RESEARCH ARTICLES
- Refilins are short-lived Actin-bundling proteins that regulate lamellipodium protrusion dynamics
Summary: The newly identified Refilin protein family are unique short-lived proteins that complex with Filamin to regulate plasma membrane dynamics though the promotion of Actin filament bundling.
- Cardiotoxic drugs Herceptin and doxorubicin inhibit cardiac microvascular endothelial cell barrier formation resulting in increased drug permeability
Summary: The anti-cancer drugs doxorubicin and Herceptin can disrupt tight junction formation in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells resulting in increased permeability which could potentially contribute to drug-induced cardiotoxicity.
- The initiator methionine tRNA drives cell migration and invasion leading to increased metastatic potential in melanoma
Summary: This paper demonstrates a functional link between a cancer-associated alteration to the tRNA repertoire and the invasive behaviour of cancer cells by demonstrating that increased tRNAimet can drive invasion and metastasis in melanoma cells.
- Matriptase and prostasin are expressed in human skin in an inverse trend over the course of differentiation and are targeted to different regions of the plasma membrane
Summary: The inverse expression pattern between matriptase and prostasin during differentiation in human skin demonstrated here provides a stark contrast to their close functional link suggested from mouse models.
- The decapping activator Edc3 and the Q/N-rich domain of Lsm4 function together to enhance mRNA stability and alter mRNA decay pathway dependence in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Summary: A strain mutated in two decapping activators, previously implicated in P body assembly, has reduced mRNA stability and increased dependence on decapping and Ccr4-dependent deadenylation for mRNA degradation.
- Changes in fatty acid composition in the giant clam Tridacna maxima in response to thermal stress
Summary: Lipid remodelling according to the gene expression of Tridacna maxima and the fate of its symbiont Symbiodinium may contribute to its resistance during thermal stress.
- Walking economy at simulated high altitude in human healthy young male lowlanders
Summary: Acute severe hypoxia slowed the economical speed (ES) which can minimize energy cost of walking. Muscle O2 extraction may be one of the determining factors of an individual's ES.
- Maximum swimming speeds of sailfish and three other large marine predatory fish species based on muscle contraction time and stride length: a myth revisited
Summary: Using muscle contraction measurements, this work provides evidence that sailfish are most likely unable to reach the extremely high speeds claimed by previous research and popular articles.
- The roles of Syx5 in Golgi morphology and Rhodopsin transport in Drosophila photoreceptors
Summary: Unlike Rab6-deficiency which affects only apical transport pathways, Syx5-deficiency inhibits all of polarized transport pathways, implying that these two genes are working in distinct stages of intra-Golgi transport.
- Polo-like kinase phosphorylation determines Caenorhabditis elegans centrosome size and density by biasing SPD-5 toward an assembly-competent conformation
Summary: Polo-like kinase phosphorylation determines proper centrosome scaffold size and density, but not function or maintenance, in Caenorhabditis elegans embryos.
- Synergistic inhibition of the APC/C by the removal of APC15 in HCT116 cells lacking UBE2C
Summary: The activation of the anaphase-promoting complex drives mitotic exit and here mechanistic aspects of this are explored using CRISPR/Cas9 genetically engineered human null cell lines.
- Regulation of DNA replication and chromosomal polyploidy by the MLL-WDR5-RBBP5 methyltransferases
Summary: DNA replication or re-replication of DNA induced after loss of Geminin or CLR4CDT2 is regulated by the methylation activities of the MLL-WDR5-RBBP5 methyltransferases on histone H3 at lysine 4 (H3K4).
- αE-catenin-dependent mechanotransduction is essential for proper convergent extension in zebrafish
Summary: Cadherin adhesions transduce tension across the junction-actomyosin axis into proportional biochemical responses via α-catenin. Here we show for the first time how this function of the cadherin complex is important during zebrafish morphogenesis.
- Zebrafish P54 RNA helicases are cytoplasmic granule residents that are required for development and stress resilience
Summary: Stress granules are formed by mRNAs stalled in translation during stress conditions. P54 RNA helicases from zebrafish reside in cytoplasmic granules and are essential for heat-shock resilience.
- Excess Polθ functions in response to replicative stress in homologous recombination-proficient cancer cells
Summary: Our work suggests that Polθ upregulation may be crucial for homologous recombination (HR)-proficient cells to better tolerate DNA replication stress, as part of a global gene deregulation response, including HR genes.
- Mytilus galloprovincialis as a smart micro-pump
Summary: The common Mediterranean mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, efficiently generates low Reynolds number inhalant suction flow and unique time-dependent exhalant jet structures.
- Dining dichotomy: aquatic and terrestrial prey capture behavior in the Himalayan newt Tylototriton verrucosus
Summary: Tylototriton verrucosus uses lingual prehension for terrestrial prey capture and switches to suction feeding for aquatic strikes. This flexible prey capture behavior enables efficient food acquisition in two very different habitats.
- The leptin system and its expression at different nutritional and pregnant stages in lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus)
Summary: This study provided insights into the function of the leptin system in energy metabolism regulation and male pregnancy in lined seahorse (Hippocampus erectus).
- LAMP-2 is required for incorporating syntaxin-17 into autophagosomes and for their fusion with lysosomes
Summary: LAMP-2 is required for autophagosome-lysosome fusion. Its absence does not affect the lysosomal SNARE VAMP8 while its interacting partner STX17 is absent from the autophagosomes providing a molecular explanation for this fusion failure.
- Amontillado is required for Drosophila Slit processing and for tendon-mediated muscle patterning
Summary: The Drosophila homolog of pheromone convertase 2 (PC2), amontillado (Amon), is shown to contribute to Slit processing and further cleavage into an N-Slit, essential for Slit activity in directing muscle patterning.
- Strategies used by two apterous strains of the pea aphid Acyrthosiphon pisum for passive dispersal
Summary: Two strains of pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) show different dispersal strategies, glycogen level and probing behaviors. One strain [Yangling strain (YL)] moves longer and disperses wider than another strain [Lanzhou (LZ)] based on higher glycogen. LZ strain probed more frequently, and identified plant more accurately than YL strain.
- Tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri chinensis), a novel non-obese animal model of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Summary: This study suggests that the tree shrew (Tupaia belangeri chinensis) may be useful as a novel animal model for the research of human non-obese non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
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Biology Open and COVID-19
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It’s a time of turmoil for young scientists
“My students are my priority – they are on the brink of their careers.”
Dr Jodie Rummer (ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University) talks about the importance of her role as a supervisor in supporting graduate students and post docs financially, intellectually and emotionally during this period of uncertainty.
Gap junctions: historical discoveries and new findings in the C. elegans nervous system
Following the announcement of Biology Open’s new Future Leader Review articles, we are thrilled to publish our first one! Jin, Park, Lyu et al. highlight the diverse roles of gap junctions and innexins in the C. elegans nervous system, contributing to fundamental understanding of gap junctions in all animals.
Interview - Jessica Kabutomori
First author Jessica Kabutomori talks about her latest paper in BiO, which investigates murine urea transporters, sharing the biggest surprise of her work and what she has planned for the future.