Actin assembly supplies the structural framework for cell morphology and migration. Beyond structure, this actin framework can also be engaged to drive biochemical signaling programs. Here, we describe how the hyperactivation of Rac1 via the P29S mutation (Rac1) in melanoma hijacks branched actin network assembly to coordinate proliferative cues that facilitate metastasis and drug resistance. Upon growth challenge, Rac1-harboring melanoma cells massively upregulate lamellipodia formation by dendritic actin polymerization. These extended lamellipodia form a signaling microdomain that sequesters and phospho-inactivates the tumor suppressor NF2/Merlin, driving Rac1 cell proliferation in growth suppressive conditions. These biochemically active lamellipodia require cell-substrate attachment but not focal adhesion assembly and drive proliferation independently of the ERK/MAPK pathway. These data suggest a critical link between cell morphology and cell signaling and reconcile the dichotomy of Rac1's regulation of both proliferation and actin assembly by revealing a mutual signaling axis wherein actin assembly drives proliferation in melanoma.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2019.04.007 | DOI Listing |
J Control Release
January 2025
Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 211198, China. Electronic address:
Liver fibrosis is a prevalent liver disease associated with significant morbidity, and the activation of hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) serves as the primary causative factor driving the progression of liver fibrosis. However, capillarization of liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (LSECs) induced by hepatic fibrosis can reduce nitric oxide (NO) production and bioavailability, which consequently loses the ability to retain HSCs dormant, leading to amplified HSCs activation. Herein, an elaborate micelle (VN-M@BN) loaded with benazepril (BN) was constructed by self-assembly of polymeric NO donor, aiming for the controlled release of NO in liver fibrosis lesions thereby impeding the progression of liver fibrosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Chem Biol
January 2025
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
Nucleoside triphosphate (NTP)-dependent protein assemblies such as microtubules and actin filaments have inspired the development of diverse chemically fueled molecular machines and active materials but their functional sophistication has yet to be matched by design. Given this challenge, we asked whether it is possible to transform a natural adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP)-dependent enzyme into a dissipative self-assembling system, thereby altering the structural and functional mode in which chemical energy is used. Here we report that FtsH (filamentous temperature-sensitive protease H), a hexameric ATPase involved in membrane protein degradation, can be readily engineered to form one-dimensional helical nanotubes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGene
January 2025
College of Biotechnology, Jiangsu University of Science and Technology, Zhenjiang 212100, China; Sericulture Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Zhenjiang 212100, China. Electronic address:
Nosema bombycis, the causative agent of pebrine disease, poses a significant threat to the silkworm industry due to its negative impact on silkworm health and productivity. The chaperonin-containing tailless complex polypeptide (CCT) plays a crucial role in protein folding, and its β subunit (CCTβ) is essential for the proper folding of cytoskeletal proteins, such as actin and tubulin. In this study, we cloned and expressed the NbCCTβ gene from N.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCurr Biol
January 2025
Department of Biology, Rosenstiel Basic Medical Science Research Center, Brandeis University, 415 South Street, Waltham, MA 02454, USA. Electronic address:
In vivo functions of the septin and actin cytoskeletons are closely intertwined, yet the mechanisms underlying septin-actin crosstalk have remained poorly understood. Here, we show that the yeast-bud-neck-associated Fes/CIP4 homology Bar-amphiphysin-Rvs (F-BAR) protein suppressor of yeast profilin 1 (Syp1)/FCHo uses its intrinsically disordered region (IDR) to directly bind and bundle filamentous actin (F-actin) and to physically link septins and F-actin. Interestingly, the only other F-BAR protein found at the neck during bud development, Hof1, has related activities and also potently inhibits the bud-neck-associated formin Bnr1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTheriogenology
January 2025
Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Local Livestock and Poultry, Genetical Resource Conservation and Breeding, College of Animal Science and Technology, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China. Electronic address:
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