New Twist on cell migration

New Twist on cell migration

New Twist on cell migration I nstead of packing the dishes and submitting a change of address form, a cell that is about to move replaces its surface proteins, revamps its cytoskeleton, and alters its shape. Lander et al. show that one enzyme serves as a master controller for this process. A cell’s pre-move preparations are referred to as the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Embryonic c...

Tumour Invasion: A New Twist on Rac-Driven Mesenchymal Migration

Elongated mesenchymal migration of cancer cells is driven by Rac1 activation mediated by the adaptor NEDD9 and the exchange factor DOCK3. A new study reports a role for the transcription factor Twist1 in inducing mesenchymal migration by relieving the suppression of NEDD9 and DOCK3 by the microRNA let-7i.

New twist on artificial muscles.

Lightweight artificial muscle fibers that can match the large tensile stroke of natural muscles have been elusive. In particular, low stroke, limited cycle life, and inefficient energy conversion have combined with high cost and hysteretic performance to restrict practical use. In recent years, a new class of artificial muscles, based on highly twisted fibers, has emerged that can deliver more ...

New View on Endothelial Cell Migration

INFLUENCE OF NERVE TISSUE-DERIVED NEUROTRANSMITTERS ON MAST CELL MIGRATION

In vitro culture systems using bone marrow cells from BALB/C mice were set up in medium supplemented with spleen-derived medium. Bone marrow cells grown in spleen-derived medium gave rise to cultures containing >97% mast cells. The cells were used in polarisation chemotaxis assays with the intention of determining the effect of nerve tissue-derived neurotransmitters on mast cell migration. ...