RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
FIRST PERSON
OPINION
- The triple helix of collagens – an ancient protein structure that enabled animal multicellularity and tissue evolution
Summary: The triple helix is a protein structure of fundamental importance in building the extracellular matrix that enabled animal multicellularity and tissue evolution.
REVIEW
- Dynamics of cortical domains in early Drosophila development
Summary: Cortical domains are a central feature of epithelial and polarised cells. This Review presents the dynamics of cortical domains in early Drosophila embryos and discusses underlying mechanisms for formation of cortical domains.
SHORT REPORT
- m-AAA and i-AAA complexes coordinate to regulate OMA1, the stress-activated supervisor of mitochondrial dynamics
Summary: AFG3L2 and YME1L1 coordinately regulate OMA1 maturation and consequently, mitochondrial dynamics.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
- Aurora A kinase activity is required to maintain an active spindle assembly checkpoint during prometaphase
Summary: Inhibition of Aurora A kinase activity in prometaphase leads to a removal of Mad2 from kinetochores, the loss of the SAC and a premature exit from mitosis.
- A model suite of green algae within the Scenedesmaceae for investigating contrasting desiccation tolerance and morphology
Highlighted Article: Green algae within the Scenedesmaceae, three isolated from desert crust and two aquatic, are introduced for comparative analysis of mechanisms underlying desiccation tolerance and multicellularity.
- Identification and characterisation of a cryptic Golgi complex in Naegleria gruberi
Highlighted Article: The first micrographic evidence of a cryptic Golgi organelle in the amoeba Naegleria gruberi is presented, revealing the Golgi in this species has a rare tubular morphology.
- The cytoskeleton regulates symmetry transitions in moving amoeboid cells
Summary: Dynamic shape changes of amoeboid cells are far from random, but are the consequence of refined symmetries and symmetry changes that are orchestrated by small G-proteins and the cytoskeleton.
- Rab7 knockout unveils regulated autolysosome maturation induced by glutamine starvation
Highlighted Article: Through analysis of Rab7-knockout cells, this paper shows that Rab7 is dispensable for autophagosome–lysosome fusion and that glutamine starvation regulates autolysosome maturation in cultured mammalian cells.
- Matrix elasticity regulates mesenchymal stem cell chemotaxis
Summary: hMSCs exhibit faster chemotaxis with fewer focal adhesions and an increased protrusion rate on soft substrates, suggesting that the total speed of a cell is the sum of stiffness-dependent and chemokine-dependent components.
- Phosphorylation hotspot in the C-terminal domain of occludin regulates the dynamics of epithelial junctional complexes
Summary: A conserved sequence in occludin determines the dynamic property of tight junctions and adherens junctions in the renal and intestinal epithelia, and regulates collective cell migration.
This issue
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Author choices on Journal of Cell Science: how ‘open’ are we to Open Access
Read our Editorial about JCS becoming a Transformative Journal and the changes we’re making to ensure that all authors can publish with us, irrespective of financial status or funder Open Access mandates.
First Person interviews – Shivali Rawat, Julien Pernier, Jana Jentzsch
In issue 18, hear from first authors Shivali Rawat, Julien Pernier and Jana Jentzsch as they discuss their research, life away from the bench and their experience of being an early-career researcher.
The Corona Files
"We know that we desperately need a vaccine for the virus that has caused this Terrible Pandemic."
Our resident insectivore, Mole, continues his latest series – The Corona Files. Catch up on Mole's weekly musings on how COVID-19 is changing the landscape for researchers.
JCS and COVID-19
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