Cell polarity articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    How receptor localization affects morphogen gradient formation during embryonic development is unclear. Here, the authors study the relationship between the BMP gradient, receptor localization, and compartmentalized geometry in the early mouse embryo, using experimental data and computational simulation.

    • Zhechun Zhang
    • , Steven Zwick
    •  & Sharad Ramanathan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Planar cell polarity (PCP) regulates hair cell orientation in the zebrafish lateral line. Here, the authors show that mutating Wnt pathway genes (wnt11f1, fzd7a/b, and gpc4) causes concentric hair cell patterns not regulated by PCP, thus showing PCP/Wnt pathway genes have different consequences on hair cell orientation.

    • Joaquin Navajas Acedo
    • , Matthew G. Voas
    •  & Tatjana Piotrowski

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Asymmetric subcellular mRNA distribution is important for local translation of neuronal mRNAs. Here the authors employed MS2 live-cell imaging and showed that the reporter mRNA containing the 3’ UTR of Rgs4 shows an anterograde transport bias, dependent on neuronal activity and the protein Staufen2, and mediates sustained mRNA recruitment to synapses.

    • Karl E. Bauer
    • , Inmaculada Segura
    •  & Michael A. Kiebler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Angiogenesis is driven by the directed migration of tip endothelial cells towards hypoxic tissues. Here, Kim et al. show that the generation of reactive oxygen species in endothelial cells upon hypoxia activates MST1, which subsequently promotes the nuclear translocation of FOXO1, and thus activates a pro-migratory transcriptional programme in endothelial tip cells.

    • Yoo Hyung Kim
    • , Jeongwoon Choi
    •  & Gou Young Koh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cells divide within a given size range and can scale across differing cell sizes but mechanisms and function remain unclear. Here the authors show, despite the current dogma of fission yeast maintaining constant width, some fission yeast can scale their width and length, impacting the positioning of the cell division site.

    • Ying Gu
    •  & Snezhana Oliferenko

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The cell polarity regulator aPKC is associated with cell proliferation but the precise mechanism are unknown. Here, the authors find that aPKC lambda phosphorylates the FoxO1 transcription factor, a gatekeeper of endothelial growth, during both angiogenesis and angiosarcomas.

    • Meghan Riddell
    • , Akiko Nakayama
    •  & Masanori Nakayama

  • Article
    | Open Access

    During de novo establishment of apical-basal polarity, a basolateral membrane must be converted into an apical delivery zone. Here, the authors use MDCK 3D cysts to uncover that the phospholipid PI(3,4)P2 is an apical membrane determinant.

    • Álvaro Román-Fernández
    • , Julie Roignot
    •  & David M. Bryant

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tracheal development arises due to tube morphogenesis but how this is regulated is unclear. Here, the authors identify polarization of smooth muscle progenitors as controlling murine tracheal development, activating noncanonical Wnt signaling followed by subepithelial morphogenesis and ring cartilage development.

    • Keishi Kishimoto
    • , Masaru Tamura
    •  & Mitsuru Morimoto

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The perinuclear actin cap determines nuclear morphology but its regulation is currently poorly understood. Here, the authors find that an activator of the Rac1 GTPase, STEF/TIAM2, localises to the nuclear envelope and contributes to perinuclear actin and myosin tension, which in turn regulates the actin cap.

    • Anna Woroniuk
    • , Andrew Porter
    •  & Angeliki Malliri

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Anteroposterior axis extension during gastrulation is dynamically coordinated, but how this is regulated at a molecular level is unclear. Here, the authors show in zebrafish that the chromatin factor Gon4l, encoded by ugly duckling, coordinates axis extension by modulating EpCAM and Integrinα3b expression.

    • Margot L. K. Williams
    • , Atsushi Sawada
    •  & Lilianna Solnica-Krezel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Polarisation of metastasising cancer cells in circulation has not been investigated before. Here the authors identify single cell polarity as a distinct polarisation state of single cells in liquid phase, and show that perturbing single cell polarity affects attachment, adhesion, transmigration and metastasis in vitro and in vivo.

    • Anna Lorentzen
    • , Paul F. Becker
    •  & Mathias Heikenwalder

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Polarized localization of Numb and Pon in Drosophila neuroblasts (NBs) enables their unequal segregation during asymmetric cell divisions. Here, the authors demonstrate liquid-liquid phase separation of Pon and Numb in NBs mediated by multivalent intermolecular interactions is required for their basal condensation.

