Cell biology articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chromosomes bind microtubules (MT) from opposite spindle poles and the generated tension stabilizes kinetochore-MT attachments. Here the authors measure kinetochore forces by engineering two force sensors and propose that kinetochore fibers exert hundreds of pNs of force to bioriented kinetochores.

    • Anna A. Ye
    • , Stuart Cane
    •  & Thomas J. Maresca

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Parathyroid hormone (PTH) is an endogenous hormone and osteoporosis therapeutic that suppresses sclerostin activity. Here the authors develop SIK inhibitors as potential therapeutic tools and use them to show that PTH-cAMP signalling in osteocytes inhibits SIK2 from driving Hdac4/5 nuclear shuttling to suppress sclerostin.

    • Marc N. Wein
    • , Yanke Liang
    •  & Henry M. Kronenberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The actomyosin cytoskeleton consists of a contractile array but how it becomes organized is not clear. Here the authors reconstitute a controllable contractile system to show that force balances at boundaries determine contraction dynamics, and spatial anisotropy leads to self-organization or aligned contractile fibres.

    • Matthias Schuppler
    • , Felix C. Keber
    •  & Andreas R. Bausch

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The intestinal stroma secretes WNT ligands but the role of WNT in intestinal repair is unclear. Here, the authors show that when WNT synthesis is ablated from stromal macrophages, the intestine morphology is normal but hypersensitive to radiation injury, implicating macrophage-derived WNT in intestinal repair.

    • Subhrajit Saha
    • , Evelyn Aranda
    •  & Jeffrey W. Pollard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    TheArabidopsisCCA1 transcription factor is a core regulator of the circadian clock. Here, the authors show that the LWD1 protein, in complex with the TCP20 or TCP22 transcription factors, acts as a co-activator of CCA1 expression contributing to elevated CCA1 expression at dawn.

    • Jing-Fen Wu
    • , Huang-Lung Tsai
    •  & Shu-Hsing Wu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Haematopoietic stem cells rely on glycolysis for their energy demands but whether this affects their fate is unknown. Here, the authors show that forcing the cells to rely on glycolysis is important for self-renewal and that this involves a reduction in mitochondrial mass.

    • Nicola Vannini
    • , Mukul Girotra
    •  & Matthias P. Lutolf

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tiam1 is a guanine nucleotide exchange factor for the Rho-family GTPase Rac1. Here, the authors show that nuclear Tiam1 and Rac1 bind to RORγt on the IL-17 promoter, activating its transcription, and that inhibiting Tiam1/Rac1 is beneficial in a mouse model of autoimmunity.

    • Ahmed T. Kurdi
    • , Ribal Bassil
    •  & Wassim Elyaman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The role of force in activating integrin cell adhesion receptors is not known. Here the authors develop fluorescent tension sensors for αL and β2 integrins and show that in migrating T cells force is transduced across the β2 integrin, and that this correlates with an active conformational state.

    • Pontus Nordenfelt
    • , Hunter L. Elliott
    •  & Timothy A. Springer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Podosomes are adhesive cytoskeletal structures found in several cell types, but whether or how they are interconnected is not known. Here the authors demonstrate mesoscale connectivity of podosome clusters by imaging directional flow patterns of podosome components vinculin, talin and F-actin.

    • Marjolein B. M. Meddens
    • , Elvis Pandzic
    •  & Alessandra Cambi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The protein Mdm10 is known to be present in the endoplasmic reticulum-mitochondria encounter structure (ERMES) and in mitochondrial sorting and assembly machinery (SAM). Here, the authors examine how this protein interacts with SAM and EMRES, showing that the SAM-mediated protein machinery is independent of ERMES.

    • Lars Ellenrieder
    • , Łukasz Opaliński
    •  & Thomas Becker

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Protein kinase A (PKA) is a key mediator of cyclic AMP signalling. Here, Eccles et al. show that ARHGAP36 antagonizes PKA by acting as a kinase inhibitor and targeting the catalytic subunit for endolysosomal degradation, thus reducing sensitivity of cells to cAMP and promoting Hedgehog signalling.

    • Rebecca L. Eccles
    • , Maciej T. Czajkowski
    •  & Oliver Rocks

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The TOR and insulin/IGF signalling (IIS) network are central responses to wound healing. Here the authors develop a technique of live imaging of laser-induced epidermal wounds to flies and show that TOR and IIS are independently required for wound healing, which may have implications for diabetic wound healing and its treatment.

    • Parisa Kakanj
    • , Bernard Moussian
    •  & Maria Leptin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The chaperone Hsp70 has a dual role, promoting both protein refolding and protein degradation. Seo and Park et al. show that Hsp70 acetylation enhances protein refolding after stress, and that subsequent deacetylation progressively promotes ubiquitin ligase binding and protein degradation.

