RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
JCS PRIZE
FIRST PERSON
CELL SCIENCE AT A GLANCE
- The myofibroblast at a glance
Summary: Myofibroblasts repair injured tissues by producing and contracting collagen scars but they also promote fibrosis. Here, we describe how to facilitate the design of informed anti-fibrotic therapies.
HYPOTHESIS
- Exploring the interdependence between self-organization and functional morphology in cellular systems
Summary: In order to execute a specific function, cells often acquire a particular shape. Here, we explore the mechanisms driving these morphological changes.
REVIEW
- The osteoclast cytoskeleton – current understanding and therapeutic perspectives for osteoporosis
Summary: Osteoclasts are an amazing model to study interactions between cytoskeleton components; their role in osteoclast bone resorption activity can also open opportunities for the treatments against osteoporosis, as reviewed here.
SHORT REPORTS
- A non-catalytic function of PI3Kγ drives smooth muscle cell proliferation after arterial damage
Highlighted Article: PI3Kγ regulates VSMC proliferation independently of its kinase activity by controlling cAMP levels through PDE4D.
- Cep57 and Cep57l1 function redundantly to recruit the Cep63–Cep152 complex for centriole biogenesis
Summary: Cep57 and its paralog Cep57l1 redundantly act as a molecular scaffold to recruit the Cep63–Cep152 complex to the proximal end of centrioles for centriole duplication.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
- TPC2-mediated Ca2+ signaling is required for axon extension in caudal primary motor neurons in zebrafish embryos
Summary: Characterization of two-pore channel type 2 (TPC2)-mediated Ca2+ release and ADP-ribosyl cyclase 1-like (ARC1-like) activity during axon extension of caudal primary motor neurons (CaPs) in zebrafish embryos.
- EGFR activation attenuates the mechanical threshold for integrin tension and focal adhesion formation
Summary: EGFR regulates integrin tension and focal adhesion spatial organization and tunes the mechanical threshold for cell spreading and adhesion.
- A trimeric metazoan Rab7 GEF complex is crucial for endocytosis and scavenger function
Summary: Bulli forms a trimeric complex with Mon1–Ccz1 and is crucial for endosomal maturation in nephrocytes.
- Perinuclear mitochondrial clustering, increased ROS levels, and HIF1 are required for the activation of HSF1 by heat stress
Highlighted Article: Mitochondrial positioning, ROS levels and the hypoxia response pathway are involved in the activation of the HSF1-mediated heat shock response pathway in mammals.
- Trypanosomes have divergent kinesin-2 proteins that function differentially in flagellum biosynthesis and cell viability
Summary: Kinesin-2 proteins in Trypanosoma brucei perform a conserved role in flagellum biosynthesis and also have a specialized localization, emphasizing the evolutionary flexibility of kinesin function in trypanosomes.
- Proteomic analysis reveals the direct recruitment of intrinsically disordered regions to stress granules in S. cerevisiae
Summary: Mass spectrometry analysis reveals a large cohort of novel yeast stress granule proteins with intrinsic disordered regions that are sufficient for recruitment to the membraneless stress granule compartment.
- Clathrin regulates Wnt/β-catenin signaling by affecting Golgi to plasma membrane transport of transmembrane proteins
Highlighted Article: The exocytic function of clathrin controls the abundance of the Wnt signaling component β-catenin through LRP5/6 and cadherin molecules.
- Ciliary proteins specify the cell inflammatory response by tuning NFκB signalling, independently of primary cilia
Summary: Ciliary proteins, acting independently of the ciliary axoneme, regulate the dynamics of cytosolic NFκB, but not other signalling pathways, defining an important subset of the inflammatory response.
- Bidirectional transfer of homeoprotein EN2 across the plasma membrane requires PIP2
Highlighted Article: We demonstrate that intercellular transfer of Engrailed homeoprotein involves direct translocation events across the plasma membrane and identify pivotal roles of PIP2 and cholesterol in these processes.
- Cofilin is required for polarization of tension in stress fiber networks during migration
Summary: Mechanical polarization is established in stress fiber networks during migration through cofilin disassembling actin to facilitate the formation of highly prestressed stress fibers needed to break tensional symmetry.
- Drosophila Wash and the Wash regulatory complex function in nuclear envelope budding
Highlighted Article: Wash, the Wash regulatory complex, capping protein and Arp2/3 are identified as new components of nuclear envelope buds used for nuclear pore complex-independent export of large macromolecule complexes from the nucleus.
- The molecular chaperone Hsp90 regulates heterochromatin assembly through stabilizing multiple complexes in fission yeast
Summary: The molecular chaperone Hsp90 is involved in heterochromatic gene silencing and heterochromatin formation by facilitating stability and integrity of RNAi-dependent and -independent effectors in S. pombe.
- Vacuolins and myosin VII are required for phagocytic uptake and phagosomal membrane recycling in Dictyostelium discoideum
Summary: Dictyostelium discoideum vacuolins are the functional homologs of flotillins and function in phagocytic uptake and membrane recycling together with myosin VII and talin A, as well as in phagolysosome biogenesis.
- Snail induces epithelial cell extrusion by regulating RhoA contractile signalling and cell–matrix adhesion
Summary: Snail expression induces epithelial cell extrusion through transcriptional control of RhoA contractile signalling and cell–matrix adhesion that may act as a prelude to a metastatic event.
- The DISC1–Girdin complex – a missing link in signaling to the T cell cytoskeleton
Summary: DISC1, which is important for neuronal synapse formation, and Girdin, which is involved in cytoskeletal reorganization, play essential roles in actin accumulation and cytoskeletal reorganization at the T cell immunological synapse.
- A cellular model of albumin endocytosis uncovers a link between membrane and nuclear proteins
Summary: A cellular assay to evaluate albumin endocytosis reveals a novel link between a nuclear protein and a membrane receptor complex.
- The Mre11-Rad50-Nbs1 complex mediates the robust recruitment of Polo to DNA lesions during mitosis in Drosophila
Summary: The kinetics of the DNA damage sensor Mre11 and the mitotic proteins Polo, BubR1, Bub3 at DNA lesions during mitosis are measured in Drosophila, revealing their order of recruitment.