biosights

Chipping away at the problems of cardiac stem cell therapy

Though stem cells transplanted into heart attack patients can develop into cardiomyocytes and integrate with undamaged host tissue, preclinical studies and clinical trials have only shown limited improvements in cardiac function. Using a simplified, in vitro, "muscle on-a-chip" system, Aratyn-Schaus et al. reveal that mechanical forces aren't transmitted efficiently between weaker, stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes and stronger, more mature host cells. This biosights episode presents the paper by Aratyn-Schaus et al. from the February 15th, 2016, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with one of the paper's co-first authors, Francesco Pasqualini (Harvard University, Cambridge, MA). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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P-cadherin provides the driving force for collective cell migration

Collective cell migration is an important process in normal development, wound repair, and tumor metastasis. Plutoni et al. reveal that the cell adhesion molecule P-cadherin promotes collective cell migration via the small GTPase Cdc42, inducing cell polarization and increasing the strength and orientation of mechanical forces. This biosights episode presents the paper by Plutoni et al. from the January 18th, 2016, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with the paper's senior author, Cécile Gauthier-Rouvière (Centre de Recherche de Biochimie Macromoléculaire, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Montpellier, France). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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How catastrophes help oocytes avoid disaster

During meiosis, oocytes must attach homologous chromosomes to opposite spindle poles, but the cells take several hours to assemble a bipolar spindle. Gluszek et al. reveal that, in Drosophila oocytes, the microtubule catastrophe–promoting protein Sentin delays the formation of stable kinetochore–microtubule attachments until spindle assembly is complete, thereby preventing homologous chromosomes from incorrectly attaching to the same spindle pole. This biosights episode presents the paper by Głuszek et al. from the December 21st, 2015, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with the paper's senior author, Hiroyuki Ohkura (University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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Cells migrate on the crest of a wave

Cells move through complex 3D environments in vivo, but studying 3D modes of migration in vitro remains a major challenge. Guetta-Terrier et al. examine the movement of cells along suspended nanofibers that mimic 3D fibrillar matrices and find that their migration is guided by fin-like protrusions that propagate away from the cell body to extend the leading edge. This biosights episode presents the paper by Guetta-Terrier et al. from the November 9th, 2015, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with the paper's corresponding authors, Benoit Ladoux (National University of Singapore and Institut Jacques Monod, Paris, France) and Nils Gauthier (National University of Singapore). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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The Rockefeller University Press [email protected]

CLIP-170 tips its hand in viral transport

After entering a cell, many viruses move toward the nucleus by binding to the microtubule-based motor protein dynein. Jovasevic et al. reveal, however, that herpes simplex virus must first associate with the plus ends of microtubules in a process that requires the dynein accessory factor dynactin and the plus end tracking proteins EB1 and CLIP-170. This biosights episode presents the paper by Jovasevic et al. from the October 26th, 2015, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with the paper's corresponding author, Derek Walsh (Northwestern University, Chicago, IL). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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Maintaining the link between spindle and furrow position

The cytokinetic cleavage furrow must be carefully aligned with the spindle midzone during asymmetric cell division. Pacquelet et al. discover a pathway that maintains the connection between spindle and furrow position in one-cell C. elegans embryos by inhibiting the accumulation of myosin at the anterior cortex during cytokinesis. This biosights episode presents the paper by Pacquelet et al. from the September 28, 2015, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with the paper's corresponding author, Anne Pacquelet (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique and Institut de Génétique et Développement de Rennes, France). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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The Rockefeller University Press [email protected]

Pushing the envelope on spindle assembly

During mitosis, numerous proteins accumulate around the mitotic spindle to help it assemble and segregate sister chromatids correctly. Schweizer et al. reveal that a membranous spindle envelope facilitates the accumulation of these proteins by excluding large organelles from the spindle region. This biosights episode presents the paper by Schweizer et al. from the August 31st, 2015, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with the paper's senior author, Helder Maiato (University of Porto, Porto, Portugal). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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Endocytosis brings closure to epithelial wounds

Epithelial cells bordering a wound respond by forming two types of actin-based structure: dynamic membrane protrusions that help the cells crawl into the wound and/or seal it and an actomyosin cable that encircles the wound and closes it like a purse string. Matsubayashi et al. reveal that the endocytic remodeling of intercellular adherens junctions promotes Drosophila epidermal wound healing by coordinating the activity of multiple actin regulators at the wound edge. This biosights episode presents the paper by Matsubayashi et al. from the August 3rd, 2015, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with the paper's senior author, Tom Millard (University of Manchester, Manchester, UK). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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Interphase centrosomes flare up

Centrosomes undergo dramatic changes in size and structure during the rapid cell cycles of early Drosophila embryos. Lerit et al. reveal that a scaffold formed by the proteins centrosomin and PLP is required to maintain the activity of interphase centrosomes, which is essential for nuclear spacing and proper chromosome segregation. This biosights episode presents the paper by Lerit et al. from the July 6th, 2015, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with two of the paper's authors, Dorothy Lerit and Nasser Rusan (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Bethesda, MD). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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Melanosomal cargoes BLOC'd off from alternate routes

The BLOC-2 complex contains three subunits encoded by genes mutated in Hermansky-Pudlak syndrome, a disease caused by defects in the trafficking pathways that form melanosomes and other lysosome-related organelles. Dennis et al. reveal that the BLOC-2 complex promotes the delivery of melanosomal cargo by targeting recycling endosomal tubules to maturing melanosomes. This biosights episode presents the paper by Dennis et al. from the May 25, 2015, issue of The Journal of Cell Biology and includes an interview with one of the paper's senior authors, Michael Marks (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA). Produced by Caitlin Sedwick and Ben Short. See the associated paper in JCB for details on the funding provided to support this original research.

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The Rockefeller University Press [email protected]