Cytoskeleton News and Research

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Appropriate level of Static Magnetic Field exposure for wound patients needs to be considered

The interest in the biological effects of non-ionizing Electro Magnetic Fields (EMFs) and Static Magnetic Fields (SMFs) on the whole organism, as well on cellular systems, has noticeably increased in recent years in consideration of their increased production (from the generation and transmission of electricity, to domestic appliances and industrial equipment, to telecommunications and broadcasting) and the possible health risk for humans.

4 Dec 2010

Diabetes drug may counteract against Alzheimer's disease: Research

Metformin, a drug used in type 2-diabetes might have the potential to also act against Alzheimer's disease. This has been shown in a study from scientists of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), the University of Dundee and the Max-Planck-Institute for Molecular Genetics.

24 Nov 2010

Researchers explain nano-topographical responsiveness of stem cells

Many scientists aspire to take control over the stem cell differentiation process, so that we can grow organs and implants perfectly matched to each patient in the future. Now research in the Journal of Tissue Engineering, published by SAGE-Hindawi, explains how engineering the topography on which stem cells grow, and the mechanical forces working on them, can be as powerful an agent for change as their chemical environment.

8 Oct 2010

LIMK inhibition blocks collective invasion of tumor cells: Researchers

Researchers have shown that LIM kinase, an important regulator of actin cytoskeleton dynamics, plays a key role in cancer metastasis. The study appears online on September 27 in The Journal of Cell Biology www.jcb.org.

28 Sep 2010

Protein zyxin necessary for maintenance and repair of cell's cytoskeleton

Researchers at Huntsman Cancer Institute (HCI) at the University of Utah have discovered that a protein, zyxin, is necessary for the maintenance and repair of the cell's cytoskeleton, or internal framework, which serves as the muscle and bone of the cell. The research has implications for cancer, as well as other diseases, since alterations in the cytoskeleton are often associated with disease. The research was published in the Sep. 14, 2010, issue of the journal Developmental Cell.

22 Sep 2010

Zyxin protein is critical to maintain and repair internal framework

22 Sep 2010

Structural component inside neurons dances when connections are strengthened

Scientists at Emory University School of Medicine have uncovered how a structural component inside neurons performs two coordinated dance moves when the connections between neurons are strengthened.

14 Sep 2010

University of California scientists identify new kinase that regulates cell proliferation, migration

Scientists at the University of California, San Diego have identified a previously unknown kinase that regulates cell proliferation, shape and migration, and may play a major role in the progression or metastasis of cancer cells.

1 Jun 2010

Over-expression of Stat5 protein leads to deadly spread of prostate cancer: Study

Researchers from the Kimmel Cancer Center at Jefferson have found that Stat5, a signaling protein previously found to be key to survival of prostate cancer, is also involved in metastasis.

20 May 2010

Nanotechnology for study of individual molecule interaction in live cells

A University of Alberta-led research team has taken a major step forward in understanding how T cells are activated in the course of an immune response by combining nanotechnology and cell biology. T cells are the all important trigger that starts the human body's response to infection.

29 Apr 2010

Study on primary cilia formation may lead to new therapies for ciliopathies

A team of scientists at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine have identified a network of genes that initiate and manage cilia formation. Although scientists have known about cilia for decades, only recently have they discovered their role in disease. This new discovery, which may lead to new therapies for ciliopathies, will appear in the April 15 edition of Nature.

16 Apr 2010

Enzyme can allow nerve cells in brain to grow and form complex networks: Study

Brain researcher Hiroshi Kawabe has discovered the workings of a process that had been completely overlooked until now, and that allows nerve cells in the brain to grow and form complex networks. The study shows that an enzyme which usually controls the destruction of protein components has an unexpected function in nerve cells: it controls the structure of the cytoskeleton and thus ensures that nerve cells can form the tree-like extensions that are necessary for signal transmission in the brain.

20 Feb 2010

Comprehensive review of cell migration

Cell migration is a highly complex process which involves several compartments of the cell, including surface receptors, signalling elements and the cytoskeleton.

23 Dec 2009

Study explains Salmonella's infection strategy

Salmonella are highly adaptive bacteria. They can live in the presence and absence of oxygen and thus propagate in the gut. The ingestion by humans occurs mainly via contaminated egg dishes such as mayonnaise or raw milk products as well as meat or sausages. Infections with Salmonella lead to severe diarrhea and fever, particularly in patients harbouring a compromised immune system.

17 Dec 2009

Scientists explore new strategies for treating neurodegenerative diseases

Studies with fruit flies have shown that the specialized nerve cells called neurons can rebuild themselves after injury.

7 Dec 2009

Portuguese scientists identify a molecular mechanism that can lead to metastases in breast cancers

Portuguese scientists identified a molecular mechanism that can lead to metastases (spread of the cancer from the original site to other remote parts of the body) in breast cancers. Abnormally high levels of P-cadherin - an adhesion molecule that enables cells to bind together - occur in about a third of all breast cancers and are associated with poor prognosis.

1 Dec 2009

Comprehensive investigation employing FRET to study amino acid transporter GAT1 reported

In the December 2009 issue of the Journal of General Physiology (www.jgp.org), Moss et al. report a comprehensive investigation employing F-rster resonance energy transfer (FRET) to study the {gamma}-amino acid (GABA) transporter GAT1, a member of the family that includes transporters for neurotransmitters dopamine (DAT), serotonin (SERT), norepinephrine (NET) and glycine (GlyT).

1 Dec 2009

MPI scientists identify mechanism that demonstrates immune cell movement on diverse surfaces

Scientists from the Max Planck Institute (MPI) of Biochemistry in Martinsried near Munich, Germany, have now deciphered the mechanism that illustrates how these mobile cells move on diverse surfaces. "Similar to a car, these cells have an engine, a clutch and wheels which provide the necessary friction," explains Michael Sixt, a research group leader at the MPI of Biochemistry.

18 Nov 2009

Cytoskeleton plays a critical role to bring chromosome pairs together: Study

Meiosis - the pairing and recombination of chromosomes, followed by segregation of half to each egg or sperm cell - is a major crossroads in all organisms reproducing sexually. Yet, how the cell precisely choreographs these chromosomal interactions is a long-standing question.

16 Nov 2009

Arizona State University researchers to use laws of physics for cancer research

Instead of killing cancer cells, researchers at Arizona State University will use the laws of physics to figure out how to control them. And, rather than treating cancer as a disease and seeking a cure, ASU scientists will view cancer cells as physical objects and study them the way a physicist would, using simple variables like temperature, pressure and force.

27 Oct 2009