Cytoskeleton News and Research

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New findings show importance of physical forces in tumor metastasis

A malignant tumor is characterized by its ability to spread around its surroundings. To do so, tumor cells stick to the surrounding tissue (mainly collagen) and use forces to propel.

26 Sep 2018

Researchers untangle mysteries of 'evil' protein in ER-positive breast cancer

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the United States, striking 1 out of 8 women. About 80 percent of all breast cancers are estrogen receptor-positive, in which cancer growth is fueled by estrogen.

12 Sep 2018

Researchers find how NF2 gene mutations lead to out-of-control cellular proliferation

A team of Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center researchers has determined one way that mutations in a gene involved in a rare, hereditary cancer syndrome lead to out-of-control cellular proliferation.

29 Aug 2018

Newly discovered cytoskeleton utilized by cancer cells for survival

Researchers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered a cytoskeleton which provides the structure for mitochondria, the cell's energy producers.

15 Aug 2018

Researchers discover genetic mutation underlying debilitating childhood brain disorder

Ashleigh Schaffer, PhD, assistant professor of genetics at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, and a team of global genetics experts have discovered a genetic mutation and the faulty development process it triggers, causing a debilitating brain-based disorder in children.

9 Aug 2018

Defects in RNA modification can cause altered smooth muscle contraction

Genetic information is stored in DNA and is passed on in a very stable manner from one cell to the next or from one generation to the next.

9 Aug 2018

Study reveals key role of actin cytoskeletal dynamics in supporting immune cell function

In order to move, a body needs a strong scaffold. This is not only true on a macroscopic level, where animals rely on skeletons to support their muscles.

26 Jul 2018

New control system regulates morphology, orientation of cells constituting animal tissues

A collaborative research group led by Kumamoto University has developed a new control system for regulating the morphology and orientation of cells that constitute animal tissues.

25 Jul 2018

Discovery about how malaria moves could lead to new therapies

Researchers have made an important discovery about how Plasmodium falciparum (the parasite that causes malaria) is able to evade capture by the immune system.

23 Jul 2018

Scientists find reason why malarial parasites are faster than immune cells

Elementary cytoskeleton protein is different in parasites and represents a starting point for a possible new therapy against malaria infections.

20 Jul 2018

Dr Maddy Parsons receives Royal Microscopical Society Life Science Medal

Dr Maddy Parsons, a Group Leader in the Randall Division of Cell & Molecular Biophysics, has been awarded the Royal Microscopical Society Life Science Medal for her outstanding scientific contribution to applying microscopy in the field of cell biology.

20 Jul 2018

Cells form cage-like structures that trap viruses, find scientists

Scientists have shown that cells can form cage-like structures around viruses to trap them and prevent them from spreading to nearby cells.

19 Jun 2018

Researchers discover how the heart becomes fully developed

Researchers have discovered how the heart develops from a simple tube into its characteristic S-shape and forms ventricles and atria.

4 Jun 2018

MDC researchers provide new insights on embryonic heart development

When it first starts to develop, the heart is a simple tube. Reporting in the journal Nature Communications, researchers at MDC have now described how it forms itself into a its characteristic S-shape and how the ventricles and atria finally develop.

4 Jun 2018

Tau mutations may serve as novel risk factor for cancer

Mutations to the protein tau, commonly associated with neurodegenerative disorders, may serve as a novel risk factor for cancer, according to results published in Cancer Research, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

24 May 2018

Centrosome amplification may contribute to initiation of cancers, research suggests

Cells begin to accumulate centrosomes-;organelles that play a vital role during cell division-;before they transform into cancer cells, according to a new study of patients with Barrett's esophagus condition, which is associated with esophageal cancer.

8 May 2018

Study identifies new biomarker for early lung cancer diagnosis

High levels of cytoskeleton-associated protein 4 (CKAP4) have been identified in the blood of patients with lung cancer.

8 May 2018

UCLA researchers report promising drug strategy to block tau transmission

Alzheimer's disease destroys brain cells in part by promoting the formation of insoluble clumps that contain a protein called tau.

3 May 2018

Researchers discover new gene associated with aortic aneurysms

An interdisciplinary team of researchers has identified a new gene linked to human aortic aneurysms. By combining comprehensive genetic studies in the fruit fly, dataset searches and analysis of diseased human aortic tissue, the researchers shed light on mechanisms not previously known to be associated with this devastating disease.

24 Apr 2018