Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 16 (ARHGEF16)

Rho guanine nucleotide exchange factor 16 (ARHGEF16) is a member of the RhoGEF family and acts as an activator of Rho-family small GTPases, including RhoG, Rac1, and CDC42. It functions by stimulating these GTPases to exchange GDP for GTP, thus regulating signal transduction pathways involved in cytoskeletal remodeling, cell proliferation, migration, and invasive behavior. In cancer, ARHGEF16 is upregulated in several tumor types—most notably colon cancer, where it promotes cell proliferation, migration, and invasion, and is associated with increased metastatic potential. The protein is also called Ephexin-4 and plays roles in pathways downstream of Eph family receptor tyrosine kinases, with implications for both physiological and pathological conditions, including cancer cell metastasis and potentially apoptotic cell clearance. Its structure includes Dbl homology (DH), pleckstrin homology (PH), and Src homology-3 (SH3) domains, typical of Rho GEF proteins. There are currently no approved drugs specifically targeting ARHGEF16, and its value as a therapeutic target remains experimental.

Other names

Ephexin-4EPHEXIN4GEF16neuroblastoma breakpoint protein (NBR)putative neuroblastoma proteinrho guanine exchange factor (GEF) 16ARHGG