Article
Cell Biology
Isaac Jardin, Sandra Alvarado, Jose Sanchez-Collado, Joel Nieto-Felipe, Jose J. Lopez, Gines M. Salido, Juan A. Rosado
Summary: Orai1 is a subunit of CRAC channels involved in various cellular functions. Ca2+ store depletion leads to the trafficking and insertion of compartmentalized Orai1 alpha in the plasma membrane via a mechanism independent of cytosolic Ca2+ concentration, while Orai1 beta can only translocate to the plasma membrane when co-expressed with Orai1 alpha in response to TG treatment.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jose Sanchez-Collado, Jose J. Lopez, Isaac Jardin, Alejandro Berna-Erro, Pedro J. Camello, Carlos Cantonero, Tarik Smani, Gines M. Salido, Juan A. Rosado
Summary: The two variants of the Orai1 subunit, Orai1 alpha and Orai1 beta, exhibit different functional characteristics and interactions in mammalian cells. Orai1 alpha is essential for the activation and membrane location of TRPC1, while Orai1 beta plays a role in maintaining Ca2+ oscillations.
CELLULAR AND MOLECULAR LIFE SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tim Crul, Jozsef Maleth
Summary: The article discusses the ultimate specificity in activation and action in eukaryotic cells, as well as the essential role of second messengers in regulating cellular functions. It highlights the importance of segregating molecules to specific plasma membrane subdomains and dynamic contacts between intracellular organelles for cell signaling regulation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Aziz Taghbalout, Nathaniel Jillette, Albert W. Cheng
Summary: TALE.Sense is described as a versatile platform for sensing DNA sequences in live mammalian cells and generating customizable responses to discern cells with specified sequence targets. The platform demonstrates higher efficiency and dynamic range compared to zinc-finger based DNA sensors, and amplification loops and interchangeable transcriptional activation modules can further enhance its detection efficiency. The platform's versatility in detecting a range of target sites makes it suitable for identifying live cell variants with anticipated DNA sequences, and it can be integrated with other cellular or synthetic circuits to expand connections for inducible modules in synthetic biology.
ACS SYNTHETIC BIOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Biology
Ruth E. Carmichael, David M. Richards, H. Dariush Fahimi, Michael Schrader
Summary: Organelles within eukaryotic cells are morphologically diverse and highly dynamic, with the ability to extend and retract thin tubules from their membranes. This phenomenon, exemplified by peroxisomes and mitochondria, plays a crucial role in inter-organelle communication, organelle biogenesis, metabolism, and protection. The molecular mechanisms involved in the formation and function of these membrane protrusions are still being explored. A mathematical model suggests that extending protrusions are the most efficient way for organelles to explore their surroundings.
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Shin-ya Morita, Yoshito Ikeda
Summary: Phospholipids have diverse structures and functions in mammalian cells, including membrane formation and cellular processes regulation. The biosynthesis of phospholipid classes is primarily regulated by enzymes, but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood.
BIOCHEMICAL PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Nadia Sarfraz, Emilia Moscoso, Therese Oertel, Harrison J. Lee, Suman Ranjit, Esther Braselmann
Summary: Visualizing RNA in live cells is crucial for understanding its dynamics and functions in complex cellular environments. Current efforts involve genetically fusing RNA aptamer tags to the RNA of interest and using fluorescent molecules for detection. The Riboglow-FLIM platform presented in this study offers a smaller tag and superior cell contrast compared to intensity-based detection, allowing for simultaneous visualization of multiple RNAs using different lifetime-based tags.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Karolina Wojtowicz, Aleksander Czogalla, Tomasz Trombik, Marcin Lukaszewicz
Summary: The study demonstrates that cyclic lipopeptide surfactin (SU) significantly influences the plasma membrane of CHO-K1 cells, reducing cellular cholesterol levels by extracting it from the membrane. CHO-25RA cells with increased cholesterol content are more sensitive to SU treatment. The research suggests that cholesterol in membrane raft nanodomains is a potential target for SU and other biosurfactants, and that the anticancer activity of biosurfactants may be linked to higher cholesterol levels in cancer cells.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOMEMBRANES
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Xiaoliang Ma, Yan Luo, Ping Zhang, Jun Hu, Gaojian Chen, Hong Chen
Summary: In this study, a novel, versatile, and effective method was developed to obtain cell-specific glycosurfaces by surface-initiated Cu-mediated reversible deactivation radical polymerization in an open to air fashion. Mammalian cells were used as live templates to produce cell-specific glycosurfaces, which could distinguish template cells from others. The strategy was effective and convenient without the need for fixative pretreatment of cells.
