Review
Plant Sciences
Chieko Goto, Ikuko Hara-Nishimura, Kentaro Tamura
Summary: The shape of plant nuclei varies among different species, tissues, and cell types, regulated by several nuclear envelope proteins. These proteins not only influence nuclear shape but also participate in nuclear and cellular functions such as maintenance of chromatin structure, gene expression, and plant growth.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
K. Venkatesan Iyer, Anna Taubenberger, Salma Ahmed Zeidan, Natalie A. Dye, Suzanne Eaton, Frank Juelicher
Summary: The study found that in epithelial tissues, the levels of Lamin A/C change with apico-basal cell compression independently of tissue stiffness. Nuclear deformation and phosphorylation levels of Lamin A/C are key factors in regulating Lamin A/C levels.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biology
Sabab Hasan Khan, Sean M. Braet, Stephen John Koehler, Elizabeth Elacqua, Ganesh Srinivasan Anand, C. Denise Okafor
Summary: This study investigates ligand-induced conformational changes in a reconstructed ancestral nuclear receptor and generates receptor variants with altered ligand specificities. Cellular and biophysical experiments, as well as atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, are used to characterize these conformational changes and understand their impact on ligand responses.
Article
Clinical Neurology
Daphne J. Smits, Rachel Schot, Nathalie Krusy, Katja Wiegmann, Olaf Utermoehlen, Monique T. Mulder, Sandra den Hoedt, Grace Yoon, Ashish R. Deshwar, Christina Kresge, Beth Pletcher, Maura van Mook, Marta Serio Ferreira, Raymond A. Poot, Johan A. Slotman, Gert-Jan Kremers, Abeer Ahmad, Buthaina Albash, Laila Bastaki, Dana Marafi, Jordy Dekker, Tjakko J. van Ham, Laurent Nguyen, Grazia M. S. Mancini
Summary: Biallelic loss-of-function variants in SMPD4 gene cause a rare and severe neurodevelopmental disorder with progressive congenital microcephaly and early death. SMPD4 encodes a sphingomyelinase that hydrolyses sphingomyelin into ceramide and affects membrane lipid homeostasis, which is localized in the endoplasmic reticulum and nuclear envelope and interacts with nuclear pore complexes (NPC). Study reveals that individuals with SMPD4-related disease commonly develop insulin-dependent diabetes in addition to severe neurodevelopmental disorders and microcephaly.
Article
Biology
Chenxi Guo, Yuan Xiao, Jingkai Gu, Peikun Zhao, Zhe Hu, Jiahuan Zheng, Renwu Hua, Zhuo Hai, Jiaping Su, Jian V. Zhang, William S. B. Yeung, Tianren Wang
Summary: Caseinolytic protease proteolytic subunit (ClpP) and caseinolytic protease X (ClpX) are crucial for meiosis and spermatogenesis, and their deficiency leads to over-activation of the mTORC1 pathway.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Helena Cantwell, Gautam Dey
Summary: This review discusses the cellular properties and processes that contribute to nuclear size and shape control, providing examples from across eukaryotes. It also outlines the physiological roles of specific nuclear morphologies and the disease pathologies associated with aberrant nuclear morphology.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Anne F. J. Janssen, Sophia Y. Breusegem, Delphine Larrieu
Summary: Nuclear morphology abnormalities have significant impact on cellular functioning and genomic integrity, making quantitative measurement of nuclear shape crucial. This article provides an overview of various nuclear abnormalities and reviews current image-based quantification methods. New pipelines for quantitative analysis of nuclear shape are also introduced. Quantitative analyses of nuclear aberrations and shape have wide applications in assessing cancer cell anomalies and studying nucleus deformability under stress.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Sara Ovejero, Caroline Soulet, Maria Moriel-Carretero
Summary: This study discusses the application of MMS as an alkylating agent in DNA repair research, as well as the damage it simultaneously causes to other cell biomolecules. The research points out that in addition to methylation of DNA, MMS also has effects such as protein oxidation and acetylation, and triggers lipid stress in the inner nuclear membrane.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Richa Maheshwari, Mohammad M. Rahman, Seth Drey, Megan Onyundo, Gunar Fabig, Michael A. Q. Martinez, David Q. Matus, Thomas Mueller-Reichert, Orna Cohen-Fix
Summary: In this study, using volume electron microscopy, researchers discovered that centrosomes in the Caenorhabditis elegans early embryo are surrounded by a three-dimensional membrane reticulum called the centriculum. The formation of the centriculum depends on the presence of centrosomes and microtubules. Moreover, the centriculum affects the function of centrosomes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Suresh Velnati, Sara Centonze, Federico Girivetto, Daniela Capello, Ricardo M. Biondi, Alessandra Bertoni, Roberto Cantello, Beatrice Ragnoli, Mario Malerba, Andrea Graziani, Gianluca Baldanzi
Summary: PKC zeta and PKC iota/lambda form the atypical protein kinase C subgroup, characterized by their regulation distinct from conventional PKCs. Both PKC zeta and PKC iota interact with phosphatidic acid and phosphatidylserine, while PKC iota uniquely binds to phosphatidylinositol-monophosphates. Additionally, phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate specifically activates PKC iota, indicating a specific regulation of PKC iota by certain membrane lipids.
