Articles tagged with Actin Cytoskeleton
Researchers discovered a new mechanism by which leiomodin builds actin filaments in muscles, challenging a long-standing paradigm. This breakthrough may lead to therapies for dilated cardiomyopathy and other muscle diseases.
Epithelial tissues behave like solids while retaining the disordered structure of liquids. The team developed an active vertex model that incorporated mechanochemical feedback to reproduce experimental signatures of glass dynamics, revealing a link between cellular mechanics, actin organisation, and collective tissue behaviour.
Researchers reveal a previously unrecognized form of actin self-organization that may help explain how cells spontaneously generate shape and movement. Live-cell imaging and computational modeling show that these self-propelled treadmilling actin filaments (SpTAs) drive cellular protrusions through a process powered by treadmilling.
Actin filaments and a fast plant motor protein called Chara corallina myosin XI (Cc XI) were combined to observe spontaneous ring formation. The rings rotated continuously in one direction and remained fixed, even as individual filaments moved within them.
Apusomonads display a clear avoidance response to blue light by asymmetrizing their posterior flagellum and contracting their cell body. This primitive mechanism provides clues to the evolution of high-speed flagellar movements in opisthokonts.
Researchers have discovered that actin forms wavefronts around the synapse centre, actively transporting TCR microclusters towards the cell edge. This process rescues TCRs from endocytosis and enables T cells to bind to multiple APCs in succession.
Actin filaments play a crucial role in cell movement and stability. A trio of proteins - coronin, cofilin, and AIP1 - regulate their disassembly to prevent unproductive elongation and ensure optimal power transmission. The researchers used cryo-electron microscopy to visualize the molecular choreography, revealing coordinated steps and...
A team of Japanese researchers has identified shootin1b as a protein that promotes cell migration in glioblastoma, the most common and difficult-to-treat brain tumor. By suppressing abnormal activity of shootin1b, the study suggests a potential target for preventing glioblastoma spread.
The study reveals two distinct modes of endosomal fusion: homotypic fusion, where small vesicles fuse rapidly, and heterotypic fusion, where large vesicles absorb endosomes. Mathematical analysis and experiments suggest that actin dynamics plays a crucial role in promoting homotypic fusion.
Researchers analyze fertilized ascidian oocytes to understand the mechanism driving cytoplasmic reorganization and cell shape changes. Friction forces between cellular components, such as actomyosin cortex and myoplasm, are found to be pivotal in determining organismal shape.
A team of scientists identified VAP as a molecular anchor that stabilizes mitochondria near synapses in dendrites, supporting memory formation and plasticity. The discovery links VAP to ALS-linked protein and suggests that mitochondrial stabilization is critical for neuronal function and health.
Researchers at Göttingen and Warwick Universities studied the structure and mechanics of cytoskeletal networks composed of actin isoforms. The study found that gamma actin forms rigid networks near the cell apex, while beta actin preferentially forms parallel bundles with distinct organizational patterns.
The discovery sheds light on the mechanism of phosphate release from actin filaments, which is crucial for cell movement and disassembly. The researchers found that phosphate escapes through a molecular backdoor in the filament core, but the door remains closed for most of the time.
A team of researchers has developed a new method to screen FDA-approved drugs to determine if they could be repurposed or improved to help patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 5 (SCA5), a rare and debilitating disease. The pipeline uses cutting-edge spectroscopy to examine the interaction between mutant β-III-spectrin and actin, i...
Researchers discovered that toxins produced by Vibrio bacteria hijack cell processes, redirecting key proteins into "roads to nowhere". This abnormal filament formation wastes cell resources and raises questions about its potential role or necessity.
Researchers used cryo-EM to obtain high-resolution images of actin filaments in three states, revealing the movement of hundreds of water molecules and their role in ATP hydrolysis. The study provides new insights into the assembly and aging of actin filaments, potentially leading to therapeutic applications.
Researchers at Cleveland Clinic's FRIC found that cytoskeleton disruption is a key signal for the body to respond to viruses. This discovery has potential implications for developing new anti-viral vaccines and treatments.
A new study at the University of Helsinki reveals how the actin cytoskeleton in cells is controlled in an evolutionarily distant Leishmania parasite. The findings provide tools to combat leishmaniasis and trypanosomiasis by exploiting structural differences between parasite and human actins.
Researchers characterized human plastins behavior as workaholics and found that they promote disease when disrupting cellular environment. Plastin's two main segments strongly bond together but can disengage to bundle actins, leading to aggressive bundling even when not needed.
Researchers at Kyoto University create simplified artificial cell to investigate internal structure of cells. The team discovers two coexisting actomyosin networks with opposing functions that determine positioning symmetry.