Wrch1

RhoU (or Wrch1 or Chp2) is a small (~21 kDa) signaling G protein (more specifically a GTPase), and is a member of the Rho family of GTPases. Wrch1 was identified in 2001 as encoded by a non-canonical Wnt induced gene. RhoU/Wrch delineates with RhoV/Chp a Rho subclass related to Rac and Cdc42, which emerged in early multicellular organisms during evolution.

Model organisms

Rhou knockout mouse phenotype

Characteristic	Phenotype
Homozygote viability	Normal
Fertility	Normal
Body weight	Normal
Anxiety	Normal
Neurological assessment	Normal
Grip strength	Normal
Hot plate	Normal
Dysmorphology	Normal
Indirect calorimetry	Normal
Glucose tolerance test	Normal
Auditory brainstem response	Normal
DEXA	Normal
Radiography	Normal
Body temperature	Normal
Eye morphology	Normal
Clinical chemistry	Normal
Haematology	Normal
Peripheral blood lymphocytes	Normal
Micronucleus test	Normal
Heart weight	Normal
Eye Histopathology	Normal
Salmonella infection	Normal
Citrobacter infection	Normal
All tests and analysis from

Model organisms have been used in the study of RhoU function. A conditional knockout mouse line, called Rhou^{tm1a(KOMP)Wtsi} was generated as part of the International Knockout Mouse Consortium program — a high-throughput mutagenesis project to generate and distribute animal models of disease to interested scientists — at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

Male and female animals underwent a standardized phenotypic screen to determine the effects of deletion. Twenty three tests were carried out on mutant mice, but no significant abnormalities were observed.