Cell biology articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article |

    Bile acids exert metabolic effects by modulating FXR receptor activity. Here, Trabelsi et al.show that FXR negatively regulates production of the incretin GLP-1 in enteroendocrine L-cells by reducing glycolysis and that inhibition of FXR improves glucose metabolism by increasing GLP-1 in obese mice.

    • Mohamed-Sami Trabelsi
    • , Mehdi Daoudi
    •  & Sophie Lestavel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    As oocytes age the frequency of chromosome segregation errors during meiosis I increases. Here the authors use live imaging of oocytes from naturally aged mice to provide direct evidence that bivalent separation into univalents is the primary defect responsible for age-related aneuploidy.

    • Yogo Sakakibara
    • , Shu Hashimoto
    •  & Tomoya S. Kitajima

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Blood vessel development depends upon endothelial cell migration and adhesion, which are regulated by Rho-GTPases. Here the authors identify Rho-GTPase guanine nucleotide exchange factors that specifically control lateral filopodial contacts and are required for lumen formation during angiogenesis.

    • Sabu Abraham
    • , Margherita Scarcia
    •  & Georgia Mavria

  • Article |

    Unlike rodents, humans produce the protein Cidea in white adipose tissue, where it associates with lipid droplets. Here the authors generate mice that express human Cidea in fat tissues to show Cidea exerts beneficial metabolic effects by regulating the expansion of visceral fat in response to a high-fat diet.

    • Gustavo Abreu-Vieira
    • , Alexander W. Fischer
    •  & Natasa Petrovic

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are large macromolecular assemblies that mediate the exchange of molecules between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Here the authors present a ∼20 Å cryo-EM structure of the X. laevisNPC in different states of transport to propose a model for the architecture of the NPC’s molecular gate within its central channel.

    • Matthias Eibauer
    • , Mauro Pellanda
    •  & Ohad Medalia

  • Article |

    Adherent cells actively probe the rigidity of their substrates. Guptaet al. show that actin cytoskeleton rheology transitions from fluid to solid with increased substrate stiffness along with an isotropic to nematic ordering, implicating the remodelling of the whole actin network in rigidity sensing.

    • Mukund Gupta
    • , Bibhu Ranjan Sarangi
    •  & Benoît Ladoux

  • Article |

    ErbB signalling is stimulated by the release of its ligands from the cell surface through metalloproteinase-dependent cleavage. Dombernowsky et al. show that this process is controlled by the sorting protein PACS-2, which enhances ErbB ligand release by regulating trafficking of the metalloprotease ADAM17.

    • Sarah Louise Dombernowsky
    • , Jacob Samsøe-Petersen
    •  & Marie Kveiborg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cell-matrix adhesions may increase or decrease in size in response to tension; however, the factors determining which of these responses predominates remain unclear. Hernández-Varas et al. quantify the plastic relationship between adhesion size and tension and use modelling to explain this behaviour.

    • Pablo Hernández-Varas
    • , Ulrich Berge
    •  & Staffan Strömblad

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dendritic cells alternate between fast and slow migratory behaviours, however in the absence of a component of the antigen processing machinery, migration is uniform and fast. Chabaudet al. now show that slow migration results from the relocalisation of myosin II to the cell front where it promotes antigen capture.

    • Mélanie Chabaud
    • , Mélina L. Heuzé
    •  & Ana-Maria Lennon-Duménil

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Conventional methods to quantify the migratory behaviour of cells assume that underlying parameters are constant. Mark et al.apply a superstatistical approach to extract time-dependent parameters of motile cells, and demonstrate an enhanced ability to distinguish between different migration strategies.

    • Claus Metzner
    • , Christoph Mark
    •  & Ben Fabry

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The ability to measure signalling responses in single cells following short pulses of stimulus would shed insight into temporal thresholds for cell activation. Here the authors introduce a microfluidic platform that allows downstream phosphorylation cascades to be observed following as little as one second of stimulus exposure.

    • Alphonsus H. C. Ng
    • , M. Dean Chamberlain
    •  & Aaron R. Wheeler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Grb2 is an adaptor protein that can exist as a dimer that dissociates on phosphorylation of Y160. Here, the authors show that only the monomeric protein is capable of activating mitogen-activated protein kinase signal transduction and hence control oncogenic outcome.

    • Zamal Ahmed
    • , Zahra Timsah
    •  & John E. Ladbury

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The activity of melanocytes determines skin pigmentation, and is regulated by a tight dialogue with keratinocytes. Here, the authors show that exosomes released by keratinocytes have a direct effect on melanocyte function, and exosome content is dependent on skin phototype and is modulated by ultraviolet B radiation.

