Focal adhesions are controlled by microtubules through local contractility regulation.

Microtubules regulate cell polarity and migration via local activation of focal adhesion turnover, but the mechanism of this process is insufficiently understood. Molecular complexes containing KANK family proteins connect microtubules with talin, the major component of focal adhesions. Here, local optogenetic activation of KANK1-mediated microtubule/talin linkage promoted microtubule targeting to an individual focal adhesion and subsequent withdrawal, resulting in focal adhesion centripetal sliding and rapid disassembly.

A pan-cancer analysis of matrisome proteins reveals CTHRC1 and a related network as major ECM regulators across cancers.

The extracellular matrix in the tumour microenvironment can regulate cancer cell growth and progression. A pan-cancer analysis of TCGA data from 30 cancer types, identified the top 5% of matrisome genes with amplifications or deletions in their copy number, that affect their expression and cancer survival. A similar analysis of matrisome genes in individual cancers identified CTHRC1 to be significantly altered.

Oxidative stress in erythrocytes of banked ABO blood.

Objective: To understand the responses of A, B, and O blood groups to oxidative stress (OS) induced through storage.

Methods: A, B, and O blood units were obtained from the blood bank at KIMS Hospital, Bangalore, and stored for 35 days at 4°C in citrate phosphate dextrose adenine-1 solution. Every fifth day, hemoglobin (Hb) was assessed in whole blood and erythrocytes were isolated from each group.