GTPase-Activating Proteinとは 意味・読み方・使い方

GTPase-Activating Proteins, or GAPs, or GTPase-Accelerating Proteins are a family of regulatory proteins whose members can bind to activated G proteins and stimulate their GTPase activity, with the result of terminating the signaling event. GAPs are also known as regulator of G protein signaling proteins, or RGS proteins, and these proteins are crucial in controlling the activity of G proteins. Regulation of G proteins is important because these proteins are involved in a variety of important cellular processes. The large G proteins, for example, are involved in transduction of signaling from the G protein-coupled receptor for a variety of signaling processes like hormonal signaling, and small G proteins are involved in processes like cellular trafficking and cell cycling. GAP’s role in this function is to turn the G protein’s activity off. In this sense, GAPs function is opposite that of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs), which serve to enhance G protein signaling.