MACROMOLECULAR RAPID COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Hongyoung Choi, Byung Hun Lee, Hye Yoon Park
Summary: In this study, a new method was proposed to measure the kinetic rates of transcription in live cells, providing a better understanding of transcriptional regulation. By monitoring fluorescently labeled mRNA in time-lapse imaging data, the transcription rates of initiation, elongation, and termination steps were extracted and validated using a mathematical model. This method will be useful for studying the regulation mechanisms of elongation and termination steps in transcriptional processes.
FRONTIERS IN PHYSICS
(2022)
Editorial Material
Cell Biology
Yongheng Liang
Summary: Macroautophagy/autophagy is a process that involves the engulfment of unnecessary or damaged cellular materials by phagophores, which then form double-membrane autophagosomes and fuse with lysosomes/vacuoles for degradation and recycling. The fusion of phagophores and lysosomes/vacuoles is crucial for autophagy, and the interruption of this fusion can lead to decreased cell survival. However, it has been observed that fusion can still occur in mutant cells, indicating the possibility of restoring autophagy after interruption.
Review
Engineering, Multidisciplinary
Alessandra Luchini, Giuseppe Vitiello
Summary: Cell membranes are complex biological systems consisting of various lipids and proteins. Biomimetic lipid membranes have been used to study the physical and chemical properties of cell membranes. Future developments in this field include the use of more biologically relevant lipid mixtures and the incorporation of membrane proteins into biomimetic lipid membranes.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ying Wang, Frederick S. Yen, Xiphias Ge Zhu, Rebecca C. Timson, Ross Weber, Changrui Xing, Yuyang Liu, Benjamin Allwein, Hanzhi Luo, Hsi-Wen Yeh, Soren Heissel, Gokhan Unlu, Eric R. Gamazon, Michael G. Kharas, Richard Hite, Kivanc Birsoy
Summary: SLC25A39 is identified as a regulator of GSH transport into mitochondria, and its loss affects mitochondrial GSH import and abundance without impacting cellular GSH levels. Its absence also leads to defects in the activity and stability of proteins containing iron-sulfur clusters, and mitochondrial GSH import is found to be essential for cell proliferation and red blood cell development.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pawanthi Buwaneka, Arthur Ralko, Shu-Lin Liu, Wonhwa Cho
Summary: The study confirms the asymmetric distribution of cholesterol in the mammalian cell membrane, with significantly lower levels in the inner leaflet compared to the outer leaflet. Additionally, primary cells were found to have particularly low levels of cholesterol in the inner leaflet. These findings support the universality of low basal cholesterol concentration in the inner leaflet under physiological conditions.
JOURNAL OF LIPID RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Biophysics
Mao Chen, Tingting Sui, Li Yang, Yuqiang Qian, Zhiquan Liu, Yongsai Liu, Gerong Wang, Liangxue Lai, Zhanjun Li
Summary: Dynamic tracking and localization of RNA molecules is crucial for understanding their functions. However, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) has limitations in dynamic imaging and high background fluorescence. In this study, a new tool called dcas13a-SunTag-BiFC system was developed to overcome these limitations. The system showed better performance in tracking RNA foci in live cells compared to the MS2-MCP system. Moreover, it provided new insights into RNA translocation and splicing.
BIOSENSORS & BIOELECTRONICS
(2022)