Article
Cell Biology
Alaina H. Willet, Maya G. Igarashi, Jun-Song Chen, Rahul Bhattacharjee, Liping Ren, Sierra N. Cullati, Zachary C. Elmore, Rachel H. Roberts-Galbraith, Alyssa E. Johnson, Janel R. Beckley, Kathleen L. Gould
Summary: The F-BAR protein Imp2 is phosphorylated at 28 sites within its intrinsically disordered region, with casein kinase 1 (CK1) and Cdk1 being the major kinases involved. Phosphorylation plays a role in regulating Imp2 localization and function, with different kinases having distinct effects.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Sana A. A. Fadil, Chris Janetopoulos
Summary: This article explores the mechanisms regulating cell migration during fruiting body formation in Dictyostelium discoideum, finding that cAMP is released through expulsion during contractile vacuole ejection. The vacuole localizes to the rear of the cell and is regulated by membrane lipids, including PI(4,5)P2. The exocyst complex, mediated in part by PI(4,5)P2-binding, is essential for exocytosis.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Paul T. Manna, Lael D. Barlow, Inmaculada Ramirez-Macias, Emily K. Herman, Joel B. Dacks
Summary: This study used a transcriptomics-based approach to identify gene products associated with contractile vacuoles (CVs) in Dictyostelium discoideum. The approach was validated by confirming the upregulation of known CV-associated gene products and finding enrichment of endosomal and vacuolar gene products. An upregulated SNARE protein (NPSNB) was found to be associated with CVs, suggesting its role in CV function. These findings provide important insights into the deep evolution of eukaryotic organelles.
JOURNAL OF CELL SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Ana Marta Silva, Fung-Yi Chan, Michael J. Norman, Ana Filipa Sobral, Esther Zanin, Reto Gassmann, Julio Monti Belmonte, Ana Xavier Carvalho
Summary: Silva et al. demonstrate the distinct contributions of plastin/PLST-1 and beta-heavy-spectrin/SMA-1 to cytokinetic contractile ring constriction. PLST-1 promotes F-actin connectivity and cortical tension, counteracting ring constriction, while beta-heavy-spectrin protects fragile rings and facilitates ring repair. The loss of PLST-1 reduces cortical tension and makes fragile rings less prone to ruptures and regressions, while the loss of SMA-1 exacerbates structural defects, leading to frequent ruptures and cytokinesis failure. Beta-heavy-spectrin stabilizes the constricting ring and plays a crucial role in network connectivity at low F-actin density.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
M. Prasad, N. Obana, S. -Z. Lin, S. Zhao, K. Sakai, C. Blanch-Mercader, J. Prost, N. Nomura, J. -F. Rupprecht, J. Fattaccioli, A. S. Utada
Summary: During the consumption of alkanes, Alcanivorax borkumensis forms a biofilm to optimize oil consumption, and the morphology of the biofilm is related to localized defects in cell ordering.
Review
Microbiology
Veronica Jimenez, Kildare Miranda, Ingrid Augusto
Summary: Osmoregulation is a crucial cellular process for the survival of all organisms, and it holds even more significance for protists whose life cycles occur in various environments. This article summarizes the current understanding of the osmoregulatory mechanisms in the contractile vacuole and explores its newly discovered functions in cell trafficking and signaling.
JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biology
Manuela Ecker, Richard Schregle, Natasha Kapoor-Kaushik, Pascal Rossatti, Verena M. Betzler, Daryan Kempe, Mate Biro, Nicholas Ariotti, Gregory M. Redpath, Jeremie Rossy
Summary: This study investigates the recruitment of SNX9 to CD28 clusters upon CD28 triggering, which promotes membrane tubulation and regulates the stability of CD28 as well as signaling events. CD28 clusters are shown to be dynamic structures, and SNX9-mediated tubulation generates a membrane environment that facilitates CD28 triggering and downstream signaling events.
