scholarly journals Cells in tight spaces: the role of cell shape in cell function

2010 ◽  
Vol 191 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jagesh V. Shah
Keyword(s):  
Primary Cilium ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Cellular Function ◽  
Cell Geometry ◽  
Intracellular Organization ◽  
Cell Biol

In this issue, Pitaval et al. (2010. J. Cell Biol. doi:10.1083/jcb.201004003) demonstrate that cell geometry can regulate the elaboration of a primary cilium. Their findings and approaches are part of a historical line of inquiry investigating the role of cell shape in intracellular organization and cellular function.

scholarly journals The first “Slit” is the deepest: the secret to a hollow heart

2008 ◽  
Vol 182 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iiro Taneli Helenius ◽  
Greg J. Beitel
Keyword(s):  
Cell Shape ◽  
Vascular System ◽  
Hollow Heart ◽  
Autocrine Signaling ◽  
Lumen Formation ◽  
Membrane Surfaces ◽  
Vascular Morphogenesis ◽  
Cell Biol ◽  
Shape Changes

Tubular organs are essential for life, but lumen formation in nonepithelial tissues such as the vascular system or heart is poorly understood. Two studies in this issue (Medioni, C., M. Astier, M. Zmojdzian, K. Jagla, and M. Sémériva. 2008. J. Cell Biol. 182:249–261; Santiago-Martínez, E., N.H. Soplop, R. Patel, and S.G. Kramer. 2008. J. Cell Biol. 182:241–248) reveal unexpected roles for the Slit–Robo signaling system during Drosophila melanogaster heart morphogenesis. In cardioblasts, Slit and Robo modulate the cell shape changes and domains of E-cadherin–based adhesion that drive lumen formation. Furthermore, in contrast to the well-known paracrine role of Slit and Robo in guiding cell migrations, here Slit and Robo may act by autocrine signaling. In addition, the two groups demonstrate that heart lumen formation is even more distinct from typical epithelial tubulogenesis mechanisms because the heart lumen is bounded by membrane surfaces that have basal rather than apical attributes. As the D. melanogaster cardioblasts are thought to have significant evolutionary similarity to vertebrate endothelial and cardiac lineages, these findings are likely to provide insights into mechanisms of vertebrate heart and vascular morphogenesis.

Role of Wnt/PCP pathway on bronchial cell function in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Pneumologie ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 65 (12) ◽  
Author(s):  
S Barkha ◽  
M Gegg ◽  
H Lickert ◽  
M Königshoff
Keyword(s):  
Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Pulmonary Fibrosis ◽  
Cell Function

scholarly journals EpCAM promotes endosomal modulation of the cortical RhoA zone for epithelial organization

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cécile Gaston ◽  
Simon De Beco ◽  
Bryant Doss ◽  
Meng Pan ◽  
Estelle Gauquelin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Shape ◽  
Specific Protein ◽  
Cell Polarization ◽  
Stress Fiber ◽  
Fiber Formation ◽  
Endosomal Trafficking ◽  
Transient Zone ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Fine Tune

AbstractAt the basis of cell shape and behavior, the organization of actomyosin and its ability to generate forces are widely studied. However, the precise regulation of this contractile network in space and time is unclear. Here, we study the role of the epithelial-specific protein EpCAM, a contractility modulator, in cell shape and motility. We show that EpCAM is required for stress fiber generation and front-rear polarity acquisition at the single cell level. In fact, EpCAM participates in the remodeling of a transient zone of active RhoA at the cortex of spreading epithelial cells. EpCAM and RhoA route together through the Rab35/EHD1 fast recycling pathway. This endosomal pathway spatially organizes GTP-RhoA to fine tune the activity of actomyosin resulting in polarized cell shape and development of intracellular stiffness and traction forces. Impairment of GTP-RhoA endosomal trafficking either by silencing EpCAM or by expressing Rab35/EHD1 mutants prevents proper myosin-II activity, stress fiber formation and ultimately cell polarization. Collectively, this work shows that the coupling between co-trafficking of EpCAM and RhoA, and actomyosin rearrangement is pivotal for cell spreading, and advances our understanding of how biochemical and mechanical properties promote cell plasticity.

