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Cells
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Advances in Cytoskeleton Research: From Structure to Function
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Advances in Cytoskeleton Research: From Structure to Function

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Cellular Biophysics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2023) | Viewed by 8642

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hava Gil-Henn

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Cytoskeletal Signaling Laboratory, The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar-Ilan University, Safed 1311502, Israel
Interests: signal transduction; cytoskeletal signaling; cancer metastasis; cell migration and invasion
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Arnon Henn

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
Faculty of Biology, Technion- Israel Institiute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
Interests: molecular motors; cytoskeleton remodeling; mechanobiology of cargo transport

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Spatial and temporal coordination of the numerous interactions between cells and their environment is critical for the regulation of cellular behavior and homeostasis. Cells must interact with and respond to neighboring cells, the surrounding extracellular matrix, soluble factors, and other physical forces. Cells integrate the various signals from their microenvironment and respond by remodeling their cytoskeleton, a highly dynamic complex network of protein filaments that reorganizes continuously to enable changes in cell shape and movement. From bacteria searching for nutrients to neurons searching for synaptic partners, at some point in their life cycle most cells must remodel their cytoskeleton to change their shape and/or move. A major research challenge is to understand how cells encounter these multiple signals in their complex extracellular environment and translate those signals into the fundamental processes that dictate whether a cell changes its shape or moves toward or away from a signal. Dysregulation of this fundamental process is at the heart of numerous physiological disorders, including developmental, neurological, immune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer. This Special Issue of Cells invites contributions that should improve our understanding of cytoskeletal structure, function, and regulation. A better understanding of how cells regulate their cytoskeleton normally and what goes wrong in the context of various diseases may suggest novel strategies for treating various human disorders and diseases.

Dr. Hava Gil-Henn
Dr. Arnon Henn
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Cells is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • cytoskeleton
  • cell shape
  • cell motility
  • cytoskeletal signaling