Article
Cell Biology
Kimberly Bellingham-Johnstun, Erica Casey Anders, John Ravi, Christina Bruinsma, Caroline Laplante
Summary: This study used single molecule localization microscopy in live cells to elucidate the molecular organization of cytokinesis proteins and their impact on the function of the contractile ring. The research revealed that an excess number of Myo2p heads bound to actin filaments hindered constriction, thus reducing the constriction rate. The predictive correlation between the molecular organization of nodes and the behavior of the contractile ring was established.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Astronomy & Astrophysics
DaZhuang He, Xuan Luo, YiLing Xie, Hao Sun
Summary: By studying the decay processes of (B) over bar (0), we analyzed the characteristics of the f(1)(1285) resonance and obtained a theoretical result for comparison with experimental data. The f(1)(1285) resonance is dynamically generated from the K* K* interaction within the chiral unitary approach.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiao Li, D. Eric Anderson, Yuen-Yan Chang, Michal Jarnik, Matthias P. Machner
Summary: Legionella pneumophila controls vacuole expansion by fine-tuning the generation of lysophospholipids within the vacuolar membrane. Overproduction of VpdC prevents the adequate expansion of the surrounding membrane, trapping the replicating bacteria within spatially confined vacuoles and reducing their capability to proliferate intracellularly.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Josiah J. Morrison, Colby N. Ferreira, Evelyn M. Siler, Katie Nelson, Catherine E. Trebino, Benjamin Piraino, Jodi L. Camberg
Summary: During cell division in Escherichia coli, the highly conserved tubulin homolog FtsZ assembles into a ring-like structure called the Z-ring at the septation site. FtsZ polymers interact with membrane-associated proteins, predominantly FtsA, for recruitment to the membrane surface. This study demonstrates the importance of specific amino acid residues in FtsA for its function in vitro and in vivo.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biology
Rebecca Martina Fausten, Maria Bohnert
Summary: When a yeast cell runs out of fuel, it can boost the flux through a central metabolic pathway simply by relocating an enzyme.
Review
Plant Sciences
Xiuxiu Zhang, Hui Li, Hai Lu, Inhwan Hwang
Summary: This article summarizes the two types of vacuoles in plant cells and the recent progress in studying their protein trafficking mechanisms, discusses the commonalities and specificities between lytic vacuoles and protein storage vacuoles, as well as the interconnection provided by the protein trafficking machinery between these organelles.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Elsa Arcalis, Ulrike Hormann-Dietrich, Eva Stoger
Summary: Cereal endosperm, such as maize, has a specialized endomembrane system for protein and starch storage. This study focuses on investigating vacuoles in maize endosperm cells using various techniques, revealing the presence of small globulin-containing protein storage vacuoles and a novel autophagic vacuole in early developmental stages.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Kelsie A. Leary, Wayne D. Hawkins, Devika Andhare, Hana Popelka, Daniel J. Klionsky, Michael J. Ragusa
Summary: A recent study has shown that Atg23 is a protein that binds to Atg9 and is involved in the trafficking of Atg9 vesicles. The study also revealed that Atg23 forms elongated dimers and mutations can disrupt dimer formation, resulting in a stable monomer. Expression of the monomeric Atg23 in yeast lacking Atg23 leads to abnormalities in autophagy and the cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting pathway.
Article
Microbiology
Catherine M. Buckley, Victoria L. Heath, Aurelie Gueho, Cristina Bosmani, Paulina Knobloch, Phumzile Sikakana, Nicolas Personnic, Stephen K. Dove, Robert H. Michell, Roger Meier, Hubert Hilbi, Thierry Soldati, Robert H. Insall, Jason S. King
Article
Cell Biology
Amelie Juin, Heather J. Spence, Kirsty J. Martin, Ewan McGhee, Matthew Neilson, Marie F. A. Cutiongco, Nikolaj Gadegaard, Gillian Mackay, Loic Fort, Sergio Lilla, Gabriela Kalna, Peter Thomason, Yvette W. H. Koh, Jim C. Norman, Robert H. Insall, Laura M. Machesky
DEVELOPMENTAL CELL
(2019)
Article
Cell Biology
Luke Tweedy, Robert H. Insall
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shashi Prakash Singh, Peter A. Thomason, Sergio Lilla, Matthias Schaks, Qing Tang, Bruce L. Goode, Laura M. Machesky, Klemens Rottner, Robert H. Insall
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Luke Tweedy, Peter A. Thomason, Peggy I. Paschke, Kirsty Martin, Laura M. Machesky, Michele Zagnoni, Robert H. Insall
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tamas Yelland, Anh Hoang Le, Savvas Nikolaou, Robert Insall, Laura Machesky, Shehab Ismail
Summary: Crystal structures of CYRI-B lacking the N-terminal helix (CYRI-BDN) and the CYRI-BDN:Rac1Q61L complex provide insights into the nature of CYRI-Rac1 interaction and the molecular basis of CYRI-B regulation of the Scar/WAVE complex. CYRI protein family can form autoinhibited hetero- or homodimers, adding an additional layer of regulation to Rac1 signaling pathways.
