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Chapter 1 macromolecular trafficking and immune evasion in african trypanosomes.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Intracellular trafficking is a major mechanism contributing to maintenance of the surface composition in most eukaryotic cells. In the case of unicellular eukaryotic pathogens, the surface also represents the host-parasite interface. Therefore, the parasite surface is both a critical player in immune recognition, from the host's point of view, or in immune evasion, from the pathogen's point. The African trypanosomes are remarkable in dwelling throughout their period in the mammalian host within the bloodstream and tissue spaces, and have evolved several mechanisms that facilitate chronic infection. Here, we discuss cur...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - October 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Field MC, Lumb JH, Adung'a VO, Jones NG, Engstler M Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 2 biological and biophysical properties of vascular connexin channels.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Intercellular channels formed by connexin proteins play a pivotal role in the direct movement of ions and larger cytoplasmic solutes between vascular endothelial cells, between vascular smooth muscle cells, and between endothelial and smooth muscle cells. Multiple genetic and epigenetic factors modulate connexin expression levels and/or channel function, including cell-type-independent and cell-type-specific transcription factors, posttranslational modifications, and localized membrane targeting. Additionally, differences in protein-protein interactions, including those between connexins, significantly contribute to bo...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - October 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Johnstone S, Isakson B, Locke D Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 3 genotype-phenotype mapping developmental biology confronts the toolkit paradox.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The quest to understand the relationship between an organism's DNA sequence and three-dimensional form is an interdisciplinary task, integrating diverse fields of the life sciences. The relevance of the metaphor of a genotype-phenotype map is explored from a developmental perspective, in light of the recent concept of a "molecular toolkit" of protein-coding genes, and the widespread view that analyzing the logic and mechanics of gene regulation at multiple levels is key to explaining how morphology is genetically encoded. We discuss the challenges of decoding genomes despite variable genetic backgrounds, the dynamicall...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - October 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Atallah J, Larsen E Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 4 role of spindle asymmetry in cellular dynamics.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The mitotic spindle is mostly perceived as a symmetric structure. However, in many cell divisions, the two poles of the spindle organize asters with different dynamics, associate with different biomolecules or subcellular domains, and perform different functions. In this chapter, we describe some of the most prominent examples of spindle asymmetry. These are encountered during cell-cycle progression in budding and fission yeast and during asymmetric cell divisions of stem cells and embryos. We analyze the molecular mechanisms that lead to generation of spindle asymmetry and discuss the importance of spindle-pole differ...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - October 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Barral Y, Liakopoulos D Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 5 cell adhesion in amphibian gastrulation.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The amphibian gastrula can be regarded as a single coherent tissue which folds and distorts itself in a reproducible pattern to establish the embryonic germ layers. It is held together by cadherins which provide the flexible adhesion required for the massive cell rearrangements that accompany gastrulation. Cadherin expression and adhesiveness increase as one goes from the vegetal cell mass through the anterior mesendoderm to the chordamesoderm, and then decrease again slightly in the ectoderm. Together with a basic random component of cell motility, this flexible, differentially expressed adhesiveness generates surface...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - October 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Winklbauer R Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 6 molecular and cell biology of testicular germ cell tumors.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Although testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) are relatively uncommon, they are particularly important as they tend to affect children and young men, representing the most common tumor in male aged from 20 to 40years. TGCTs are a heterogeneous group of tumors, with specific peculiarities reflecting on epidemiologic distribution and clinic-pathological features. TGCTs show a high-cure rates in both seminomas and nonseminomas and represent the model of a curable neoplasia: sensitive serum tumor markers, accurate prognostic classification, contribute to a high effectiveness of cancer therapy. However, up to 30% of patients...