About Small GTPases

Scope

The journal covers a broad range of aspects concerning small GTPase research, such as the cell biology and biochemistry of small GTPases, their regulators and effectors in health and disease, and will aim to publish manuscripts at the forefront of the small GTPase field.

Specific topics of focus include the structural biology of small GTPases, their biochemical regulation, as well as their individual and collective cell biological functions. Processes of major interest are cell migration, cell growth, cell division, metastasis, and host-pathogen interactions. Both classical experimental approaches and more recent developments such as systems biology and bioinformatics will be considered. However, particular emphasis will be placed on work aimed at understanding the basic mechanisms underlying biological events regulated by small GTPases, at all levels from atomic structure of molecular interactions to regulation at the organismal level.

Why this topic? Why Now?

Small GTP-binding proteins (also known as small GTPases) are one of the largest and most ancient families of signalling proteins, with well over 100 mammalian family members. These signalling proteins are essential for multiple cellular processes such as cell proliferation (Ras), dynamics of the cytoskeleton (Rho and Rop), membrane trafficking (Arf and Rab), and nucleo-cytoplasmic transport (Ran). They are involved in many physiological processes, including embryogenesis, establishment and/or maintenance of polarity, adhesion, migration, and differentiation of numerous cell types.

Small GTPases are involved in an amazing variety of pathological human conditions, such as uncontrolled cell proliferation, metastasis or angiogenesis during tumour development, inflammation and vascular diseases, mental retardation, and infections. This is not surprising given their pivotal role in so many normal and developmentally regulated processes.

Despite the explosion of publications on small GTPases in the last three years (an average of 3500 article per year have been published), and intense interest in small GTPase signalling, there is no explicit forum for publication of research within this area.

This prompted a number of leaders in the field to come together to organize a niche journal  dedicated to the field of small GTPase research.