Published in Cell structure and function
The Golgi stress response is a homeostatic mechanism that augments the functional capacity of the Golgi apparatus when Golgi function becomes insufficient (Golgi stress). Three response pathways of the Golgi stress response have been identified in mammalian cells, the TFE3, HSP47 and CREB3 pathways, which augment the capacity of specific Golgi func...
Published in Cell structure and function
Proper N-glycosylation of proteins is important for normal brain development and nervous system function. Identification of the localization, carrier proteins and interacting partners of N-glycans is essential for understanding the roles of glycoproteins. The present study examined the N-glycan A2G'2F (Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ1-2Manα1-6[Galβ1-3GlcNAcβ1-2Manα...
Published in Cell structure and function
Stabilisation of minus ends of microtubules (MTs) is critical for organising MT networks in land plant cells, in which all MTs are nucleated independent of centrosomes. Recently, Arabidopsis SPIRAL2 (SPR2) protein was shown to localise to plus and minus ends of cortical MTs, and increase stability of both ends. Here, we report molecular and functio...
Published in Cell structure and function
Accumulation of unfolded/misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) activates the unfolded protein response (UPR). The ATF6 pathway is one of the three major pathways in vertebrates. Although ATF6, a transmembrane-type glycoprotein in the ER, functions as a UPR sensor/transducer, it is an unstable protein with a half-life of approximately...
Published in Cell structure and function
Neuronal cellular accumulation of amyloid beta peptide (Aβ) has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Intracellular accumulation of Aβ42, a toxic form of Aβ, was observed as an early event in AD patients. However, its contribution and the cellular mechanism of cell death remained unclear. We herein revealed the mechanism ...
Published in Cell structure and function
IRE1α plays an important role in the unfolded protein response (UPR), which is activated by the accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. 4μ8C, a well-known inhibitor of IRE1α RNase activity, is commonly used to analyze IRE1α function during ER stress in cultured mammalian cells. However, the off-target effects of 4μ8C remain ...
Published in Cell structure and function
Genetically-encoded biosensors based on Förster/fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) are versatile tools for studying the spatio-temporal regulation of signaling molecules within not only the cells but also tissues. Perhaps the hardest task in the development of a FRET biosensor for protein kinases is to identify the kinase-specific substr...
Published in Cell structure and function
Histone chaperones are a group of histone-binding proteins that facilitate the assembly of nucleosomes, the fundamental structural units of chromatin in eukaryotes. In nucleosome assembly, deposition of a histone H3-H4 tetramer onto DNA is the first and critical step, which is mediated by the histone chaperones HIRA and CAF-1. HIRA and CAF-1 are re...
Published in Cell structure and function
Pericentric regions form epigenetically organized, silent heterochromatin structures that accumulate histone H3 lysine 9 tri-methylation (H3K9me3) and heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1), a methylated H3K9-binding protein. At pericentric regions, Suv39h is the major enzyme that generates H3K9me3. Suv39h also interacts directly with HP1. However, the im...
Published in Cell structure and function
Over the past decade, many studies have been conducted on extracellular vesicles (EVs) in the fields of basic and clinical research. EVs are small sized membranous vesicles generated from many type of cells upon activation by environmental stresses such as heat, hypoxia, and irradiation. EVs theoretically consist of microparticles/microvesicles, ex...
