Subcellular Colocalization of Rho GTPase TCL with Rab Family GTPases

TCL (RhoJ) belongs to the Rho family of GTPases and contributes to tumor‐associated angiogenesis. Understanding its basic cell biology is essential for establishing its role in this process. Experiments in several labs have shown plasma membrane and vesicular localizations of TCL, but it is unknown where the GTPase may function in vesicle trafficking. To better understand this aspect of TCL cellular biology, a YFP‐tagged version TCL will be separately co‐expressed in HeLa cells with twelve different mCherry‐tagged versions of Rab GTPases. Images will be captured using an Olympus Fluoview confocal microscope and colocalization assessed both qualitatively and quantitatively using CellSens software. Since many of the Rab GTPases have established vesicular localizations, we hypothesize that analyzing the colocalization of tagged Rabs and TCL will help establish specific vesicular localization patterns of TCL.