Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Chong Zhang, Dongpeng Wang, Yajing Hao, Shuheng Wu, Jianjun Luo, Yuanchao Xue, Di Wang, Guohong Li, Lihui Liu, Changwei Shao, Huiyan Li, Jinfeng Yuan, Maoxiang Zhu, Xiang-Dong Fu, Xiao Yang, Runsheng Chen, Yan Teng
Summary: This study reports the discovery of a previously uncharacterized long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) called CCTT, transcribed from the arm of human chromosome 17, which plays a vital role in kinetochore assembly. CCTT localizes to all centromeres through the formation of RNA-DNA triplex and specifically interacts with CENP-C to facilitate its engagement in centromeres. Loss of CCTT leads to extensive mitotic errors and aneuploidy, highlighting the importance of this non-centromere-derived lncRNA in kinetochore assembly.
Article
Cell Biology
Christian de Groot, Jack Houston, Bethany Davis, Adina Gerson-Gurwitz, Joost Monen, Pablo Lara-Gonzalez, Karen Oegema, Andrew K. Shiau, Arshad Desai
Summary: The extended N-terminal tail of CENP-A in Caenorhabditis elegans plays a crucial role in kinetochore assembly and chromosome condensation by interacting directly with KNL-2 protein. Results demonstrate that the N-terminal tail of CENP-A contains a structured region predicted to be essential for centromeric chromatin assembly, highlighting an evolutionary variation in centromere structure and function in the absence of a specific CENP-A chaperone/targeting factor.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
(2021)
Article
Ecology
Ellen Desie, Bart Muys, Boris Jansen, Lars Vesterdal, Karen Vancampenhout
Summary: This study emphasizes the importance of tree species selection and considering acid buffering mechanisms in regulating carbon storage in forest soils. The effects of tree species selection on SOC storage and stability vary for different soils, requiring further research. Additionally, feedback loops between tree species, soil biota, and cation exchange capacity can amplify these effects.
FRONTIERS IN FORESTS AND GLOBAL CHANGE
(2021)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Wenjie Han, Miao He, Yunhan Zhang, Junxiang Zhou, Zhigang Li, Xiaoyu Liu, Xiaoyun Sun, Xue Yin, Dongbao Yao, Haojun Liang
Summary: The emergence of synthetic biology enables the construction of cell-assembly biosystems with specific gene expression and function. This study explores the process of cell migration and assembly regulated by cadherins by constructing different cadherin plasmids and introducing them into different cells. The findings have potential applications in the construction of self-assembling synthetic tissues and organoids.
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS CHEMISTRY B
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Min Huang, Xinlong Kong, Zaiming Tang, Zaisheng Lin, Ruida He, Muqing Cao, Xiujuan Zhang
Summary: The protein TCHP plays a crucial role in cell cycle progression by disassembling cilia, and its depletion leads to cell cycle arrest in G(0) phase, which cannot be reversed by blocking cilia assembly. Additionally, TCHP-induced cell cycle arrest is not mediated by centrosome surveillance mechanism, but requires inhibition of Rb or both Rb and p53 signaling pathways to reverse the phenotype.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rikuri Morita, Osamu Numata, Kentaro Nakano, Masak Takaine
Summary: The study demonstrates that the cytokinetic function of Rng2 in cell division is regulated by phosphorylation processes, affecting its interaction with CR F-actin and ring stability to ensure secure cytokinesis.
BIOCHEMICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
John Devany, Daniel M. Sussman, Takaki Yamamoto, M. Lisa Manning, Margaret L. Gardel
Summary: Epithelial tissues have distinctive cellular architectures that can be controlled by changes in cell shape. In a model epithelial monolayer, cell shape evolves over time, leading to a final architecture characterized by arrested motion and regular cell shapes. The final cell shape is closely correlated with cell proliferation rate, and pharmacological perturbations can significantly alter tissue dynamics by changing cell shapes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Alexandra P. Navarro, Iain M. Cheeseman
Summary: The kinetochore, essential for proper chromosome segregation during cell division, is assembled on the CCAN platform. The phosphorylation of CENP-L and CENP-N controls the formation and localization of the CENP-LN complex in a cell cycle-dependent manner, indicating the importance of phosphorylation cycles in kinetochore dynamics.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY OF THE CELL
(2022)
Article
Agronomy
Sandra Dullau, Knut Rydgren, Anita Kirmer, Urs Georg Jaeger, Maren Helen Meyer, Sabine Tischew
Summary: This study investigated the impact of fertilizing on forage quality and species assembly on an alluvial grassland, finding that nitrogen fertilization improved forage quality but inhibited the growth of legumes. Grass cover was maintained, but not increased, at the highest nitrogen application after a summer flood.
