Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nen Saito, Satoshi Sawai
Summary: The study found that protrusive force localized to the edge of the patches can lead to the formation of a cup-shaped structure without the need for additional assumptions. Efficient uptake requires balance among patch size, magnitude of protrusive force, and cortical tension. The model exhibits cyclical cup formation, coexistence of multiple cups, and cup-splitting, indicating that these complex morphologies self-organize through a common mutually-dependent process of reaction-diffusion and membrane deformation.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Priyanka Tripathi, Zhihui Zhu, Haiyan Qin, Ahmed Elsherbini, Simone M. Crivelli, Emily Roush, Guanghu Wang, Stefka D. Spassieva, Erhard Bieberich
Summary: The study reveals that ceramide stabilizes microtubules, indicating a similar function in cilia. Complex formation of ceramide with acetylated tubulin is detected in different cells, and S-palmitoylated acetylated tubulin is found to colocalize with ceramide-rich platforms in the ciliary membrane.
JOURNAL OF LIPID RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anders P. E. Backman, Peter Mattjus
Summary: Lipid bilayers act as boundaries enclosing cell contents, with lipid transfer proteins facilitating the movement of sphingolipids within cells, potentially playing roles in lipid transfer between membranes or sensing changes in ligand concentrations.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-MOLECULAR AND CELL BIOLOGY OF LIPIDS
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Pamina M. Winkler, Felix Campelo, Marina Giannotti, Maria F. Garcia-Parajo
Summary: The extracellular glycocalyx matrix plays a significant role in regulating the nanoscale dynamics and mechanical properties of cell membranes. Hyaluronic acid can alter the nanoscale organization and dynamics of lipid bilayers enriched in sphingolipids and/or cholesterol.
JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Ankita Umapathy, Gil Torten, Antonio E. Paniagua, Julie Chung, Madeline Tomlinson, Caleb Lim, David S. Williams
Summary: Research has found that the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) plays a crucial role in regulating the health of photoreceptor cells by ingesting and degrading their outer segments (OS). The study also showed that actin dynamics and specific BAR proteins (FBP17 and AMPH1-BAR) are involved in shaping the RPE membrane and surrounding the OS tip. Furthermore, actin dynamics are required for regulating the size and time course of the ingestion process. This discovery is important for understanding the mechanisms underlying retinal degeneration and blindness.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Meaghan Greene, Maria Jose Hernandez-Corbacho, Anne G. Ostermeyer-Fay, Yusuf A. Hannun, Daniel Canals
Summary: The role of ceramide in biological functions has been mainly studied by measuring its elevation in the total cell lysate using LC-MS. However, it is now recognized that ceramide in different subcellular organelles regulates specific functions. In the plasma membrane, even though the changes in ceramide levels may be a small fraction of the total cellular ceramide, they play a critical role in cell signaling. Currently, there are no efficient techniques to quantify ceramide specifically in the plasma membrane. This study presents a novel method to measure ceramide mass in the plasma membrane, allowing for investigation of sphingolipid compartmentalization and function.
JOURNAL OF LIPID RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Oluwatoyin Campbell, Viviana Monje-Galvan
Summary: This study investigates the interaction between Hepatitis C virus protein p7 and lipid membranes, as well as the mechanism of membrane reorganization. The results show that p7 is sensitive to its lipid environment, leading to different remodeling patterns in membranes. Helix 1 plays a crucial role in peptide insertion, while helix 2 and the adjacent loop prompt the recruitment of specific lipids to the protein binding site.
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Que N. Van, Priyanka Prakash, Rebika Shrestha, Trent E. Balius, Thomas J. Turbyville, Andrew G. Stephen
Summary: RAS proteins are mutated in about 20% of cancers, and are associated with poor clinical outcomes. They function as molecular switches on the plasma membrane and form dynamic nanoclusters, which respond to cellular input signals. Disruption of these nanoclusters can lead to downregulation of signaling.