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - October 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Chieffi P, Franco R, Portella G Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 7 polarity proteins and cell-cell interactions in the testis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In mammalian testes, extensive junction restructuring takes place in the seminiferous epithelium at the Sertoli-Sertoli and Sertoli-germ cell interface to facilitate the different cellular events of spermatogenesis, such as mitosis, meiosis, spermiogenesis, and spermiation. Recent studies in the field have shown that Rho GTPases and polarity proteins play significant roles in the events of cell-cell interactions. Furthermore, Rho GTPases, such as Cdc42, are working in concert with polarity proteins in regulating cell polarization and cell adhesion at both the blood-testis barrier (BTB) and apical ectoplasmic specializa...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - October 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Wong EW, Cheng CY Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 1. Focal adhesions: new angles on an old structure.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Focal adhesions have been intensely studied ever since their discovery in 1971. The last three decades have seen major advances in understanding the structure of focal adhesions and the functions they serve in cellular adhesion, migration, and other biological processes. In this chapter, we begin with a historical perspective of focal adhesions, provide an overview of focal adhesion biology, and highlight recent major advances in the field. Specifically, we review the different types of matrix adhesions and the role different Rho GTPases play in their formation. We discuss the relative contributions of integrin and syn...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - September 24, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Dubash AD, Menold MM, Samson T, Boulter E, García-Mata R, Doughman R, Burridge K Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 2. Calcineurin signaling and the slow oxidative skeletal muscle fiber type.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Calcineurin, also known as protein phosphatase 2B (PP2B), is a calcium-calmodulin-dependent phosphatase. It couples intracellular calcium to dephosphorylate selected substrates resulting in diverse biological consequences depending on cell type. In mammals, calcineurin's functions include neuronal growth, development of cardiac valves and hypertrophy, activation of lymphocytes, and the regulation of ion channels and enzymes. This chapter focuses on the key roles of calcineurin in skeletal muscle differentiation, regeneration, and fiber type conversion to an oxidative state, all of which are crucial to muscle developmen...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - September 24, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Mallinson J, Meissner J, Chang KC Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 3. New insights into plant vacuolar structure and dynamics.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The plant vacuole is a multifunctional organelle and is essential for plant development and growth. The most distinctive feature of the plant vacuole is its size, which usually occupies over 80-90% of the cell volume in well-developed somatic cells, and is therefore highly involved in cell growth and plant body size. Recent progress in the visualization of the vacuole, together with developments in image analysis, has revealed the highly organized and complex morphology of the vacuole, as well as its dynamics. The plant vacuolar membrane (VM) forms not only a typically large vacuole but also other structures, such as t...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - September 24, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Oda Y, Higaki T, Hasezawa S, Kutsuna N Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 4. Cytomechanics of hair basics of the mechanical stability.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Hair is a complex "cornified" multicellular tissue composed of cuticle and cortex cells mechanically acting as a whole. The cuticle cells overlap and cortex cells interdigitate, all cells being composed of different morphological elements and separated by the cell membrane complex (CMC). The CMC and the morphological elements of the cortex cells, the macrofibrils, composed of microfibrils or intermediate filaments (IFs), and the intermacrofibrillar and intermicrofibrillar cement or the amorphous matrix material determine the mechanical properties of hair. The IFs consist of alpha-keratin molecules being arranged in a s...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - September 24, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Popescu C, Höcker H Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 5. Nuclear actin-related proteins in epigenetic control.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The nuclear actin-related proteins (ARPs) share overall structure and low-level sequence homology with conventional actin. They are indispensable subunits of macromolecular machines that control chromatin remodeling and modification leading to dynamic changes in DNA structure, transcription, and DNA repair. Cellular, genetic, and biochemical studies suggest that the nuclear ARPs are essential to the epigenetic control of the cell cycle and cell proliferation in all eukaryotes, while in plants and animals they also exert epigenetic controls over most stages of multicellular development including organ initiation, the sw...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - September 24, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Meagher RB, Kandasamy MK, McKinney EC, Roy E Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 6. Application of new methods for detection of DNA damage and repair.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
