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Mechanotransduction across heterotypic adhesions between cancer cells and cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) is required for CAFs to lead cancer cell invasion.
Shifting political landscapes in the United States and European Union have seeded uncertainty in the scientific community. Intellectual freedom, funding and scientist mobility must be protected to secure the future of biological research.
Tumours are highly complex and contain multiple cell types. Cancer-associated fibroblasts are now shown to have a critical role in directly leading cancer cell invasion. This intercellular interaction relies on a mechanically active cadherin-based junction, and CAF-led invasion is demonstrated to require E-cadherin in the cancer cell.
G1 cyclins are considered essential for DNA replication and cell division. A recent report now shows that some cells can cycle in the absence of G1 cyclins. In embryonic stem cells and cancer cells, G1 cyclins are required to activate cyclin-dependent kinases to phosphorylate core pluripotency factors and maintain pluripotency.
Exposure of mother worms to mild osmotic stress induces gene expression changes in offspring that protect them from strong osmotic stress. Inheritance of protection is now shown to depend on altered insulin-like signalling in the maternal germline, which confers protection through increased expression of zygotic gpdh-2, a rate-limiting enzyme in glycerol biosynthesis.
Skeletal muscles are composed of different types of fibres. Can these be thought of as distinct lineages with specific lineage-restricted progenitors? A provocative study now proposes that mesenchymal cells expressing the transcription factor Twist2 act as myogenic progenitors with selective type IIb fibre-differentiation potential.
Park et al. study individual cell dynamics during mouse wound re-epithelialization in real time and reveal a finely orchestrated interplay between epidermal migration, directional division and differentiation.
Fu et al. define a heterogeneous population of MaSC subsets based on the expression of LGR5 and TSPAN8, with varying anatomical locations in the mouse mammary ductal tree, in vivo repopulating abilities, cell cycle status and molecular signatures.
Liu et al. show that G1 cyclins and their cyclin-dependent kinases regulate the pluripotent state by driving phosphorylation of Nanog, Oct4 and Sox2, thereby identifying a direct connection between G1 cyclins and pluripotency factors.
Langen et al. identify a third capillary endothelial cell subtype, termed type E, that supports embryonic and early postnatal bone formation, and show that endothelial integrin β1 and laminin α5 are required for bone angiogenesis and osteogenesis.
Liu et al. identify an interstitial progenitor cell, characterized by Twist2 expression, that is highly myogenic, forms type IIb/x myofibres and contributes to regeneration in adult skeletal muscle.
Asada et al. examine differential effects of CXCL12 and SCF expression by perivascular bone marrow niche cells, such as arteriolar NG2+ vascular smooth muscle cells and sinusoidal LepR+ cells, on haematopoietic stem cell maintenance and mobilization.
Cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) promote metastasis by creating tracks for cancer cell migration. Labernadie et al. now show that heterotypic adhesions between E-cadherin on cancer cells and N-cadherin on CAFs transmit forces to drive invasion.
Yang and colleagues report that the LINK-A lncRNA binds to the PIP3 phospholipid, leading to enhanced AKT signalling, tumorigenesis and resistance to AKT inhibitors.
Burton et al. show that Caenorhabditis elegans parental exposure to osmotic stress protects progeny from osmotic stress through insulin-like signalling, linking maternal germline signalling to progeny metabolism.