    • Ji Hae Seo
    • , Ji-Hyeon Park
    •  & Kyu-Won Kim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Reversible manipulation of cell-cell interactions has potential applications in basic research and cell-based therapy. Here the authors control cell-cell adhesion in vitrowith light, by modifying the surface sugars of cells to display β-cyclodextrin, which recognises one isoform of light-isomerizable azobenzene linkers.

    • Peng Shi
    • , Enguo Ju
    •  & Xiaogang Qu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Type 2 diabetes and obesity are associated with increased hepatic gluconeogenesis and lipogenesis, known as selective insulin resistance. Here Kubota et al. explain selective insulin resistance in the liver with the zonal distribution and selective insulin-mediated regulation of Irs1 and Irs2.

    • Naoto Kubota
    • , Tetsuya Kubota
    •  & Takashi Kadowaki

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The kinetochore-bound motor CENP-E plays a critical role in chromosome alignment. Here, the authors show that NF-κB activating protein (NKAP) dynamically localises to kinetochores, is SUMOylated during mitosis, and this modification is required for NKAP to bind CENP-E and localise CENP-E to the kinetochore.

    • Teng Li
    • , Liang Chen
    •  & Qing Xia

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that can undergo fission and fusion. Here the authors identify a novel pathway in which actin dynamically assembles in an Arp2/3- and formin-dependent manner around a subset of cellular mitochondria, promoting localized Drp1-dependent fission and impeding fusion.

    • Andrew S. Moore
    • , Yvette C. Wong
    •  & Erika L. F. Holzbaur

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Traction force microscopy is an effective method of measuring forces between cells and their environment, but requires removing the cells to obtain a reference image. Here the authors use nanodrip printing of quantum dots into compliant substrates to provide a regular array of fiducial spots, removing the need for a reference image.

    • Martin Bergert
    • , Tobias Lendenmann
    •  & Aldo Ferrari

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sphingolipids in the trans-Golgi network have been implicated in polar trafficking. Here Wattelet-Boyer et al. show that hydroxylated C24- and C26-acyl-chain sphingolipids are enriched in trans-Golgi network subdomains that are critical for polar sorting of the PIN2 auxin carrier in plant cells.

    • Valérie Wattelet-Boyer
    • , Lysiane Brocard
    •  & Yohann Boutté

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Platelets express negatively charged phosphatidylserine (PS) on their plasma membrane when propagating coagulation within a developing thrombus. Here the authors show that an adaptor protein 14-3-3 regulates mitochondrial function and PS exposure and thus platelet procoagulant activity, promising a new therapy to reduce thrombosis.

    • Simone M. Schoenwaelder
    • , Roxane Darbousset
    •  & Shaun P. Jackson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The platelets detect and respond to shear stress generated by blood flow. Here the authors show that the binding of the soluble von Willebrand factor to its receptor GPIba under physiological shear stress induces receptor's domain unfolding on the platelet and signalling into the platelet, leading to platelets clearance.

    • Wei Deng
    • , Yan Xu
    •  & Renhao Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    RNA-binding proteins (RBP) are an emerging group of post-translational regulators. Here the authors show that the RBP vigilin regulates translation of mRNA encoding for proatherogenic proteins—apoB, apoC-III and fibronectin—representing a potential therapeutic target in cardiovascular diseases.

    • Mehrpouya B. Mobin
    • , Stefanie Gerstberger
    •  & Markus Stoffel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The binding of tobacco-specific carcinogen 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) to nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) induces calcium signalling. Here the authors show that NKK-induced calcium influx in airway epithelial cells triggers IGF2 secretion and tumourigenesis.

    • Hye-Jin Boo
    • , Hye-Young Min
    •  & Ho-Young Lee

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dissecting cellular signalling requires the analysis of large numbers of proteins. Here the authors describe DigiWest, a high-throughput protein detection method that combines the concept of western and widely-used bead array systems that allows rapid quantification of hundreds of specific proteins.

    • Fridolin Treindl
    • , Benjamin Ruprecht
    •  & Markus F. Templin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    GDF11 is related to myostatin yet has no known role in postnatal bone turnover. Here the authors show that recombinant GDF11 injection causes bone loss and impairs healing by driving osteoclastogenesis while inhibiting osteoblast differentiation, plus they show that anti-GDF11 Ab can inhibit bone loss in ovariectomy and ageing mouse models.

    • Weiqing Liu
    • , Liyan Zhou
    •  & Quan Yuan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    MICU1 is a regulatory subunit of mitochondrial Ca2+ channels that shields mitochondria from Ca2+ overload. Here the authors show that MICU1 methylation by PRMT1 reduces Ca2+ sensitivity, which is normalized by UCP2/3, re-establishing mitochondrial Ca2+uptake activity.