New methods for detecting DNA damage and repair are reviewed and their potential significance is discussed. These include methods based on analysis of DNA damage-induced chromatin modifications, cytological detection of DNA repair synthesis, damage-induced immobilization of repair proteins and living cell imaging. Special attention is paid to current methods of detection of modifications of histones and other proteins associated with DNA double-strand breaks which represent most dangerous genome damage. New methods of analysis of DNA damage and repair may be useful in biodosimetry, early cancer diagnostics and in the a...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - September 24, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Svetlova MP, Solovjeva LV, Tomilin NV Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 1 cytokinin signaling during root development.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The cytokinin class of phytohormones regulates division and differentiation of plant cells. They are perceived and signaled by a phosphorelay mechanism similar to those observed in prokaryotes. Research into the components of phosphorelay had previously been marred by genetic redundancy. However, recent studies have addressed this with the creation of high-order mutants. In addition, several new elements regulating cytokinin signaling have been identified. This has uncovered many roles in diverse developmental and physiological processes. In this review, we look at these processes specifically in the context of root de...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - July 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Bishopp A, Help H, Helariutta Y Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 2 live-cell imaging in the study of neurodegeneration.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The development of vital fluorescent synthetic dyes and the generation of a myriad of genetically encoded fluorescent proteins permit sensitive visualization of a broad range of dynamic features in living cells with fluorescence microscopy. Many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Creutzfeld-Jacob disease (CJD), Huntington's disease (HD), multiple sclerosis (MS), and Parkinson's disease (PD) share common aspects on a cellular level that are associated with a change in the dynamic behavior of the whole cell, cell compartments, or single proteins. These includ...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - July 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Bakota L, Brandt R Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 3 interactions between heparan sulfate and proteins-design and functional implications.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Heparan sulfate (HS) proteoglycans at cell surfaces and in the extracellular matrix of most animal tissues are essential in development and homeostasis, and variously implicated in disease processes. Functions of HS polysaccharide chains depend on ionic interactions with a variety of proteins including growth factors and their receptors. Negatively charged sulfate and carboxylate groups are arranged in various types of domains, generated through strictly regulated biosynthetic reactions and with enormous potential for structural variability. The level of specificity of HS-protein interactions is assessed through bindin...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - July 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Lindahl U, Li JP Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 4 fibroblasts-a diverse population at the center of it all.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The capacity of fibroblasts to produce and organize the extracellular matrix and to communicate with other cells makes them a central component of tissue biology. Even so, fibroblasts remain a somewhat enigmatic population. Our inability to fully comprehend these cells is in large part due to the paucity of unique cellular markers and to their pervasive diversity. Much of our understanding of fibroblast diversity has evolved from studies where subpopulations of these cells have been produced without resorting to cell surface markers. In this regard, cloning and mechanical separation of tissues prior to establishing cul...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - July 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Sorrell JM, Caplan AI Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 5 imprinting and extraembryonic tissues-mom takes control.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Genomic imprinting is an epigenetic mechanism that silences one parental allele of a small subset of genes. Many imprinted genes exhibit this property only in extraembryonic tissues-placenta and yolk sac. This has led to the idea that imprinting in mammals coevolved with some aspect of placentation. Nevertheless, many studies of imprinting have ignored the extraembryonic tissues, the yolk sac and its precursor, the primitive endoderm, in particular. The primitive endoderm is involved in very early signaling events during a critical stage in development, gastrulation, during which body plan axes and head process neuroec...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - July 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Miri K, Varmuza S Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 6 Cell and Molecular Biology of ATP-Binding Cassette Proteins in Plants.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
