Cell biology articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Endothelial cells (ECs) are promising strategies to treat vasculopathies but little is known about the factors that sustain EC identity and govern functional integration into vasculature after transplantation. Here the authors show that Ets factors and Sox17 convert nonvascular cells to vascular cells with stable EC identity and function.

    • William Schachterle
    • , Chaitanya R. Badwe
    •  & Shahin Rafii

  • Article
    | Open Access

    EpCAM is an unconventional epithelia-specific cell–cell adhesion molecule, that is mutated in the majority of cases of Congenital Tufting Enteropathy. Here the authors show that loss of EpCAM causes a concentration of contractile activity at tricellular junctions, leading to aberrant apical domain and tight junction displacement.

    • Julie Salomon
    • , Cécile Gaston
    •  & Delphine Delacour

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Reduced BMP receptor II signalling underlies pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Here, Hurstet al. show that TNFα subverts BMP signalling by increasing BMP6 expression and signalling via an alternative BMP receptor, ALK2, in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells to drive abnormal proliferation and PAH.

    • Liam A. Hurst
    • , Benjamin J. Dunmore
    •  & Nicholas W. Morrell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Inhibition of PI3K/mTOR, which mimics nutrient starvation, causes death of detached but not matrix-attached cancer cells. Here the authors show that nutrient restriction of epithelial cells causes uptake of the matrix protein laminin, which results in increased intracellular amino acids and enhanced mTORC1 signalling.

    • Taru Muranen
    • , Marcin P. Iwanicki
    •  & Nada Y. Kalaany

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Overexpression of SNAIL confers tumour cells with cancer stem-like characteristics associated with tumour progression. Here the authors show that inhibition of CDK4/6 blocks tumour metastasis in triple negative breast cancer by targeting DUB3 which in turns deubiquitinates and stabilises SNAIL1.

    • Tongzheng Liu
    • , Jia Yu
    •  & Zhenkun Lou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Environmental stress causes epigenetic changes but it is unclear if such changes are transgenerational. Here, the authors show that inC. elegans, increased resistance to oxidative stress and proteotoxicity in the parental generation and linked epigenetic changes are transmitted to subsequent generations.

    • Saya Kishimoto
    • , Masaharu Uno
    •  & Eisuke Nishida

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) maintains intestinal homeostasis by restricting its hyperproliferation but whether it directly regulates the stem cells is unknown. Here the authors show that BMP constrains the Lgr5+stem cell expansion under both homeostatic and injury conditions through Smad-mediated repression of stem cell signature genes.

    • Zhen Qi
    • , Yehua Li
    •  & Ye-Guang Chen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The protein tyrosine kinase c-Src is a renowned proto-oncogene with pleiotropic effects. Here, the authors show that c-Src induces the metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells by phosphorylating hexokinases HK1 and HK2, which in turns lead to increased HK catalytic activity and consequent enhancement of glycolysis.

    • Jia Zhang
    • , Suili Wang
    •  & Qinxi Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Mon1-Ccz1 (MC1) complex is a Rab guanine nucleotide exchange factor (RabGEF) for Ypt7/Rab7 important for endosomal maturation. Here the authors present the biochemical and structural characterization of MC1, elucidating its catalytic mechanism and showing that MC1 represents novel class of RabGEFs.

    • Stephan Kiontke
    • , Lars Langemeyer
    •  & Daniel Kümmel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Kinesin-14s are commonly considered to be minus end-directed microtubule motor proteins. Here the authors show that KlpA, a fungal kinesin-14 orthologue, relies on its N-terminal nonmotor microtubule-binding tail to achieve context-dependent bidirectional motility.

    • Andrew R. Popchock
    • , Kuo-Fu Tseng
    •  & Weihong Qiu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The functions of the highly reduced mitochondria (mitosomes) of microsporidians are not well-characterized. Here, the authors show that theTrachipleistophora hominismitosome is the site of iron–sulfur cluster assembly and that its retention is likely linked to its role in cytosolic and nuclear iron–sulfur protein maturation.

    • Sven-A. Freibert
    • , Alina V. Goldberg
    •  & Roland Lill

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cell–cell adhesion and oriented cell division play key roles in tissue architecture, but how they are coordinated is not known. Here, the authors show that E-cadherin interacts with LGN, and thereby provides a cortical cue that serves to stabilize cortical attachment of astral microtubules at cell–cell adhesions, thus orienting the mitotic spindle.

    • Martijn Gloerich
    • , Julie M. Bianchini
    •  & W. James Nelson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    DFNA5 is related to the caspase-dependent pyroptosis inducer gasdermin D. Here the authors find that DFNA5 is cleaved by caspase 3 and show this cleavage skews cells away from apoptosis into secondary necrosis, a form of cell death characterized by membrane ballooning similar to pyroptosis.