scholarly journals Biologia futura: embryo–maternal communication via progesterone-induced blocking factor (PIBF) positive embryo-derived extracellular vesicles. Their role in maternal immunomodulation

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Szekeres-Bartho ◽  
Timea Csabai ◽  
Eva Gorgey
Keyword(s):  
Extracellular Vesicles ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Nk Cell ◽  
Immune Functions ◽  
Transplantation Immunity ◽  
Blocking Factor ◽  
Cytokine Balance ◽  
Favourable Environment ◽  
Normal Gestation

AbstractPaternal antigens expressed by the foetus are recognized as foreign. Therefore,—according to the rules of transplantation immunity—the foetus ought to be “rejected”. However, during normal gestation, maternal immune functions are re-adjusted, in order to create a favourable environment for the developing foetus. Some of the mechanisms that contribute to the altered immunological environment, for example, the cytokine balance and NK cell function, with special emphasis on the role of progesterone and the progesterone-induced blocking factor (PIBF) will be reviewed.

scholarly journals Longitudinal Expression of Testicular TAS1R3 from Prepuberty to Sexual Maturity in Congjiang Xiang Pigs

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 437
Author(s):  
Ting Gong ◽  
Weiyong Wang ◽  
Houqiang Xu ◽  
Yi Yang ◽  
Xiang Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Taste Receptor ◽  
Receptor Type ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Early Puberty ◽  
Specific Expression

Testicular expression of taste receptor type 1 subunit 3 (T1R3), a sweet/umami taste receptor, has been implicated in spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis in mice. We explored the role of testicular T1R3 in porcine postnatal development using the Congjiang Xiang pig, a rare Chinese miniature pig breed. Based on testicular weights, morphology, and testosterone levels, four key developmental stages were identified in the pig at postnatal days 15–180 (prepuberty: 30 day; early puberty: 60 day; late puberty: 90 day; sexual maturity: 120 day). During development, testicular T1R3 exhibited stage-dependent and cell-specific expression patterns. In particular, T1R3 levels increased significantly from prepuberty to puberty (p < 0.05), and expression remained high until sexual maturity (p < 0.05), similar to results for phospholipase Cβ2 (PLCβ2). The strong expressions of T1R3/PLCβ2 were observed at the cytoplasm of elongating/elongated spermatids and Leydig cells. In the eight-stage cycle of the seminiferous epithelium in pigs, T1R3/PLCβ2 levels were higher in the spermatogenic epithelium at stages II–VI than at the other stages, and the strong expressions were detected in elongating/elongated spermatids and residual bodies. The message RNA (mRNA) levels of taste receptor type 1 subunit 1 (T1R1) in the testis showed a similar trend to levels of T1R3. These data indicate a possible role of T1R3 in the regulation of spermatid differentiation and Leydig cell function.

EB1 Is Essential for Spindle Formation and Chromosome Alignment During Oocyte Meiotic Maturation in Mice

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Dongjie Zhou ◽  
Zheng-Wen Nie ◽  
Xiang-Shun Cui
Keyword(s):  
Cell Shape ◽  
Control Cell ◽  
Meiotic Maturation ◽  
Junctional Complex ◽  
Spindle Formation ◽  
Oocyte Meiosis ◽  
Polarized Cell Growth ◽  
Chromosome Alignment ◽  
Oocyte Meiotic Maturation

The cytoskeleton plays an orchestrating role in polarized cell growth. Microtubules (MTs) not only play critical roles in chromosome alignment and segregation but also control cell shape, division, and motility. A member of the plus-end tracking proteins, end-binding protein 1 (EB1), regulates MT dynamics and plays vital roles in maintaining spindle symmetry and chromosome alignment during mitosis. However, the role of EB1 in mouse oocyte meiosis remains unknown. Here, we examined the localization patterns and expression levels of EB1 at different stages. EB1 protein level was found to be stable during meiosis. EB1 mainly localized along the spindle and had a similar localization pattern as that of α-tubulin. The EB1 protein was degraded with a Trim-Away method, and the results were further confirmed with western blotting and immunofluorescence. At 12 h of culture after EB1 knockdown (KD), a reduced number of mature MII oocytes were observed. EB1 KD led to spindle disorganization, chromosome misalignment, and missegregation; β-catenin protein binds to actin via the adherens junctional complex, which was significantly reduced in the EB1 KD oocytes. Collectively, we propose that the impairment of EB1 function manipulates spindle formation, thereby promoting chromosomal loss, which is expected to fuel aneuploidy and possibly fertilization failure.

