Article
Biology
Andrea E. Prota, Daniel Lucena-Agell, Yuntao Ma, Juan Estevez-Gallego, Shuo Li, Katja Bargsten, Fernando Josa-Prado, Karl-Heinz Altmann, Natacha Gaillard, Shinji Kamimura, Tobias Muhlethaler, Federico Gago, Maria A. Oliva, Michel O. Steinmetz, Wei-Shuo Fang, J. Fernando Diaz
Summary: This study provides atomic-level details of the interaction between paclitaxel and tubulin, shedding light on the mechanism of action and binding determinants.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hannah J. Brown, Iain G. Duggin
Summary: Tubulin superfamily proteins play important roles in cellular functions such as morphology, division, and motility. The study of archaeal CetZ proteins reveals their diverse functions, including regulation of cell shape and potentially other unknown functions. The research also suggests the association of CetZ proteins among archaea and their possible origin via horizontal transfer. Furthermore, the study uncovers the relationship between CetZ proteins and functions related to the cell surface, biosynthesis, and motility.
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jose M. Andreu, Federico M. Ruiz, Carlos Fernandez-Tornero
Summary: Self-assembling protein filaments, such as FtsZ and tubulin, play crucial roles in cell division and cytoskeletal functions. Recent studies have provided insights into their filament structures and assembly dynamics.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Laura Schaedel, Charlotta Lorenz, Anna V. Schepers, Stefan Klumpp, Sarah Koester
Summary: The study demonstrates that vimentin intermediate filaments stabilize microtubules against depolymerization and support microtubule rescue through direct interactions in a reconstituted in vitro system. By measuring interaction forces and numerical simulations, insights into the physical nature of these interactions and their effects on microtubule dynamics are provided.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Carlos Santana-Molina, DMaria del Saz-Navarro, Damien P. Devos
Summary: The origin of the FtsZ/tubulin protein family is crucial for life as these proteins perform essential functions in nearly all organisms. This study investigates the early evolution of the FtsZ/tubulin protein family, revealing its presence in the last universal common ancestor. It also explores the diversification of this protein family in bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotes, and identifies potential ancestral relationships between prokaryotic tubulins and eukaryotic alpha/beta-tubulins.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biophysics
Anna Luchniak, Yin-Wei Kuo, Catherine McGuinness, Sabyasachi Sutradhar, Ron Orbach, Mohammed Mahamdeh, Jonathon Howard
Summary: Microtubules are dynamic polymers that undergo stochastic transitions between growing and shrinking phases. The transition between these phases, termed catastrophe, is a multistep process that becomes more frequent with the growth time. Similarly, the shrinking phase, following catastrophe, is a time-dependent and multistate process. The shrinkage speed of microtubules varies across different microtubules and slows down over time. This shrinking slowdown is observed in microtubules from various species, indicating its general nature. The aging associated with growth is also manifested during shrinkage, with the more unstable growing tip associated with a faster depolymerizing shrinking tip.
BIOPHYSICAL JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Alexei Cooper, Andrea M. Makkay, R. Thane Papke
Summary: Deletion mutants of all eight tubulin-like genes in Haloferax volcanii significantly impact cell morphology, suggesting that these genes indeed have a function.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Xiang Zhou, Jiamin Liu, Jiao Meng, Yihong Fu, Zhibin Wu, Guiping Ouyang, Zhenchao Wang
Summary: The newly designed and synthesized compound I-20 exhibited significant antiproliferative and anticancer activities in vitro, particularly showing strong inhibitory effects on human cancer cell lines and interfering with cancer cell migration. Further investigations indicated that compound I-20 promoted tubulin protofilament assembly, suggesting its potential utility as a microtubule-stabilising therapeutic agent.
JOURNAL OF ENZYME INHIBITION AND MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ivan Zadra, Senda Jimenez-Delgado, Miquel Anglada-Girotto, Carolina Segura-Morales, Zachary J. Compton, Carsten Janke, Luis Serrano, Verena Ruprecht, Isabelle Vernos
Summary: Polyglutamylation of spindle microtubules is essential for error-free chromosome segregation and is mediated through Tubulin Tyrosine Ligase Like 11 (TTLL11), which is found to be frequently downregulated in cancer.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Heriberto Velez, Dhurva Prasad Gauchan, Maria del Rosario Garcia-Gil
Summary: Paclitaxel is an anticancer drug that can be isolated from various plants and fungi. It is toxic to many fungi and oomycetes, and the sensitivity to paclitaxel may be related to the p-tubulin protein sequence. Our study on endophytic fungi from Himalayan Yew found evidence of positive/diversifying selection in the 1-tubulin sequences at specific sites, indicating their adaptation to the environment.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mitra Shojania Feizabadi, Venise Jan Castillon
Summary: Overexpression of Tau protein in breast cancer cells is associated with potential resistance to taxane-based therapy. The study demonstrates that Tau and Taxol have different effects on the polymerization of breast cancer microtubules and suggests that drug resistance may not be solely due to microtubule responses to the drug.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Biology
Debadrita Basu, Sarmistha Majumdar, Nishita Mandal, Shubhra Ghosh Dastidar
Summary: Intervening in cell cycle progression by administering microtubule over-stabilizing ligands to arrest mitotic cell division and fight against cancers is a promising strategy. The present study reports the collective changes induced by these ligands on the structure and dynamics of the α,β-tubulin dimer, providing a molecular basis for the over-stabilization of microtubules.
COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Valerie Siahaan, Ruensern Tan, Tereza Humhalova, Lenka Libusova, Samuel E. Lacey, Tracy Tan, Mariah Dacy, Kassandra M. Ori-McKenney, Richard J. McKenney, Marcus Braun, Zdenek Lansky
Summary: Tau and MAP2 can form envelopes on microtubules by altering lattice spacing, providing a molecular basis for spatial regulation of microtubule-based processes. Envelopes can affect the activity of other MAPs and motor proteins on microtubules.
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Pinkilata Pradhan, William Margolin, Tushar Kant Beuria
Summary: The widespread antimicrobial resistance among bacterial pathogens poses a serious threat to public health, necessitating the urgent need for the identification of new antibacterial agents. FtsZ, a bacterial cytoskeletal homolog of eukaryotic tubulin, has been the primary focus of research on small molecule cell division inhibitors due to its conserved role in cell division. The IDC on FtsZ has been identified as a better potential target for drugs that are less toxic to humans compared to the GTP binding site, leading to the development of a large number of natural and synthetic IDC inhibitors over the past decade.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Junso Fujita, Hiroshi Amesaka, Takuya Yoshizawa, Kota Hibino, Natsuki Kamimura, Natsuko Kuroda, Takamoto Konishi, Yuki Kato, Mizuho Hara, Tsuyoshi Inoue, Keiichi Namba, Shun-ichi Tanaka, Hiroyoshi Matsumura
Summary: The cryoEM structures of a single protofilament of FtsZ from Klebsiella pneumoniae (KpFtsZ) in a polymerization-preferred conformation are presented and of a double-helical tube of the FtsZ-monobody complex that shows two parallel protofilaments.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Edward H. Egelman, Linda A. Amos
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Harry H. Low, Carsten Sachse, Linda A. Amos, Jan Lowe
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
L. A. Amos
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2008)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Linda A. Amos
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jan Lowe, Linda A. Amos
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOCHEMISTRY & CELL BIOLOGY
(2009)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Christopher H. S. Aylett, Thierry Izore, Linda A. Amos, Jan Loewe
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2013)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Iain G. Duggin, Christopher H. S. Aylett, James C. Walsh, Katharine A. Michie, Qing Wang, Lynne Turnbull, Emma M. Dawson, Elizabeth J. Harry, Cynthia B. Whitchurch, Linda A. Amos, Jan Loewe
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Amedee des Georges, Miho Katsuki, Douglas R. Drummond, Michael Osei, Robert A. Cross, Linda A. Amos
NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2008)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Linda A. Amos, Jan Loewe
NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(2014)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Christopher H. S. Aylett, Qing Wang, Katharine A. Michie, Linda A. Amos, Jan Loewe
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2010)
Editorial Material
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Linda A. Amos
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Debnath Ghosal, Daniel Trambaiolo, Linda A. Amos, Jan Loewe
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2014)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Martin Pilhofer, Mark S. Ladinsky, Alasdair W. McDowall, Giulio Petroni, Grant J. Jensen
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Michael P. Strauss, Andrew T. F. Liew, Lynne Turnbull, Cynthia B. Whitchurch, Leigh G. Monahan, Elizabeth J. Harry
Review
Cell Biology
Alyssa Kearly, Andrew D. L. Nelson, Aleksandra Skirycz, Monika Chodasiewicz
Summary: Stress Granules (SGs) and Processing-bodies (P-bodies) are important biomolecular condensates that play crucial roles in maintaining mRNA balance and regulating stress responses. They are composed of proteins and RNAs involved in translation, protein folding, and energy metabolism.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
P. Lemonnier, T. Lawson
Summary: Stomatal conductance plays a crucial role in determining CO2 uptake and water loss in plants, affecting overall water status and productivity. However, the signals coordinating mesophyll demands for CO2, the role of chloroplasts in stomatal function, and other GC metabolic processes in stomatal function remain poorly understood.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Matteo Gionfriddo, Timothy Rhodes, Spencer M. Whitney
Summary: Rubisco is a key enzyme that facilitates the entry of CO2 into the biosphere, but its catalytic properties are slow and error-prone. More effective Rubisco variants have been discovered in certain algae, offering the potential to significantly improve crop productivity. However, incompatibilities in protein folding have hindered the transplantation of these variants into plants. Directed evolution is now being explored to enhance Rubisco catalysis.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Vittoria Clapero, Stephanie Arrivault, Mark Stitt
Summary: The Calvin-Benson cycle has undergone massive selection and co-evolution with carbon-concentrating mechanisms due to changing environmental factors. Metabolite profiling reveals species-specific variations in the operation of the cycle, indicating the influence of different modes of photosynthesis. Connectivity analysis identifies constraints and driving factors for cross-species diversity in the cycle.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Sukhbir Kaur, David D. Roberts
