Cell Biology

GTPase activating protein DLC1 spatio-temporally regulates Rho signaling

1. Max Heydasch
2. Lucien Hinderling
3. Jakobus van Unen
4. Maciej Dobrzynski
5. Olivier Pertz

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study presents a valuable finding on how the GAP DLC1, a deactivator of the small GTPase RhoA, regulates RhoA activity globally as well as at Focal Adhesions. Using a new acute optogenetic system coupled to a RhoA activity biosensor, the authors present solid evidence that DLC1 amplifies local Rho activity at Focal Adhesions. Nevertheless, the proposed mechanism could be further supported by a deeper analysis of the data.

Reviewed by eLife

Characterizing Human KIF1Bß Motor Activity by Single-Molecule Motility Assays and Caenorhabtidis elegans Genetics

1. Rei Iguchi
2. Tomoki Kita
3. Taisei Watanabe
4. Kyoko Chiba
5. Shinsuke Niwa

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

TNF-alpha promotes cilia elongation via Mixed Lineage Kinases signaling

1. Amrita Kumari
2. Amada Caliz
3. Shashi Kant
4. Anastassiia Vertii

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Comparative interactome analysis of α-arrestin families in human and Drosophila

1. Kyung-Tae Lee
2. Inez KA Pranoto
3. Soon-Young Kim
4. Hee-Joo Choi
5. Ngoc Bao To
6. Hansong Chae
7. Jeong-Yeon Lee
8. Jung-Eun Kim
9. Young V Kwon
10. Jin-Wu Nam

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study provides a valuable resource that documents the protein-protein interactions (PPI) network for alpha-arrestins in both human and Drosophila based on affinity purification/mass spectrometry and the SAINTexpress method followed by a series of bioinformatic and functional assessments. Through these, the authors confirmed the roles of known and novel interactions, including proteins involved in RNA splicing and helicase, GTPase-activating proteins, and ATP synthase. This study represents a convincing example of how to adopt comparative molecular interactions and how to interpret the functional implications.

Reviewed by eLife

Spastin locally amplifies microtubule dynamics to pattern the axon for presynaptic cargo delivery

1. Jayne Aiken
2. Erika L. F. Holzbaur

Reviewed by preLights

Alternative end-joining results in smaller deletions in heterochromatin relative to euchromatin

1. Jacob M. Miller
2. Sydney Prange
3. Huanding Ji
4. Alesandra R. Rau
5. Varandt Y. Khodaverdian
6. Xiao Li
7. Avi Patel
8. Nadejda Butova
9. Avery Lutter
10. Helen Chung
11. Chiara Merigliano
12. Chetan C. Rawal
13. Terrence Hanscom
14. Mitch McVey
15. Irene Chiolo

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This manuscript describes valuable new findings on the impact of chromatin context on the outcomes of microhomology-mediated end joining of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), specifically a preference for DSB-proximal microhomologies in repair within a heterochromatic compared to a euchromatic locus. The authors develop the Drosophila spermatogonia as a model for repair at induced DSBs in a mitotically-active tissue and leverage this system to provide convincing evidence that the local environment impacts the preference for repair mechanism and outcome. The work could be strengthened by the use of additional euchromatin insertion(s) to robustly validate the findings.

Reviewed by eLife

Ubiquitin ligase and signalling hub MYCBP2 is required for efficient EPHB2 tyrosine kinase receptor function

1. Chao Chang
2. Sara L Banerjee
3. Sung Soon Park
4. Xiao Lei Zhang
5. David Cotnoir-White
6. Karla J Opperman
7. Muriel Desbois
8. Brock Grill
9. Artur Kania

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This valuable study identifies an Ephrin type-B Receptor 2 (EPHB2) interactor, MYCBP2, as a potential regulator of EPHB2 stability and function. In contrast to expectations, based on MYCBP2 function in the ubiquitin pathway, loss of function of MYCBP2 resulted in less EPHB2 receptor and defective EPHB2 function. The paper is supported by a largely convincing set of biochemical, cell culture and in vivo experiments.

Reviewed by eLife

Comparative analysis of two Caenorhabditis elegans kinesins KLP-6 and UNC-104 reveals a common and distinct activation mechanism in kinesin-3

1. Tomoki Kita
2. Kyoko Chiba
3. Jiye Wang
4. Atsushi Nakagawa
5. Shinsuke Niwa

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study explores the activation mechanisms of members of the kinesin-3 family, demonstrating common and unique regulation modes with solid evidence. The findings make for valuable contributions to the field of kinesin activation and regulation.

Reviewed by eLife

Atlas of Plasmodium falciparum intraerythrocytic development using expansion microscopy

1. Benjamin Liffner
2. Ana Karla Cepeda Diaz
3. James Blauwkamp
4. David Anaguano
5. Sonja Frolich
6. Vasant Muralidharan
7. Danny W Wilson
8. Jeffrey D Dvorin
9. Sabrina Absalon

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This important study provides an unprecedented overview of the subcellular organization of proliferative blood stage malaria parasites using expansion microscopy. The localization of multiple parasite organelles is comprehensively probed using three-dimensional super-resolution microscopy throughout the entire intraerythrocytic development cycle. This work provides a compelling framework to investigate in future more deeply the unconventional cell biology of malaria-causing parasites.

Reviewed by eLife, preLights, Life Science Editors

Universal length fluctuations of actin structures found in cells

1. Aldric Rosario
2. Shane G. McInally
3. Predrag R. Jelenkovic
4. Bruce L. Goode
5. Jane Kondev

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This is a theoretical analysis that gives compelling evidence that length control of bundles of actin filaments undergoing assembly and disassembly emerges even in the absence of a length control mechanism at the individual filament level. Furthermore, the length distribution should exhibit a variance that grows quadratically with the average bundle length. The experimental data are compatible with these fundamental theoretical findings, but further investigations are necessary to make the work conclusive concerning the validity of the inferences for filamentous actin structures in cells.

Reviewed by eLife