Dedicator of cytokinesis protein 1 (DOCK1)

Dedicator of cytokinesis protein 1 (DOCK1) is an evolutionarily conserved guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that catalyzes the activation of Rac1, a small Rho family GTPase important for regulating actin cytoskeleton remodeling. Distinctively, DOCK1 uses a DHR2 domain for GEF activity (rather than DH-PH domains) and functions as part of a bipartite complex with the adapter protein ELMO to coordinate cell migration, phagocytosis, cell-cell fusion, and cytoskeletal rearrangement, facilitating critical processes such as tissue development, immune cell function, and apoptotic cell clearance. Elevated DOCK1 expression associates with increased invasion and poorer prognosis in several cancers, highlighting its clinical relevance as both a biomarker and potential therapeutic target

Other names

DOCK180ced5 (C. elegans ortholog)180 kDa protein downstream of CRKDownstream of CrKdedicator of cytokinesis protein 1DOCK1ced5Dedicator Of Cytokinesis 1

Experimental approaches use small molecule inhibitors and RNAi to inhibit DOCK1 activity or expression, aiming to suppress DOCK1-mediated Rac activation, block cell motility, invasion, or sensitize cancer cells to apoptosis