    • Zelin Shan
    • , Yuting Tu
    •  & Wenyu Wen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tip-growing cells can find their growing path toward the source of attractive signals. Here, using experimental data and mathematical modeling, Luo et al. demonstrate that tip-localized exocytosis can integrate guidance cues with Rho GTPase signaling to control cell wall mechanics and direct tip growth in Arabidopsis pollen tubes.

    • Nan Luo
    • , An Yan
    •  & Zhenbiao Yang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Chemotaxis during differentiation of Dictyostelium discoideum requires four signalling pathways to maintain directional cell migration, but it is unclear how they are coordinated. Here the authors show that the RNA-binding protein Pumilio localizes mRNAs and proteins of these pathways and actin at the cell front during dynamic cell migration.

    • Manuel Hotz
    •  & W. James Nelson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The molecular trigger that establishes cell polarity in the mammalian embryo is unclear. Here, the authors show that de novo polarisation of the mouse embryo at the 8-cell stage is directed by Phospholipase C and Protein kinase C and occurs in two phases: polarisation of actomyosin followed by the Par complex.

    • Meng Zhu
    • , Chuen Yan Leung
    •  & Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Platelets derive from large precursor cells (megakaryocytes) in the bone marrow. Düttinget al. show that megakaryocyte polarization and platelet biogenesis in the bone-marrow sinusoids are directed by adhesion receptor GPIb signalling and resulting balanced antagonism between RhoA (stop-signal) and Cdc42 (go-signal).

    • Sebastian Dütting
    • , Frederique Gaits-Iacovoni
    •  & Bernhard Nieswandt

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Polarized epithelial cells must correctly position a wide range of subcellular structures. Here the authors demonstrate an apicobasal gradient of Rac GTPase activity, which is maintained by polarity proteins inDrosophilaepithelial sheets, and is required to maintain actin-dependent protrusion form and position.

    • Africa Couto
    • , Natalie Ann Mack
    •  & Marios Georgiou

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The exocyst delivers basolateral proteins from the secretory pathway to the plasma membrane of epithelial cells close to tight junctions. Here the authors show that Par3 acts as a docking site for the exocyst to regulate polarized delivery of basolateral proteins and this is essential to prevent apoptosis and promote mammary cell survival.

    • Syed Mukhtar Ahmed
    •  & Ian G. Macara

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The transfer of ubiquitin (UB) to cellular targets is mediated sequentially by three groups of enzymes, UB activating enzyme (E1), UB conjugating enzyme (E2) and UB ligase (E3). Here the authors provide evidence that the two mammalian E1 enzymes, Uba1 and Uba6, exert biologically distinct functions.

    • Xianpeng Liu
    • , Bo Zhao
    •  & Hiroaki Kiyokawa

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Polarisation of epithelial cells causes lumen formation, which is mediated by apical membrane initiation site (AMIS) and FIP5, but how this is regulated is unclear. Here, the authors identify cingulin as a FIP-5 interacting protein, recruiting the Rac1-WAVE/Scar complex to the AMIS and branched actin formation.

    • Anthony J. Mangan
    • , Daniel V. Sietsema
    •  & Rytis Prekeris

  • Article
    | Open Access

    GRIP1 cooperates with the glucocorticoid receptor to repress inflammatory genes. Here the authors show that GRIP1 also controls macrophage polarization, by promoting KLF4-driven activation in response to IL-4, and that mice lacking GRIP1 in macrophages develop severe metabolic dysfunction on a high-fat diet.

    • Maddalena Coppo
    • , Yurii Chinenov
    •  & Inez Rogatsky

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In mature neurons the centrosome no longer functions as the main microtubule organizer and it is unclear how ordered microtubule arrays are assembled. Here, the authors show that in post-mitotic neurons this process depends on non-centrosomal nucleation mediated by the protein complex augmin and the nucleator gamma-TuRC.

    • Carlos Sánchez-Huertas
    • , Francisco Freixo
    •  & Jens Lüders

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Correct assembly of intercellular junctions is required to maintain epithelial polarity and barrier function. Here Campos et al. show that the scaffold protein Alix interacts with F-actin, the Par complex and ZO-1 to ensure the formation and maintenance of the actomyosin tight junction complex in choroid plexus epithelium.

    • Yvan Campos
    • , Xiaohui Qiu
    •  & Alessandra d’Azzo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Squamous epithelia present actin-rich microridges on the apical surface, but the mechanism of their formation is not known. Here the authors show that, in zebrafish epidermis, the exclusion of the basolateral regulator Lgl from the apical domain by atypical protein kinase C prevents precocious elongation and fusion of microridges.