    • Corey Rogers
    • , Teresa Fernandes-Alnemri
    •  & Emad S. Alnemri

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The WD40 domain of the SCFCdc4ubiquitin ligase targets substrates via multiple phosphorylated degron motifs. The authors define a second degron-binding WD40 pocket that imparts a negative allosteric effect on binding to the primary pocket, and thereby enables the dynamic exchange of bound degrons.

    • Veronika Csizmok
    • , Stephen Orlicky
    •  & Julie D. Forman-Kay

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Germinal centre (GC) reactions are driven by T follicular helper (Tfh) cells and their dysregulation can cause autoimmune disease. Here the authors show that the orphan receptor DR6 is a Tfh cell marker that binds syndecan-1 on GC B cells driving autoimmunity in lupus-prone mice.

    • Daisuke Fujikura
    • , Masahiro Ikesue
    •  & Toshimitsu Uede

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Autophagy must be tightly controlled at each step of the process. Here the authors show that HS1BP3 binds phosphatidic acid (PA) at autophagosome precursors and negatively regulates autophagosome formation by modulating the activity and localization of the PA-producing enzyme phospholipase D1.

    • Petter Holland
    • , Helene Knævelsrud
    •  & Anne Simonsen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The tumour suppressor p120-catenin (p120) controls cadherin-based adhesion. Here, the authors demonstrate that p120 regulates cytokinesis through binding to the centralspindlin component MKLP1 and controls RhoA activity. Loss of p120 in cancer induces multinucleation and chromosomal instability, independent of cell-cell adhesion.

    • Robert A.H. van de Ven
    • , Jolien S. de Groot
    •  & Patrick W.B. Derksen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Aurora B abscission checkpoint is activated when DNA is retained in the cleavage furrow on completion of anaphase. Here the authors show that PKCɛ directly phosphorylates Aurora B triggering a switch in Aurora B substrate specificity to elicit Borealin phosphorylation and abscission checkpoint exit.

    • Tanya Pike
    • , Nicola Brownlow
    •  & Peter J. Parker

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The kinase RAF1 usually exerts pro-tumorigenic functions promoting proliferation in RAS-driven cancers. Here, the authors using a mouse model of HCC and clinical data describe an unexpected oncosuppressor role of RAF1 in hepatocarcinoma development linked to a gp130-dependent Stat3 activation and YAP1 regulation.

    • Ines Jeric
    • , Gabriele Maurer
    •  & Manuela Baccarini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Vasculature is denser in soft than in stiff tissues. Kragl et al. suggest a mechanistic link between biomechanical tissue properties and vascularization by showing that integrin-linked kinase reduces the contractile forces of the cell cortex in endocrine pancreatic cells, facilitating their adhesion to blood vessels and enabling pancreatic islet vascularization.

    • Martin Kragl
    • , Rajib Schubert
    •  & Eckhard Lammert

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mammalian eggs release cortical granules to avoid being fertilized by more than a single sperm as polyspermy results in nonviable embryos. Here, the authors describe the mechanism driving translocation of the granules to the cortex in the mouse egg and show this process is essential to prevent polyspermy.

    • Liam P. Cheeseman
    • , Jérôme Boulanger
    •  & Melina Schuh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mitochondrial protein import machinery is crucial for eukaryotes but little is known about its evolutionary origin. Here, the authors characterize the translocase of the inner membrane (TIM) in trypanosomes, showing that it contains two rhomboid-like proteins essential for protein import.

    • Anke Harsman
    • , Silke Oeljeklaus
    •  & André Schneider

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mitochondria have a controversial role in cancer. Here, the authors demonstrate the reprogramming of a neuronal network of mitochondrial trafficking in tumor cells, and identify Syntaphilin as a key protein that suppresses organelle dynamics thereby blocking chemotaxis and metastasis in mice.

    • M. Cecilia Caino
    • , Jae Ho Seo
    •  & Dario C. Altieri

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (OPC) proliferation is crucial for regeneration after hypoxic lesions in mice, a model of diffuse white matter injury of premature infants. Here, the authors show that the histone deacetylase Sirt1 is a Cdk2-dependent mediator of OPC proliferation and OPC response to hypoxia.

    • Beata Jablonska
    • , Marcin Gierdalski
    •  & Vittorio Gallo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Live cell super-resolution imaging requires a high temporal resolution, which remains a challenge. Here the authors combine photo-activated localization microscopy (PALM) with super-resolution optical fluctuation imaging (SOFI) to achieve high spatiotemporal resolution and quantitative imaging of focal adhesion dynamics.

    • Hendrik Deschout
    • , Tomas Lukes
    •  & Aleksandra Radenovic

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Polypeptide N-acetyl-galactosaminyltransferases (GALNTs) are associated with cancer, but their function in organ-specific metastasis is unclear. Here the authors show that GALNT14 promotes breast cancer metastasis to the lung by enhancing the initiation of metastatic colonies and subsequent growth.

    • Ki-Hoon Song
    • , Mi So Park
    •  & Mi-Young Kim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    DNA damage arising from replication stress is well studied, but the effect of mitotic errors on genome integrity is less understood. Here the authors knock down 47 mitotic regulators and record how they impact on DNA breakage events, providing a resource for future studies on the relation between cell division and genome integrity.

