Article
Developmental Biology
Ioakeim Ampartzidis, Christoforos Efstathiou, Francesco Paonessa, Elliott M. Thompson, Tyler Wilson, Conor J. McCann, Nicholas D. . E. Greene, Andrew J. Copp, Frederick J. Livesey, Nicola Elvassore, Giovanni G. Giobbe, Paolo De Coppi, Eirini Maniou, Gabriel L. Galea
Summary: Neuroepithelial cells generate mechanical forces by apical constriction during neural tube closure, but previous studies suggest they apically dilate during mitosis. However, this study found that mitotic neuroepithelial cells in the mouse posterior neuropore have smaller apical surfaces than non-mitotic cells. Live imaging of the chick posterior neuropore confirmed synchronized apical constriction with mitosis, reaching maximal constriction by anaphase. The amplitude of mitotic apical constriction is significantly greater than interphase constriction.
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Luis Daniel Rios-Barrera, Maria Leptin
Summary: Membrane trafficking plays a crucial role in morphogenesis. This study reveals a new role for late endosomes in directing morphogenesis by organizing actin.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Vanessa Dimchev, Ines Lahmann, Stefan A. Koestler, Frieda Kage, Georgi Dimchev, Anika Steffen, Theresia E. B. Stradal, Franz Vauti, Hans-Henning Arnold, Klemens Rottner
Summary: This study investigated the effects of acute Arp2/3 complex removal on the actin cytoskeleton regulation, showing both direct and indirect impacts on cell morphology, migration directionality, and chemotaxis. Depletion of Arp2/3 complex resulted in altered cell behavior and cytoskeletal dynamics, highlighting the complexities of actin network maintenance and cellular motility.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Brian S. Clark, Joel B. Miesfeld, Michael A. Flinn, Ross F. Collery, Brian A. Link
Summary: This study focuses on the mechanisms underlying the relationships between interkinetic nuclear migration (IKNM), cell signaling, and neurogenesis. Results show that the dynamic polarization and activity of recycling endosomes within neuroepithelia modulates the subcellular localization of Crb2a, affecting multiple signaling pathways impacting neurogenesis. Moreover, the heterogeneity and asynchrony of nuclear migration among RPCs lead to differential modulation of Rab11a-affected signaling within the neuroepithelia, providing mechanistic insight into the correlation of IKNM and selection of RPCs to undergo neurogenesis.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Ming Jiang, Tianxiang Tang, Xinyue Liang, Juchen Li, Yue Qiu, Shiwen Liu, Shan Bian, Yunli Xie, Fang Fang, Jing Cang
Summary: Maternal exposure to sevoflurane temporarily disrupts INM of RGPs without altering cell fate, potentially through the Notch signalling pathway. Offspring show no obvious cognitive impairments in MWM. Abnormalities observed in hESC-derived cerebral organoids offer new insights into general anaesthesia effects on human brain development.
CELL PROLIFERATION
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Bing Song, Yu Gu, Wenkai Jiang, Ying Li, Wayne Nishio Ayre, Zhipeng Liu, Tao Yin, Christopher Janetopoulos, Miho Iijima, Peter Devreotes, Min Zhao
Summary: The study demonstrated that PTEN coordinates the asymmetric redistribution of myosin to the posterior and PIP3/F-actin to the anterior of directed migration cells, controlling electrotaxis.
