Review
Cell Biology
Andrew J. Neumann, Rytis Prekeris
Summary: The regulation of machinery involved in cell migration is crucial for maintaining proper organism function. Among the various structures involved, the actin cytoskeleton plays a vital role in providing the forces necessary for cells to migrate. While the Rho family of GTPases are considered the major regulators, other proteins such as the Rab40 family have also been identified as modulators of actin structures and cell migration.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Oncology
Mahsa Saliani, Amin Mirzaiebadizi, Niloufar Mosaddeghzadeh, Mohammad Reza Ahmadian
Summary: Mutations in genes encoding RHO GTPase proteins are rare in cancer, but altered expression of RHO GTPases has been reported. lncRNAs are key regulators of gene expression and coordinate molecular processes, including post-translational regulation through miRNA sponging. lncRNAs as molecular sponges for miRNAs play a crucial role in cancer progression and offer promising approaches in cancer treatment.
Review
Oncology
Pontus Aspenstrom
Summary: For many years, the role of RHO GTPases in cancer has been overlooked, but recent studies have shown that they are altered in many cancer types and may have oncogenic effects. This review article summarizes the current knowledge of these mutant RHO GTPases, focusing on how their kinetics can contribute to cancer progression.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yosuke Kanno
Summary: Fibrotic diseases are characterized by excessive extracellular matrix deposition leading to tissue overgrowth. The progression of fibrosis is driven by increased ECM production and impaired degradation, which can result from inflammation, vascular dysfunction, and immune abnormalities. Recent studies have shown that the urokinase plasminogen activator (uPA) and its receptor (uPAR) play a role in regulating the inflammatory response, vascular homeostasis, and immune homeostasis, making them potential therapeutic targets for fibrotic diseases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Immunology
Pia Lazki-Hagenbach, Ofir Klein, Ronit Sagi-Eisenberg
Summary: The application of high and super-resolution microscopy techniques has allowed for the study of actin dynamics in mast cells, revealing a close correlation between actin-driven changes in cell morphology and mast cell functions. Actin polymerization and depolymerization support mast cell degranulation, while different actin phenotypes characterize distinct functions of mast cells. Multiple actin-binding and actin-interacting proteins regulate actin rearrangements in compliance with signals from activating receptors, influencing mast cell migration and degranulation.
CURRENT OPINION IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Jieung Baek, Paola A. Lopez, Sangmin Lee, Taek-Soo Kim, Sanjay Kumar, David Schaffer
Summary: The mechanics of the extracellular matrix have a strong impact on stem cell differentiation, particularly in 3D environments. This study identified a specific mechanoresponsive mechanism for neural stem cell differentiation in 3D matrices, with a narrower and more brain-like stiffness-sensitive range compared to 2D cultures. Up-regulation of Egr1 was found to play a crucial role in NSC lineage commitment in stiff 3D ECMs, representing the first 3D-specific stem cell mechanoregulatory factor.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ranisha Logan, Ann Jeffers, Wenyi Qin, Shuzi Owens, Prashant Chauhan, Satoshi Komatsu, Mitsuo Ikebe, Steven Idell, Torry A. Tucker
Summary: Pleural fibrosis is a chronic and progressive lung disease affecting approximately 30,000 people per year in the United States. The transition of pleural mesothelial cells during pleural injury plays a key role in PF. Targeting strategies against uPAR could be beneficial for the treatment of PF according to studies.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Robin Caire, Elisa Dalix, Marwa Chafchafi, Mireille Thomas, Marie-Therese Linossier, Myriam Normand, Alain Guignandon, Laurence Vico, Hubert Marotte
Summary: This study reveals the critical role of transcription co-factors YAP/TAZ in the signaling of pro-inflammatory cytokine TNF, and their involvement in biological effects associated with cancer and inflammatory disorders.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Yang Cheng, Tyler R. Hall, Xiao Xu, Ivy Yung, Donald Souza, Jie Zheng, Felix Schiele, Matthias Hoffmann, M. Lamine Mbow, James P. Garnett, Jun Li
Summary: This study reveals that the coordinated upregulation of uPA and uPAR in IBD mucosa is associated with the breakdown of the intestinal epithelial barrier. Inhibiting the interaction between uPA and uPAR through genetic and pharmacological approaches can protect the epithelial barrier. Additionally, uPAR deficiency enhances EGF/EGFR signaling, promoting epithelial homeostasis and repair.