    • Alessandra Lo Cicero
    • , Cédric Delevoye
    •  & Graça Raposo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Atherogenesis involves coordinated action of different cell types and factors. Here the authors show that the kinase Pak1 represents a key pro-atherogenic factor affecting the function of macrophages and vascular smooth muscle cells, including their production of proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 and chemokine MCP-1, and retention of cholesterol.

    • Nikhlesh K. Singh
    • , Sivareddy Kotla
    •  & Gadiparthi N. Rao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The kinase PI3K is crucial for insulin signalling in the liver but the roles of individual PI3K isoforms are largely unclear. Using mice that lack class II PI3K isoform γ (PI3K-C2γ), the authors here show that PI3K-C2γ selectively activates endosomal Akt2 by regulating the localized production of PIP2.

    • Laura Braccini
    • , Elisa Ciraolo
    •  & Emilio Hirsch

  • Article |

    Aquaporin-3 (AQP3) mediates cellular uptake of water and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). Here, the authors show that TNF-induced H2O2enters keratinocytes via AQP3, eliciting NF-κB activation and the development of psoriasis, and identify AQP3 as a potential therapeutic target for this inflammatory immune-mediated disease.

    • Mariko Hara-Chikuma
    • , Hiroki Satooka
    •  & A. S. Verkman

  • Article |

    Cranial placode progenitors arise from a common precursor field known as the preplacodal region. Here the authors show that transcription factor Zic1 induces the localized production and transport of retinoic acid at the anterior neural plate, which in turn activates a placode developmental programme in neighbouring cells.

    • Maria Belen Jaurena
    • , Hugo Juraver-Geslin
    •  & Jean-Pierre Saint-Jeannet

  • Article |

    Many proteins are assembled into damaged chromatins to repair DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). Here, the authors show that TRIM29 binds to modified histone H3 and H4 tails following DSB formation and functions as a scaffold protein to assemble DNA repair proteins into chromatin.

    • Yasushi Masuda
    • , Hidehisa Takahashi
    •  & Shigetsugu Hatakeyama

  • Article
    | Open Access

    PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) suppress transposon and gene expression during development. Here, the authors identify many piRNAs and piRNA-like small RNAs in 11 human cell lines, and show that one piRNA-like small RNA binds to phosphorylated ERM proteins to regulate cancer cell migration and invasion.

    • Yuping Mei
    • , Yuyan Wang
    •  & Li Mao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Response to inflammatory stimuli such as endotoxin is coordinated at many levels. Here, the authors show that two microRNAs known to regulate inflammatory response inside the cell are secreted by dendritic cells and modulate inflammatory signalling in the neighbouring cells.

    • Margaret Alexander
    • , Ruozhen Hu
    •  & Ryan M. O’Connell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    KDEL receptors are known to be involved in retrotransporting chaperones to the endoplasmic reticulum from the Golgi complex. Here the authors unravel a role of KDEL receptor 1 in regulating integrated stress responses in naïve T cells through its association with protein phosphatase 1.

    • Daisuke Kamimura
    • , Kokichi Katsunuma
    •  & Masaaki Murakami

  • Article |

    Ovarian cancer is often accompanied by metastases at the time of diagnosis and has a poor survival rate. In this study, Aslan et al.identify a role for ZNF304 in ovarian cancer metastasis and show that the protein transcriptionally regulates β1 integrin, resulting in a reduction in programmed cell death.

    • Burcu Aslan
    • , Paloma Monroig
    •  & Gabriel Lopez-Berestein

  • Article |

    As metastasis requires cellular machinery of migration and invasion, interfering with these functions is a promising anticancer strategy. Here the authors show that a structurally novel fascin inhibitor blocks filopodia formation, migration and invasion, and effectively inhibits metastasis in mice.

    • Fang-Ke Huang
    • , Shaoqin Han
    •  & Xin-Yun Huang

  • Article |

    How diffusible signals determine cell fate is a vital and still unresolved developmental biology issue. Using the Drosophilaegg chamber as a model system, here the authors apply novel imaging and mathematical approaches to show that cell differentiation depends on irregular tissue domains that lead to asymmetric distributions of morphogens.

    • Lathiena A. Manning
    • , Ann Marie Weideman
    •  & Michelle Starz-Gaiano

  • Article |

    Brg1 is part of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complex that is essential for embryonic development. Here, the authors show that Brg1 is the target of two opposing calcium-regulated molecules involved in myogenesis: calcineurin, which promotes myogenesis, and protein kinase C β (PKCβ), which inhibits it.

    • Brian T. Nasipak
    • , Teresita Padilla-Benavides
    •  & Anthony N. Imbalzano

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Notch signals are crucial for organization of angiogenic sprouting cells into the leading ‘tip’ and trailing ‘stalk’ cells. Here the authors show that endothelial neuropilin-1 quantitatively inhibits TGF-β/BMP signalling, explaining how Notch-mediated regulation of neuropilin-1 specifies endothelial tip and stalk cells.

