Functional independence measure for elderly patients undergoing aortic valve replacement.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the Functional Independence Measure to assess preoperative frailty for elderly patients undergoing surgical aortic valve replacement.

Methods: Eighty-five patients >65 years who survived elective isolated aortic valve replacement from January 2008 to October 2015 were included. The mean age at the operation was 78 ± 6 years old (n = 28 males, n = 57 females).

PCTK1 regulates integrin-dependent spindle orientation via protein kinase A regulatory subunit KAP0 and myosin X.

Integrin-dependent cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) adhesion is a determinant of spindle orientation. However, the signaling pathways that couple integrins to spindle orientation remain elusive. Here, we show that PCTAIRE-1 kinase (PCTK1), a member of the cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) whose function is poorly characterized, plays an essential role in this process.

Pregnenolone functions in centriole cohesion during mitosis.

Cell division is controlled by a multitude of protein enzymes, but little is known about roles of metabolites in this mechanism. Here, we show that pregnenolone (P5), a steroid that is produced from cholesterol by the steroidogenic enzyme Cyp11a1, has an essential role in centriole cohesion during mitosis. During prometa-metaphase, P5 is accumulated around the spindle poles.

Inhibition of endocytic vesicle fusion by Plk1-mediated phosphorylation of vimentin during mitosis.

Endocytic vesicle fusion is inhibited during mitosis, but the molecular pathways that mediate the inhibition remain unclear. Here we uncovered an essential role of Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) in this mechanism. Phosphoproteomic analysis revealed that Plk1 phosphorylates the intermediate filament protein vimentin on Ser459, which is dispensable for its filament formation but is necessary for the inhibition of endocytic vesicle fusion in mitosis.