CELL AND BIOSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biology
Paige Helmer, Richard B. Vallee
Summary: In this study, it was found that two motor proteins, Kif1A and Kif13B, play opposing roles in regulating the balance between symmetric and asymmetric divisions of Radial Glial Progenitor (RGP) cells. Kif1A promotes neurogenesis, while Kif13B promotes symmetric, non-neurogenic divisions. This mechanism provides new insights into the regulation of neurogenesis.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Arthur Marivin, Rachel Xi-Yeen Ho, Mikel Garcia-Marcos
Summary: This study reveals a mechanism by which the PAR polarity complex recruits the protein DAPLE to apical cell junctions, leading to the efficient assembly of the apical actomyosin network. DAPLE recruits the actin-stabilizing protein CD2AP and activates heterotrimeric G protein signaling to favor RhoA-myosin activation, thereby maintaining epithelial cell shape.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mauricio Rocha-Martins, Elisa Nerli, Jenny Kretzschmar, Martin Weigert, Jaroslav Icha, Eugene W. Myers, Caren Norden
Summary: This study reveals the importance of the migration of photoreceptor neurons in the development of the retina for tissue growth and lamination. Quantitative imaging shows that successful retinal morphogenesis relies on the bidirectional translocation of photoreceptors, driven by different cytoskeletal machineries depending on the direction. Blocking the basal translocation of photoreceptors leads to congestion and hampers the apical divisions of progenitor cells, resulting in secondary defects in lamination. Neuronal migration plays a role in coordinating morphogenesis in addition to its canonical role in cell positioning.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kinga Duszyc, Guillermo A. Gomez, Anne K. Lagendijk, Mei-Kwan Yau, Bageshri Naimish Nanavati, Briony L. Gliddon, Thomas E. Hall, Suzie Verma, Benjamin M. Hogan, Stuart M. Pitson, David P. Fairlie, Robert G. Parton, Alpha S. Yap
Summary: Extrusion is the primary response to apoptosis in epithelial cells, involving E-cadherin and RhoA signaling pathways. Mechanical tension-sensitive mechanotransduction activates RhoA specifically in neighboring cells of apoptotic cells, with S1P also playing a crucial role in the process.
Article
Cell Biology
Sarah R. Barger, Daan Vorselen, Nils C. Gauthier, Julie A. Theriot, Mira Krendel
Summary: This study investigates the phagocytosis of primary bone marrow-derived macrophages using high-resolution imaging and novel biophysical approaches. It is found that the behavior of primary cells during phagocytosis is distinct from immortalized cell lines, exhibiting gentle target constriction and modest polarization of F-actin distribution. Long-tailed myosins 1e/f play a critical role in this process, as deficiency of myo1e/f causes significant changes in F-actin localization. Surprisingly, these changes can be almost fully reversed by inhibiting another myosin motor protein, myosin-II.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
(2022)
Review
Biology
Malgorzata Kloc, Priyanka Chanana, Nicole Vaughn, Ahmed Uosef, Jacek Z. Kubiak, Rafik M. Ghobrial
Summary: Actin plays crucial roles in the nucleus, including maintenance of nuclear structure, chromatin remodeling, DNA repair, and transcriptional regulation. Its multifaceted functions are essential for individual cell function, cell fate determination, tissue differentiation, and disease establishment.
Article
Cell Biology
Lenka Belicova, Urska Repnik, Julien Delpierre, Elzbieta Gralinska, Sarah Seifert, Jose Ignacio Valenzuela, Hernan Andres Morales-Navarrete, Christian Franke, Helin Raeaegel, Evgeniya Shcherbinina, Tatiana Prikazchikova, Victor Koteliansky, Martin Vingron, Yannis L. Kalaidzidis, Timofei Zatsepin, Marino Zerial
Summary: The morphogenesis of bile canaliculi in the liver is determined by the interplay between molecular pathways and mechanical forces, with hepatocytes forming specific extensions of the apical membrane that ensure anisotropic expansion of the lumen. Silencing the Rab35 gene leads to loss of apical bulkheads and cyst formation, indicating the essential role of these structures in liver tissue morphogenesis. The reengineering of hepatocyte polarity to convert bile canaliculi into epithelial tubes suggests that apical bulkheads are intrinsic mechanical elements determining the elongation of bile canaliculi during liver tissue development.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Yuhao Zhou, Wenjun Lv, Xiufen Peng, Yansiwei Cheng, Yun Tu, Guanbin Song, Qing Luo
Summary: This study investigates the effects of simulated microgravity on cutaneous wound healing and dermal fibroblast migration. The results demonstrate that simulated microgravity inhibits the healing of cutaneous wound and reduces the accumulation of dermal fibroblasts in the wound bed. In vitro experiments show that simulated microgravity inhibits the migration of human foreskin fibroblast cells and reduces F-actin polymerization and YAP activity. Treatment with lysophosphatidic acid is able to recover the inhibited migration and improve cutaneous healing in simulated microgravity rats. These findings suggest the crucial role of the F-actin/YAP signaling pathway in the maintenance of skin homeostasis and propose YAP as a potential therapeutic target for astronauts in space.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Leilei Zang, Yanmei Song, Yanhua Tian, Ning Hu
Summary: The study demonstrated that PHACTR1 promotes the mobility of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) cells and plays a role in the carcinogenesis of PTC. PHACTR1 regulates the formation of F-actin, which determines the mobility of PTC cells. Therefore, PHACTR1 has the potential to be a biomarker for predicting prognosis and targeted therapy in PTC.