Article
Oncology
Alessandro Alves, Leonardo Diel, Grasieli Ramos, Antonio Pinto, Lisiane Bernardi, John Yates, Marcelo Lamers
Summary: The study found a predominance of M2 macrophages and a pro-inflammatory state in OSCC tumors, with M2 conditioned media increasing migration speed and directionality of highly invasive OSCC cells. IL-6 had an impact on the migration properties of OSCC cells, dependent on STAT3-phosphorylation levels.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rocio G. Sampayo, Mason Sakamoto, Madeline Wang, Sanjay Kumar, David V. Schaffer
Summary: During the process of cell differentiation into tissues, cells are influenced by mechanical signals from the extracellular matrix (ECM), which regulate their fate. The activation of Rho GTPases plays a key role in sensing these cues, but the regulation and integration of the activation dynamics is still unclear. This study found that ECM stiffness cues not only alter the magnitude but also the temporal frequency of RhoA and Cdc42 activation in adult neural stem cells (NSCs). Further experiments using optogenetics showed that the frequency of RhoA and Cdc42 activation drives astrocytic versus neuronal differentiation, highlighting the functional significance of these dynamics.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Oncology
Evangelia Bouzos, Prashanth Asuri
Summary: Metastasis is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths and effective anti-metastatic drugs are lacking. Current screening methods for anti-metastatic compounds primarily use two-dimensional platforms, which do not fully capture the complexities of in vivo migration along matrix stiffness gradients. This study developed a sandwich culture platform to investigate the role of stiffness transitions in cell migration and could contribute to the development of therapeutic strategies against tumor cell motility and invasion.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Niaz Mahmood, Shafaat A. Rabbani
Summary: Fibrinolysis plays a crucial role in maintaining hemostatic balance and is directly linked to tumor growth, invasiveness, and metastasis. Despite promising preclinical evidence on targeting key components of the fibrinolytic system for cancer therapy, limited clinical trials have prevented successful translation from bench to bedside.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pawel Roszak, Jung-Ok Heo, Bernhard Blob, Koichi Toyokura, Yuki Sugiyama, Maria Angels de Luis Balaguer, Winnie W. Y. Lau, Fiona Hamey, Jacopo Cirrone, Ewelina Madej, Alida M. Bouatta, Xin Wang, Marjorie Guichard, Robertas Ursache, Hugo Tavares, Kevin Verstaen, Jos Wendrich, Charles W. Melnyk, Yoshihisa Oda, Dennis Shasha, Sebastian E. Ahnert, Yvan Saeys, Bert De Rybel, Renze Heidstra, Ben Scheres, Guido Grossmann, Ari Pekka Mahonen, Philipp Denninger, Berthold Gottgens, Rosangela Sozzani, Kenneth D. Birnbaum, Yrjo Helariutta
Summary: In plant meristems, tissue-wide maturation gradients in coordination with specialized cell networks establish developmental phases for indeterminate growth. Single-cell transcriptomics was used to reconstruct the developmental trajectory of protophloem in Arabidopsis thaliana roots, revealing the role of PHLOEM EARLY DNA-BINDING-WITH-ONE-FINGER (PEAR) transcription factors in lineage bifurcation and differentiation.
