Abstract
RAS (first identified as being responsible for the transforming activity in rat sarcoma viruses) proteins are a large family of low molecular weight guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-binding proteins that localize to the plasma membrane. Within this superfamily, the RAS proteins primarily regulate growth, whereas the closely related Rho proteins regulate the actin cytoskeleton (Sahai and Marshall, Nat Rev Cancer 2:133–142, 2002; Cully and Downward, Cell 133:1292–1292, 2008; Downward, Nat Rev Cancer 3:11–22, 2003). Three of the RAS family members, NRAS, HRAS (Harvey rat sarcoma virus), and KRAS (Kirsten rat sarcoma virus), are often mutated in human cancers, and >20% of all tumors harbor activating mutations in one of their RAS genes (Downward, Nat Rev Cancer 3:11–22, 2003). HRAS and NRAS are not required for normal embryonic development, where KRAS knockout is embryonically lethal (Downward, Nat Rev Cancer 3:11–22, 2003).
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Smalley-Moffit, K., Flaherty, K.T. (2017). N-Ras. In: Marshall, J. (eds) Cancer Therapeutic Targets. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0717-2_22
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4419-0717-2_22
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