I’m a mechanical engineer, so that question doesn’t make a rat’s ass worth of sense to me, but a friend desperately needs answer, and his usual contacts aren’t currently available. (No, it’s not homework.)
Anyone got a clue? Bonus points if it’s somehow related to cellular oxidative stress and/or air pollution.
It’s an enzyme that, when activated by Rho, triggers changes in the activity and remodeling of the cytoskeleton, and thus has significant effects on cell motility, shape, and internal structure. Oxidative stress seems to activate the pathway, dunno what air pollution is supposed to do. I know very little about the Rho pathway beyond “it’s important and a clinical target”.
Rho plays a central role in regulating cell shape and cell motility. Its regulation is extremely complex, and it plays a regulatory role in all kinds of processes that involve changes in cell shape or motion.
Abnormal activation of the Rho/Rho-kinase pathway has been shown to play a role in diseases such as hypertension and bronchial asthma (which can be triggered by air pollution). (review article)
Oxydative Stress is one of the many factors which influence the Rho/Rho-kinase pathway:
“Oxygen activates the Rho/Rho-kinase pathway and induces RhoB and ROCK-1 expression in human and rabbit ductus arteriosus by increasing mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species: a newly recognized mechanism for sustaining ductal constriction.” PubMed
I thinketh you have a very weird master.