Cytoskeleton News and Research

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Mitosis in moss plants could be far more similar to animal cell division than previously thought

For a new plant to grow from a seed, cells need to divide numerous times. Daughter cells can each take on different tasks and sometimes vary in size. How plants determine the plane of cell division in this process, known as mitosis, is being researched by Prof. Dr. Ralf Reski and Dr. Elena Kozgunova from the University of Freiburg in a joint effort with Prof. Dr. Gohta Goshima from Nagoya University.

6 May 2022

ST6Gal-I–mediated sialylation of the EGFR modulates cell mechanics and enhances cancer invasion

For more than two decades, University of Alabama at Birmingham researcher Susan Bellis, Ph.D., has studied how the addition of sialic acid to various proteins increases cancer resistance and oncogenicity.

22 Apr 2022

NK cells complexed with bispecific antibody elicit high response rate in patients with resistant lymphomas

Natural killer (NK) cells derived from cord blood that were activated and complexed with a CD30/CD16A bispecific antibody elicited an 89 percent overall response rate in patients with relapsed or refractory CD30+ lymphoma, according to results from a phase I/II clinical trial presented at the AACR Annual Meeting 2022, held April 8-13.

10 Apr 2022

Cytoskeletal proteins work synergistically in the cell cortex to form intracellular networks

Investigators have discovered that two cytoskeletal proteins which were previously thought to function independently actually interact and form cytoskeletal networks within the cell surface, according to findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

7 Apr 2022

Scientists create a biobank of 87 triple-negative breast cancer organoids

It's the cancer version of "mini me." Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) Professor David Spector, among others, has developed organoids, which are miniature, three-dimensional copies of cancers. Organoids can be derived from cancer or healthy cells.

30 Mar 2022

New micro-protein supports cell division and proliferation during nutrient scarcity

Researchers from the University of Eastern Finland and the University of Montreal (Canada) have discovered that a micro-protein, which they named Nrs1, supports cell division and proliferation when nutrients are scarce.

4 Mar 2022

New type of drug delivery vehicle mimics the properties of a red blood cell

From the liver to the kidneys to the lungs, the human body is equipped with many levels of filters, which protect the body from harmful outside materials. But this system also has its downsides. Critically important drugs such as chemotherapy or multiple sclerosis treatments are also foreign materials, so the body filters out a large portion of these drugs – up to 90%, in some cases.

2 Mar 2022

Mechanism behind how certain osmolytes cause kidney damage revealed

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have uncovered the mechanism by which osmolytes used to treat high fluid pressure in the eye and skull can cause kidney damage.

27 Feb 2022

Colchicine holds promise to reduce the risk of severe COVID-19

A recent article, published in Rheumatology and Therapy, reviews the potent evidence of colchicine against the SARS-CoV-2 infection.

7 Feb 2022

Study reveals link between muscular dystrophy and sphingolipids

In a new study, the group of Johan Auwerx at EPFL's School of Life Sciences has made the first connection between muscular dystrophy and sphingolipids, a group of bioactive lipids. The study is published in Science Advances.

29 Jan 2022

Study may pave the way for mechano-medical approaches to treating abdominal aortic aneurysm

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a complex and life-threatening vascular disease with high incidence worldwide. Termed the silent killer, most AAAs are asymptomatic, often going undetected until rupture, and involve a poorly understood set of mechanical and biochemical events.

28 Jan 2022

SARS-CoV-2 virus co-opts intrinsic cellular machinery to suppress interferon production

In a recent study posted to the bioRxiv* preprint server, researchers evaluated the mechanism of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)-associated inflammatory marker interferon (IFN) repression in hosts.

25 Jan 2022

Researchers uncover new findings about the role of tau in neurodegenerative disease

Utilizing cutting-edge proteomics, researchers at the Buck Institute and elsewhere have mapped the "tau interactome" uncovering new findings about the role of tau in neurodegenerative disease. Publishing in Cell, scientists found that mutant tau impacts the function of mitochondria in human neurons.

20 Jan 2022

New topical cream could help prevent frostbite injuries

Skiers, hikers, soldiers and others exposed to extreme cold temperatures can experience frostbite -; a painful injury that occurs when ice crystals form in the skin. Many extremely cold areas are also remote, and delays in frostbite treatment can result in severe wounds, scarring and even limb amputation

19 Jan 2022

New optogenetic tool uses focused light to reduce actin and myosin-based contractile force

Cell generated force plays essential roles in a wide range of biological processes, such as cell motility, cytokinesis, and tissue morphogenesis. In a study published in Nature Communications, a research team led by the Division of Quantitative Biology at the National Institute for Basic Biology in Japan has successfully developed "OptoMYPT"：an optogenetic tool that utilizes focused light to reduce actin and myosin-based contractile force.

29 Dec 2021

Researchers identify two new AMD drug candidates using a stem-cell-derived model

Using a stem-cell-derived model, researchers have identified two drug candidates that may slow dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a leading cause of blindness for which no treatment exists.

15 Dec 2021

UTSW study points to a new way to fight parasitic nematode diseases

Combining two agents to block a parasitic worm's life cycle boosted survival from a potentially deadly tropical disease to 85% in animal models, far better than either treatment alone, according to a proof-of-concept study led by UT Southwestern Medical Center pharmacologists.

11 Dec 2021

New protein variant underlies the ability of gastric cancers to resist chemotherapy

A new protein variant underlies the ability of gastric cancers to resist an otherwise effective family of chemotherapy drugs, according to a study by a multidisciplinary team at Weill Cornell Medicine. The results suggest a treatment strategy that could improve the prognoses of many patients with cancer.

6 Dec 2021

Rare variants in high-risk autism gene can alter architecture and organization of neurons, study finds

Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and colleagues have demonstrated that rare variants in the ANK2 gene, consistently found in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), can alter architecture and organization of neurons, potentially contributing to autism and neurodevelopmental comorbidities.

29 Nov 2021

New "image analysis pipeline" provides insight into how disease changes the body

A new "image analysis pipeline" is giving scientists rapid new insight into how disease or injury have changed the body, down to the individual cell.

24 Nov 2021