RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
FIRST PERSON
CELL SCIENTISTS TO WATCH
CELL SCIENCE AT A GLANCE
- Survivin at a glance
Summary: A mini-review highlighting our current understanding of the structure, function and cancer implications of survivin biology 21 years on from its initial discovery.
REVIEW
- Bacterial mechanosensing: the force will be with you, always
Summary: Very little is known about whether, and how, prokaryotes sense and respond to mechanical inputs. We review the emerging field of bacterial mechanosensing and indicate promising directions for future investigation.
SHORT REPORT
- Microtubule acetylation but not detyrosination promotes focal adhesion dynamics and astrocyte migration
Summary: Microtubule acetylation and detyrosination are independently regulated and have distinct functions during migration, with microtubule acetylation facilitating the turnover of focal adhesions.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
- Phosphorylation at distinct subcellular locations underlies specificity in mTORC2-mediated activation of SGK1 and Akt
Summary: The highly related but functionally distinct kinases, Akt and SGK1, are uniquely targeted by mTORC2; SGK1, but not Akt, requires mTORC2 phosphorylation at a perinuclear compartment for its activation.
- ERK1/2 phosphorylates HIF-2α and regulates its activity by controlling its CRM1-dependent nuclear shuttling
Summary: Phosphorylation by ERK1/2 stimulates transcriptional activity of hypoxia-inducible factor-2α by inhibiting its CRM1- and NES-dependent nuclear export.
- DSS-induced damage to basement membranes is repaired by matrix replacement and crosslinking
Highlighted Article: When fed to Drosophila, the irritant DSS reproducibly damages basement membranes around the midgut. We show that this damage is repaired by a mechanism that requires matrix replacement and crosslinking.
- NHX-type Na+(K+)/H+ antiporters are required for TGN/EE trafficking and endosomal ion homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana
Summary: Plant NHX cation/proton exchangers are important for endosomal function and protein trafficking, highlighting the importance of controlling intracellular pH and ion homeostasis.
- Distinct functions of a cGMP-dependent protein kinase in nerve terminal growth and synaptic vesicle cycling
Summary: This work highlights the multifaceted nature of kinases and provides mechanistic insight into how neurons balance synaptic vesicle exocytosis and endocytosis by identifying a cGMP-dependent protein kinase as a key regulator.
- VAPB depletion alters neuritogenesis and phosphoinositide balance in motoneuron-like cells: relevance to VAPB-linked amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Summary: VAPB downregulation delays neurite elongation and increases Golgi- and acidic vesicle-associated phosphatidylinositol-4-phosphate in motoneuron-like cells, suggesting novel mechanisms for VAPB-linked amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
- Import of extracellular ATP in yeast and man modulates AMPK and TORC1 signalling
Summary: ATP and AMP import from external environments modifies growth control in yeast and man.
- Organization and function of tension-dependent complexes at adherens junctions
Summary: This study characterizes the localization of Jub during development in Drosophila, and identifies a novel role for Jub in controlling myosin distribution and epithelial organization through regulation of cytohesin localization.
- SUMOylation of the nuclear pore complex basket is involved in sensing cellular stresses
Summary: Post-translational modifications, and in particular SUMOylation, of the nuclear basket subcomplex of the nuclear pore complex serve in its function as a sensor for mediating cellular stress signals.
- Drosophila Ptp4E regulates vesicular packaging for monoamine-neuropeptide co-transmission
Highlighted Article: Although small-molecule and neuropeptide transmitters are packaged independently, a receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase regulates packaging of both transmitter classes, establishing a mechanism for scaling co-transmission.
- TMEM30A deficiency in endothelial cells impairs cell proliferation and angiogenesis
Summary: Deletion of TMEM30A in endothelial cells causes impaired cell proliferation, reduced tip cells and delayed vascular development toward the deep layers in the retina.
- NIK–IKK complex interaction controls NF-κB-dependent inflammatory activation of endothelium in response to LTβR ligation
Highlighted Article: Accumulation of NIK, resulting from ligation of the lymphotoxin-β receptor, induces long-term IKK complex activation and potent enhancement of canonical NF-κB-mediated inflammation in human vascular endothelial cells.
- A nuclear localization signal targets tail-anchored membrane proteins to the inner nuclear envelope in plants
Highlighted Article: A nuclear localization signal and a terminal transmembrane domain are sufficient to allow trafficking of proteins to the inner nuclear envelope in plants.
- Talin-mediated force transmission and talin rod domain unfolding independently regulate adhesion signaling
Highlighted Article: Transmission of mechanical forces through talin regulates adhesion complex composition and phosphotyrosine signaling. Talin rod subdomains and their mechanical activation are required for cell polarization and migration.
This issue
JUMP TO
Other journals from The Company of Biologists
Review - Mechanics of nuclear membranes
Ashutosh Agrawal and Tanmay Lele review literature providing quantitative insights into nuclear membrane mechanics and its importance in envelope function.
Journal of Cell Science announces Transparent peer review
In the interests of promoting transparency around the editorial process, Journal of Cell Science will now be publishing a ‘Peer review history’ file alongside published papers, where the author has opted in to such a file being published. All research papers submitted on or after 1 August 2019 are eligible. More information can be found here.
First Person interviews
Have you seen our First Person interviews with the early-career first authors of our papers? The authors talk about their work in and out of the lab, the journeys that led them to where they are now and the scientists who inspired them along the way. Recently, we caught up with first authors Carlos Alonso, Aryeh Babkoff, Andrew Porter and Yohan Kim.
Journal of Cell Science partners with Publons for peer reviewer recognition
Journal of Cell Science is pleased to announce a new partnership with Publons, part of the Web of Science Group (a Clarivate Analytics company). Publons gives reviewers formal recognition of their peer review contributions using the Reviewer Recognition Service.
Mole - Wouldn't it, too, be nice?
“Maybe, when we review, we might put ourselves into the authors' place (where we have all been) and point out the good along with the ‘bad’ (not to mention, ‘ugly’).”
Journal of Cell Science is pleased to welcome submissions for an upcoming special issue on 'Cell Biology of the Immune System' edited by Ana-Maria Lennon-Duménil. We invite you to showcase your breakthrough research on all aspects of cell biology as it relates to the immune system. The articles within this issue will receive extensive exposure to a broad audience of cell biologists and immunologists. Extended submission deadline: 15 August 2019.
preLights - A unified role for membrane-cortex detachment during cell protrusion initiation
Martim Dias Gomes highlights a preprint showing that membrane-cortex detachment is essential for the formation of both pressure- and actin-based protrusions.
Catch up with other recent preLights selected for the cell science community.
Data Science in Cell Imaging Workshop - Early-career researcher places available
Apply until 16 August 2019 for a funded early-career researcher place to attend our Workshop, which will be held at beautiful Wiston house.
Articles of interest in our sister journals
Yap/Taz-TEAD activity links mechanical cues to progenitor cell behavior during zebrafish hindbrain segmentation
Adrià Voltes, Covadonga F. Hevia, Carolyn Engel-Pizcueta, Chaitanya Dingare, Simone Calzolari, Javier Terriente, Caren Norden, Virginie Lecaudey, Cristina Pujades
Development 2019 146: dev176735
The lymphoid-associated interleukin 7 receptor (IL7R) regulates tissue-resident macrophage development
Gabriel A. Leung, Taylor Cool, Clint H. Valencia, Atesh Worthington, Anna E. Beaudin, E. Camilla Forsberg
Development 2019 146: dev176180