ATP-binding cassette (ABC) proteins constitute a large and diverse superfamily of membrane-bound and soluble proteins, which are involved in a wide range of biological processes in all organisms from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. Genome analyses of model plants, for example, Arabidopsis and rice, have revealed that plants have more than double numbers of this family member in their genomes compared to animals and insects. In recent years, various biochemical and physiological functions of ABC proteins in plants have been reported. Some are relevant for the defense mechanisms to biotic and abiotic stresses, whereas others ...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - July 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Yazaki K, Shitan N, Sugiyama A, Takanashi K Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 7 cell and molecular biology of the fastest myosins.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Chara myosin is a class XI plant myosin in green algae Chara corallina and responsible for fast cytoplasmic streaming. The Chara myosin exhibits the fastest sliding movement of F-actin at 60 mum/s as observed so far, 10-fold of the shortening speed of muscle. It has some distinct properties differing from those of muscle myosin. Although knowledge about Chara myosin is very limited at present, we have tried to elucidate functional bases of its characteristics by comparing with those of other myosins. In particular, we have built the putative atomic model of Chara myosin by using the homology-based modeling system and d...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - July 10, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Higashi-Fujime S, Nakamura A Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 1: roles of caldesmon in cell motility and actin cytoskeleton remodeling.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Caldesmon (CaD) is a multimodular protein that regulates contractility and actin cytoskeleton remodeling in smooth muscle and nonmuscle cells. A single gene (CALD1) encodes high molecular mass CaD (h-CaD) and low molecular mass CaD (l-CaD) by alternative splicings. The h-CaD exclusively expresses in smooth muscle, whereas the l-CaD ubiquitously expresses in all cell types except skeletal muscle. The h-CaD/l-CaD ratio could be a marker for monitoring differentiating and pathological states of smooth muscles. The l-CaD associates with stress fibers and membrane ruffles in nonmuscle cells and with the actin core of podoso...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - June 27, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Lin JJ, Li Y, Eppinga RD, Wang Q, Jin JP Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 2: hypothalamic neural systems controlling the female reproductive life cycle gonadotropin-releasing hormone, glutamate, and GABA.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis undergoes a number of changes throughout the reproductive life cycle that are responsible for the development, puberty, adulthood, and senescence of reproductive systems. This natural progression is dictated by the neural network controlling the hypothalamus including the cells that synthesize and release gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and their regulatory neurotransmitters. Glutamate and GABA are the primary excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters in the central nervous system, and as such contribute a great deal to modulating this axis throughout the lifetime v...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - June 27, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Maffucci JA, Gore AC Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 3: acquisition of membrane polarity in epithelial tube formation patterns, signaling pathways, molecular mechanisms, and disease.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Epithelia coordinate the polarity of individual cells, in space and time, with surrounding cells and the extracellular matrix (ECM) to organize three-dimensional structures that shape tissues and organs. One of the most important features of epithelial polarization is the asymmetric distribution of membrane surfaces with the apical surface facing a lumen or outside of the organism, and a basolateral surface facing other cells and ECM. This chapter discuss the processes required for the acquisition of the asymmetric distribution of membrane surfaces during morphogenesis, which include trafficking pathways, vesicle-sorti...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - June 27, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Martín-Belmonte F, Rodríguez-Fraticelli AE Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 4: functions of RAB and SNARE proteins in plant life.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
In all eukaryotic cells, vesicular trafficking is crucial for maintaining cellular and organelle functions. RABs and SNAREs play key roles in vesicle/organelle identity and exchange. Budding yeast genetics and mammalian cell biochemistry were the most effective approaches for investigating molecular mechanisms underlying vesicular trafficking and remain important in exploring new horizons. The field of vesicular trafficking attracted plant biologists in the early 1990s. Today, this field continues to stimulate a wide range of research. This review starts with some history of RAB and SNARE research in yeast and mammals ...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - June 27, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Saito C, Ueda T Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 5: rab proteins and their interaction partners.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The Ras superfamily consists of over 150 low molecular weight proteins that cycle between an inactive guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-bound state and an active guanosine triphosphate (GTP)-bound state. They are involved in a variety of signal transduction pathways that regulate cell growth, intracellular trafficking, cell migration, and apoptosis. Several methods have been devised to detect and characterize the interacting partners of small GTPases with the aim of better understanding their physiological function in normal cells and tumor cells. The Rab (Ras analog in brain) proteins form the largest family within the Ras ...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - June 27, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Barnekow A, Thyrock A, Kessler D Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 6: cubic membranes the missing dimension of cell membrane organization.