Cell biology articles within Nature Communications

Featured

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Leukemia/lymphoma-related factor (LRF), a transcriptional repressor, plays key roles in cell fate decision and tumorigenesis. Here, Liu et al. show that LRF loss results in defective classical non-homologous end joining, genomic instability and hypersensitivity to ionizing radiation, revealing a transcription-independent regulation of DNA-PK complex.

    • Xue-Song Liu
    • , Gurushankar Chandramouly
    •  & Pier Paolo Pandolfi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In fission yeast, cell growth is co-ordinated with division by the cell tip-localized DYRK kinase Pom1, which inhibits the medially placed mitotic activator Cdr2. Here, Kelkar and Martin show that, upon glucose starvation, microtubules are destabilized in a PKA-dependent manner, leading to the deposition of Pom1 at cell sides where it delays mitosis.

    • Manasi Kelkar
    •  & Sophie G. Martin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The physiological role of crosstalk between mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) and macrophages is unclear. Here, Phinney et al. show that MSCs transfer mitochondria to macrophages under oxidative stress, and desensitize macrophages to mitochondria by using microvesicles to repress Toll receptor signalling.

    • Donald G. Phinney
    • , Michelangelo Di Giuseppe
    •  & Luis A. Ortiz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    To maintain viability, cells must be able to sense and respond to mechanical stimuli. Here, Qi et al. show that the STOML3 protein acts in mechanosensation by binding cholesterol and regulating membrane stiffness which can in turn regulate ion flux through mechanosensitive channels.

    • Yanmei Qi
    • , Laura Andolfi
    •  & Jing Hu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Kinesin-5 is a tetrameric motor that slides antiparallel microtubules during mitotic spindle assembly. Chen and Hancock show that this motor also promotes microtubule assembly by stabilising protofilaments at growing plus ends, which results in the formation of banana peel-like structures.

    • Yalei Chen
    •  & William O Hancock

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Adaptive immunity is the memory of previously experienced pathogens, where B cells establish a rapid antibody response upon IgG-B cell receptor activation. Here, Chen et al. show that sequestration of the cytoplasmic domain of mIgG by plasma membrane phospholipids prevents inappropriate activation of IgG-BCR signalling.

    • Xiangjun Chen
    • , Weiling Pan
    •  & Wanli Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Centrosome amplification is common in cancer, but the mechanism is not clear. Here the authors uncover a role for Kruppel-like factor 14 (KLF14) as a transcriptional repressor of polo-like kinase 4 (PLK4); KLF14 depletion correlates with increased PLK4 in human samples and leads to centrosome amplification and tumorigenesis in mice.

    • Guangjian Fan
    • , Lianhui Sun
    •  & Chuangui Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Myelin regeneration can occur spontaneously in demyelinating diseases but the underlying mechanisms are incompletely understood. Here the authors show that neuronal activity and glutamatergic synapses instruct oligodendrocyte progenitor cells to differentiate into new myelinating oligodendrocytes.

    • Hélène O. B. Gautier
    • , Kimberley A. Evans
    •  & Ragnhildur T Káradóttir

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Signalling is often fine-tuned by the exo-endocytic cycling of cell surface receptors. Here, the authors show that the endocytic adaptor protein Stonin1 is important for the endocytosis of NG2, a co-receptor for extracellular matrix and growth factors, and that loss of Stonin1 alters cell motility.

    • Fabian Feutlinske
    • , Marietta Browarski
    •  & Tanja Maritzen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Endocytic organelles are a dynamic continuum of vacuolar structures that impact various cell physiological processes. Here, the authors report a library of ultra-pH sensitive fluorescent nanoparticles for the controlled perturbation and quantification of catabolic organelle maturation at organelle resolution.

    • Chensu Wang
    • , Yiguang Wang
    •  & Jinming Gao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A variety of signals have been reported to either activate or inhibit the Hippo kinase cascade. Here, Meng et al. show that mitogen activated protein kinase kinase kinase kinase (MAP4K) family members function in parallel to and are partially redundant with MST1/2 in regulating LATS in response to upstream signals.

    • Zhipeng Meng
    • , Toshiro Moroishi
    •  & Kun-Liang Guan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is unclear how Notch1 signals regulate both the maintenance of the endothelial fate and the endothelial-to-hematopoietic transition in the embryonic aorta. Here the authors show that those cells in which Notch1 ligand Jag1 is out-competed by Dll4 remain endothelial, while higher Jag1 activity leads to generation of hematopoietic stem cells.

