Advantages and limitations of cell-based assays for GTPase activation and regulation

Small GTPases of the Ras superfamily are important regulators of many cellular functions, including signal transduction, cytoskeleton assembly, metabolic regulation, organelle biogenesis and intracellular transport. Most GTPases act as binary switches, being “on” in the active, GTP-bound state and “off” in the inactive, GDP-bound state, and cycle between the two states with the aid of accessory proteins, referred to as guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) and GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs). This review will focus on the ADP-ribosylation factors (Arfs), a family of G-proteins that are essential regulators of carrier vesicle formation during vesicular transport. As for most other GTPases, the Arfs themselves are vastly outnumbered by the proteins that regulate them, and a major focus in the field has been to define the functional relationships between individual GEFs and GAPs and their substrates at the cellular level. Over the years, a variety of methods have been developed to measure GTPase activation in vitro and in vivo. In vitro analysis will be discussed in the accompanying article by Randazzo and colleagues. Here we will focus on cell- and tissue-based assays and their advantages/disadvantages relative to cell-free systems.