Summary: Thrombospondin-1 modulates cell behavior by interacting with components of the extracellular matrix and cell surface receptors. Its release and expression are influenced by injuries and various diseases, while its sustained presence in the extracellular space is regulated by receptor-mediated clearance. Thrombospondin-1 plays important roles in immune responses.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Richard P. Tucker, Josephine C. Adams
Summary: Thrombospondins (TSPs) play diverse roles in animals and have been found to belong to a superfamily that includes different subgroups such as mega-TSPs, sushi-TSPs, and poriferan-TSPs. Invertebrates encode a greater diversity of TSP superfamily members than vertebrates.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
James Petrik, Sylvia Lauks, Bianca Garlisi, Jack Lawler
Summary: Many cancers start with a small nest of transformed cells that can remain dormant. Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) initially promotes dormancy by suppressing angiogenesis, but over time, factors promoting angiogenesis become dominant and recruit various cells to form a complex tumor microenvironment. TSPs play a role in the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cells in the tumor microenvironment, as well as influencing the immune characteristics and phenotype of tumor-associated macrophages.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Hana Fakim, Christine Vande Velde
Summary: There has been increasing attention to the role of phase-separated biomolecular condensates, specifically stress granules, in neurodegenerative diseases like ALS. ALS-associated mutations in genes involved in stress granule assembly have been found, and stress granule proteins have been detected in pathological inclusions in ALS patient neurons. However, protein components of stress granules are also present in other physiological biomolecular condensates, which have not been adequately discussed in relation to ALS. This review explores the functions of TDP-43 and FUS in physiological condensates occurring in the nucleus and neurites beyond stress granules, and discusses the impact of ALS-linked mutations on their ability to phase separate and perform their functions in stress-independent biomolecular condensates.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Alexander Lin, Yogambha Ramaswamy, Ashish Misra
Summary: Smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and macrophages in blood vessels display remarkable heterogeneity, and their developmental origins may influence their plasticity. Unbiased single cell whole transcriptome analysis techniques are revolutionizing the understanding of cellular diversity and plasticity, providing insights for therapeutic research.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Elton P. Hudson
Summary: The Calvin Benson cycle plays a crucial role in the ecological and biotechnological aspects of bacteria. Recent studies have shed light on the regulation of this cycle in bacteria, with post-transcriptional and post-translational regulation being important in phototrophic bacteria, and transcriptional regulation being prominent in chemolithoautotrophic bacteria. Understanding the regulation of the Calvin Benson cycle has implications for enhancing CO2 fixation and improving the synthesis of desired products. Non-canonical cycles may offer potential benefits for industrial applications.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Xin-Guang Zhu, Haim Treves, Honglong Zhao
Summary: This paper discusses the major regulatory mechanisms over the Calvin Benson Cycle (CBC) that maintain homeostasis of metabolite levels. These mechanisms include redox regulation of enzymes, metabolite regulations (especially allosteric regulations), and balanced activities of enzymes. These regulatory mechanisms are crucial for maintaining high flux and photosynthetic efficiency in CBC.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Hunter C. Herriage, Yi-Ting Huang, Brian R. Calvi
Summary: Apoptosis prevents the inappropriate acquisition of extra copies of the genome, known as polyploidy, but the polyploid state can suppress apoptosis. The mechanisms linking apoptosis and polyploid cell cycles are still largely unknown, and studying the regulation of apoptosis in development and cancer could lead to more effective therapies.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Daniel Campbell, Steven Zuryn
Summary: Mitochondrial dynamics play a crucial role in regulating cellular and organismal homeostasis, impacting various aspects of an organism's healthspan. By studying the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, a comprehensive understanding of the impact of mitochondrial dynamics on homeostasis over a lifetime can be obtained.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Diba Borgmann, Henning Fenselau
Summary: Maintaining blood glucose at an appropriate physiological level requires coordination of multiple organs and tissues, with the vagus nerve playing a key role in central control. Recent studies have revealed the cellular identity, neuroanatomical organization, and functional contributions of vagal neurons in the regulation of systemic glucose metabolism. These findings provide new insights into the precise roles of vagal neurons in coordinating glucose levels and offer potential avenues for treating glucose metabolism disorders.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
Review
Cell Biology
Tatiana C. Coverdell, Stephen B. G. Abbott, John N. Campbell
Summary: In this article, we review how genetic technology and single-cell genomics are revealing the organizational principles of the efferent vagus in unprecedented detail.
SEMINARS IN CELL & DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2024)
