Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is a professional body that accredits professionals within the land, property and construction sectors worldwide.

Members holding RICS qualifications may use the following designations after their name: MRICS (Member), FRICS (Fellow), AssocRICS (Associate). Those with the designation MRICS or FRICS are also known as chartered surveyors.

History

The RICS was founded in London as the "Institution of Surveyors" after a meeting of 49 surveyors at the Westminster Palace Hotel on 15 June 1868. The inaugural president was John Clutton (who founded Cluttons, a property firm still in business today). RICS has occupied headquarters on the corner of Great George Street and Parliament Square since then. It received a Royal charter as "The Surveyors' Institution" on 26 August 1881.

The Surveyors' Institution became the "Chartered Surveyors' Institution" in 1930. In 1946, George VI granted the title "Royal" and in 1947 the professional body became the “Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors”.

RICS (gene)

Rho GTPase-activating protein 32 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the RICS gene. RICS has two known isoforms, RICS that are expressed primarily at neurite growth cones, and at the post synaptic membranes, and PX-RICS which is more widely expressed in the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and endosomes. The only known domain of the RICS is the RhoGAP domain, whilst PX-RICS has an additional Phox homology and SH3 domain.

Function

RICS (a.k.a. GRIT/Arhgap32) is a neuron-associated GTPase-activating protein that may regulate dendritic spine morphology and strength by modulating Rho GTPase activity.

Isoforms

RICS

Experiments have shown that knocking down RICS, or just knocking out its GAP or C-terminal TrkA binding site, results in abnormally extended neurites, and blocks NGF regulated outgrowth.