Eukaryotic cells extend a variety of surface protrusions to direct cell motility. Formation of protrusions is mediated by coordinated actions between the plasma membrane and the underlying actin cytoskeleton. Here, we found that the single calponin homology (CH) domain-containing protein CHDP-1 induces the formation of cell protrusions in C. elegans. CHDP-1 is anchored to the cortex through its...

One of the ways in which Fundulus deep cells move in vivo is by putting out long, fingerlike protrusions. This involves a change in the shape of the cell as a whole, with cytoplasmic flow, and is not just a local phenomenon. Moreover, particles on the cell surface move toward a protrusion as it is forming, suggesting surface flow. The role of surface flow is discussed both on a grown level and ...

This paper reports the use of rubber—Polybutadiene as an intermediate adhesive layer for improving the adhesion between polyimide (PI) and silicone polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) which is required for a reliable fabrication of flexible/stretchable body patches for various applications. The adhesive bond initiated by the butyl rubber (BR), apart from being extremely strong, is also chemically resis...

Kazakh dandelion (Taraxacum kok-saghyz, Tk) is a rubber-producing plant currently being investigated as a source of natural rubber for industrial applications. Like many other isoprenoids, rubber is a downstream product of the mevalonate pathway. The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGR) enzyme catalyzes the conversion of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA to mevalonic acid, a key regulat...

PURPOSE To elucidate the proteins required for specialized small interlocking protrusions and large paddle domains at lens fiber cell tricellular junctions (vertices), we developed a novel method to immunostain single lens fibers and studied changes in cell morphology due to loss of tropomodulin 1 (Tmod1), an F-actin pointed end-capping protein. METHODS We investigated F-actin and F-actin-bin...

The concept of a ‘‘bound rubber’’ phase extending over nanometre-scale distances from the interface of rubber-particle nanocomposites is generally accepted. However, the thickness and elastic properties of this interphase have not been confirmed by direct experimental observation. Here, we demonstrate the existence of bound rubber in hydrogenated nitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR)–carbon black com...

The occurence of paralysis of a lower limb of the mother after labour was first described at least 120 years ago (von Basedow, 1838). The condition is uncommon, Beattie (1933) reporting an incidence of less than 1 in 2,500 deliveries. This "maternal obstetrical palsy", as it has been named, has usually been considered to result from injury to the lumbosacral plexus occasioned by the foetal head...

Arp2/3 is a protein complex that nucleates actin filament assembly in the lamellipodium in adherent cells crawling on planar 2-dimensional (2D) substrates. However, in physiopathological situations, cell migration typically occurs within a 3-dimensional (3D) environment, and little is known about the role of Arp2/3 and associated proteins in 3D cell migration. Using time resolved live-cell imag...

The signals that initiate cell invasion are not well understood, but there is increasing evidence that extracellular physical signals play an important role. Here we show that epithelial cell invasion in the intestine of zebrafish meltdown (mlt) mutants arises in response to unregulated contractile tone in the surrounding smooth muscle cell layer. Physical signaling in mlt drives formation of m...