Published in Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
Epiregulin is a 46-amino acid protein that belongs to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family of peptide hormones. Epiregulin binds to the EGF receptor (EGFR/ErbB1) and ErbB4 (HER4) and can stimulate signaling of ErbB2 (HER2/Neu) and ErbB3 (HER3) through ligand-induced heterodimerization with a cognate receptor. Epiregulin possesses a range of fun...
Published in Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
Recent findings provide evidence for a functional interplay between DNA replication and the seemingly distinct areas of cancer, development and pluripotency. Protein complexes participating in DNA replication origin licensing are now known to have roles in development, while their deregulation can lead to cancer. Moreover, transcription factors imp...
Published in Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
Since its discovery in 1978 and cloning in 1984, transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-α, TGFA) has been one of the most extensively studied EGF receptor (EGFR) ligands. In this review, we provide a historical perspective on TGFA-related studies, highlighting what we consider important advances related to its function in normal and disease states.
Published in Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
Cell division requires the wholesale reorganization of cell architecture. At the same time as the microtubule network is remodelled to generate a bipolar spindle, animal cells entering mitosis replace their interphase actin cytoskeleton with a contractile mitotic actomyosin cortex that is tightly coupled to the plasma membrane – driving mitotic cel...
Published in Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
Published in Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
The ubiquitination of proteins is a post-translational modification that was first described as a means to target misfolded or unwanted proteins for degradation by the proteasome. It is now appreciated that the ubiquitination of proteins also serves as a mechanism to modify protein function and cellular functions such as protein trafficking, cell s...
Published in Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
The discovery of a number of viruses with the ability to induce tumours in animals and transform human cells has vastly impacted cancer research. Much of what is known about tumorigenesis today regarding tumour drivers and tumour suppressors has been discovered through experiments using viruses. The SV40 virus has proven extremely successful in gen...
Published in Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology
LINC (Linker of Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton) complex is an evolutionary conserved structure that spans the entire nuclear envelope (NE), and integrates the nuclear interior with the cytoskeleton, in order to support a diverse array of fundamental biological processes. Key components of the LINC complex are the nesprins (Nuclear Envelope SPectri...
Published in Seminars in cell & developmental biology
This review summarizes our current understanding of exocrine pancreas development, including the formation of acinar, ductal and centroacinar cells. We discuss the transcription factors associated with various stages of exocrine differentiation, from multipotent progenitor cells to fully differentiated acinar and ductal cells. Within the branching ...
Published in Seminars in cell & developmental biology
Global folding of polypeptides entering the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) starts as soon as they emerge from the narrow Sec61 translocon. Attainment of the native structure can take from several minutes to hours, depending on the gene product. Until then, non-native folding intermediates must be protected from molecular chaperones that recognize misfo...
