The exocyst complex and intracellular vesicles mediate soluble protein trafficking to the primary cilium.

The efficient transport of proteins into the primary cilium is a crucial step for many signaling pathways. Dysfunction of this process can lead to the disruption of signaling cascades or cilium assembly, resulting in developmental disorders and cancer. Previous studies on the protein delivery to the cilium were mostly focused on the membrane-embedded receptors.

Forced Remyelination Promotes Axon Regeneration in a Rat Model of Spinal Cord Injury.

Spinal cord injuries result in the loss of motor and sensory functions controlled by neurons located at the site of the lesion and below. We hypothesized that experimentally enhanced remyelination supports axon preservation and/or growth in the total spinal cord transection in rats. Multifocal demyelination was induced by injection of ethidium bromide (EB), either at the time of transection or twice during transection and at 5 days post-injury.

Xpo7 negatively regulates Hedgehog signaling by exporting Gli2 from the nucleus.

Dynamic bidirectional transport between the nucleus and the cytoplasm is critical for the regulation of many transcription factors, whose levels inside the nucleus must be tightly controlled. Efficient shuttling across the nuclear membrane is especially crucial with regard to the Hedgehog (Hh) pathway, where the transcriptional signal depends on the fine balance between the amounts of Gli protein activator and repressor forms in the nucleus. The nuclear export machinery prevents the unchecked nuclear accumulation of Gli proteins, but the mechanistic insight into this process is limited.

Csf1 Deficiency Dysregulates Glial Responses to Demyelination and Disturbs CNS White Matter Remyelination.

Remyelination, a highly efficient central nervous system (CNS) regenerative process, is performed by oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), which are recruited to the demyelination sites and differentiate into mature oligodendrocytes to form a new myelin sheath. Microglia, the specialized CNS-resident phagocytes, were shown to support remyelination through secretion of factors stimulating OPC recruitment and differentiation, and their pharmacological depletion impaired remyelination. Macrophage colony-stimulating factor (Csf1) has been implicated in the control of recruitment and polarization of microglia/macrophages in injury-induced CNS inflammation.

Gli Proteins: Regulation in Development and Cancer.

Gli proteins are transcriptional effectors of the Hedgehog signaling pathway. They play key roles in the development of many organs and tissues, and are deregulated in birth defects and cancer. We review the molecular mechanisms of Gli protein regulation in mammals, with special emphasis on posttranslational modifications and intracellular transport.