Article
Cell Biology
Carla Liaci, Mattia Camera, Valentina Zamboni, Gabriella Saro, Alessandra Ammoni, Elena Parmigiani, Luisa Ponzoni, Enis Hidisoglu, Giuseppe Chiantia, Andrea Marcantoni, Maurizio Giustetto, Giulia Tomagra, Valentina Carabelli, Federico Torelli, Mariaelvina Sala, Yuchio Yanagawa, Kunihiko Obata, Emilio Hirsch, Giorgio R. Merlo
Summary: GTPases of the Rho family, including RAC1, play important roles in controlling cytoskeleton dynamics during brain development. ARHGAP15, a specific GAP for RAC1, is expressed in a subset of migrating cortical interneurons (CINs) during development and in the majority of adult CINs. Loss of ARHGAP15 leads to altered directionality and morphology of migrating CINs during development, as well as coordination defects in radial migration. In the adult cortex, the observed defects affect the distribution and inhibitory function of interneurons. Furthermore, ARHGAP15 knockout mice display reduced CINs excitability, subclinical seizures, and increased susceptibility to the pro-epileptic drug pilocarpine.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Campbell D. Lawson, Anne J. Ridley
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2018)
Article
Biology
Virginia Tajadura-Ortega, Ritu Garg, Richard Allen, Claudia Owczarek, Michael D. Bright, Samuel Kean, Aisyah Mohd-Noor, Anita Grigoriadis, Timothy C. Elston, Klaus M. Hahn, Anne J. Ridley
Article
Cell Biology
Narendra Suryavanshi, Joanna Furmston, Anne J. Ridley
Article
Cell Biology
Lisa Leinhos, Johannes Peters, Sabine Krull, Lena Helbig, Melanie Vogler, Magdolna Levay, Gijsbert J. van Belle, Anne J. Ridley, Susanne Lutz, Doerthe M. Katschinski, Anke Zieseniss
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2019)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Serena Lucotti, Camilla Cerutti, Magali Soyer, Ana M. Gil-Bernabe, Ana L. Gomes, Philip D. Allen, Sean Smart, Bostjan Markelc, Karla Watson, Paul C. Armstrong, Jane A. Mitchell, Timothy D. Warner, Anne J. Ridley, Ruth J. Muschel
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL INVESTIGATION
(2019)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Raquel B. Haga, Ritu Garg, Francesca Collu, Barbara Borda D'Agua, Sofia T. Menendez, Audrey Colomba, Franca Fraternali, Anne J. Ridley
BIOCHEMICAL JOURNAL
(2019)
Article
Oncology
Ana Paula Nunes Rodrigues Alves, Jaqueline Cristina Fernandes, Bruna Alves Fenerich, Juan Luiz Coelho-Silva, Priscila Santos Scheucher, Belinda Pinto Simoes, Eduardo Magalhaes Rego, Anne J. Ridley, Joao Agostinho Machado-Neto, Fabiola Traina
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Gabriela Leao Santos, Svenja Hartmann, Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmermann, Anne Ridley, Susanne Lutz
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR CARDIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Oncology
Daniel J. Turnham, William W. Yang, Julia Davies, Athina Varnava, Anne J. Ridley, R. Steven Conlan, Richard W. E. Clarkson
Article
Cell Biology
Ritu Garg, Chuay-Yeng Koo, Elvira Infante, Caterina Giacomini, Anne J. Ridley, Jonathan D. H. Morris
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2020)
Review
Cell Biology
Natasha S. Clayton, Anne J. Ridley
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nabila Kazmi, Tim Robinson, Jie Zheng, Siddhartha Kar, Richard M. Martin, Anne J. Ridley
Summary: This study found evidence of a potential causal relationship between Rho GTPase gene expression and breast cancer risk, with increased RHOD gene expression associated with overall and ER+ breast cancer risk, while CDC42 gene expression may have a protective effect. These findings should be validated in independent samples and further investigated biologically.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Fabiola Gonzalez-Herrera, Natasha S. Clayton, Daniela Guzman-Rivera, Ileana Carrillo, Christian Castillo, Mabel Catalan, Renatto Anfossi, Helena Quintero-Pertuz, Maria Elena Quilaqueo, Claudio Olea-Azar, Mario Rivera-Meza, Ulrike Kemmerling, Anne J. Ridley, Raul Vivar, Juan Diego Maya
Summary: This study demonstrates that statins can inhibit ROCK activity, reduce inflammation, and promote anti-inflammatory cytokine expression, suggesting that statins may be a potential pharmacological strategy for preventing cardiac inflammation in CCC.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Economics
Luis Buendia
SOCIO-ECONOMIC REVIEW
(2020)
Article
Hematology
Silvia Mele, Stephen Devereux, Andrea G. Pepper, Elvira Infante, Anne J. Ridley