    • Leonor Gama-Norton
    • , Eva Ferrando
    •  & Anna Bigas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Existing DNA stains for live cell microscopy are either toxic, require illumination with blue light, or are not compatible with super-resolution microscopy. Here the authors develop SiRHoechst, a non-toxic far-red DNA stain that is compatible with super-resolution microscopy.

    • Gražvydas Lukinavičius
    • , Claudia Blaukopf
    •  & Kai Johnsson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cohesion is associated with many forms of cancer. De Lange et al. show that such cohesion defects can sensitise cells to apoptosis in response to a new APC/C ubiquitin ligase inhibitor, by prolonging mitotic arrest and checkpoint activation due to cohesion fatigue.

    • Job de Lange
    • , Atiq Faramarz
    •  & Rob M. F. Wolthuis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The leading edge of migrating cells contains activated integrins associated with growing actin filaments that form ‘sticky fingers’ to guide cell migration. Here, the authors detect a complex of MRL proteins, talin and activated integrins in lamellipodia and filopodia in living cells, comprising the tips of the ‘sticky fingers’.

    • Frederic Lagarrigue
    • , Praju Vikas Anekal
    •  & Mark H. Ginsberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Components of the Hippo signalling pathway localize to apical junctions in epithelial cells, where they regulate growth in response to mechanical and biochemical cues. Sun et al. show that these proteins are organized into distinct junctional complexes, which reorganize up on Hippo pathway activation.

    • Shuguo Sun
    • , B. V. V. G. Reddy
    •  & Kenneth D. Irvine

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The synthetic production of model protocells, which represent potential intermediates between nonliving material and living cells, may help to explain the origin of cellular life. Here, Kuriharaet al. develop a giant vesicle-based model protocell that is able to self-proliferate recursively in response to external stimuli.

    • Kensuke Kurihara
    • , Yusaku Okura
    •  & Tadashi Sugawara

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Amoeboid motility is driven by actomyosin-based contraction and exploits differences in the mechanical properties of the cortical cytoskeleton. Here the authors discover that mDia1-like formin A is responsible for generating a subset of actin filaments at the rear of Dictyosteliumthat suppresses lateral protrusions and blebbing during 2D-confined migration.

    • Nagendran Ramalingam
    • , Christof Franke
    •  & Jan Faix

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The protein-conducting channel Sec61 is responsible for protein transport and membrane insertion at the endoplasmic reticulum. Here, the authors determine the structure of ribosome-bound Sec61 in a native context, in which it adopts a laterally open conformation, irrespective of its functional state.

    • Stefan Pfeffer
    • , Laura Burbaum
    •  & Friedrich Förster

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Capping protein regulates actin filament dynamics by binding to barbed ends and preventing their growth. Edwards et al. show that capping protein also requires interactions with proteins containing a capping protein interaction motif to promote its proper localization and regulation of actin dynamics.

    • Marc Edwards
    • , Patrick McConnell
    •  & John A. Cooper

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Optogenetic activation of β2-adrenergic receptors (β2-AR) has been achieved, but not characterized in detail. Here, Siudaet al. show that light-controlled opto-β2AR mimics endogenous β2AR activity in vitro and in vivo, and develop novel, optically active, functionally selective receptors to bias β2AR intracellular signaling mechanisms.

    • Edward R. Siuda
    • , Jordan G. McCall
    •  & Michael R. Bruchas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The signals that pattern the sympathetic nervous system are not fully understood. Here the authors show that the dorsal migration of the primary sympathetic ganglia in chick embryos is orchestrated by BDNF/TrkB signalling and requires contact with preganglionic axons.

    • Jennifer C. Kasemeier-Kulesa
    • , Jason A. Morrison
    •  & Paul M. Kulesa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chemokines and their receptors have key roles in tumorigenesis. Here, the authors demonstrate that CXRC4 is overexpressed in hepatocellular carcinoma and is associated with poor prognosis and, mechanistically CXCR4 is increased in expression via EZH2 repression of microRNA-622.

    • Haiou Liu
    • , Yidong Liu
    •  & Jiejie Xu

  • Article |

    Mechanical and electrical activity in the heart is propagated through unique cardiomyocyte membrane structures, the intercalated discs (ID). Sharma et al.identify a novel ID protein, Tmem65, that controls Ca2+ signalling and electrical coupling by interacting with and functionally regulating the gap junction protein Cx43.

    • Parveen Sharma
    • , Cynthia Abbasi
    •  & Anthony O. Gramolini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bub1 kinase phosphorylates histone H2A-T120 at the centromere to recruit shugoshin proteins and promote sister chromatid cohesion during mitosis. Here the authors show that Bub1 autophosphorylation on T589 influences Bub1 dynamics at the kinetochore and restricts H2A-T120 phosphorylation to centromeres.