    • Corina T. Madreiter-Sokolowski
    • , Christiane Klec
    •  & Wolfgang F. Graier

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although focal adhesions (FAs) and microtubules (MTs) are known to associate, the underlying regulation of this dynamic interaction is not understood. Here the authors discover that the CRL3KLHL21E3 ubiquitin ligase localises to FAs and ubiquitinates the MT plus-tip binding protein EB1, thereby promoting MT and FA dynamics and cell migration.

    • Thibault Courtheoux
    • , Radoslav I. Enchev
    •  & Matthias Peter

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sarcolemma lesions are sealed by a repair patch of lipids and proteins that prevents cell death and myopathy. Here the authors show that the "eat-me" signal phosphatidylserine is sorted from adjacent sarcolemma to the repair patch in a Dysferlin dependent process in zebrafish and human cells.

    • Volker Middel
    • , Lu Zhou
    •  & Uwe Strähle

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How molecular crowding affects membrane protein diffusion and function is not known. Here the authors measure diffusion of variant surface glycoprotein on trypanosomes and discover a molecular crowding threshold that limits diffusion, and find that N-linked glycans help to prevent retarding intermolecular interactions.

    • Andreas J. W. Hartel
    • , Marius Glogger
    •  & Markus Engstler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    MicroRNAs represent potential therapeutic targets to control metastasis progression. Here the authors show that miR-96 and miR-182 regulate invasion via Palladin and demonstrate that local delivery of miR-96 and miR-182 may serve as a potential anti-metastatic drug in breast cancer.

    • Avital Gilam
    • , João Conde
    •  & Noam Shomron

  • Article
    | Open Access

    End-resection of double strand DNA breaks is essential for pathway choice between non-homologous end-joining and homologous recombination. Here the authors show that phosphorylation of WRN helicase by CDK1 is essential for resection at replication-related breaks.

    • Valentina Palermo
    • , Sara Rinalducci
    •  & Pietro Pichierri

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Oncogenic mutations of isocitrate dehydrogenases 1 and 2 result in the production of the oncometabolite R-2-hydroxyglutarate. Here the authors show that the oncometabolite promotes mTOR activation in a PTEN/PI3K-independent manner by regulating DEPTOR stability via inhibition of KDM4A activity.

    • Mélissa Carbonneau
    • , Laurence M. Gagné
    •  & Frédérick A. Mallette

  • Article
    | Open Access

    EphA2/ErbB2 complex is important in promoting breast cancer but the mechanism by which these receptor tyrosine kinases are exported from the endoplasmic reticulum is unknown. Here the authors show that Anks1a acts as a cargo adaptor in sorting EphA2 into COPII vesicles, thus modulating the surface level of EphA2.

    • Haeryung Lee
    • , Hyuna Noh
    •  & Soochul Park

  • Article
    | Open Access

    HER2 is frequently overexpressed in breast cancer in association with increased metastatic potential. Here, the authors show that HER2 overexpression causes deformation of cell membranes in a signalling-independent manner that contributes to the disease phenotype by disrupting epithelial features.

    • Inhee Chung
    • , Mike Reichelt
    •  & Mark X. Sliwkowski

  • Article
    | Open Access

    NEMO is a member of the IKK complex that binds ubiquitin, involved in NF-κB signalling and proposed to form higher order structures. Here the authors use super-resolution microscopy to detect the presence of NEMO lattices in cells, that are modified by NF-κB treatment and abrogated by mutations affecting NEMO ubiquitin binding.

    • Janine Scholefield
    • , Ricardo Henriques
    •  & Musa M. Mhlanga

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Lymphocytic leukaemia cells are characterized by high respiratory rates. Here, the authors report that the oxysterol-binding protein ORPL4 sustains mitochondrial respiration in T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia cells by regulating Ca2+release from the endoplasmic reticulum.

    • Wenbin Zhong
    • , Qing Yi
    •  & Daoguang Yan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The effect of the liver clock is modified by food entrainment via Bmal1/Clock core machinery. Here the authors show that insulin promotes postprandial Akt-dependent phosphorylation of Bmal1, resulting in association with 14-3-3 and Bmal1 shuttling out of the nucleus, thereby disrupting Bmal1 transcriptional effects on the clock.

    • Fabin Dang
    • , Xiujie Sun
    •  & Yi Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Integrin β2 attachment regulates inflammation via effects on neutrophil rolling and extravasation through sequential integrin extension then headpiece opening. Here the authors show an alternative open headpiece prior to extension stabilized in cisby ICAM-1 that limits neutrophil adhesion.

    • Zhichao Fan
    • , Sara McArdle
    •  & Klaus Ley

  • Article
    | Open Access

    As vesicles fuse to the plasma membrane, they form intermediate Ω-shaped structures followed by either closure of the pore or full merging with the plasma membrane. Here Wen et al. show that dynamic actin assembly provides membrane tension to promote Ω merging in neuroendocrine cells and synapses.

    • Peter J. Wen
    • , Staffan Grenklo
    •  & Ling-Gang Wu

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