Article
Fisheries
Houfu Liu, Xiucai Hu, Zhengyi Lian, Zhang Luo, Aijun Lv, Jing Tan
Summary: In this study, immune-related protein in the skin of half-smooth tongue sole infected with Vibrio vulnificus was screened and identified using iTRAQ analysis. Differentially expressed proteins in skin immune response were found in the focal adhesion signaling pathway. Validation analysis of focal adhesion-related genes showed consistent results with iTRAQ data, and their spatio-temporal expressions were confirmed by qPCR analysis. The molecular characterization of vinculin of half-smooth tongue sole was also described. This study provides a new perspective for understanding the molecular mechanism of focal adhesion signaling pathway in the skin immune response in marine fish.
FISH & SHELLFISH IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Xinyi Ren, Xiaopu Guo, Zihan Liang, Renxian Guo, Shaohui Liang, Han Liu
Summary: Cell migration is a complex process that involves the coordination of various cellular components. In this study, we discovered a novel interaction between IQGAP1 and Hax1, which plays a significant role in focal adhesion turnover and directional cell migration. Our findings suggest that Hax1 acts as a link between dynamic focal adhesions and IQGAP1, facilitating efficient cell migration. Perturbation of the IQGAP1/Hax1 interaction impairs focal adhesion turnover and inhibits directional cell migration.
CELL COMMUNICATION AND SIGNALING
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yi-An Yang, Emmanuelle Nguyen, Gautham Hari Narayana Sankara Narayana, Melina Heuze, Chaoyu Fu, Hanry Yu, Rene-Marc Mege, Benoit Ladoux, Michael P. Sheetz
Summary: E-cadherin is a key molecule involved in mechanotransduction between cells in tissues. Epithelial cells are able to test and respond to the mechanical properties of neighboring cells through contractions of E-cadherin adhesions. This process requires the involvement of multiple proteins.
Article
Oncology
Despoina Nektaria Metsiou, Despina Deligianni, Efstathia Giannopoulou, Haralabos Kalofonos, Angelos Koutras, George Athanassiou
Summary: Cancer progression is closely related to the dissipation of adhesion forces between cancer cells, which in turn affects cell migration and metastasis potential. The role of focal adhesion proteins, particularly vinculin, is critical in regulating cell-ECM interactions and detachment events. Treatment increases cell adhesion strength, decreases spreading rate, and enhances vinculin levels, all contributing to limiting cancer cell motility and metastasis.
FRONTIERS IN ONCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Kaitong Guo, Jing Zhang, Pei Huang, Yuqun Xu, Wenfei Pan, Kaiyue Li, Lu Chen, Li Luo, Weichun Yu, Shuai Chen, Sicong He, Zhiyi Wei, Cong Yu
Summary: This study determines the structures of KANK1 in complex with talin and liprin-b, and demonstrates how KANK1 scaffolds the FA core and associated proteins to modulate FA shape. It also reveals the liquid-liquid phase separation of KANK1, which is crucial for its localization at the FA edge and cytoskeleton connections to FAs.
Article
Cell Biology
Takahiro K. Fujiwara, Taka A. Tsunoyama, Shinji Takeuchi, Ziya Kalay, Yosuke Nagai, Thomas Kalkbrenner, Yuri L. Nemoto, Limin H. H. Chen, Akihiro C. E. Shibata, Kokoro Iwasawa, Ken P. Ritchie, Kenichi G. N. Suzuki, Akihiro Kusumi
Summary: The ultrafast camera developed by Fujiwara et al. has significantly improved the time resolution of single-molecule localization microscopy, revealing the dynamic nano-architecture of focal adhesions and leading to the model of compartmentalized focal adhesion protein islands.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Jana Petrusova, Robert Havalda, Petr Flachs, Tomas Venit, Alzbeta Darasova, Lenka Hulkova, Martin Sztacho, Pavel Hozak
Summary: In this study, the presence of Vinculin (VCL) in the nucleus of spermatocytes and its involvement in proper meiotic division were demonstrated. The study also suggests the potential role of VCL in spermatogenesis through regulation of the ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Camille Dubois, Ludivine Houel-Renault, Marie Erard, Nada N. Boustany, Nathalie Westbrook
Summary: The study emphasizes the importance of understanding forces within cells for tissue growth. The researchers demonstrate the use of a cost-effective setup to measure FRET efficiency, allowing for easier study of these forces.
JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL OPTICS
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Karin Legerstee, Tsion E. Abraham, Wiggert A. van Cappellen, Alex L. Nigg, Johan A. Slotman, Adriaan B. Houtsmuller
Summary: Focal adhesions (FAs) are flat elongated structures consisting of three layers along the vertical axis. Different proteins extend at different parts of the FAs, and their redistribution may be involved in cell movement during migration processes.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kosei Nagata, Hironori Hojo, Song Ho Chang, Hiroyuki Okada, Fumiko Yano, Ryota Chijimatsu, Yasunori Omata, Daisuke Mori, Yuma Makii, Manabu Kawata, Taizo Kaneko, Yasuhide Iwanaga, Hideki Nakamoto, Yuji Maenohara, Naohiro Tachibana, Hisatoshi Ishikura, Junya Higuchi, Yuki Taniguchi, Shinsuke Ohba, Ung-il Chung, Sakae Tanaka, Taku Saito
Summary: The transcription factors Runx2 and Runx3 play different roles in the development of osteoarthritis. Runx3 protects articular cartilage by regulating the expression of lubricin and aggrecan, while Runx2 exerts biphasic effects on osteoarthritis development under different conditions.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Review
Cell Biology
Andrea Becchetti, Claudia Duranti, Annarosa Arcangeli
Summary: Cellular functions are regulated by a complex interplay of diffuse and local signals. Local signaling is determined by macromolecular complexes and conformational coupling between membrane proteins. Integrin-mediated cell adhesion involves complex supramolecular structures and bidirectional signal transduction, and its dynamics are still being studied.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-CELL PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Wenyuan Wang, Ye-Fan Hu, Meijun Pang, Nannan Chang, Chunxiao Yu, Qi Li, Jing-Wei Xiong, Yuanyuan Peng, Ruilin Zhang
Summary: The study demonstrated the crucial roles of BMP and Notch signaling pathways in zebrafish heart regeneration, but the interaction between them and the specific mechanisms in cardiomyocyte proliferation still require further exploration.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Leny Jose, Jessica Gonzalez, Emma Kessinger, Elliot J. Androphy, Marsha Desmet
Summary: This study reveals that focal adhesion kinase (FAK) can control the replication of human papillomavirus (HPV) genome through its interaction and phosphorylation of the E2 protein, thus preventing over-replication of the viral genome.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mathilde Bizou, Romain Itier, Mina Majdoubi, Dounia Abbadi, Estelle Pichery, Marianne Dutaur, Dimitri Marsal, Denis Calise, Barbara Garmy-Susini, Victorine Douin-Echinard, Jerome Roncalli, Angelo Parini, Nathalie Pizzinat
Summary: The study revealed that in the process of cardiac hypertrophy and failure, there is remodeling of lymphatic vessels and reduced lymphatic efficiency; the number of lymphatic endothelial cells in failing hearts is positively correlated with cardiac function and a subset of cardiac macrophages; macrophages identified by LYVE-1 play a key role in promoting lymphangiogenesis.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Rui-Cheng Liu, Ying-Ning Zou, Kamil Kuca, Abeer Hashem, Elsayed Fathi Abd-Allah, Qiang-Sheng Wu
Summary: The study found that exogenous easily extractable GRSP significantly increased plant shoot and root biomass, while difficultly extractable GRSP significantly reduced biomass. Easily extractable GRSP promoted soil water-stable aggregates, while difficultly extractable GRSP decreased soil pH and enzyme activity.