    • Adeel Asghar
    • , Audrey Lajeunesse
    •  & Sabine Elowe

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The formation of motile cilia is regulated by Dishevelled (DVL), a central component in WNT signalling and planar cell polarity (PCP). Here the authors identify DVL as a novel substrate of the phosphatase PTEN, coupling PTEN to cilia dynamics and PCP.

    • Iryna Shnitsar
    • , Mikhail Bashkurov
    •  & Miriam Barrios-Rodiles

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The pentose phosphate pathway is aberrantly activated in cancer cells but the mechanism is unclear. Here, the authors show that G6PD, the rate-limiting enzyme in the pathway, is post-translationally modified with a sugar moiety under hypoxic conditions leading to increased production of precursors for macromolecular synthesis and antioxidants.

    • Xiongjian Rao
    • , Xiaotao Duan
    •  & Wen Yi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Neurotransmission is mediated by synaptic vesicles (SVs) fusion with the plasma membrane near active zones. Here, Gimber et al.observe that rapid diffusional spread and confinement is followed by slow reclustering of SV proteins at the periactive endocytic zone through SV protein association with the clathrin-based machinery.

    • Niclas Gimber
    • , Georgi Tadeus
    •  & Volker Haucke

  • Article
    | Open Access

    STIM1, the endoplasmic reticulum calcium sensor, is activated in response to calcium store depletion and translocates to the ER–plasma membrane junctions to activate Orai1 channels. Here the authors present a new model of unimolecular coupling between STIM1 and Orai1 whereby STIM1 dimers may be involved in crosslinking Orai1 channels.

    • Yandong Zhou
    • , Xizhuo Wang
    •  & Donald L. Gill

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mechanisms by which signalling proteins dynamically modulate neurotransmitter release remain poorly understood. Here, Cianiet al. show Wnt signalling influences vesicle pool availability in an activity-dependent manner via direct interactions with Dishevelled-1 and the synaptic vesicle calcium sensor Synaptotagmin-1.

    • Lorenza Ciani
    • , Aude Marzo
    •  & Patricia C. Salinas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The p53-inducible antiproliferative gene BTG2 is suppressed in many cancers, in the absence of inactivating gene mutations. Here the authors show that the histone lysine methyltransferase SETD1A suppresses the expression of several p53 target genes including BTG2by inducing a network of microRNAs.

    • Ken Tajima
    • , Toshifumi Yae
    •  & Shyamala Maheswaran

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ion channels open and close to allow the regulated passage of ions through the membrane. Here the authors use selective ion channel blockers to analyse this regulation in a potassium channel and show that the gate is in the selectivity filter, past the entrance to the channel.

    • David J. Posson
    • , Radda Rusinova
    •  & Crina M. Nimigean

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Membrane fusion in cells is triggered by an increase in Ca2+ and involves SNARE complexes and calcium-sensing proteins, but the mechanism underlying the Ca2+-sensors’ role in fusion remains unclear. Here the authors show in vitro that the Ca2+-sensor Doc2b acts directly on membranes and induces a hemifusion intermediate in the presence of calcium.

    • Ineke Brouwer
    • , Asiya Giniatullina
    •  & Alexander J. Groffen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mapping the nanoscale height and dynamics of structures within the cell is difficult. Here the authors present a two-wavelength total internal reflection fluorescence method to perform real-time imaging with nanometre axial resolution using a conventional microscope.

    • Daniel R. Stabley
    • , Thomas Oh
    •  & Khalid Salaita

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cancer patients often respond well to primary treatment but then develop resistance. Here, Misale et al. show that dual treatment with EGFR and MEK inhibitors block resistance in mice containing patient-derived xenografts and provide a mathematical model that describes the temporal development of resistant tumour clones.

    • Sandra Misale
    • , Ivana Bozic
    •  & Alberto Bardelli

  • Article
    | Open Access

    PI3K is activated as a result of insulin receptor (IR) signalling. Here the authors show that activation of specific class III PI3Ks in response to insulin promotes IR endocytosis and lysosomal degradation, providing negative feedback on IR signalling by reducing the time IR is activated.

    • Ivan Nemazanyy
    • , Guillaume Montagnac
    •  & Ganna Panasyuk

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mice lacking RIIβ, a regulatory subunit of protein kinase A, are lean and resistant to diet-induced obesity. Here, the authors show that RIIβ regulates leptin sensitivity, acting as a physiological brake on leptin responsiveness and the duration of leptin signalling in the hypothalamus.

    • Linghai Yang
    •  & G. Stanley McKnight

Browse broader subjects

Browse narrower subjects

Browse Cell biology across other nature.com journals