G Proteins and Small GTPases: Distant Relatives Keep in Touch

Abstract

Both low molecular weight G proteins and the larger heterotrimeric G proteins are switched on and off by binding the nucleotide GTP. New results in this issue by Kosaza et al. and Hart et al. show that these two distant relatives actually regulate one another. Hall explains in his commentary that this advance is more than just a family reunion and actually reveals the mechanism by which many fundamental cell processes that alter cell shape are regulated, including gastrulation.