Skip to Main Content

Advertisement

Skip Nav Destination

Issues

Article

In the early Drosophila embryo, germband extension requires positional switches of neighboring epithelial cells through remodeling of cell–cell junctions. Linvill et al. find that junctions systematically rotate from a horizontal towards a vertical orientation. During this process, rotating interfaces acquire myosin and newly initialized contractile identities, which allows for multiple rounds of intercalation.

This study identifies a specific role for ceramide synthase 4 (CerS4) in cell fate regulation. Epidermis-specific deletion of CerS4 prevents development of the adult hair follicle bulge stem cell compartment due to altered differentiation trajectories, resulting in hair loss and impairment in skin barrier.

This study reveals a novel role of VPS41 in cellular trafficking, showing that it recruits biosynthetic LAMP carriers in a process dependent on the small GTPase Arl8b. These findings enhance our understanding of the function of VPS41 and Arl8b beyond their role in endosome–lysosome fusion.

Leon-Diaz et al. visualize the translation of retroviral genomic RNA at the single-molecule level within cells. They discover that a minority of transcripts undergo rapid and efficient translation and that viral polysomes are located at the cell periphery, revealing spatial and temporal regulation of translation.

MacTaggart et al. identify an ATE1-dependent arginylation site at E77 of α-tubulin and show that this modification regulates the binding of MAP1S to microtubules. Deletion of Ate1 or overexpression of non-arginylatable α-tubulin results in increased MAP1S binding and reduced microtubule dynamics.

Zhai et al. identify TBC1D20 as a novel GTPase-activating protein (GAP) for Rab11, highlighting its significant role in regulating ciliogenesis through the trafficking of ciliary vesicles and the remodeling of actin around the centrosome.

North et al. define the LC3-interacting region (LIR) of NBR1 as a multifunctional binding site that recruits ATG8 proteins, FIP200, and TAX1BP1 to drive autophagic flux. Subsequent analysis of >100 LIRs highlights these motifs as key protein interaction hotspots, shedding new light on autophagy regulation.

Using microscopy-based in vitro reconstitutions, Colombo et al. show that NuMA is a mitotic dynein adaptor that binds and caps microtubule minus ends, explaining how dynein, NuMA, dynactin, and Lis1 focus microtubule minus ends at mitotic spindle poles.

Tools

This study reveals the structure of F-tractin, a widely used peptide for visualizing the actin cytoskeleton, and introduces an optimized version that minimizes disruptions to actin organization. By comparing F-tractin to Lifeact, the authors highlight their similar binding modes, providing guidance for selecting actin-binding probes.

Close Modal

or Create an Account

Close Modal
Close Modal