Review
Nutrition & Dietetics
Stephen W. D'Souza, Andrew J. Copp, Nicholas D. E. Greene, Jocelyn D. Glazier
Summary: Supplementation with myo-inositol may reduce the risk of neural tube defects, especially for NTDs unresponsive to folic acid. Maternal myo-inositol intake plays a crucial role in embryonic development, establishing active cellular uptake mechanisms and effectively lowering NTD risk in human pregnancy. The generation of materno-fetal inositol concentration gradients and a transport pathway for myo-inositol delivery contribute to inositol's ability to confer embryonic developmental benefit.
ADVANCES IN NUTRITION
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Max B. Butler, Oliver D. Mowforth, Abdul Badran, Michelle Starkey, Timothy Boerger, Iwan Sadler, Julia Tabrah, Caroline Treanor, Lucy Cameron, Sukhvinder Kalsi-Ryan, Rodney J. Laing, Benjamin M. Davies, Mark R. N. Kotter
Summary: This study investigated the usage and perceptions of nonoperative physiotherapy for degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). The results showed that few patients perceived benefit from physiotherapy, but this was more likely in those with mild DCM and shorter symptom durations. This suggests a need for further research on the appropriate role of physiotherapy in the management of DCM.
GLOBAL SPINE JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Kit-Yi Leung, Sandra C. P. De Castro, Gabriel L. Galea, Andrew J. Copp, Nicholas D. E. Greene
Summary: The loss of GCSH gene leads to embryonic death in mice prior to mid-gestation, in contrast to the compatibility of GLDC or AMT loss with embryonic survival. This suggests that GCSH may have additional roles beyond the glycine cleavage system.
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gabriel L. Galea, Eirini Maniou, Timothy J. Edwards, Abigail R. Marshall, Ioakeim Ampartzidis, Nicholas D. E. Greene, Andrew J. Copp
Summary: The mosaic deletion of Vangl2 in the murine neuroepithelium causes spina bifida by preventing apical constriction via reduced myosin II and tubulin organization. This non-autonomous effect explains how post-zygotic mutations affecting a minority of cells can lead to catastrophic failure of morphogenesis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Benjamin M. Davies, Jibin J. Francis, Max B. Butler, Oliver Mowforth, Edward Goacher, Michelle Starkey, Angelos Kolias, Guy Wynne-Jones, Mike Hutton, Senthil Selvanathan, Simon Thomson, Rodney J. C. Laing, Peter J. Hutchinson, Mark R. N. Kotter
Summary: The survey revealed that a posterior approach was favored for surgical treatment of multi-level degenerative cervical myelopathy. Region, specialty, or annual multi-level case load did not significantly influence surgical approach.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eirini Maniou, Michael F. Staddon, Abigail R. Marshall, Nicholas D. E. Greene, Andrew J. Copp, Shiladitya Banerjee, Gabriel L. Galea
Summary: Gap closure in mammalian embryos during embryonic hindbrain neuropore (HNP) closure follows specific mechanisms;
Asymmetric closure mechanisms involving pursestring contraction and directional cell motion accelerate the closure process;
Coordination of cellular and tissue-level mechanics is crucial for mammalian embryos to achieve this critical gap closure event.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Kimberly A. Aldinger, Zachary Thomson, Ian G. Phelps, Parthiv Haldipur, Mei Deng, Andrew E. Timms, Matthew Hirano, Gabriel Santpere, Charles Roco, Alexander B. Rosenberg, Belen Lorente-Galdos, Forrest O. Gulden, Diana O'Day, Lynne M. Overman, Steven N. Lisgo, Paula Alexandre, Nenad Sestan, Dan Doherty, William B. Dobyns, Georg Seelig, Ian A. Glass, Kathleen J. Millen
Summary: The study systematically mapped the molecular, cellular, and spatial composition of the human fetal cerebellum, revealing differences from the mouse cerebellum and providing insights into human cerebellar development and disease. SPLiT-seq single-nucleus RNA sequencing highlighted complex cell-type dynamics and prolonged maturation in the developing human cerebellum, with important implications for disease research.
