XMAP215 promotes microtubule catastrophe by disrupting the growing microtubule end.

The GTP-tubulin cap is widely accepted to protect microtubules against catastrophe. The GTP-cap size is thought to increase with the microtubule growth rate, presumably endowing fast-growing microtubules with enhanced stability. It is unknown what GTP-cap properties permit frequent microtubule catastrophe despite fast growth.

Collective effects of XMAP215, EB1, CLASP2, and MCAK lead to robust microtubule treadmilling.

Microtubule network remodeling is essential for fundamental cellular processes including cell division, differentiation, and motility. Microtubules are active biological polymers whose ends stochastically and independently switch between phases of growth and shrinkage. Microtubule treadmilling, in which the microtubule plus end grows while the minus end shrinks, is observed in cells; however, the underlying mechanisms are not known.

A comprehensive evaluation of Hippo pathway silencing in sarcomas.

TAZ and YAP are transcriptional coactivators negatively regulated by the Hippo pathway that have emerged as key oncoproteins in several cancers including sarcomas. We hypothesized that loss of expression of the Hippo kinases might be a mechanism of activating TAZ and YAP. By immunohistochemistry, TAZ/YAP activated clinical sarcoma samples demonstrated loss of MST1 (47%), MST2 (26%), LATS1 (19%), and LATS2 (27%).

TAZ and YAP are frequently activated oncoproteins in sarcomas.

TAZ (WWTR1) and YAP are transcriptional coactivators and oncoproteins inhibited by the Hippo pathway. Herein we evaluate 159 sarcomas representing the most prevalent sarcoma types by immunohistochemistry for expression and activation (nuclear localization) of TAZ and YAP. We show that 50% of sarcomas demonstrate activation of YAP while 66% of sarcomas demonstrate activated TAZ.

Poor Agreement on Classification and Treatment of Subscapularis Tendon Tears.

Purpose: To assess the inter- and intraobserver agreement for classification and management of subscapularis tendon pathology based on arthroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

Methods: Twenty-two orthopaedic surgeons from the Multicenter Orthopaedic Outcomes Network (MOON) shoulder group reviewed still arthroscopic and MRI images of the subscapularis tendon from patients with a random assortment of subscapularis morphology. The surgeons were asked to classify the pathology based on 2 systems (Lafosse and Lyons) and choose whether they would repair the tendon and, if so, the method of repair (open or arthroscopic).

Outcomes after shoulder replacement: comparison between reverse and anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty.

Background: Anatomic total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) and reverse total shoulder arthroplasty (RTSA) are increasingly common procedures employed to treat arthritic conditions. Although TSA is a widely accepted procedure for glenohumeral arthritis with intact rotator cuff, concerns about RTSA persist because of variable complication rates and outcomes.

Methods: This is a prospective, case-control study comparing outcomes and complications after TSA and RTSA.

Does fungal endophyte infection improve tall fescue's growth response to fire and water limitation?

Invasive species may owe some of their success in competing and co-existing with native species to microbial symbioses they are capable of forming. Tall fescue is a cool-season, non-native, invasive grass capable of co-existing with native warm-season grasses in North American grasslands that frequently experience fire, drought, and cold winters, conditions to which the native species should be better-adapted than tall fescue. We hypothesized that tall fescue's ability to form a symbiosis with Neotyphodium coenophialum, an aboveground fungal endophyte, may enhance its environmental stress tolerance and persistence in these environments.