Article
Cell Biology
Yihong Yang, Dong Li, Xiaoting Chao, Shashi P. Singh, Peter Thomason, Yonghong Yan, Mengqiu Dong, Lei Li, Robert H. Insall, Huaqing Cai
Summary: This study identifies a novel polarity regulator, Leep1, in the model system Dictyostelium, which selectively localizes at the leading edge of cells by binding to PIP3 to negatively regulate the Scar/WAVE complex, thereby modulating the dynamics of protrusive structures at the leading edge.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Robin S. B. Williams, Jonathan R. Chubb, Robert Insall, Jason S. King, Catherine J. Pears, Elinor Thompson, Cornelis J. Weijer
Summary: The social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum serves as an excellent model for research in various biological disciplines due to its low genetic complexity and versatile experimental techniques, enabling multidisciplinary studies and leading to breakthroughs in research. Numerous laboratories in the United Kingdom utilize Dictyostelium as their core research model for studying distinct areas and benefiting from the tractable nature of this model system.
Article
Cell Biology
Shashi Prakash Singh, Peter A. Thomason, Robert H. Insall
Summary: Abi is phosphorylated in response to extracellular signals in Dictyostelium cells, modulating pseudopodia formation. Abi phosphorylation is not required for activation or inactivation of the Scar/WAVE complex, but affects pseudopod dynamics and cell migration speed.
Review
Cell Biology
Robert H. Insall, Peggy Paschke, Luke Tweedy
Summary: Chemotactic cells often create attractant gradients while responding to them, leading to more robust self-guidance, longer-range effects, and more information about the local environment. Understanding how cells generate and interpret their own chemoattractant gradients is fundamental to understanding the spatial patterns found in all organisms.
TRENDS IN CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Robert Insall
Summary: Twitter has become an influential tool in science communication, but its future is uncertain due to ongoing management changes and the possibility of other platforms taking its place. However, it is clear that social media is beneficial for science and will continue to play a significant role. In light of recent changes, Robert Insall emphasizes the importance of social media in science communication and networking, and contemplates the future of science Twitter.
NATURE REVIEWS MOLECULAR CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adam Dowdell, Peggy I. Paschke, Peter A. Thomason, Luke Tweedy, Robert H. Insall
Summary: Negative chemotaxis, where cells migrate away from repellents, is important but its molecular mechanisms are unknown. This study shows that competition between ligands for the same receptor leads to effective chemorepulsion and even chemicals that normally attract cells can become repellent when combined. Computational models have helped identify new mechanisms for reverse chemotaxis, which were confirmed through experiments with real cells. These findings are important for understanding ligand competition in biological processes.
Review
Cell Biology
Robert H. Insall
Summary: Cells create their own steering cues or modify cues from the outside for various reasons, including generating optimal directional information, probing the environment for information, symmetry breaking, generating new patterns and complexity, and bringing collectives together. Recent advances include more mechanisms of self-steering, particularly using cell-generated mechanical cues and oxygen gradients. An increasing number of cell types, such as immune cells and mesodermal cells, have been found to utilize self-steering. Receptor modification has also been identified as a key factor in limiting neutrophil swarming, allowing cells to monitor other areas. Self-steering is emerging as a dominant feature of cell motility.
CURRENT OPINION IN CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Immunology
Hannah Donnelly, Elena Mandrou, Robert Insall
Summary: The CCR7 receptor enables dendritic cells to detect CCL19 chemokine and internalize it, creating local gradients that facilitate accurate and robust cell migration through tissues, even over long distances. (see related Research Article by Alanko et al.)
SCIENCE IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Radiology, Nuclear Medicine & Medical Imaging
Shereen R. Kadir, Robert H. Insall, Gillian Moffatt, John McGhee, Daniel Livingstone
JOURNAL OF VISUAL COMMUNICATION IN MEDICINE
(2020)