    • Irene Maria Aspalter
    • , Emma Gordon
    •  & Holger Gerhardt

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Centrosome separation, promoted by the kinesin Eg5, is antagonized by the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Tiam1 through an unknown mechanism. Here Whalley et al. show that Tiam1 is phosphorylated by cyclin-dependent kinase 1 in prophase, leading to downstream activation of p21-activated kinases (PAKs).

    • Helen J. Whalley
    • , Andrew P. Porter
    •  & Angeliki Malliri

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Characterizing the cellular stages that lead to induced reprogramming is of much interest and cell surface markers could offer unique advantages for this. Here the authors use surface proteomics and discover CD24 as a marker that tracks reprogramming-responsive cells and enables the analysis and enrichment of transgene-dependent and -independent induced pluriopotent stem cells.

    • Nika Shakiba
    • , Carl A. White
    •  & Peter W Zandstra

  • Article |

    Neutrophils are the first line of response to injury but their persistence can inhibit the resolution phase of tissue repair. Here the authors show that an extracellular matrix protein promotes neutrophil clearance by macrophages, serving as a bridge between the two cell types and speeding up tissue repair.

    • Joon-Il Jun
    • , Ki-Hyun Kim
    •  & Lester F. Lau

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The tumour suppressor p53 is known to be inhibited by histone deacetylase 3 but the molecular mechanism is poorly understood. Here Choi et al. show regulation by programmed cell death 5 and an essential role in activating p53 following DNA damage.

    • Hyo-Kyoung Choi
    • , Youngsok Choi
    •  & Ho-Geun Yoon

  • Article |

    The regulation of lumen formation and dimension is a key question in organ morphogenesis. Using the zebrafish inner ear as a model, here the authors show that the growth of a cavity depends on epithelial thinning and mitotic cell rounding.

    • Esteban Hoijman
    • , Davide Rubbini
    •  & Berta Alsina

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mechanical properties of the metazoan nucleus can be influenced by the nuclear lamina. Here, Schreiner et al.show that untethering chromatin from the inner nuclear membrane results in highly deformable, softer nuclei, revealing an important role for chromatin in modulating nuclear mechanics.

    • Sarah M. Schreiner
    • , Peter K. Koo
    •  & Megan C. King

  • Article
    | Open Access

    During apoptosis, cells break up into smaller fragments to facilitate removal. Here the authors characterize a beads-on-a-string structure formed by monocytes undergoing apoptosis in vitro, which shears into apoptotic bodies lacking nuclear contents, and is blocked by the antidepressant sertraline.

    • Georgia K. Atkin-Smith
    • , Rochelle Tixeira
    •  & Ivan K.H. Poon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Variations in cell shape must be accommodated by the cell membrane, but how the membrane adjusts to changes in area and volume is not known. Here the authors show that the membrane responds in a nearly instantaneous, purely physical manner involving the flattening or generation of membrane invaginations.

    • Anita Joanna Kosmalska
    • , Laura Casares
    •  & Pere Roca-Cusachs

  • Article |

    mTOR signalling regulates protein synthesis in response to changes in nutrient availability. Chang et al.demonstrate that mTOR can stimulate translation by promoting the shortening of mRNA 3′-untranslated regions, and that expression of ubiquitin ligases is selectively enhanced by this mechanism.

    • Jae-Woong Chang
    • , Wei Zhang
    •  & Jeongsik Yong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tryptic digestion of SUMOylated proteins generates large peptides, rendering proteomic characterisation of this post-translational modification particularly challenging unless mutant SUMO is used. Hendriks et al.present a method that allows the quantitative identification of wild-type SUMO sites.

    • Ivo A. Hendriks
    • , Rochelle C. D’Souza
    •  & Alfred C. O. Vertegaal

  • Article |

    While active and inactive conformations of proteins have been characterised, pathways connecting these states remain largely obscure. Pontiggia et al.find that the inactive state of NtrC represents an ensemble of different conformers that interconvert to the active state via multiple pathways.

    • F. Pontiggia
    • , D.V. Pachov
    •  & D. Kern

  • Article
    | Open Access

    SUMOylation of the cardiac calcium pump SERCA2a affects its activity and promotes cardiomyocyte contractility. Here the authors identify a small molecule N106 that increases SERCA2 SUMOylation and improves heart function in mice, and propose a promising therapeutic strategy for treatment of heart failure.

    • Changwon Kho
    • , Ahyoung Lee
    •  & Roger J. Hajjar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Quantitative live cell super-resolution microscopy is currently limited by the time it takes to acquire a well sampled image. Here Stone and Veatch develop a cross-correlation analysis that does not rely on image reconstruction and apply this method to quantify the co-distribution of Lyn kinase and the B-cell receptor during antigen stimulation.

    • Matthew B. Stone
    •  & Sarah L. Veatch

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