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Biological membranes are among the most fascinating assemblies of biomolecules: a bilayer less than 10 nm thick, composed of rather small lipid molecules that are held together simply by noncovalent forces, defines the cell and discriminates between "inside" and "outside", survival, and death. Intracellular compartmentalization-governed by biomembranes as well-is a characteristic feature of eukaryotic cells, which allows them to fulfill multiple and highly specialized anabolic and catabolic functions in strictly controlled environments. Although cellular membranes are generally visualized as flat sheets or closely fold...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - June 27, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Almsherqi ZA, Landh T, Kohlwein SD, Deng Y Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 1 cell and molecular biology of invadopodia.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The controlled degradation of the extracellular matrix is crucial in physiological and pathological cell invasion alike. In vitro, degradation occurs at specific sites where invasive cells make contact with the extracellular matrix via specialized plasma membrane protrusions termed invadopodia. Considerable progress has been made in recent years toward understanding the basic molecular components and their ultrastructural features; generating substantial interest in invadopodia as a paradigm to study the complex interactions between the intracellular trafficking, signal transduction, and cytoskeleton regulation machine...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - June 27, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Caldieri G, Ayala I, Attanasio F, Buccione R Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 2 viral channel-forming proteins.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Channel-forming proteins are found in a number of viral genomes. In some cases, their role in the viral life cycle is well understood, in some cases it needs still to be elucidated. A common theme is that their mode of action involves a change of electrochemical or proton gradient across the lipid membrane which modulates the viral or cellular activity. Blocking these proteins can be a suitable therapeutic strategy as for some viruses this may be "lethal." Besides the many biological relevant questions still to be answered, there are also many open questions concerning the biophysical side as well as structural informa...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - June 27, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Fischer WB, Krüger J Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 3 notch signaling in chondrogenesis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The different stages of cartilage development are well described but no transcription factor capable of specifically inducing differentiation to articular cartilage has been identified and little is known about the molecular mechanisms regulating cartilage development. Notch signaling is an evolutionarily conserved pathway taking part in many developmental and cell type specification processes. It has been demonstrated that markers for Notch signaling are differentially expressed during cartilage development and there is evidence for their functional role during this process. Notch signaling has further been implicated...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - June 27, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Karlsson C, Lindahl A Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 4 the controversial role of mast cells in tumor growth.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Mast cells (MCs) were first described by Paul Ehrlich (Beiträge zur Theorie und Praxis der Histologischen Färbung, Thesis, Leipzig University, 1878). They have long been implicated in the pathogenesis of allergic reactions and protective responses to parasites. However, their functional role has been found to be complex and multifarious. MCs are also involved in various cell-mediated immune reactions and found in tissues from multiple disease sites, and as a component of the host reaction to bacteria, parasite, and even virus infections. They also participate in angiogenic and tissue repair processes after in...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - June 27, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Ribatti D, Crivellato E Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 5 limbal stem cells application in ocular biomedicine.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Corneal opacification due to limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) is an important cause for ocular morbidity, resulting from a number of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. While the extrinsic factors include conditions such as chemical or thermal injuries, intrinsic include dysfunction, or reduction in the number of stem cells either due to pathological changes in autoimmune diseases or secondary to certain clinical conditions such as diabetes, dry eye disorders, or multiple previous eye surgeries. LSCD is characterized by a classic triad of signs-conjunctivalization, neovascularization and decrease in vision. With the inc...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - June 27, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Vemuganti GK, Fatima A, Madhira SL, Basti S, Sangwan VS Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 6 cell and molecular biology of the novel protein tyrosine-phosphatase-interacting protein 51.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
