Mitosis can drive cell cannibalism through entosis.

Entosis is a form of epithelial cell cannibalism that is prevalent in human cancer, typically triggered by loss of matrix adhesion. Here, we report an alternative mechanism for entosis in human epithelial cells, driven by mitosis. Mitotic entosis is regulated by Cdc42, which controls mitotic morphology.

Diverse roles of guanine nucleotide exchange factors in regulating collective cell migration.

Efficient collective migration depends on a balance between contractility and cytoskeletal rearrangements, adhesion, and mechanical cell-cell communication, all controlled by GTPases of the RHO family. By comprehensive screening of guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) in human bronchial epithelial cell monolayers, we identified GEFs that are required for collective migration at large, such as SOS1 and β-PIX, and RHOA GEFs that are implicated in intercellular communication. Down-regulation of the latter GEFs differentially enhanced front-to-back propagation of guidance cues through the monolayer and was mirrored by down-regulation of RHOA expression and myosin II activity.

Seeds of Locally Aligned Motion and Stress Coordinate a Collective Cell Migration.

We find how collective migration emerges from mechanical information transfer between cells. Local alignment of cell velocity and mechanical stress orientation-a phenomenon dubbed "plithotaxis"-plays a crucial role in inducing coordinated migration. Leader cells at the monolayer edge better align velocity and stress to migrate faster toward the open space.

Ciliary transition zone activation of phosphorylated Tctex-1 controls ciliary resorption, S-phase entry and fate of neural progenitors.

Primary cilia are displayed during the G(0)/G(1) phase of many cell types. Cilia are resorbed as cells prepare to re-enter the cell cycle, but the causal and molecular link between these two cellular events remains unclear. We show that Tctex-1 phosphorylated at Thr 94 is recruited to ciliary transition zones before S-phase entry and has a pivotal role in both ciliary disassembly and cell cycle progression.

Identification of the Tctex-1 regulatory element that directs expression to neural stem/progenitor cells in developing and adult brain.

Previous studies showed that Tctex-1 immunoreactivity is selectively enriched in the germinal zones of adult brain. In this report we identify a regulatory region of the Tctex-1 gene that is capable of directing transgenic expression of green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter that recapitulates the spatial and temporal expression pattern of endogenous Tctex-1. This construct specifically targeted expression to the nestin(+)/Pax6(+)/GLAST(+) radial glial cells and Tbr2(+) intermediate progenitors when the reporter construct was delivered to developing mouse neocortex via in utero electroporation.

6,8-Di-C-glycosyl flavonoids from Dendrobium huoshanense.

Dendrobium huoshanense is a valued herbal plant used in traditional Chinese medicine. Fractionation of the water-soluble part of D. huoshanense by repeated chromatography culminated in the isolation of four new 6,8-di-C-glycosyl flavones (1-4), in addition to seven known compounds, comprising malic acid, dimethyl malate, N-phenylacetamide, isopentyl butyrate, salicylic acid, shikimic acid, and isoschaftoside.

Induction of centrosome amplification during arsenite-induced mitotic arrest in CGL-2 cells.

Arsenite-induced mitotic abnormalities result in mitotic death in several cancer cell lines. However, how arsenite induces these effects is not known. We have previously shown that arsenite induces mitotic arrest, mitotic abnormalities, and mitotic death in CGL-2 cells.

The effects of Lactobacillus-fermented milk on lipid metabolism in hamsters fed on high-cholesterol diet.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of local Lactobacillus strains (NTU 101 and 102) on cholesterol-lowering effects in vivo. Thirty male hamsters were housed, divided into five groups, and fed on a cholesterol diet (5 g/kg diet) to induce hypercholesterolemia. Milk fermented by Lactobacillus paracasei subsp.