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The induction of cell reprogramming by transcription factors into alternative cell fates opens new avenues for regenerative medicine. Thymic epithelial cells that were obtained from fibroblasts by Foxn1 overexpression support the formation of an ectopic thymus following transplantation.
ABCC4 is a member of the ATP-binding cassette transporter family known to transport prostaglandin E2 and other molecules across cellular membranes. A mutation in ABCC4 is now shown to cause defects in ciliogenesis, revealing a role for prostaglandin signalling in regulating cilia dynamics.
The heart arises from distinct progenitors. Blanpain and colleagues use clonal analysis to demonstrate that early prospective cardiac progenitors, marked by Mesp1 appearing at gastrulation, are already restricted to a particular lineage and heart region.
Zhong and colleagues report that zebrafish leakytail (Lkt) promotes ciliogenesis by exporting prostaglandin E2 to upregulate cAMP synthesis. A human orthologue of Lkt, ABCC4, is also important for ciliogenesis in human retinal pigment epithelial cells.
The augmin complex is needed for centrosome-independent microtubule nucleation. Reconstitution and characterization of the human augmin complex by Kapoor and colleagues reveal its architecture and microtubule-binding properties.
Ma and colleagues show that when the EMT-associated transcription factor ZEB1 is stabilized by the ATM kinase, it interacts with the ubiquitin protease USP7 to counteract CHK1 degradation and promote DNA repair in breast cancer cells.
Joyce and colleagues analyse tumour–stroma interactions in distinct metastatic microenvironments, and show that cathepsin S promotes brain metastasis by cleaving the JAM-B junctional protein, allowing cancer cells to traverse the blood–brain barrier.
Khokha and colleagues report that loss of the Timp family of metalloproteinases from stromal fibroblasts promotes a cancer-associated fibroblast phenotype and production of exosomes that stimulate cancer cell motility.
Generation of functional T-cells for therapeutic purposes requires a thymic epithelium. Blackburn and colleagues show that FOXN1 expression in fibroblasts triggers the formation of functional thymic epithelial cells that support T-cell differentiation from haematopoietic progenitors.
Yamada and colleagues report that the interaction of the β-Pix guanine exchange nucleotide factor with the GTPase activating protein, srGAP1, regulates cell migration through collagen by activating Cdc42 and suppressing RhoA activity.