This chapter examines the current state of knowledge about the expression profile, as well as biochemical properties and biological functions of the evolutionarily conserved protein PTPIP51. PTPIP51 is apparently expressed in splice variants and shows a particularly high expression in epithelia, skeletal muscle, placenta, and germ cells, as well as during mammalian development and in cancer. PTPIP51 is an in vitro substrate of Src- and protein kinase A, the PTP1B/TCPTP protein tyrosine phosphatases and interacts with 14-3-3 proteins, the Nuf2 kinetochore protein, the ninein-interacting CGI-99 protein, diacylglycerol ki...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - June 27, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Stenzinger A, Schreiner D, Koch P, Hofer HW, Wimmer M Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Import of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins: a cotranslational perspective.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A growing amount of evidence suggests that the cytosolic translation of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins and their subsequent import into mitochondria are tightly coupled in a process termed cotranslational import. In addition to the original posttranslational view of mitochondrial protein import, early literature also provides both in vitro and in vivo experimental evidence supporting the simultaneous existence of a cotranslational protein-import mechanism in mitochondria. Recent investigations have started to reveal the cotranslational import mechanism which is initiated by transporting either a translation com...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - March 5, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Ahmed AU, Fisher PR Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

The biology of caveolae: achievements and perspectives.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Caveolae are specialized plasma membrane subdomains visualized more than 50 years ago as cave-like invaginations at the cell surface. They are rich in cholesterol, glycosphingolipids, and lipid-anchored proteins. Their signaling and trafficking capabilities influence multiple cellular processes, and are believed to require caveolin-1, a major protein component of caveolae in most cell types. Today the structure and functions of caveolae are still the objects of intense research. Caveolin-1 is not anymore the only protein known to be required for caveolae formation, and functions for caveolin-1 outside of caveolae are b...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - March 5, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Parat MO Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Pharmacology of ciliated protozoa--drug (in)sensitivity and experimental drug (ab)use.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Most data on the effects of drugs as inhibitors, modulators, or stimulators have been collected with higher eukaryotic, mainly mammalian cells. Although in cell biological experiments with lower eukaryotes, including ciliates, the same drugs have frequently been applied, many results remained questionable for several reasons. Most drugs had to be used in unusually high concentrations. Moreover, drug effects have rarely been verified at the biochemical or molecular level. Data steadily emerging from genomics of ciliates, mainly Paramecium tetraurelia and Tetrahymena thermophila, show that drug-binding sites have only oc...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - March 5, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Plattner H, Sehring IM, Schilde C, Ladenburger EM Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Phosphoinositide signaling pathways: promising role as builders of epithelial cell polarity.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Polarity is a prerequisite for proper development and function of epithelia in metazoa. The major feature of polarized epithelial cells is the presence of specialized domains with asymmetric distribution of macromolecular contents including proteins and lipids. The apical domain is involved in exchange with the organ lumen, and the basolateral membrane maintains contact with neighboring cells and the underlying extracellular matrix. The two domains are separated by tight junctions, which act as a diffusion barrier to prevent free mixing of domain-specific proteins and lipids. Extensive studies have shed light on the nu...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - March 5, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Gassama-Diagne A, Payrastre B Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 1 cellular mechanism for targeting heterochromatin formation in Drosophila.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Near the end of their 1990 historical perspective article "60 Years of Mystery," Spradling and Karpen (1990) observe: "Recent progress in understanding variegation at the molecular level has encouraged some workers to conclude that the heterochromatization model is essentially correct and that position-effect variegation can now join the mainstream of molecular biology." In the 18 years since those words were written, heterochromatin and its associated position effects have indeed joined the mainstream of molecular biology. Here, we review the findings that led to our current understanding of heterochromatin formation ...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - February 15, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Eissenberg JC, Reuter G Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 2 import of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins a cotranslational perspective.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