Article
Cell Biology
Hanna Thoma, Luisa Grunewald, Silke Braune, Elisabeth Pasch, Manfred Alsheimer
Summary: SUN4 is a conserved protein of the nuclear envelope and plays a vital role in sperm-head formation. It is localized to the inner nuclear membrane and forms heteromeric assemblies with SUN3. Understanding the molecular properties of SUN4 contributes to understanding its specific function at the nucleo-cytoplasmic junction.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biology
Michael Sean Mauro, Gunta Celma, Vitaly Zimyanin, Magdalena M. Magaj, Kimberley H. Gibson, Stefanie Redemann, Shirin Bahmanyar
Summary: During the formation and growth of the nuclear envelope, the membrane-associated nucleoporin Ndc1 plays a crucial role in coordinating the assembly of nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) and regulating NPC density, in parallel with the inner ring component Nup53 and membrane biogenesis. This study provides insights into the mechanisms underlying NE formation and growth.
Article
Cell Biology
Zekun Mu, Kevin Wiehe, Kevin O. Saunders, Rory Henderson, Derek W. Cain, Robert Parks, Diana Martik, Katayoun Mansouri, Robert J. Edwards, Amanda Newman, Xiaozhi Lu, Shi-Mao Xia, Amanda Eaton, Mattia Bonsignori, David Montefiori, Qifeng Han, Sravani Venkatayogi, Tyler Evangelous, Yunfei Wang, Wes Rountree, Bette Korber, Kshitij Wagh, Ying Tam, Christopher Barbosa, S. Munir Alam, Wilton B. Williams, Ming Tian, Frederick W. Alt, Norbert Pardi, Drew Weissman, Barton F. Haynes
Summary: This study demonstrates that mRNA can encode antigenic Env trimers on ferritin nanoparticles, which can stimulate the expansion of broadly neutralizing antibody precursor B cells and induce neutralizing antibody activity against HIV-1. This finding has implications for the development of HIV-1 vaccines.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Asier Echarri
Summary: Cells have mechanisms to sense and adapt to mechanical forces, with the nucleus being an essential part of this process. It is physically connected to the cytoskeleton and has additional structures within and outside the nucleus that contribute to its mechanosensitivity. This network of mechanosensitive structures ensures that the nucleus can respond to mechanical cues.
Review
Cell Biology
Naresh Kumar Manda, Upendarrao Golla, Kishore Sesham, Parth Desai, Shrushti Joshi, Satyam Patel, Sharada Nalla, Susmitha Kondam, Lakhwinder Singh, Deepak Dewansh, Hemalatha Manda, Namita Rokana
Summary: The organization of eukaryotic genome in the nucleus is complex and dynamic, and its morphology and size have significant impact on nuclear mechanics, chromatin organization, gene expression, cell functionality, and disease development. Abnormal nuclear envelope morphologies are implicated in human disorders. However, our knowledge about the molecular mechanisms regulating nuclear morphology and cell functionality during health and illness is limited. This review discusses the essential components governing nuclear organization and the functional consequences associated with nuclear morphometric aberrations, as well as recent developments with diagnostic and therapeutic implications for nuclear morphology.