scholarly journals The role of gut microbiota and amino metabolism in the effects of improvement of islet β-cell function after modified jejunoileal bypass

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Cai Tan ◽  
Zhihua Zheng ◽  
Xiaogang Wan ◽  
Jiaqing Cao ◽  
Ran Wei ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
Body Weight Gain ◽  
Fasting Blood Glucose ◽  
Jejunoileal Bypass ◽  
Β Cell ◽  
Β Cell Function ◽  
Branched Chain

AbstractThe change in gut microbiota is an important mechanism of the amelioration of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) after bariatric surgery. Here, we observe that the modified jejunoileal bypass effectively decreases body weight gain, fasting blood glucose, and lipids level in serum; additionally, islet β-cell function, glucose tolerance, and insulin resistance were markedly ameliorated. The hypoglycemic effect and the improvement in islet β-cell function depend on the changes in gut microbiota structure. modified jejunoileal bypass increases the abundance of gut Escherichia coli and Ruminococcus gnavus and the levels of serum glycine, histidine, and glutamine in T2DM rats; and decreases the abundance of Prevotella copri and the levels of serum branched chain amino acids, which are significantly related to the improvement of islet β-cell function in T2DM rats. Our results suggest that amino acid metabolism may contribute to the islet β-cell function in T2DM rats after modified jejunoileal bypass and that improving gut microbiota composition is a potential therapeutic strategy for T2DM.

scholarly journals A modular tool to query and inducibly disrupt biomolecular condensates

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Carmen N. Hernández-Candia ◽  
Sarah Pearce ◽  
Chandra L. Tucker
Keyword(s):  
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ◽  
Huntington's Disease ◽  
Huntington’S Disease ◽  
Cellular Function ◽  
Biological Role ◽  
Cellular Biology ◽  
Condensate Formation ◽  
Health And Disease ◽  
Lateral Sclerosis

AbstractDynamic membraneless compartments formed by protein condensates have multifunctional roles in cellular biology. Tools that inducibly trigger condensate formation have been useful for exploring their cellular function, however, there are few tools that provide inducible control over condensate disruption. To address this need we developed DisCo (Disassembly of Condensates), which relies on the use of chemical dimerizers to inducibly recruit a ligand to the condensate-forming protein, triggering condensate dissociation. We demonstrate use of DisCo to disrupt condensates of FUS, associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and to prevent formation of polyglutamine-containing huntingtin condensates, associated with Huntington’s disease. In addition, we combined DisCo with a tool to induce condensates with light, CRY2olig, achieving bidirectional control of condensate formation and disassembly using orthogonal inputs of light and rapamycin. Our results demonstrate a method to manipulate condensate states that will have broad utility, enabling better understanding of the biological role of condensates in health and disease.

Liver cell hydration and integrin signaling

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele Bonus ◽  
Dieter Häussinger ◽  
Holger Gohlke
Keyword(s):  
Cell Volume ◽  
Liver Cell ◽  
Cell Function ◽  
The Other ◽  
Signaling Cascades ◽  
Integrin Signaling ◽  
Volume Changes ◽  
The One ◽  
And Oxidative Stress

Abstract Liver cell hydration (cell volume) is dynamic and can change within minutes under the influence of hormones, nutrients, and oxidative stress. Such volume changes were identified as a novel and important modulator of cell function. It provides an early example for the interaction between a physical parameter (cell volume) on the one hand and metabolism, transport, and gene expression on the other. Such events involve mechanotransduction (osmosensing) which triggers signaling cascades towards liver function (osmosignaling). This article reviews our own work on this topic with emphasis on the role of β1 integrins as (osmo-)mechanosensors in the liver, but also on their role in bile acid signaling.

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