ERAS Proteins and Enzymes

ERAS belongs to the small GTPase superfamily. Ras family. Ras proteins bind GDP/GTP and possess intrinsic GTPase activity. The ERas gene is expressed in embryonic stem (ES) cells and promotes their in vitro proliferation and tumorigenicity. ERas-null ES cells maintain pluripotency but show significantly reduced growth and tumorigenicity, which are rescued by expression of ERas complementary DNA or by activated phosphatidylinositol-3-OH kinase.