We investigate the proposal that integrins and focal adhesion kinase (FAK) form a complex that has structural and signaling functions in eggs. FAK protein is present in eggs and is phosphorylated at fertilization. pY(397)FAK localizes to the membrane 30 min after fertilization, which correlates with the expression of βC integrins and egg cortex development. The βC integrin and pY(397)FAK coimmu...

background: trichomonas vaginalis is the agent of urogenital tract infection that causes human trichomoniasis with some serious health complications. more understanding about genetic features of the parasite can be helpful in the study of the pathogenesis, drug susceptibility and epidemiology of the infection. for this end,we conducted analysis of the actin gene of t. vaginalis by applying the ...

The actin and microtubule networks form the dynamic cytoskeleton. Network dynamics is driven by molecular motors applying force onto the networks and the interactions between the networks. Here we assay the dynamics of centrosomes in the scale of seconds as a proxy for the movement of microtubule asters. With this assay we want to detect the role of specific motors and of network interaction. D...

The arrangement of the cortical actin cytoskeleton was studied, using fluorescence microscopy, in human and mouse oocytes. The study was focused on the distribution of filamentous actin (Factin) in the cortex region because our previous experiments have shown that the actin cytoskeleton has a high sensitivity to mechanical deformation of the cell during micromanipulation treatment. We found sev...

Long-range, directed migration is particularly dramatic in the cerebral cortex, where postmitotic neurons generated deep in the brain migrate to form layers with distinct form and function. In the X-linked dominant human disorder periventricular heterotopia (PH), many neurons fail to migrate and persist as nodules lining the ventricular surface. Females with PH present with epilepsy and other s...

Abstract Changes in the apparent moduli of cells have been reported to correlate with cell abnormalities and disease. Indentation is commonly used measure these moduli; however, there evidence suggest that indentation protocol employed affects measured moduli, which can affect our understanding how physiological conditions regulate mechanics. Most studies treat as a homogeneous material or simp...

Planar spindle orientation in polarized epithelial cells depends on the precise localization of the dynein-dynactin motor protein complex at the lateral cortex. The contribution of cell adhesion molecules to the cortical localization of the dynein-dynactin complex is poorly understood. Here we find that junctional adhesion molecule-A (JAM-A) regulates the planar orientation of the mitotic spind...

A new study of Cdc42p polarization in yeast suggests that the actin cytoskeleton can destabilize the polarity axis, causing Cdc42p foci to wander aimlessly around the cell cortex.

Astral microtubules (MTs) are known to be important for cleavage furrow induction and spindle positioning, and loss of astral MTs has been reported to increase cortical contractility. To investigate the effect of excess astral MT activity, we depleted the MT depolymerizer mitotic centromere-associated kinesin (MCAK) from HeLa cells to produce ultra-long, astral MTs during mitosis. MCAK depletio...

An interaction between actinand myosin-like proteins and its implication in cellular motilities have been suggested in a variety of cells other than muscle (reviewed by Taylor, 1972, and by Rebhun, 1972) . Actually, those proteins have been extracted and purified from certain kinds of cells . They may be located mainly in the cell cortex (Ishikawa et al ., 1969) . In sea urchin eggs, although a...