Article
Biology
Miriam S. Weber, Matthias Eibauer, Suganya Sivagurunathan, Thomas M. Magin, Robert D. Goldman, Ohad Medalia
Summary: This study analyzed the structure of keratin 5/keratin 14 filaments within ghost mouse keratinocytes using cryo-electron microscopy and revealed the complex and remarkable heterogenic architecture of keratin filaments, suggesting that they are highly flexible, dynamic cytoskeletal structures. Cross-section views of filaments showed that keratins form hollow cylinders consisting of multiple protofilaments, with an electron dense core located in the center of the filament.
Review
Cell Biology
K. Tanuj Sapra, Ohad Medalia
Summary: The eukaryotic cell cytoskeleton is a crucial structural scaffold that supports various biochemical and cellular functions, with the intermediate filament networks playing a key role in providing unique mechanical properties and increasing resilience under mechanical pressure. Mutations in intermediate filaments can lead to architectural integrity and functional issues in cellular processes, highlighting their importance in maintaining cellular function. The remarkable mechanical feature of intermediate filaments lies in their ability to transform under stress, making them one of the strongest and most resilient mechanical entities in nature.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Anthony P. Schuller, Matthias Wojtynek, David Mankus, Meltem Tatli, Rafael Kronenberg-Tenga, Saroj G. Regmi, Phat V. Dip, Abigail K. R. Lytton-Jean, Edward J. Brignole, Mary Dasso, Karsten Weis, Ohad Medalia, Thomas U. Schwartz
Summary: Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) form large conduits for cargo transport between the nucleus and cytoplasm, composed of various nucleoporins distributed in inner, cytoplasmic, and nucleoplasmic rings. Cryo-electron tomography on DLD-1 cells revealed structural differences in the human NPC compared to previous models, showing wider inner ring, increased central channel volume, and reorganized rings. The study highlights the flexibility of NPC and its dependence on the cellular environment for maintaining structural integrity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Siyun Chen, Tamar Getter, David Salom, Di Wu, Daniel Quetschlich, Dror S. Chorev, Krzysztof Palczewski, Carol V. Robinson
Summary: This study investigated the signalling events of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) using mass spectrometry in native membranes. The findings revealed the role of native lipids in rhodopsin signalling and regeneration, and proposed a paradigm for GPCR drug discovery in native membrane environments.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Huayin Wu, Yinan Shen, Suganya Sivagurunathan, Miriam Sarah Weber, Stephen A. Adam, Jennifer H. Shin, Jeffrey J. Fredberg, Ohad Medalia, Robert Goldman, David A. Weitz
Summary: The cytoskeleton of eukaryotic cells consists of various filamentous proteins, including F-actin, microtubules, and intermediate filaments. Interactions between these cytoskeletal components play a crucial role in determining cell structure and function. This study investigates the interplay between F-actin and vimentin intermediate filament (VIF) networks, revealing their synergistic effects in both structure and function. These findings significantly broaden our understanding of the contributions of the cytoskeleton components, particularly the interactions between intermediate filaments and F-actin.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biology
Meltem Tatli, Sarah Morais, Omar E. Tovar-Herrera, Yannick J. Bomble, Edward A. Bayer, Ohad Medalia, Itzhak Mizrahi
Summary: Microbes live and operate at micron and nanoscales, and studying them at these resolutions is crucial for understanding their ecology. The cellulose degradation process reveals how microbes build and utilize cellulosomal machinery at nanometer scales. Bacterial cells form "cellulosome capsules" driven by catalytic product-dependent dynamics, increasing the hydrolysis rate. Biosynthesis of this energy-intensive machinery and cell growth are decoupled at the single-cell level, suggesting a division-of-labor strategy through phenotypic heterogeneity. This study highlights the importance of intrapopulation interactions in understanding rates of fiber degradation.
Review
Cell Biology
Elisa Dultz, Matthias Wojtynek, Ohad Medalia, Evgeny Onischenko
Summary: Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are transport channels that cross the nuclear envelope and are composed of nucleoporin proteins. While the overall structure and inventory of nucleoporins are conserved, the composition and assembly pathways of NPCs exhibit significant variability. NPCs appear to be unexchangeable in post-mitotic cells. There are unresolved questions regarding the versatility of NPC assembly and composition, as well as how cells monitor their functional state.
