Filopodia are fine actin-based cellular projections used for both environmental sensing and cell motility, and they are essential organelles for metazoan cells. In this study we reconstruct the origin of metazoan filopodia and microvilli. We first report on the evolutionary assembly of the filopodial molecular toolkit and show that homologs of many metazoan filopodial components, including fasc...

MYC-nick is a cytoplasmic, transcriptionally inactive member of the MYC oncoprotein family, generated by a proteolytic cleavage of full-length MYC. MYC-nick promotes migration and survival of cells in response to chemotherapeutic agents or withdrawal of glucose. Here we report that MYC-nick is abundant in colonic and intestinal tumors derived from mouse models with mutations in the Wnt, TGF-β, ...

The small GTP-binding protein Rab25 is associated with tumor formation and progression. However, recent studies have shown discordant effects of Rab25 on cancer cell progression depending on cell lineage. In the present study, we elucidate the underlying mechanisms by which Rab25 induces cellular invasion. We demonstrate that Rab25 increases β1 integrin levels and subsequent activation of EGFR ...

Tremendous progress has been made in recent years towards the understanding, prevention and management of malignant disease, yet cancer remains a leading cause of global mortality and morbidity. Current approaches towards combating this disease include prevention, early detection and various treatment modalities. However, even with implementation of novel therapeutic options and preventative me...

Lethargic mitochondria are left out he proper processing of a mitochondrial fusion protein called Mgm1 depends on sufficient ATP, based on results from Herlan et al. (page 167). Mgm1's energy dependence may ensure that tired mitochondria get left behind. Mgm1 can be found in the mitochondrial intermembrane space in two forms, the shorter of which (s-Mgm1) is generated by protease cleavage of th...

Filopodia are fine actin-based cellular projections used for both environmental sensing and cell motility, and they are essential organelles for metazoan cells. In this study, we reconstruct the origin of metazoan filopodia and microvilli. We first report on the evolutionary assembly of the filopodial molecular toolkit and show that homologs of many metazoan filopodial components, including fas...

Filopodia are fine actin-based cellular projections used for both environmental sensing and cell motility, and they are essential organelles for metazoan cells. In this study, we reconstruct the origin of metazoan filopodia and microvilli. We first report on the evolutionary assembly of the filopodial molecular toolkit and show that homologs of many metazoan filopodial components, including fas...

Self organization mechanisms are essential for the cytoskeleton to adapt to the requirements of living cells. They rely on the intricate interplay of cytoskeletal filaments, crosslinking proteins and molecular motors. Here we present an in vitro minimal model system consisting of actin filaments, fascin and myosin-II filaments exhibiting pulsatile collective dynamics and superdiffusive transpor...