The actin cytoskeleton and associated motor proteins provide the driving forces for establishing the astonishing morphological diversity and dynamics of mammalian cells. Aside from functions in protruding and contracting cell membranes for motility, differentiation or cell division, the actin cytoskeleton provides forces to shape and move intracellular membranes of organelles and vesicles. To establish the many different actin assembly functions required in time and space, actin nucleators are targeted to specific subcellular compartments, thereby restricting the generation of specific actin filament structures to those sites. Recent research has revealed that targeting and activation of actin filament nucleators, elongators and myosin motors are tightly coordinated by conserved protein complexes to orchestrate force generation. In this Cell Science at a Glance article and the accompanying poster, we summarize and discuss the current knowledge on the corresponding protein complexes and their modes of action in actin nucleation, elongation and force generation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1242/jcs.206433 | DOI Listing |
Medicine (Baltimore)
January 2025
Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Jeonbuk National University Hospital, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Republic of Korea.
Rationale: Aggressive angiomyxoma (AAM) is an exceptionally rare mesenchymal tumor that predominantly manifests in the female genital organs during the reproductive age. Its rarity alone makes it a fascinating subject for study. The diagnosis of AAM necessitates differentiation from other benign or mesenchymal tumors and can be confirmed through immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Parasitol
January 2025
Parasitology Department, Theodor Bilharz Research Institute, Giza, 12411, Egypt.
Background: The freshwater snails Biomphalaria alexandrina and Bulinus trancatus are key contributors to the transmission of S. mansoni and S.haematobium, respectively, for being their intermediate hosts.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeurogenetics
January 2025
Department of Pediatrics, Erciyes University, Faculty of Medicine, Kayseri, Turkey.
The cytoskeleton, composed of microtubules, intermediate filaments and actin filaments is vital for various cellular functions, particularly within the nervous system, where microtubules play a key role in intracellular transport, cell morphology, and synaptic plasticity. Tubulin-specific chaperones, including tubulin folding cofactors (TBCA, TBCB, TBCC, TBCD, TBCE), assist in the proper formation of α/β-tubulin heterodimers, essential for microtubule stability. Pathogenic variants in these chaperone-encoding genes, especially TBCD, have been linked to Progressive Encephalopathy with Brain Atrophy and Thin Corpus Callosum (PEBAT, OMIM #604,649), a severe neurodevelopmental disorder.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Cell Biol
April 2025
University of Pennsylvania, School of Veterinary Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Arginylation is the posttranslational addition of arginine to a protein by arginyltransferase-1 (ATE1). Previous studies have found that ATE1 targets multiple cytoskeletal proteins, and Ate1 deletion causes cytoskeletal defects, including reduced cell motility and adhesion. Some of these defects have been linked to actin arginylation, but the role of other arginylated cytoskeletal proteins has not been studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCells
January 2025
Department of Biochemistry, Dongguk University College of Medicine, 123 Dongdae-ro, Gyeongju 38066, Republic of Korea.
An actin-binding protein, known as Calponin 3 (CNN3), modulates the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton, a fundamental process for the maintenance of skeletal muscle homeostasis. Although the roles of CNN3 in actin remodeling have been established, its biological significance in myoblast differentiation remains largely unknown. This study investigated the functional significance of CNN3 in myogenic differentiation, along with its effects on actin remodeling and mechanosensitive signaling in C2C12 myoblasts.
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