Article
Cell Biology
Renato Socodato, Tiago O. Almeida, Camila C. Portugal, Evelyn C. S. Santos, Joana Tedim-Moreira, Joao Galvao-Ferreira, Teresa Canedo, Filipa I. Baptista, Ana Magalhaes, Antonio F. Ambrosio, Cord Brakebusch, Boris Rubinstein, Irina S. Moreira, Teresa Summavielle, Ines Mendes Pinto, Joao B. Relvas
Summary: This study demonstrates that Rac1 in microglia is crucial for sensing and interpreting the brain microenvironment, as well as for the communication between microglia and synapses that drives experience-dependent plasticity and cognitive performance.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Arielle M. Bryan, Jeehyun Karen You, Guangtao Li, JiHyun Kim, Ashutosh Singh, Johannes Morstein, Dirk Trauner, Nivea Pereira de Sa, Tyler G. Normile, Amir M. Farnoud, Erwin London, Maurizio Del Poeta
Summary: The study showed that lipids like sphingomyelin and cholesterol play a crucial role in macrophages' ability to phagocytose Cryptococcus neoformans. Phosphorylation was found to modulate the phagocytic activity of macrophages.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Judith E. Lutton, Helena L. E. Coker, Peggy Paschke, Christopher J. Munn, Jason S. King, Till Bretschneider, Robert R. Kay
Summary: This study reveals the underlying principles of macropinocytic cup formation and closure in Dictyostelium amoebae using light-sheet microscopy. Cups are formed by recruiting PIP3 domains and a specialized F-actin scaffold, and they close through inward or outward actin polymerization and membrane stretching and delamination when cup expansion stalls. This research is important for understanding intracellular fluid engulfment processes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Maggie Suisui Guo, Qiyun Wu, Tina Tingxia Dong, Karl Wah Keung Tsim
Summary: The cholinergic system, especially the alpha 7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, plays a crucial role in regulating the uptake of melanosome in keratinocytes through phagocytosis induced by UV exposure.
Article
Biology
Yanqi Yu, Zihan Zhang, Glenn F. W. Walpole, Yan Yu
Summary: Using engineered RotSensors, we discovered that the degradation kinetics of individual phagosomes are not random, but rather linked to their intracellular motion. Faster and more rotational phagosomes are more likely to fuse with lysosomes, resulting in more efficient cargo degradation. This suggests that the motion of phagosomes plays a crucial role in controlling the progression of cargo degradation.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jinfeng Wu, Cheng Xu, Zifan Ye, Haibo Chen, Yipeng Wang, Kai Yang, Bing Yuan
Summary: In this study, the membrane-specific action of the antimicrobial peptide As-CATH4 was investigated using a single-lipid tracking method and assays conducted at different scales. It was found that As-CATH4 exhibited potent antimicrobial activity through bacterial membrane permeabilization with moderate cytotoxicity against mammalian cells. Analysis of single lipid diffusion behaviors revealed the dynamic process of As-CATH4 action on the membrane.
Article
Biology
Siti Nur Sarah Morris, Kirandeep K. Deol, Mike Lange, James A. Olzmann
Summary: This study identified genetic modifiers of cancer cell resistance to C6 ceramide toxicity through a genome-wide CRISPR-Cas9 screen. The findings suggest that genes related to ceramide metabolism, vesicular trafficking, and membrane biology contribute to the resistance. Furthermore, loss of the phospholipid flippase subunit TMEM30A and ATP11B disrupts plasma membrane asymmetry and promotes resistance to C6 ceramide toxicity.
Review
Neurosciences
Jun Yup Lee, Oana C. Marian, Anthony S. Don
Summary: Dementia poses an increasing burden to healthcare and social services as populations age worldwide. Genomic studies have identified lipid metabolism abnormalities as a common pathogenic mechanism in various forms of dementia, with mutations in genes such as APOE and GBA contributing to genetic risk factors.
NEUROMOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Biology
H. M. York, A. Patil, U. K. Moorthi, A. Kaur, A. Bhowmik, G. J. Hyde, H. Gandhi, A. Fulcher, K. Gaus, S. Arumugam
Summary: The endosomal system plays a crucial role in processing responses to growth factor receptors, with EGF activating EGFR and causing redistribution and movement of related proteins. Research shows that endosomal trafficking forms an efficient and fast-acting network to coordinate the movement of activated EGF receptors.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Yang Emma Li, Yichang Wang, Ximing Du, Tizhong Zhang, Hoi Yin Mak, Sarah E. Hancock, Holly McEwen, Elvis Pandzic, Renee M. Whan, Yvette Celine Aw, Ivan E. Lukmantara, Yiqiong Yuan, Xiuju Dong, Anthony Don, Nigel Turner, Shiqian Qi, Hongyuan Yang
Summary: TMEM41B and VMP1 are integral membrane proteins of the endoplasmic reticulum, regulating the formation of lipid droplets and lipoproteins, and playing a crucial role in viral infection. They act as phospholipid scramblases, affecting the cellular distribution of cholesterol and phosphatidylserine.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Huitong Song, Holly P. McEwen, Thomas Duncan, Jun Yup Lee, Jonathan D. Teo, Anthony S. Don
Summary: SphK2 deficiency leads to decreased remyelination and maintenance of myelin with aging, possibly due to elevated levels of cytotoxic sphingosine and ceramide.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Caine C. Smith, Donna L. Sheedy, Holly P. McEwen, Anthony S. Don, Jillian J. Kril, Greg T. Sutherland
Summary: Chronic alcohol abuse results in selective changes to the neurolipidome, predominantly in the prefrontal and visual cortices, including broad decreases to phospholipids and ceramide, decreased polyunsaturated fatty acids, and selective decreases in cholesteryl ester fatty acid chains. These changes likely reflect both the direct effects on the brain and concurrent effects on the liver.
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Simao Coelho, Jongho Baek, James Walsh, J. Justin Gooding, Katharina Gaus
Summary: Two-photon direct laser writing enables nanometer-accuracy fabrication of three-dimensional structures, providing high-resolution imaging possibilities for optical microscopy.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yizhuo Wang, Rishika Abrol, Jeffrey Y. W. Mak, Kaustav Das Gupta, Divya Ramnath, Denuja Karunakaran, David P. Fairlie, Matthew J. Sweet
Summary: HDAC7 is an important enzyme that regulates cellular and developmental processes through multiple mechanisms. It plays a crucial role in immune cells, osteoclasts, muscle, the endothelium, and the epithelium. HDAC7 regulates gene expression, cell proliferation, cell differentiation, and cell survival, thereby impacting development, angiogenesis, immune functions, inflammation, and metabolism.
Article
Cardiac & Cardiovascular Systems
Desmond K. Li, Lauren E. Smith, Alexander W. Rookyard, Shivanjali J. Lingam, Yen C. Koay, Holly P. McEwen, Stephen M. Twigg, Anthony S. Don, John F. O'Sullivan, Stuart J. Cordwell, Melanie Y. White
Summary: The study investigates the impact of high-fat diet and streptozotocin on the metabolome and proteome in diabetic hearts, revealing changes in metabolism and protein expression that contribute to poor cardiovascular outcomes in type 2 diabetes.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR CARDIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Magdalene K. Montgomery, Jacqueline Bayliss, Shuai Nie, William De Nardo, Stacey N. Keenan, Paula M. Miotto, Hamzeh Karimkhanloo, Cheng Huang, Ralf B. Schittenhelm, Anthony S. Don, Andrew Ryan, Nicholas A. Williamson, Geraldine J. Ooi, Wendy A. Brown, Paul R. Burton, Benjamin L. Parker, Matthew J. Watt
Summary: Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and type 2 diabetes are closely linked, and this study identifies arylsulfatase A (ARSA) as a regulator that improves muscle insulin sensitivity and systemic glucose control by inhibiting liver secretion of lysophosphatidylcholine and lysophosphatidic acid.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Morgan Wishney, Swarna Mahadevan, James Anthony Cornwell, Tom Savage, Nick Proschogo, M. Ali Darendeliler, Hans Zoellner
Summary: The study investigates the cytotoxic effects of orthodontic brackets using the method of single cell tracking. The results show that bracket-conditioned media reduce cell division and migration, increase the rate of asynchronous sister cell division, and have no clear effect on cell morphology. This study concludes that orthodontic brackets have cytotoxic effects, and single cell tracking is an effective method for studying subtle biomaterials cytotoxicity.
Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Simon P. Preston, Michael D. Stutz, Cody C. Allison, Ueli Nachbur, Quentin Gouil, Bang Manh Tran, Valerie Duvivier, Philip Arandjelovic, James P. Cooney, Liana Mackiewicz, Yanxiang Meng, Jan Schaefer, Stefanie M. Bader, Hongke Peng, Zina Valaydon, Pravin Rajasekaran, Charlie Jennison, Sash Lopaticki, Ann Farrell, Marno Ryan, Jess Howell, Catherine Croagh, Denuja Karunakaran, Carole Schuster-Klein, James M. Murphy, Theodora Fifis, Christopher Christophi, Elizabeth Vincan, Marnie E. Blewitt, Alexander Thompson, Justin A. Boddey, Marcel Doerflinger, Marc Pellegrini
Summary: This study provides compelling evidence that necroptosis is disabled in hepatocytes during homeostasis and in the pathologic conditions tested.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Neanne Alnafta, Marlowe Graham, Nicholas W. Proschogo, Christopher S. P. McErlean
Summary: Spectroscopic analysis revealed that lawang root oil contains methyl salicylate, contrary to the previously believed eugenol found in bark-derived lawang oil. The compositional analysis was further validated by comparing an authentic sample from plant root tissue with the commercially available essential oil.
AUSTRALIAN JOURNAL OF CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Oana C. Marian, Jonathan D. Teo, Jun Yup Lee, Huitong Song, John B. Kwok, Ramon Landin-Romero, Glenda Halliday, Anthony S. Don
Summary: Heterozygous mutations in the GRN gene and hexanucleotide repeat expansions in C9orf72 are the most common genetic causes of Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) with TDP-43 protein inclusions. Our comprehensive lipidomic analysis suggests that both C9orf72 and GRN mutations disrupt lysosomal homeostasis and result in white matter lipid loss, but GRN mutations cause more pronounced disruption to myelin lipid metabolism. The findings provide biochemical evidence supporting the use of MRI measures of white matter integrity in the diagnosis and management of FTD.
ACTA NEUROPATHOLOGICA COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Jun Yup Lee, Dylan J. Harney, Jonathan D. Teo, John B. Kwok, Greg T. Sutherland, Mark Larance, Anthony S. Don
Summary: This study aimed to determine how ageing and major genetic risk factors for dementia affect the hippocampal proteome and lipidome of neurologically-normal humans over the age of 65. The study found that brain ageing is associated with an increase in TMEM106B protein abundance. The specific genetic risk allele rs1990622-A leads to the formation of TMEM106B fibrils and affects brain lipid homeostasis.
MOLECULAR NEURODEGENERATION
(2023)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Jane Yu, Elizabeth Jenkins, Juan M. Podadera, Nicholas Proschogo, Ringo Chan, Lara Boland
Summary: This is a case of zinc toxicosis in a cat that ingested a metal screw nut and exhibited related symptoms. After removal of the screw nut from the pylorus and supportive care, the cat recovered.
JOURNAL OF FELINE MEDICINE AND SURGERY OPEN REPORTS
(2022)