Review
Engineering, Biomedical
Amir Vahabikashi, Stephen A. Adam, Ohad Medalia, Robert D. Goldman
Summary: Nuclear lamins are versatile proteins involved in chromatin organization, gene regulation, nuclear shape, cytoskeleton organization, and cell motility. Mutations in lamins contribute to various human diseases.
APL BIOENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yann Waltenspuehl, Janosch Ehrenmann, Santiago Vacca, Cristian Thom, Ohad Medalia, Andreas Plueckthun
Summary: In this study, Waltenspuhl et al. have reported the cryo-EM structure of the active human oxytocin receptor in complex with its cognate ligand oxytocin and a heterotrimeric G protein. This structure provides valuable insights into the mechanism of activation of the oxytocin receptor and its subtype specificity within the oxytocin/vasopressin receptor family.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Yohei Kono, Stephen A. Adam, Yuko Sato, Karen L. Reddy, Yixian Zheng, Ohad Medalia, Robert D. Goldman, Hiroshi Kimura, Takeshi Shimi
Summary: The major structural component of nuclear lamina, lamin C, rapidly accumulates at sites of NE rupture, promoting repair. This accumulation is dependent on the immunoglobulin-like fold domain that binds to BAF and a nuclear localization signal, and is partly responsible for the accumulation of nuclear BAF and cytoplasmic cGAS.
JOURNAL OF CELL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Charlie T. Beales, Ohad Medalia
Summary: Rapid advances in cryo-electron tomography are driving a revolution in cellular structural biology. However, identifying specific biomolecules within cellular tomograms remains challenging. The synthesis of gold nanomaterials may provide a solution with various functions.
JOURNAL OF STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Uttpal Anand, Anna Shteinfer-Kuzmine, Gal Sela, Manikandan Santhanam, Benjamin Gottschalk, Rajaa Boujemaa-Paterski, Ohad Medalia, Wolfgang F. Graier, Varda Shoshan-Barmatz
Summary: The mitochondrial protein VDAC1 plays a crucial role in regulating various cellular processes, including metabolism, apoptosis, and cell signaling. In this study, a short peptide derived from the N-terminal region of VDAC1 was designed to improve cellular stability and activity. The peptide exhibited multiple effects on cancer cells, such as apoptosis induction, autophagy, senescence, and cell adhesion. Furthermore, the peptide altered the expression of proteins associated with cell metabolism and signaling. These findings highlight the importance of VDAC1 in controlling diverse cellular functions through its interaction with other proteins.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Rafael Tapia-Rojo, Marc Mora, Stephanie Board, Jane Walker, Rajaa Boujemaa-Paterski, Ohad Medalia, Sergi Garcia-Manyes
Summary: By using single-molecule magnetic tweezers, researchers have observed previously inaccessible rare conformations of the talin protein and investigated its folding dynamics over extended periods of time. This study sheds light on the complex landscapes of protein folding and highlights the importance of observation timescale in understanding equilibrium dynamics.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Benjamin Geiger, Rajaa Boujemaa-Paterski, Sabina E. Winograd-Katz, Jubina Balan Venghateri, Wen-Lu Chung, Ohad Medalia
Summary: The interface between the cellular actin network and integrin-mediated cell adhesions has the ability to accurately sense chemical and mechanical changes in the cell's microenvironment. Different types of adhesion structures, such as podosomes and invadopodia, have distinct morphologies and functions but share similar composition and coupling modes with protrusive structures and nearby adhesion sites. The unfolding and activation of key adhesome components triggered by cytoskeletal or external forces at the adhesion sites lead to the generation of adhesion-mediated signals that impact cell behavior and fate. The structural and molecular mechanisms underlying the dynamic crosstalk between the actin cytoskeleton and the adhesome network are discussed.
Article
Biology
Wen-Lu Chung, Matthias Eibauer, Wenhong Li, Rajaa Boujemaa-Paterski, Benjamin Geiger, Ohad Medalia
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)