A growing amount of evidence suggests that the cytosolic translation of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins and their subsequent import into mitochondria are tightly coupled in a process termed cotranslational import. In addition to the original posttranslational view of mitochondrial protein import, early literature also provides both in vitro and in vivo experimental evidence supporting the simultaneous existence of a cotranslational protein-import mechanism in mitochondria. Recent investigations have started to reveal the cotranslational import mechanism which is initiated by transporting either a translation com...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - February 15, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Ahmed AU, Fisher PR Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 3 Giant Siliceous Spicules From the Deep-sea Glass Sponge Monorhaphis chuni.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Only 13 years after realizing, during a repair of a telegraph cable pulled out from the deep sea, that the depth of the ocean is plentifully populated with a highly diverse fauna and flora, the Challenger expedition (1873-1876) treasured up a rich collection of vitreous sponges (Hexactinellida). They had been described by Schulze and represent the phylogenetically oldest class of siliceous sponges (phylum Porifera); they are eye-catching because of their distinct body plan, which relies on a filigree skeleton. It is constructed by an array of morphologically determined elements, the spicules. Soon after, during the Ger...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - February 15, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Wang X, Schröder HC, Müller WE Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 4 the biology of caveolae achievements and perspectives.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Caveolae are specialized plasma membrane subdomains visualized more than 50 years ago as cave-like invaginations at the cell surface. They are rich in cholesterol, glycosphingolipids, and lipid-anchored proteins. Their signaling and trafficking capabilities influence multiple cellular processes, and are believed to require caveolin-1, a major protein component of caveolae in most cell types. Today the structure and functions of caveolae are still the objects of intense research. Caveolin-1 is not anymore the only protein known to be required for caveolae formation, and functions for caveolin-1 outside of caveolae are b...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - February 15, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Parat MO Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 5 pharmacology of ciliated protozoa-drug (in)sensitivity and experimental drug (ab)use.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Most data on the effects of drugs as inhibitors, modulators, or stimulators have been collected with higher eukaryotic, mainly mammalian cells. Although in cell biological experiments with lower eukaryotes, including ciliates, the same drugs have frequently been applied, many results remained questionable for several reasons. Most drugs had to be used in unusually high concentrations. Moreover, drug effects have rarely been verified at the biochemical or molecular level. Data steadily emerging from genomics of ciliates, mainly Paramecium tetraurelia and Tetrahymena thermophila, show that drug-binding sites have only oc...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - February 15, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Plattner H, Sehring IM, Schilde C, Ladenburger EM Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 6 cell and molecular biology of nuclear actin.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Actin is a highly conserved protein and one of the major components of the cytoplasm and the nucleus in eukaryotic cells. In the nucleus, actin is involved in a variety of nuclear processes that include transcription and transcription regulation, RNA processing and export, intranuclear movement, and structure maintenance. Recent advances in the field of nuclear actin have established that functions of actin in the nucleus are versatile, complex, and interconnected. It also has become increasingly evident that the cytoplasmic and nuclear pools of actin are functionally linked. However, while the biological significance ...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - February 15, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Hofmann WA Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 7 small ubiquitin-like modifiers in cellular malignancy and metastasis.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Small ubiquitin-like modifiers (SUMOs) mediate a variety of cellular functions of protein targets mainly in the nucleus but in other cellular compartments as well, and thereby participate in maintaining cellular homeostasis. SUMO system plays important roles in transcriptional regulation, DNA damage responses, maintaining genome integrity, and signaling pathways. Thus, in some cases, loss of regulated control on SUMOylation/deSUMOylation processes causes a defect in maintaining homeostasis and hence gives a cue to cancer development and progression. Furthermore, recent studies have revealed that SUMO system is involved...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - February 15, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Kim KI, Baek SH Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Chapter 8 phosphoinositide signaling pathways promising role as builders of epithelial cell polarity.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Polarity is a prerequisite for proper development and function of epithelia in metazoa. The major feature of polarized epithelial cells is the presence of specialized domains with asymmetric distribution of macromolecular contents including proteins and lipids. The apical domain is involved in exchange with the organ lumen, and the basolateral membrane maintains contact with neighboring cells and the underlying extracellular matrix. The two domains are separated by tight junctions, which act as a diffusion barrier to prevent free mixing of domain-specific proteins and lipids. Extensive studies have shed light on the nu...