RhoG, Rac1 and Cdc42 cooperation in cell protrusion revealed by multiplexed optogenetics and biosensor imaging

The small GTPase Rac1 controls cell protrusion for a wide variety of critical cell functions. Its regulation by upstream guanine exchange factors (GEFs) has been the focus of multiple studies, but regulation by the GTPase RhoG remains poorly understood. RhoG is known to activate the ELMO/DOCK180 GEF complex, which in turn interacts with Rac1. It is unclear which aspects of protrusion are controlled by RhoG, and which of RhoG’s effects on protrusion are mediated by Rac1. To address these questions, we developed biosensors and optogenetic tools to activate one GTPase while observing another, and to simultaneously visualize the activity of two GTPases. New tools included a photoactivable RhoG, a RhoG biosensor, and red shifted biosensors of RhoG and Rac1. RhoG and Rac1 activation events in protrusions were spatio-temporally correlated with one another and with protrusion velocity. Causal inference indicated that RhoG indeed unidirectionally activated Rac1. Photoactivation of RhoG and Rac1 indicated that specific aspects of protrusion behavior were controlled by RhoG, and only some via Rac1. Further dissection of RhoG to Rac1 signaling through simultaneous GTPase activation and biosensor visualization showed that PA-RhoG activates Rac1 predominantly through DOCK180 and that PA-RhoG can activate Cdc42 independently of Rac1.