    • Ronni S. Pedersen
    • , Gopal Karemore
    •  & Claudia Lukas

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mechanosensation by biological membranes can be relayed by mechanical tension to ion channels. Here the authors show that phospholipase D (PLD) is activated by mechanical disruption of lipid rafts which allows PLD to mix with its substrate in the lipid membrane, and propose a kinetic model of force transduction.

    • E. Nicholas Petersen
    • , Hae-Won Chung
    •  & Scott B. Hansen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bone development and vascularization are coupled events that share many molecular mechanisms. Here the authors identify osteoblast-secreted Cxcl9 as an inhibitory regulator of angiogenesis and osteogenesis, and show that mTORC1 signaling and STAT1 are critical upstream mediators of the cytokine expression.

    • Bin Huang
    • , Wenhao Wang
    •  & Xiaochun Bai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nanoscopy of non-adherent cells is currently not possible, due to their movement in solution. Here the authors immobilize and manipulate fixedE. coli by multiple optical traps; their holographic optical tweezers enable dSTORM imaging of orthogonal planes via 3D realignment of the sample.

    • Robin Diekmann
    • , Deanna L. Wolfson
    •  & Thomas Huser

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hypoxia-induced transcriptional responses mediated by HIF-1a are regulated through the ubiquitin-dependent pathway to control HIF-1a stability. Here the authors show that the deubiquitinase HAUSP modulates the stability of HIF-1a and K63-polyubiquitinated HAUSP serves as an anchor for HIF-1a-induced gene transcription.

    • Han-Tsang Wu
    • , Yi-Chih Kuo
    •  & Kou-Juey Wu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The CCT complex, a key player in the chaperone machinery, has been implicated in Huntington’s disease. Pavelet al. show that CCT2/5/7 also play an essential role in autophagosome degradation, and that the aggregation of proteins upon CCT2/5/7 depletion is primarily a consequence of impaired autophagy.

    • Mariana Pavel
    • , Sara Imarisio
    •  & David C. Rubinsztein

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How plasma membrane Orai Ca2+ channels are activated by STIM proteins to activate Ca2+signals is still not fully known. Here the authors show that a nexus region located at the Orai1 C-terminus allows channel gating without a direct interaction of STIM1 with the channel pore.

    • Yandong Zhou
    • , Xiangyu Cai
    •  & Donald L. Gill

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) maintains myelin-axon spacing. Here, the authors report the crystal structures of the MAG full ectodomain in complex with oligosaccharide, and use additional assays to provide insights into the mechanism of MAG-mediated signalling.

    • Matti F. Pronker
    • , Suzanne Lemstra
    •  & Bert J. C. Janssen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Formation and reinforcement of E-cadherin-mediated adhesion depends on intracellular trafficking and interactions with the actin cytoskeleton, but how these are coordinated is not known. Here the authors conduct a focused phenotypic screen to identify new pathways regulating cell–cell junction homeostasis.

    • J. C. Erasmus
    • , S. Bruche
    •  & V. M. M. Braga

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Endocytosis of the type I interferon receptor (IFNAR) is required for JAK/STAT signalling. Here the authors show that the internalized IFNAR1 and IFNAR2 subunits are differentially sorted by the retromer complex at the early endosome and this controls JAK/STAT signalling and gene transcription.

    • Daniela Chmiest
    • , Nanaocha Sharma
    •  & Christophe Lamaze

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The correct folding of proteins often requires the intervention molecular chaperones, which can occur co-translationally. Here the authors identify elements of yeast Ssb (Hsp70) that mediate ribosomal binding, and suggest a mechanism that directs efficient interaction of Ssb with the nascent chain.

    • Marie A. Hanebuth
    • , Roman Kityk
    •  & Elke Deuerling

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Arteriovenous malformations (AVM) is a hallmark of hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia type 2, a disease caused by mutations in BMP receptor ALK1. Ola et al. show that AVM can be caused by blocking BMP9 and BMP10 in mice, leading to increased VEGF and PI3K activity, and that pharmacologic inhibition of PI3K prevents AVM development.

    • Roxana Ola
    • , Alexandre Dubrac
    •  & Anne Eichmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The water channel AQP2 mediates the concentration of urine in the kidney. Here Ando et al. show that Wnt5 promotes collecting duct permeability by regulating AQP2 expression and localization through activation of the calmodulin/calcineurin signalling pathway.

    • Fumiaki Ando
    • , Eisei Sohara
    •  & Shinichi Uchida

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nucleoplasmic translocation of NPM1 is integral to nucleolar stress sensing. Here, the authors show that nucleolar oxidation is a general cellular stress response, and that oxidation-related glutathionylation of NPM1 triggers its translocation and facilitates p53 activation.

    • Kai Yang
    • , Ming Wang
    •  & Jing Yi

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