MELK is a serine/threonine kinase involved in several cell processes, including the cell cycle, proliferation, apoptosis and mRNA processing. However, its function remains elusive. Here, we explored its role in the Xenopus early embryo and show by knockdown that xMELK (Xenopus MELK) is necessary for completion of cell division. Consistent with a role in cell division, endogenous xMELK accumulates at the equatorial cortex of anaphase blastomeres. Its relocalization is highly dynamic and correlates with a conformational rearrangement in xMELK. Overexpression of xMELK leads to failure of cytokinesis and impairs accumulation at the division furrow of activated RhoA - a pivotal regulator of cytokinesis. Furthermore, endogenous xMELK associates and colocalizes with the cytokinesis organizer anillin. Unexpectedly, our study reveals a transition in the mode of cytokinesis correlated to cell size and that implicates xMELK. Collectively, our findings disclose the importance of xMELK in cytokinesis during early development and show that the mechanism of cytokinesis changes during Xenopus early development.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jcs.069567 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
AI-Driven Innovations for Early Sepsis Detection by Combining Predictive Accuracy With Blood Count Analysis in an Emergency Setting: Retrospective Study.
J Med Internet Res
January 2025
Division of Clinical Pathology, Department of Pathology, Tri-Service General Hospital, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan.
Background: Sepsis, a critical global health challenge, accounted for approximately 20% of worldwide deaths in 2017. Although the Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score standardizes the diagnosis of organ dysfunction, early sepsis detection remains challenging due to its insidious symptoms. Current diagnostic methods, including clinical assessments and laboratory tests, frequently lack the speed and specificity needed for timely intervention, particularly in vulnerable populations such as older adults, intensive care unit (ICU) patients, and those with compromised immune systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOne hundred thirty-four germ line PU.1 variants and the agammaglobulinemic patients carrying them.
Blood
January 2025
Division of Immunology and Allergy, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia; Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine; Institute for Immunology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States.
Leukopoiesis is lethally arrested in mice lacking the master transcriptional regulator PU.1. Depending on the animal model, subtotal PU.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNK cell exhaustion in Wilson's disease revealed by single-cell RNA sequencing predicts the prognosis of cholecystitis.
Elife
December 2024
Department of Cadre Cardiology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China.
Metabolic abnormalities associated with liver disease have a significant impact on the risk and prognosis of cholecystitis. However, the underlying mechanism remains to be elucidated. Here, we investigated this issue using Wilson's disease (WD) as a model, which is a genetic disorder characterized by impaired mitochondrial function and copper metabolism.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSulfur dioxide exposure of mice induces peribronchiolar fibrosis-A defining feature of deployment-related constrictive bronchiolitis.
PLoS One
January 2025
Research Service and Pulmonary Section Medical Service, Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Health System, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States of America.
Deployment-related constrictive bronchiolitis (DRCB) has emerged as a health concern in military personnel returning from Southwest Asia. Exposure to smoke from a fire at the Al-Mishraq sulfur enrichment facility and/or burn pits was reported by a subset of Veterans diagnosed with this disorder. DRCB is characterized by thickening and fibrosis of small airways (SA) in the lung, but whether these are related to toxin inhalation remains uncertain.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhase angle in bioelectrical impedance analysis for assessing congestion in acute heart failure.
PLoS One
January 2025
Cardiovascular Center, Division of Cardiology, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Background: The phase angle (PhA) in bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) reflects the cell membrane integrity or body fluid equilibrium. We examined how the PhA aligns with previously known markers of acute heart failure (HF) and assessed its value as a screening tool.
Methods: PhA was measured in 50 patients with HF and 20 non-HF controls along with the edema index (EI), another BIA parameter suggestive of edema.
Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!