Epithelial tissues are made of highly specialized cells present in many organs and represent the first barrier of protection from the external environment. Essential for this critical role in protection is their capacity to polarize in the apicobasal axis. The integrity of the epithelium and its properties as a protective barrier is mostly regulated by dynamic intercellular junctions composed of multiprotein complexes. The functionality and dynamics of these junctions are tightly controlled by several signaling processes, including Rho GTPases. Here, we review the most recent data in the contribution of Rho GTPases and their functional regulators during the morphogenesis of epithelial tissues and to maintain the homeostasis in adults.

上皮组织由存在于许多器官中的高度专门化的细胞组成，是保护免受外界环境侵害的第一个障碍。在保护中发挥关键作用的关键是它们在阿波巴底轴上极化的能力。上皮的完整性及其作为保护性屏障的性质主要受由多蛋白复合物组成的动态细胞间连接所调节。这些路口的功能和动态受到包括Rho GTPases在内的几种信号传递过程的严格控制。在这里，我们回顾了Rho GTPases及其功能调节剂在上皮组织形态发生过程中的贡献以及维持成人体内稳态的最新数据。