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10 sources retrieved · Most recent: April 2026 · Index updated 15 days ago
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RHOJ
ras homolog family member J
Chromosome 14 · 14q23.2
NCBI Gene: 57381Ensembl: ENSG00000126785.14HGNC: HGNC:688UniProt: Q7Z513
44PubMed Papers
20Diseases
0Drugs
0Pathogenic Variants
DATA QUALITY
✓ Experimental GO Evidence✓ Swiss-Prot Reviewed
GTPase activityprotein bindingGTP bindingregulation of endothelial cell migrationliver diseaseMyasthenia gravispreeclampsiaendometriosis
✦AI Summary

RHOJ is a plasma membrane-associated small GTPase belonging to the Cdc42 subfamily that functions as a molecular switch regulating cytoskeletal dynamics and cell migration 1. Its primary role involves angiogenesis, where it is specifically enriched in endothelial cells 2. RHOJ promotes endothelial cell migration during vascular development through direct interaction with glutamine synthetase (GLUL), which palmitoylates RHOJ to maintain its membrane localization and activation 3. Mechanistically, RHOJ elicits F-actin-rich structure formation by regulating actin cytoskeleton organization and can activate p21-activated kinase family members, influencing downstream effector activity 1. Beyond angiogenesis, RHOJ contributes to pathological processes including epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in gastric cancer via IL-6/STAT3 signaling, promoting tumor invasion and metastasis 4. In pulmonary fibrosis, RHOJ marks a hyperglycolytic endothelial subset whose inhibition alleviates fibrosis and restores lung regeneration 5. Clinically, RHOJ overexpression correlates with poor cancer prognosis primarily through increased tumor angiogenesis and malignant cell phenotypes 1. These findings establish RHOJ as an emerging biomarker and therapeutic target for cancer and vascular diseases 1.

Sources cited
1
RHOJ interacts with GLUL (glutamine synthetase) which palmitoylates RHOJ to sustain its membrane localization and activation; RHOJ mediates endothelial cell migration during angiogenesis by eliciting F-actin-rich structures
PMID: 30158707
2
RHOJ is a Rho GTPase of Cdc42 subfamily that activates p21-activated kinase family; regulates cytoskeleton, cell movement, and cell cycle; high expression associates with poor cancer prognosis through increased tumor angiogenesis
PMID: 38858534
3
RHOJ induces epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in gastric cancer through IL-6/STAT3 signaling to promote invasion and metastasis
PMID: 37781036
4
RHOJ marks hyperglycolytic endothelial cells (Pfkfb3+Rhoj+Pdgfb+); inhibiting this subset normalizes intussusceptive angiogenesis, alleviates fibrosis, and restores lung regeneration
PMID: 39196961
5
RhoJ is enriched in angiogenic endothelial cells; mediates semaphorin 3E-induced actin depolymerization and facilitates VEGFR2 holoreceptor complex formation for directional endothelial cell migration
PMID: 33916163
Disease Associationsⓘ20
liver diseaseOpen Targets
0.31Weak
Myasthenia gravisOpen Targets
0.28Weak
preeclampsiaOpen Targets
0.26Weak
endometriosisOpen Targets
0.21Weak
neoplasmOpen Targets
0.10Weak
melanomaOpen Targets
0.10Suggestive
gastric cancerOpen Targets
0.09Suggestive
breast cancerOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
glioblastoma multiformeOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
age-related macular degenerationOpen Targets
0.08Suggestive
nonpapillary renal cell carcinomaOpen Targets
0.07Suggestive
X-linked retinal dysplasiaOpen Targets
0.06Suggestive
severe early-childhood-onset retinal dystrophyOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Stargardt diseaseOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
age related macular degeneration 11Open Targets
0.05Suggestive
age related macular degeneration 2Open Targets
0.05Suggestive
age related macular degeneration 4Open Targets
0.05Suggestive
age related macular degeneration 6Open Targets
0.05Suggestive
age related macular degeneration 7Open Targets
0.05Suggestive
Down syndromeOpen Targets
0.05Suggestive
Pathogenic Variants
No pathogenic variants reported on ClinVar for this gene.
View on ClinVar ↗
Related Genes
ITSN1Protein interaction100%PARD6BProtein interaction100%PARD6GProtein interaction99%DOCK8Protein interaction92%WASProtein interaction92%PAK1Protein interaction91%
Tissue Expression6 tissues
Heart
100%
Ovary
49%
Lung
49%
Brain
25%
Liver
11%
Bone Marrow
0%
Gene Interaction Network
Click a node to explore
RHOJITSN1PARD6BPARD6GDOCK8WASPAK1
PROTEIN STRUCTURE
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AlphaFoldAI-predicted · UniProt Q7Z513
View on AlphaFold ↗
Constraintⓘ
LOEUFⓘ
0.85LoF Tolerant
pLIⓘ
0.05Tolerant
Observed/Expected LoF0.50 [0.31–0.85]
RankingsWhere RHOJ stands among ~20K protein-coding genes
  • #9,643of 20,598
    Most Researched44
  • #7,361of 17,882
    Most Constrained (LOEUF)0.85
Genes detectedRHOJ
Sources retrieved10 papers
Response time—
📄 Sources
10▼
1
Role of glutamine synthetase in angiogenesis beyond glutamine synthesis.
PMID: 30158707
Nature · 2018
1.00
2
RHOJ Induces Epithelial-to-Mesenchymal Transition by IL-6/STAT3 to Promote Invasion and Metastasis in Gastric Cancer.
PMID: 37781036
Int J Biol Sci · 2023
0.90
3
Inhibiting endothelial
PMID: 39196961
Sci Transl Med · 2024
0.80
4
RhoJ: an emerging biomarker and target in cancer research and treatment.
PMID: 38858534
Cancer Gene Ther · 2024
0.70
5
The Role of RhoJ in Endothelial Cell Biology and Tumor Pathology.
PMID: 27556037
Biomed Res Int · 2016
0.60