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - February 15, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Gassama-Diagne A, Payrastre B Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Roles of F-BAR/PCH proteins in the regulation of membrane dynamics and actin reorganization.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The Pombe Cdc15 Homology (PCH) proteins have emerged in many species as important coordinators of signaling pathways that regulate actomyosin assembly and membrane dynamics. The hallmark of the PCH proteins is the presence of a Fes/CIP4 homology-Bin/Amphiphysin/Rvsp (F-BAR) domain; therefore they are commonly referred to as F-BAR proteins. The prototype F-BAR protein, Cdc15p of Schizosaccharomyces pombe, has a role in the formation of the contractile actomyosin ring during cytokinesis. Vertebrate F-BAR proteins have an established role in binding phospholipids and they participate in membrane deformations, for instance...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - January 24, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Aspenström P Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

New insights into the roles of dendritic cells in intestinal immunity and tolerance.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Dendritic cells (DCs) play a critical key role in the initiation of immune responses to pathogens. Paradoxically, they also prevent potentially damaging immune responses being directed against the multitude of harmless antigens, to which the body is exposed daily. These roles are particularly important in the intestine, where only a single layer of epithelial cells provides a barrier against billions of commensal microorganisms, pathogens, and food antigens, over a huge surface area. In the intestine, therefore, DCs are required to perform their dual roles very efficiently to protect the body from the dual threats of i...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - January 24, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Cerovic V, McDonald V, Nassar MA, Paulin SM, Macpherson GG, Milling SW Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Transcriptional control of gene expression by actin and myosin.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Recent years have witnessed a new turn in the field of gene expression regulation. Actin and an ever-growing family of actin-associated proteins have been accepted as members of the nuclear crew, regulating eukaryotic gene transcription. In complex with heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoproteins and certain myosin species, actin has been shown to be an important regulator in RNA polymerase II transcription. Furthermore, actin-based molecular motors are believed to facilitate RNA polymerase I transcription and possibly downstream events during rRNA biogenesis. Probably these findings represent the tip of the iceberg of a ...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - January 24, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Louvet E, Percipalle P Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Roles of eukaryotic Lsm proteins in the regulation of mRNA function.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
The eukaryotic Lsm proteins belong to the large family of Sm-like proteins, which includes members from all organisms ranging from archaebacteria to humans. The Sm and Lsm proteins typically exist as hexameric or heptameric complexes in vivo and carry out RNA-related functions. Multiple complexes made up of different combinations of Sm and Lsm proteins are known in eukaryotes and these complexes are involved in a variety of functions such as mRNA decay in the cytoplasm, mRNA and pre-mRNA decay in the nucleus, pre-mRNA splicing, replication dependent histone mRNA 3'-end processing, etc. While most Lsm proteins function ...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - January 24, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Tharun S Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

Spatiotemporal dynamics of the ER-derived peroxisomal endomembrane system.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Recent studies have provided evidence that peroxisomes constitute a multicompartmental endomembrane system. The system begins to form with the targeting of certain peroxisomal membrane proteins to the ER and their exit from the ER via preperoxisomal carriers. These carriers undergo a multistep maturation into metabolically active peroxisomes containing the entire complement of peroxisomal membrane and matrix proteins. At each step, the import of a subset of proteins and the uptake of certain membrane lipids result in the formation of a distinct, more mature compartment of the peroxisomal endomembrane system. Individual...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - January 24, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Titorenko VI, Rachubinski RA Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals

New insights into melanosome transport in vertebrate pigment cells.Email this article to a colleague. Save this article to My Clippings. Discuss or comment on this article.
Pigment cells of lower vertebrates provide an excellent model to study organelle transport as they specialize in the translocation of pigment granules in response to defined chemical cues. This review will focus on the well-studied melanophore/melanocyte systems in fish, amphibians, and mammals. We will describe the roles of melanin, melanophores, and melanocytes in animals, current views on how the three motor proteins dynein, kinesin, and myosin-V are involved in melanosome transport along microtubules and actin filaments, and how signal transduction pathways regulate the activities of the motors to achieve aggregati...
Source: International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology - January 24, 2009 Category: Cytology Authors: Aspengren S, Hedberg D, Sköld HN, Wallin M Tags: Int Rev Cell Mol Biol Source Type: journals