd: CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF THE ACTIVE RAS PROTEIN COMPLEXED WITH THE RAS-INTERACTING DOMAIN OF RALGDS
1nvu: Structural evidence for feedback activation by RasGTP of the Ras-specific nucleotide exchange factor SOS
1nvv: Structural evidence for feedback activation by RasGTP of the Ras-specific nucleotide exchange factor SOS
1nvw: Structural evidence for feedback activation by RasGTP of the Ras-specific nucleotide exchange factor SOS
1nvx: Structural evidence for feedback activation by RasGTP of the Ras-specific nucleotide exchange factor SOS
1p2s: H-Ras 166 in 50% 2,2,2 triflouroethanol
1p2t: H-Ras 166 in Aqueous mother liquor, RT
1p2u: H-Ras in 50% isopropanol
1p2v: H-RAS 166 in 60 % 1,6 hexanediol
1plj: CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC STUDIES ON P21H-RAS USING SYNCHROTRON LAUE METHOD: IMPROVEMENT OF CRYSTAL QUALITY AND MONITORING OF THE GTPASE REACTION AT DIFFERENT TIME POINTS
1plk: CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC STUDIES ON P21H-RAS USING SYNCHROTRON LAUE METHOD: IMPROVEMENT OF CRYSTAL QUALITY AND MONITORING OF THE GTPASE REACTION AT DIFFERENT TIME POINTS
1pll: CRYSTALLOGRAPHIC STUDIES ON P21H-RAS USING SYNCHROTRON LAUE METHOD: IMPROVEMENT OF CRYSTAL QUALITY AND MONITORING OF THE GTPASE REACTION AT DIFFERENT TIME POINTS
1q21: CRYSTAL STRUCTURES AT 2.2 ANGSTROMS RESOLUTION OF THE CATALYTIC DOMAINS OF NORMAL RAS PROTEIN AND AN ONCOGENIC MUTANT COMPLEXED WITH GSP
1qra: STRUCTURE OF P21RAS IN COMPLEX WITH GTP AT 100 K
1rvd: H-RAS COMPLEXED WITH DIAMINOBENZOPHENONE-BETA,GAMMA-IMIDO-GTP
1wq1: RAS-RASGAP COMPLEX
1xcm: Crystal structure of the GppNHp-bound H-Ras G60A mutant
1xd2: Crystal Structure of a ternary Ras:SOS:Ras*GDP complex
1xj0: Crystal Structure of the GDP-bound form of the RasG60A mutant
1zvq: Structure of the Q61G mutant of Ras in the GDP-bound form
1zw6: Crystal Structure of the GTP-bound form of RasQ61G
221p: THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES OF H-RAS P21 MUTANTS: MOLECULAR BASIS FOR THEIR INABILITY TO FUNCTION AS SIGNAL SWITCH MOLECULES
2c5l: STRUCTURE OF PLC EPSILON RAS ASSOCIATION DOMAIN WITH HRAS
2ce2: CRYSTAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF A FLUORESCENT FORM OF H-RAS P21 IN COMPLEX WITH GDP
2cl0: CRYSTAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF A FLUORESCENT FORM OF H-RAS P21 IN COMPLEX WITH GPPNHP
2cl6: CRYSTAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF A FLUORESCENT FORM OF H-RAS P21 IN COMPLEX WITH S-CAGED GTP
2cl7: CRYSTAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF A FLUORESCENT FORM OF H-RAS P21 IN COMPLEX WITH GTP
2clc: CRYSTAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF A FLUORESCENT FORM OF H-RAS P21 IN COMPLEX WITH GTP (2)
2cld: CRYSTAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS OF A FLUORESCENT FORM OF H-RAS P21 IN COMPLEX WITH GDP (2)
2evw: Crystal structure analysis of a fluorescent form of H-Ras p21 in complex with R-caged GTP
2q21: CRYSTAL STRUCTURES AT 2.2 ANGSTROMS RESOLUTION OF THE CATALYTIC DOMAINS OF NORMAL RAS PROTEIN AND AN ONCOGENIC MUTANT COMPLEXED WITH GSP
421p: THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES OF H-RAS P21 MUTANTS: MOLECULAR BASIS FOR THEIR INABILITY TO FUNCTION AS SIGNAL SWITCH MOLECULES
4q21: MOLECULAR SWITCH FOR SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION: STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ACTIVE AND INACTIVE FORMS OF PROTOONCOGENIC RAS PROTEINS
521p: THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES OF H-RAS P21 MUTANTS: MOLECULAR BASIS FOR THEIR INABILITY TO FUNCTION AS SIGNAL SWITCH MOLECULES
5p21: REFINED CRYSTAL STRUCTURE OF THE TRIPHOSPHATE CONFORMATION OF H-RAS P21 AT 1.35 ANGSTROMS RESOLUTION: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE MECHANISM OF GTP HYDROLYSIS
621p: THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES OF H-RAS P21 MUTANTS: MOLECULAR BASIS FOR THEIR INABILITY TO FUNCTION AS SIGNAL SWITCH MOLECULES
6q21: MOLECULAR SWITCH FOR SIGNAL TRANSDUCTION: STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ACTIVE AND INACTIVE FORMS OF PROTOONCOGENIC RAS PROTEINS
721p: THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES OF H-RAS P21 MUTANTS: MOLECULAR BASIS FOR THEIR INABILITY TO FUNCTION AS SIGNAL SWITCH MOLECULES
821p: THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES AND PROPERTIES OF A TRANSFORMING AND A NONTRANSFORMING GLYCINE-12 MUTANT OF P21H-RAS