Rho GTPases as regulators of mitosis and cytokinesis in mammalian cells

Rho GTPases regulate a diverse range of cellular functions primarily through their ability to modulate microtubule dynamics and the actin-myosin cytoskeleton. Both of these cytoskeletal structures are crucial for a mitotic cell division. Specifically, their assembly and disassembly is tightly regulated in a temporal manner to ensure that each mitotic stage occurs in the correct sequential order and not prematurely until the previous stage is completed. Thus, it is not surprising that the Rho GTPases, RhoA, and Cdc42, have reported roles in several stages of mitosis: cell cortex stiffening during cell rounding, mitotic spindle formation, and bi-orient attachment of the spindle microtubules to the kinetochore and during cytokinesis play multiple roles in establishing the division plane, assembly, and activation of the contractile ring, membrane ingression, and abscission. Here, I review the molecular mechanisms regulating the spatial and temporal activation of RhoA and Cdc42 during mitosis, and how this is critical for mitotic progression and completion.