Publications by authors named "Ming Hwa Wong"
Fusion of mononucleated myoblasts to generate multinucleated myotubes is a critical step in skeletal muscle development. Filopodia, the actin cytoskeleton based membrane protrusions, have been observed early during myoblast fusion, indicating that they could play a direct role in myogenic differentiation. The control of filopodia formation in myoblasts remains poorly understood.
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- Vrp1p and Las17p are two proteins in yeast that work together but can also do important jobs separately.
- Some parts of Vrp1p are really important for it to connect with Las17p, and if those parts are changed, Vrp1p can’t work properly.
- Even though Vrp1p and Las17p help each other, they can still do many cellular tasks on their own, but they need to stick together to help keep actin patches organized when it gets hot.
Article Synopsis
- Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is linked to mutations in the WASP protein, especially within its WH1 domain, which is crucial for binding to the WASP-interacting protein (WIP).
- Research using a yeast strain lacking Las17p (a yeast version of WASP) revealed that 13 out of 52 analyzed missense mutations in WASP couldn't restore growth, indicating they may directly contribute to WAS in humans.
- Most problematic mutations were found in the WH1 domain, suggesting they disrupt the interaction between WASP and WIP, while mutations outside this domain don't affect the binding but may still alter the function of the complex.
The actin cytoskeleton plays a central role in many important cellular processes such as cell polarization, cell division and endocytosis. The dynamic changes to the actin cytoskeleton that accompany these processes are regulated by actin-associated proteins Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome Protein (WASP) (known as Las17p in yeast) and WASP-Interacting Protein (WIP) (known as Vrp1p in yeast). Both yeast and human WASP bind to and stimulate the Arp2/3 complex which in turn nucleates assembly of actin monomers into filaments at polarized sites at the cortex.
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