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 4220 KiB  
Article
Migration of Myogenic Cells Is Highly Influenced by Cytoskeletal Septin7
by Zsolt Ráduly, László Szabó, Beatrix Dienes, Péter Szentesi, Ágnes Viktória Bana, Tibor Hajdú, Endre Kókai, Csaba Hegedűs, László Csernoch and Mónika Gönczi
Cells 2023, 12(14), 1825; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12141825 - 11 Jul 2023
Viewed by 1328
Abstract
Septin7 as a unique member of the GTP binding protein family, is widely expressed in the eukaryotic cells and considered to be essential in the formation of hetero-oligomeric septin complexes. As a cytoskeletal component, Septin7 is involved in many important cellular processes. However, [...] Read more.
Septin7 as a unique member of the GTP binding protein family, is widely expressed in the eukaryotic cells and considered to be essential in the formation of hetero-oligomeric septin complexes. As a cytoskeletal component, Septin7 is involved in many important cellular processes. However, its contribution in striated muscle physiology is poorly described. In skeletal muscle, a highly orchestrated process of migration is crucial in the development of functional fibers and in regeneration. Here, we describe the pronounced appearance of Septin7 filaments and a continuous change of Septin7 protein architecture during the migration of myogenic cells. In Septin7 knockdown C2C12 cultures, the basic parameters of migration are significantly different, and the intracellular calcium concentration change in migrating cells are lower compared to that of scrambled cultures. Using a plant cytokinin, forchlorfenuron, to dampen septin dynamics, the altered behavior of the migrating cells is described, where Septin7-depleted cells are more resistant to the treatment. These results indicate the functional relevance of Septin7 in the migration of myoblasts, implying its contribution to muscle myogenesis and regeneration. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cytoskeleton Research: From Structure to Function)
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18 pages, 4653 KiB  
Article
Actin Cytoskeleton Polymerization and Focal Adhesion as Important Factors in the Pathomechanism and Potential Targets of Mucopolysaccharidosis Treatment
by Lidia Gaffke, Estera Rintz, Karolina Pierzynowska and Grzegorz Węgrzyn
Cells 2023, 12(13), 1782; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12131782 - 5 Jul 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1442
Abstract
The main approach used in the current therapy of mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) is to reduce the levels of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in cells, the deposits considered to be the main cause of the disease. Previous studies have revealed significant differences in the expression of genes [...] Read more.
The main approach used in the current therapy of mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) is to reduce the levels of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) in cells, the deposits considered to be the main cause of the disease. Previous studies have revealed significant differences in the expression of genes encoding proteins involved in many processes, like those related to actin filaments, in MPS cells. Since the regulation of actin filaments is essential for the intracellular transport of specific molecules, the process which may affect the course of MPSs, the aim of this study was to evaluate the changes that occur in the actin cytoskeleton and focal adhesion in cells derived from patients with this disease, as well as in the MPS I mouse model, and to assess whether they could be potential therapeutic targets for different MPS types. Western-blotting, flow cytometry and transcriptomic analyses were employed to address these issues. The levels of the key proteins involved in the studied processes, before and after specific treatment, were assessed. We have also analyzed transcripts whose levels were significantly altered in MPS cells. We identified genes whose expressions were changed in the majority of MPS types and those with particularly highly altered expression. For the first time, significant changes in the expression of genes involved in the actin cytoskeleton structure/functions were revealed which may be considered as an additional element in the pathogenesis of MPSs. Our results suggest the possibility of using the actin cytoskeleton as a potential target in therapeutic approaches for this disease. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cytoskeleton Research: From Structure to Function)
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16 pages, 12889 KiB  
Article
Regulation of Tau Expression in Superior Cervical Ganglion (SCG) Neurons In Vivo and In Vitro
by Ying Jin, Theresa Connors, Julien Bouyer and Itzhak Fischer
Cells 2023, 12(2), 226; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12020226 - 5 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2097
Abstract
The superior cervical ganglion (SCG) is part of the autonomic nervous system providing sympathetic innervation to the head and neck, and has been regularly used to prepare postnatal neuronal cultures for cell biological studies. We found that during development these neurons change tau [...] Read more.
The superior cervical ganglion (SCG) is part of the autonomic nervous system providing sympathetic innervation to the head and neck, and has been regularly used to prepare postnatal neuronal cultures for cell biological studies. We found that during development these neurons change tau expression from the low molecular weight (LMW) isoforms to Big tau, with the potential to affect functions associated with tau such as microtubule dynamic and axonal transport. Big tau contains the large 4a exon that transforms tau from LMW isoforms of 45–60 kDa to 110 kDa. We describe tau expression during postnatal development reporting that the transition from LMW tau to Big tau which started at late embryonic stages is completed by about 4–5 weeks postnatally. We confirmed the presence of Big tau in dissociated postnatal SCG neurons making them an ideal system to study the function of Big tau in neurons. We used SCG explants to examine the response of SCG neurons to lesion and found that Big tau expression returned gradually along the regrowing neurites suggesting that it does not drives regeneration, but facilitates the structure/function of mature SCG neurons. The structural/functional roles of Big tau remain unknown, but it is intriguing that neurons that express Big tau appear less vulnerable to tauopathies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cytoskeleton Research: From Structure to Function)
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Review

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34 pages, 2029 KiB  
Review
Role of Actin-Binding Proteins in Skeletal Myogenesis
by Mai Thi Nguyen, Raju Dash, Kyuho Jeong and Wan Lee
Cells 2023, 12(21), 2523; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells12212523 - 25 Oct 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2961
Abstract
Maintenance of skeletal muscle quantity and quality is essential to ensure various vital functions of the body. Muscle homeostasis is regulated by multiple cytoskeletal proteins and myogenic transcriptional programs responding to endogenous and exogenous signals influencing cell structure and function. Since actin is [...] Read more.
Maintenance of skeletal muscle quantity and quality is essential to ensure various vital functions of the body. Muscle homeostasis is regulated by multiple cytoskeletal proteins and myogenic transcriptional programs responding to endogenous and exogenous signals influencing cell structure and function. Since actin is an essential component in cytoskeleton dynamics, actin-binding proteins (ABPs) have been recognized as crucial players in skeletal muscle health and diseases. Hence, dysregulation of ABPs leads to muscle atrophy characterized by loss of mass, strength, quality, and capacity for regeneration. This comprehensive review summarizes the recent studies that have unveiled the role of ABPs in actin cytoskeletal dynamics, with a particular focus on skeletal myogenesis and diseases. This provides insight into the molecular mechanisms that regulate skeletal myogenesis via ABPs as well as research avenues to identify potential therapeutic targets. Moreover, this review explores the implications of non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) targeting ABPs in skeletal myogenesis and disorders based on recent achievements in ncRNA research. The studies presented here will enhance our understanding of the functional significance of ABPs and mechanotransduction-derived myogenic regulatory mechanisms. Furthermore, revealing how ncRNAs regulate ABPs will allow diverse therapeutic approaches for skeletal muscle disorders to be developed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Cytoskeleton Research: From Structure to Function)
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