HomeAboutRankingsData Sources
© 2026 GeneE
🧬
GeneE
29 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 14 days ago
ⓘGeneE is for informational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
RHOC
ras homolog family member C
Chromosome 1 · 1p13.2
NCBI Gene: 389Ensembl: ENSG00000155366.18HGNC: HGNC:669UniProt: A0A024R0C8
219PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
positive regulation of canonical NF-kappaB signal transductionapical junction assemblyprotein bindingpositive regulation of stress fiber assemblyhypertensionCOVID-19alcohol drinkingThrombocytopenia
✦AI Summary

RhoC is a small GTPase that regulates cell migration, cytoskeletal dynamics, and cytokinesis through nucleotide-dependent signaling. Primary functions include controlling actin stress fiber assembly, focal adhesion formation, and myosin-dependent contractile ring formation during cell division 1. RhoC activation occurs through multiple mechanisms: direct interaction with BCAT1 and stimulation by branched-chain α-keto acids 2, non-degrading ubiquitination by E3 ligase LNX1 (suppressed by LIS1) 3, and spatial regulation via p190RhoGEF/p190RhoGAP complexes 4. Unlike RhoA which regulates contractility or RhoB which localizes to endosomes, RhoC specifically promotes cell locomotion and invasive protrusions including invadopodia and lamellipodia 5, 6. RhoC dysregulation associates with multiple cancers through enhanced cell migration and metastasis. Expression increases in relapsed prostate cancer following radiation therapy, suggesting treatment resistance mechanisms 7. In adult T cell leukemia, RhoC overexpression (as a miR-455-3p target) activates oncogenic pathways including Myc targets and sphingomyelin-mediated lipid metabolism 8. Targeting RhoC activity through BCAT1 inhibition (candesartan) suppresses cancer cell motility and peritoneal metastasis 2, indicating therapeutic potential. RhoC represents a RhoA/RhoB-specific regulatory module and a candidate biomarker and therapeutic target in metastatic disease.

Sources cited
1
BCAT1 directly interacts with and activates RhoC; branched-chain α-keto acids bind and promote RhoC activity; candesartan inhibits RhoC and suppresses cancer cell motility and metastasis
PMID: 37337119
2
RhoC is regulated through nucleotide binding, transcriptional and post-transcriptional mechanisms; involved in actin dynamics, cell adhesion, and cell-cycle progression; implicated in cancer metastasis and fibrosis
PMID: 29500478
3
RhoC is uniquely targeted by non-degrading ubiquitination via E3 ligase LNX1; LIS1 suppresses LNX1 effects on RhoC; represents vertebrate-specific, RhoC-isoform specific upstream regulation
PMID: 36192543
4
RhoC expression significantly increases in radiation-relapsed prostate cancer xenografts compared to regressing tumors; RhoC could serve as biomarker for treatment relapse
PMID: 38968772
5
RHOC is overexpressed in adult T cell leukemia as a target of tumor-suppressive miR-455-3p; activates oncogenic Myc pathways and enhances sphingomyelin-mediated lipid metabolism
PMID: 39982744
6
RhoC plays distinct roles in cancer cell migration compared to RhoA and RhoB; activated by specific stimuli and acts through different effector complexes
PMID: 23488932
7
RhoC regulates spatial formation of invasive protrusions (invadopodia) and locomotory protrusions; RhoC/p190RhoGEF/p190RhoGAP acts as molecular compass for invasion and dissemination
PMID: 24642482
8
RhoC is more important in cell locomotion than RhoA (contractility) or RhoB (endosomal trafficking); shows preferential interactions with specific regulators and effectors
PMID: 15501444
Disease Associationsⓘ20
hypertensionOpen Targets
0.34Weak
COVID-19Open Targets
0.33Weak
alcohol drinkingOpen Targets
0.29Weak
ThrombocytopeniaOpen Targets
0.28Weak
open-angle glaucomaOpen Targets
0.24Weak
Abnormal finger morphologyOpen Targets
0.13Weak
hepatocellular carcinomaOpen Targets
0.10Weak
vertebral joint diseaseOpen Targets
0.10Weak
tinea unguiumOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
Abnormality of the skeletal systemOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
diabetic neuropathyOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
head and neck squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
Inguinal herniaOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
oral squamous cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
gliomaOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
cervical cancerOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
colorectal carcinomaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
ACTBProtein interaction100%CFL1Protein interaction99%ECT2Protein interaction99%PPP1R12AProtein interaction98%DIAPH1Protein interaction97%CFL2Protein interaction97%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Heart
100%
Lung
94%
Ovary
72%
Liver
59%
Brain
27%
Bone Marrow
5%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
RHOCACTBCFL1ECT2PPP1R12ADIAPH1CFL2
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
Preparing viewer…
PDB2GCO · 1.40 Å · X-ray
View on RCSB ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
1.02LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.00Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.64 [0.42–1.02]
RankingsWhere RHOC stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #1,886of 20,598
    Most Researched219 · top 10%
  • #10,087of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)1.02
Genes detectedRHOC
Sources retrieved29 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
29▼
1
Enhanced BCAT1 activity and BCAA metabolism promotes RhoC activity in cancer progression.
PMID: 37337119
Nat Metab · 2023
1.00
2
Transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of the genes encoding the small GTPases RhoA, RhoB, and RhoC: implications for the pathogenesis of human diseases.
PMID: 29500478
Cell Mol Life Sci · 2018
0.90
3
Arg188 drives RhoC membrane binding.
PMID: 27355867
Small GTPases · 2017
0.88
4
RAB33A promotes metastasis via RhoC accumulation through non-canonical autophagy in cervical cancer.
PMID: 40000633
Cell Death Dis · 2025
0.84
5
Investigating Ras homolog gene family member C (RhoC) and Ki67 expression following external beam radiation therapy show increased RhoC expression in relapsing prostate cancer xenografts.
PMID: 38968772
Biochem Biophys Res Commun · 2024
0.80