Article
Cell Biology
Dogacan Yucel, Bayardo I. Garay, Rita C. R. Perlingeiro, Jop H. van Berlo
Summary: The heart is a difficult organ to regenerate, mainly because adult mammalian cardiomyocytes cannot proliferate and divide. Researchers have identified several small molecules and molecular targets that can stimulate cardiomyocyte proliferation. However, there is still a lack of effective therapeutic approaches to enhance cardiomyocyte proliferation in vivo.
FRONTIERS IN CELL AND DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ana Sousa-Ortega, Javier Vazquez-Marin, Estefania Sanabria-Reinoso, Jorge Corbacho, Rocio Polvillo, Alejandro Campoy-Lopez, Lorena Buono, Felix Loosli, Maria Almuedo-Castillo, Juan R. Martinez-Morales
Summary: YAP signaling is involved in regulating cell migration during embryonic axis assembly by sustaining intracellular tension. Knockout of yap and yap1b in medaka disrupts axis assembly and reduces cell displacement and migratory persistence. Yap targets genes involved in cytoskeletal organization and cell-ECM adhesion to promote cortical actin and focal adhesions recruitment in migratory cells.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Xiangrui Wang, Wen-Xiong Wang
Summary: Growing evidence suggests that microorganisms exhibit heterogeneous sensitivity to toxicants, but the mechanisms behind this remain unclear. This study confirmed the heterogenous responses of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to Cu stress, and found a link with the cell cycle. The increase in labile Cu(I) was related to cell division, leading to fluctuations in labile Cu(I) with diurnal and cell cycles. Cu influenced the cell cycle and algae at different cell phases exhibited different Cu sensitivities. This study reveals the underlying mechanisms of heterogeneous Cu sensitivity in phytoplankton and can help assess the ecological risks of Cu.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Arabinda Behera, Oshin Sharma, Debjani Paul, Anirban Sain
Summary: Molecular self-assembly is crucial in biological functions, but aberrant self-assembly of molecules can lead to diseases. This study investigates the assembly kinetics of hemoglobin fibers and amyloid plaques, showing that the initial lag time is similar in different polymerization regimes. Temperature-dependent on- and off-rates for hemoglobin fiber growth could result in non-monotonic behavior of the mean lag time.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Arabinda Behera, Oshin Sharma, Debjani Paul, Anirban Sain
Summary: Molecular self-assembly is crucial in biological functions, but aberrant self-assembly can lead to diseases. This study investigates the assembly kinetics of fibers using kinetic Monte Carlo simulation and finds similar initial lag time distributions for different polymerization mechanisms. By studying temperature-dependent growth rates and off-rates of hemoglobin fibers, non-monotonic behavior in mean lag time is observed.
JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rongze Wang, Yexuan Zhu, Jingyi Chen, Yiliang Wang, Xiaowei Song, Yanting Wu, Fujun Jin, Yifei Wang
Summary: The novel quinazoline derivative 04NB-03 exhibits potent anti-HCC activities by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in an ROS-dependent manner, making it a potential candidate for the development of antitumor drugs targeting HCC.
CHEMICO-BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Phuong T. N. Hoang, Joerg Fuchs, Veit Schubert, Tram B. N. Tran, Ingo Schubert
Summary: Chromosome sets and genome sizes are stable for distinct species and provide essential cues for taxonomy and phylogenetic relationship studies. This study presents a survey on chromosome counts and genome size measurement for all 36 duckweed species, discussing their evolutionary impact and peculiarities in duckweeds.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ivona Kubalova, Klaus Weisshart, Andreas Houben, Veit Schubert
Summary: Topo II alpha and CENH3 are important proteins involved in chromatin condensation and centromere determination. By using structured illumination microscopy (SIM) and photoactivated localization microscopy (PALM), we were able to localize and count the number of Topo II alpha and CENH3 molecules in barley metaphase chromosomes. Our findings provide valuable insights into the distribution and quantity of these proteins, which are essential for understanding their roles in chromatin condensation and centromere determination.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ivona Kubalova, Amanda Souza Camara, Petr Capal, Tomas Beseda, Jean-Marie Rouillard, Gina Marie Krause, Katerina Holusova, Helena Toegelova, Axel Himmelbach, Nils Stein, Andreas Houben, Jaroslav Dolezel, Martin Mascher, Hana Simkova, Veit Schubert
Summary: Hi-C analysis, biopolymer modeling, and structured illumination microscopy were used to reveal the chromonema, a helically-wound chromatin thread forming barley mitotic chromatids. The helical turn size varies along the chromosome length and intermingles chromatin from adjacent turns. The observable dimensions of sister chromatid exchanges further support the helical chromonema model.
