Multicolor Tracking of Molecular Motors at Nanometer Resolution.

Molecular motors move processively along cytoskeletal filaments by stepping of their motor domains (MDs). Observation of how the MDs step relative to each other reveals the mechanism of motor processivity and various gating mechanisms used by motors to coordinate the catalytic cycles of their MDs. This chapter will discuss developments in simultaneous observation of the stepping motions of the two MDs of processive motors using two-color single-particle tracking microscopy.

Investigating the P53-dependent anti-cancer effect of ibutamoren in human cancer cell lines.

The MDM2-p53 pathway plays a pivotal role in regulating cell cycle and apoptosis, with its dysfunction contributing to approximately 50% of human malignancies. MDM2, an E3 ubiquitin ligase, targets the tumour suppressor p53 for degradation, thereby promoting uncontrolled cell growth in cancers. Inhibiting the MDM2-p53 interaction represents a promising therapeutic strategy for reactivating p53's tumour-suppressive functions.

Structural and functional insights into activation and regulation of the dynein-dynactin-NuMA complex.

During cell division, NuMA orchestrates the focusing of microtubule minus-ends in spindle poles and cortical force generation on astral microtubules by interacting with dynein motors, microtubules, and other cellular factors. Here we used in vitro reconstitution, cryo-electron microscopy, and live cell imaging to understand the mechanism and regulation of NuMA. We determined the structure of the processive dynein/dynactin/NuMA complex (DDN) and showed that the NuMA N-terminus drives dynein motility in vitro and facilitates dynein-mediated transport in live cells.