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Faheem Bhatti, Oliver D. Mowforth, Max B. Butler, Aniqah Bhatti, Sylva Adeeko, Melika Akhbari, Rory Dilworth, Ben Grodzinski, Temidayo Osunronbi, Luke Ottewell, Jye Quan Teh, Sophie Robinson, Gayathri Suresh, Unaiza Waheed, Benn Walker, Isla Kuhn, Lara Smith, Richard D. Bartlett, Benjamin M. Davies, Mark R. N. Kotter
Summary: The study found that cannabinoid receptor agonists have a significant improvement in locomotor function and pain outcomes, but the risk of bias is unclear in all studies.
Correction
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Gabriel L. Galea, Eirini Maniou, Timothy J. Edwards, Abigail R. Marshall, Ioakeim Ampartzidis, Nicholas D. E. Greene, Andrew J. Copp
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Oleksandr Nychyk, Gabriel L. Galea, Matteo Mole, Dawn Savery, Nicholas D. E. Greene, Philip Stanier, Andrew J. Copp
Summary: The study suggests that reduced sulfation of glycosaminoglycans interacting with heterozygosity for the Vangl2 gene may lead to craniorachischisis in mouse embryos, rather than defective neuroepithelial cell movements. Exogenous sulphate can rescue this defect.
DISEASE MODELS & MECHANISMS
(2022)
Letter
Developmental Biology
Andrew J. Copp, Nicholas D. E. Greene, Jennifer Jao, Rebecca Zash, Haneesha Mohan, Valeriya Dontsova, Lena Serghides
BIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Oliver D. Mowforth, Danyal Z. Khan, Mei Yin Wong, George A. E. Pickering, Lydia Dean, Joe Magee, Laura Mullarkey, Yuri Hirayama, Martina Rihova, Max Butler, Max Stewart, Beth Goulson, Shahzaib Ahmed, Kai Fricke, Vladimir Popa-Nimigean, Zack Millar, Ashwin Venkatesh, Alice Willison, Keerthi Senthil, Olesja Hazenbiller, Ellen Sarewitz, Iwan Sadler, Toto Gronlund, Lindsay Tetreault, James S. Harrop, Bizhan Aarabi, Vafa Rahimi-Movaghar, Shekar N. Kurpad, James D. Guest, Jefferson R. Wilson, Brian K. Kwon, Michael G. Fehlings, Angus G. K. McNair, Benjamin M. Davies, Mark R. N. Kotter
Summary: The AO Spine RECODE-DCM initiative aimed to accelerate knowledge discovery and improve outcomes by developing a consensus framework through a survey involving perspectives from spinal surgeons, healthcare professionals, and individuals with degenerative cervical myelopathy (DCM). The survey engaged a diverse group of participants from 76 countries and successfully combined priority setting and minimum dataset processes for the first time.
GLOBAL SPINE JOURNAL
(2022)
Article
Developmental Biology
Yosuf Gheasuddin, Gabriel L. Galea
Summary: This study found that CBD acts as a neuroteratogen, increasing the risk of spina bifida and exencephaly in mouse embryo culture, without causing overt toxicity. Further large-scale testing is needed to understand the effects of CBD on neural tube closure, especially in at-risk groups.
BIRTH DEFECTS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Sarah Escuin, Saba Rose Raza-Knight, Dawn Savery, Carles Gaston-Massuet, Gabriel L. Galea, Nicholas D. E. Greene, Andrew J. Copp
Summary: Understanding the molecular mechanisms behind birth defects is crucial for preventing them. In mouse embryos with the Zic2Ku/Ku mutation, severe spina bifida occurs due to the absence of dorsolateral hinge points in the neuroepithelium. Overactivation of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) and RhoA signaling is observed, leading to abnormal neural tube closure. The use of specific inhibitors reveals the involvement of both BMP-dependent DLHP formation and RhoA-dependent actomyosin accumulation in the pathogenesis of spina bifida. This study provides insights into the multifactorial origin of spina bifida in humans.
DISEASE MODELS & MECHANISMS
(2023)