    • Renuka Raman
    • , Indraneel Damle
    •  & Mahendra Sonawane

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Migrating cells display dynamic morphologies that are coordinated by signalling pathways. Here the authors identify a lateral signalling pathway, comprised of the planar cell polarity protein Pk1 and Arhgap21/23, that regulates fluctuations in cell shape during productive cell migration.

    • Liang Zhang
    • , Valbona Luga
    •  & Jeffrey L. Wrana

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How the shape of the sternum is regulated is unclear. Here, the authors identify the Dchs1-Fat4-planar cell polarity pathway as controlling cell orientation and cell intercalation of mesenchymal cells that form skeletal condensations for the mouse sternum, which defines the relative dimensions of the sternum.

    • Yaopan Mao
    • , Anna Kuta
    •  & Philippa Francis-West

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The precise positioning of organ progenitor cells is essential for organ development and function. Here the authors use live imaging and mathematical modelling to show that the confinement of a motile progenitor cell population results from coupled physical barriers and cell-cell interactions.

    • Azadeh Paksa
    • , Jan Bandemer
    •  & Erez Raz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cell polarity is marked by re-orientation of the centrosome, but the mechanisms governing centrosome polarization are poorly understood. Here Obino et al. show that in lymphocytes centrosome-associated Arp2/3 nucleates actin that tethers the centrosome to the nucleus; activation depletes Arp2/3 from the centrosome and frees it from the nucleus.

    • Dorian Obino
    • , Francesca Farina
    •  & Ana-Maria Lennon-Duménil

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mechanosensitive proteins talin and vinculin mediate the linkage between integrin-bound extracellular matrix and the actin cytoskeleton. Here the authors dissect distinct roles for two actin-binding sites within talin on adhesion complex assembly and maturation, which are regulated by vinculin binding to talin.

    • Paul Atherton
    • , Ben Stutchbury
    •  & Christoph Ballestrem

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The alternative splicing factor Nova2 is best known for its pivotal function in the brain. Giampietro et al. reveal an important role for Nova2 in the regulation of alternative splicing of transcripts in the vascular endothelium that are crucial for the maintenance of endothelial cell polarity and vessel lumen formation in zebrafish.

    • Costanza Giampietro
    • , Gianluca Deflorian
    •  & Claudia Ghigna

  • Article |

    Retracted neurites and disorganized actin filaments are major components of senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles—hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease. Here the authors show that soluble ß-amyloid impairs action potential firing by disrupting actin and microtubule filaments through the inhibition of HDAC6 and activation of RhoA.

    • Hanako Tsushima
    • , Marco Emanuele
    •  & Evelina Chieregatti

  • Article |

    Planar cell polarity (PCP) is generated by the restricted localization of membrane-bound multiprotein complexes, but how they are trafficked to the correct location is unknown. Here, the authors show that the GTPase ARF1 and the AP-1 adaptor complex are major regulators of PCP protein trafficking in vivo.

    • Jose Maria Carvajal-Gonzalez
    • , Sophie Balmer
    •  & Marek Mlodzik

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In response to microbial ligands, IRF5 promotes pro-inflammatory M1 macrophage activation and production of nitrous oxide. Here the authors show that nitrous oxide modifies IRF5 tyrosine residues as a negative feedback, limiting the inflammatory response and protecting from endotoxin shock.

    • Geming Lu
    • , Ruihua Zhang
    •  & Huabao Xiong

  • Article |

    The spatial orientation of cell divisions is fundamental for tissue architecture and homeostasis but the extracellular cues regulating this process are largely unknown. Here, the authors show that Semaphorin3B released from the floor plate and the nascent choroid plexus controls progenitor division orientation in the developing mouse spinal cord.

    • Elise Arbeille
    • , Florie Reynaud
    •  & Valérie Castellani

  • Article |

    Specific Schwann cell-axon interactions control the initiation of myelination in the peripheral nervous system. Here the authors show that the tumour suppressor protein Lkb1 is asymmetrically localized to the Schwann cell-axon interface and co-localizes with the polarity protein Par-3 to establish the initiation of myelination.

    • Yun-An A. Shen
    • , Yan Chen
    •  & Q. Richard Lu

  • Article |

    Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) signalling regulates angiogenesis in vertebrates. Here the authors show that the E3 ubiquitin ligase PDZRN3 ubiquitinates the PCP-signalling protein Dishevelled 3 to promote Wnt/PCP signalling, directing embryonic and postnatal remodelling of the vasculature in mouse.

    • Raj N. Sewduth
    • , Béatrice Jaspard-Vinassa
    •  & Cécile Duplàa

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