NUCLEIC ACIDS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pavel Neumann, Ludmila Oliveira, Tae-Soo Jang, Petr Novak, Andrea Koblizkova, Veit Schubert, Andreas Houben, Jiri Macas
Summary: The transition from monocentric to holocentric organization in Cuscuta was associated with loss or truncation of kinetochore-related genes, disruption of centromeric localization of kinetochore proteins, and degeneration of the spindle assembly checkpoint. This indicates that holocentric Cuscuta species lack a standard kinetochore and do not employ the SAC to control microtubule attachment to chromosomes.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yi-Tzu Kuo, Amanda Souza Camara, Veit Schubert, Pavel Neumann, Jiri Macas, Michael Melzer, Jianyong Chen, Jorg Fuchs, Simone Abel, Evelyn Klocke, Bruno Huettel, Axel Himmelbach, Dmitri Demidov, Frank Dunemann, Martin Mascher, Takayoshi Ishii, Andre Marques, Andreas Houben
Summary: This study reveals the holocentric characteristics of the lilioid plant Chionographis japonica, showing that its centromeres consist of evenly spaced units and differ from other known holocentric species. The study also finds that C. japonica forms clustered centromeres similar to monocentric species, but the large-scale chromatin arrangement is different. The formation of holocentromeres from interphase centromere clusters was simulated using polymer simulations.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Lamonier Chaves Ramos, Mariana Baez, Joerg Fuchs, Andreas Houben, Reginaldo Carvalho, Andrea Pedrosa-Harand
Summary: The genus Agave has a bimodal karyotype, which is believed to be a result of allopolyploidy in the ancestral form of Agavoideae. However, the accumulation of repetitive DNA may also play a significant role.
Article
Plant Sciences
Andrew R. Leitch, Lu Ma, Steven Dodsworth, Joerg Fuchs, Andreas Houben, Ilia J. Leitch
Summary: Angiosperm genomes consist of genes and their regulatory regions, repeats, semi-degraded repeats, and "dark matter". This study compares the histone modifications associated with chromatin packaging of these different genomic components in two species with significantly different genome sizes. The results reveal distinct associations between certain histone marks and different genomic features, providing insights into epigenetic profiles and chromatin organization.
Article
Cell Biology
Veit Schubert, Andrea Weissleder, Inna Lermontova
Summary: Fluorescence live-cell microscopy is crucial for artifact-free investigations in cell biology. To analyze chromatin and centromeres dynamics at different cell cycle stages, simultaneous EYFP-CENH3/H2B-DsRed and single H2B-YFP transformations were performed in Arabidopsis wild-type and cohesin T-DNA mutants. The use of endogenous promoters and terminators are important for efficient co-expression of two fluorescence proteins.
CYTOGENETIC AND GENOME RESEARCH
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Amanda Souza Camara, Ivona Kubalova, Veit Schubert
Summary: Efficient chromatin condensation is essential for chromosome transportation and cell division. The evolutionary conservation of higher-order chromatin organization has been a controversial topic for more than 140 years. This article summarizes historical and recent investigations using classical and modern methods. The observations from light microscopy, electron and super-resolution microscopy, oligo-FISH, molecular interaction data, and polymer simulation suggest that large chromosomes are formed by coiled chromatin threads called chromonemata. The findings indicate both shared and unique features of coiled chromonemata in different species. It is hypothesized that chromonema coiling in large chromosomes is a fundamental feature established early during eukaryotic evolution to accommodate increasing genome sizes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Rahman Ebrahimzadegan, Jorg Fuchs, Jianyong Chen, Veit Schubert, Armin Meister, Andreas Houben, Ghader Mirzaghaderi
Summary: The behavior of B chromosomes in Festuca pratensis was studied during meiotic and mitotic stages. The B chromosome exhibited Mendelian segregation behavior during meiosis, but non-Mendelian segregation behavior during the first pollen mitosis, resulting in a drive phenomenon. At least 82% of the B chromosomes showed drive during the first pollen mitosis.
CHROMOSOME RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Chao Feng, Elisabeth Roitinger, Otto Hudecz, Maria Cuacos, Jana Lorenz, Veit Schubert, Baicui Wang, Rui Wang, Karl Mechtler, Stefan Heckmann
Summary: During meiotic prophase I, the meiotic chromosome axis is essential for synapsis and meiotic recombination progression. TurboID-based proximity labelling enables the identification of proximate proteins in meiotic cells of A. thaliana. This proteomic profiling helps uncover known and new meiotic proteins in rare cell types like meiotic cells.
Review
Plant Sciences
Holger Puchta, Andreas Houben
Summary: Spontaneous chromosomal rearrangements (CRs) play a vital role in speciation, genome evolution and crop domestication. Chromosome engineering, through methods such as chromosomal translocations, inversion reversions, and construction of minichromosomes, has the potential to modify genetic linkage groups, change the number of chromosomes, and establish genetic isolation, thus aiding breeding and plant biotechnology.