#cellular migration

Set these “satellites” on their mighty wings: pity Wingless is so “sticky” to forbid the messenger to take off

WNT messenger proteins are crucial for a variety of cellular functions. WNT signaling is crucial for the development of organisms and the maintenance of tissue homeostasis, as WNT messengers are involved in a variety of cellular functions. In skeletal muscle, for example, they can increase muscle mass and improve regeneration. Wnt signaling plays a crucial role during the development and…

Wanna understand how’s working the gate? Keep Calhm and watch the inside

Many cells are covered with mysterious large holes, pores that have been associated with the sense of taste as well as Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and even asthma. Knowing the structure of these varied holes will help researchers better understand this range of associations and provide a blueprint for developing new therapies. As described recently in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology,…

Have you ever thought about how cells migrate? At the theoretical level, movement of cells requires the conversion of stored chemical energy into mechanical energy. Though actin polymerization produces a force, which can be transmitted through the plasma membrane to integrins, the actual role of this transmission relative to cellular movement was unknown.

SBGrid member Timothy Springer and other researchers have been working to better understand how this actin polymerization plays a role in integrin activation in order to connect the molecular events to cellular migration for T cells. In order to study integrin activity, they used a fluorescent tension-sensing form of integrin. Consequently, the researchers were able to quantitatively determine that tension and integrin activity are linked and that the activation of integrin depends on actin polymerization within the cell. In short, actin polymerization within T cells produces tension within the beta-2 subunit, causing the activation of integrin. Since integrin is bound to extracellular ligands, this allows T cells to migrate in a highly coordinated manner using complex cellular mechanisms.