Babli Adhikary, Alexander Chang, Atsuko Y. Higashi, Hideki Chiba, Ann L. Miller, Tomohito Higashi
Adhikary et al. show that PAK4 drives dynamic vertex remodeling in cells and embryos through spatiotemporal regulation of myosin II. Inhibition of PAK4 disrupts tissue packing and compromises junctional continuity and barrier function, indicating that PAK4 is essential for vertex remodeling to preserve tissue integrity.
Analeigha V. Colarusso, Alison C.E. Wirshing, Daniel J. Lew
Budding yeasts are thought to use septins to mark mother–bud necks as sites for cytokinesis. Here, Colarusso et al. find that the multibudding yeast Aureobasidium pullulans can position cytokinetic machinery at most bud necks even in the absence of septins, revealing a novel pathway to mark cytokinesis sites.
Darren R. Mallett, Mengqiu Jiang, Gianna M. Minnuto, Sue Biggins
Unattached kinetochores cluster in budding yeast to promote microtubule capture. Mallett et al. dissect the molecular mechanisms of this pathway, showing Mps1 kinase regulates an interaction between Stu1 and Slk19 to drive clustering.
Fan et al. reveal how nutrient sensing in intestinal epithelial cells controls stem cell activity. Inhibition of Rag GTPases or mTORC1 in enterocytes non-cell autonomously promotes ISC proliferation via Upd3–JAK–STAT signaling. In this process, Mitf activation mediates the effect of Rag GTPases but not mTORC1. These findings link dietary cues to intestinal homeostasis.
Xue et al. reveal that during nutrient scarcity, the lipid droplet (LD)–localized PISD isoform, PISD-LD, acts as a critical metabolic switch. By bridging LDs to mitochondria for β-oxidation while simultaneously inhibiting lipophagy, PISD-LD ensures efficient cellular energy production for survival.
Xiaotong Yang, Jueyin He, Xiulan Chen, Xi’e Wang, Chenyun Hu, Xuqian Zhao, Xinxin Chen, Jiaojiao Yu, Ping Liu, Jifeng Wang, Xi Wang, Junjie Hu, Mei Ding, Fuquan Yang, Chih-chen Wang, Lei Wang
Yang et al. show that the secretory pathway kinase Fam20C is retained in the Golgi via Fam20A-mediated membrane anchoring, while the cargo receptor complex ERGIC2-ERGIC3 is critical for promoting the ER-to-Golgi transport of the Fam20A-Fam20C kinase complex. Mislocalizing Fam20C alters secretome phosphorylation, leading to reduced milk quality and subsequent growth retardation in pups.
Jiu Xiao, Foad Ghasemi, Adrien Schahl, Miroslav Mladenov, Rebecca Pagès, Matthieu Chavent, Michael Way, Luyan Cao, Guillaume Romet-Lemonne, Antoine Jégou
Branched actin networks are exposed to mechanical stress. Xiao et al. show that branch junctions whose Arp2/3 complex contains inorganic phosphate are mechanically more stable and are protected from GMF-induced destabilization, but are not stabilized further by cortactin.
Ruth M. Kearney, Anushka Sharma, Ciaran G. Morrison
Kearney, Sharma, and Morrison preview work from the Firat-Karalar lab, which reveals how PCM1 multimerization drives assembly of centriolar satellites and recruitment of client proteins.
Patricia L. Opresko and Orlando D. Schärer highlight work from Muniesa-Vargas and colleagues, which reveals insight into the mechanisms that regulate the dynamics of XPG recruitment and release during nucleotide excision repair.
Mami Sato, Florencio Porto Freitas, José Pedro Friedmann Angeli
José Pedro Friedmann Angeli and colleagues preview work from Ndoci et al., which reveals a system by which mitochondria prioritize CoQ retention when the mevalonate pathway is impaired, preserving respiration at the expense of antioxidant defenses.
