Bacteria derive and maintain a variety of shapes that carry selective benefits. The shapes are usually defined by a mechanically stiff exoskeletal cell wall -- a macro-molecular network of peptidoglycan. The growth of such a network is catalyzed by transglycosylases and transpeptidases, and various cell-wall remodeling enzymes further digest and process the network. To maintain the overall cell...

The organization and dynamics of the actin cytoskeleton play key roles in many aspects of plant cell development. The actin cytoskeleton responds to internal developmental cues and environmental signals and is involved in cell division, subcellular organelle movement, cell polarity and polar cell growth. The tip-growing pollen tubes provide an ideal model system to investigate fundamental mecha...

The force generated by the actomyosin cytoskeleton controls focal adhesion dynamics during cell migration. This process is thought to involve the mechanical unfolding of talin to expose cryptic vinculin-binding sites. However, the ability of the actomyosin cytoskeleton to directly control the formation of a talin-vinculin complex and the resulting activity of the complex are not known. Here we ...

The actin cytoskeleton is crucial for maintaining the morphology of many cells and for dynamic processes, such as cell migration. Thus, there is much interest in the internal and external cues that control actin dynamics. Small GTPases, such as Rac and Cdc42 (and the factors that regulate them), orchestrate the remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton by modulating the activity of proteins that dir...

Neural synapses are intercellular asymmetrical junctions that transmit biochemical and biophysical information between a neuron and a target cell. They are very tight, dynamic, and well organized by many synaptic adhesion molecules, signaling receptors, ion channels, and their associated cytoskeleton that bear forces. Mechanical forces have been an emerging factor in regulating axon guidance an...

Many aspects of cytoskeletal assembly and dynamics can be recapitulated in vitro; yet, how the cytoskeleton integrates signals in vivo across cellular membranes is far less understood. Recent work has demonstrated that the membrane alone, or through membrane-associated proteins, can effect dynamic changes to the cytoskeleton, thereby impacting cell physiology. Having identified mechanistic link...

Metastasis is the primary cause of mortality and morbidity among cancer patients and accounts for about 90% of cancer deaths. The most common types of treatment for cancer metastasis are chemotherapy and radiotherapy. However, such therapy has many serious side effects that could diminish the quality of life in patients. There is increased appreciation by the scientific community that natural c...

Microtubule Affinity-Regulating Kinase 2 (MARK2) protein has a substantial role in regulation of vital cellular processes like induction of polarity, regulation of cell junctions, cytoskeleton structure and cell differentiation. The abnormal function of this protein has been associated with a number of pathological conditions like Alzheimer disease, autism, several carcinomas and development of...

The actin and microtubule (MT) cytoskeletons are vital structures for cell growth and development across all species. While individual molecular mechanisms underpinning actin and MT dynamics have been intensively studied, principles that govern the cytoskeleton organization remain largely unexplored. Here, we captured biologically relevant characteristics of the plant cytoskeleton through a net...

Septins are conserved GTP-binding proteins that associate with cellular membranes and the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons. They polymerize to form filamentous structures that act as diffusion barriers between different membrane domains and as molecular scaffolds for membrane- and cytoskeleton-binding proteins. In yeast, septins are central to the spatio-temporal coordination of membrane pol...