0000000000062000

AUTHOR

Ines Ferrara

Constitutive psgl-1 correlates with cd30 and tcr pathways and represents a potential target for immunotherapy in anaplastic large t-cell lymphoma

Simple Summary P-selectin glycoprotein ligand-1 (PSGL-1), coded by the SELPLG gene, is the major ligand of selectins and plays a pivotal role in tethering, rolling and extravasation of immune cells. PSGL-1 involvement in core molecular programs, such as SYK, PLCγ2, PI3Kγ or MAPK pathways, suggests additional functions beyond the modulation of cell trafficking. Recently, several studies identified a novel mechanism responsible for PSGL-1-mediated immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment and proved a novel concept of PSGL-1 as a critical checkpoint molecule for tumor immunotherapy. The immunotherapeutic approach has gained an ever-growing interest in the treatment of several hematolog…

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IRSp53 controls plasma membrane shape and polarized transport at the nascent lumen in epithelial tubules.

It is unclear whether the establishment of apical–basal cell polarity during the generation of epithelial lumens requires molecules acting at the plasma membrane/actin interface. Here, we show that the I-BAR-containing IRSp53 protein controls lumen formation and the positioning of the polarity determinants aPKC and podocalyxin. Molecularly, IRSp53 acts by regulating the localization and activity of the small GTPase RAB35, and by interacting with the actin capping protein EPS8. Using correlative light and electron microscopy, we further show that IRSp53 ensures the shape and continuity of the opposing plasma membrane of two daughter cells, leading to the formation of a single apical lumen. G…

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Palmitoylation is a post-translational modification of Alix regulating the membrane organization of exosome-like small extracellular vesicles.

Abstract Background Virtually all cell types have the capacity to secrete nanometer-sized extracellular vesicles, which have emerged in recent years as potent signal transducers and cell-cell communicators. The multifunctional protein Alix is a bona fide exosomal regulator and skeletal muscle cells can release Alix-positive nano-sized extracellular vesicles, offering a new paradigm for understanding how myofibers communicate within skeletal muscle and with other organs. S-palmitoylation is a reversible lipid post-translational modification, involved in different biological processes, such as the trafficking of membrane proteins, achievement of stable protein conformations, and stabilization…

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Pathological significance and prognostic value of surfactant protein D in cancer

Surfactant protein D (SP-D) is a pattern recognition molecule belonging to the Collectin (collagen-containing C-type lectin) family that has pulmonary as well as extra-pulmonary existence. In the lungs, it is a well-established opsonin that can agglutinate a range of microbes, and enhance their clearance via phagocytosis and super-oxidative burst. It can interfere with allergen–IgE interaction and suppress basophil and mast cell activation. However, it is now becoming evident that SP-D is likely to be an innate immune surveillance molecule against tumor development. SP-D has been shown to induce apoptosis in sensitized eosinophils derived from allergic patients and a leukemic cell line via …

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4p16.1-p15.31 duplication and 4p terminal deletion in a 3-years old Chinese girl: Array-CGH, genotype-phenotype and neurological characterization

Abstract Background Microscopically chromosome rearrangements of the short arm of chromosome 4 include the two known clinical entities: partial trisomy 4p and deletions of the Wolf-Hirschhorn critical regions 1 and 2 (WHSCR-1 and WHSCR-2, respectively), which cause cranio-facial anomalies, congenital malformations and developmental delay/intellectual disability. Methods/results We report on clinical findings detected in a Chinese patient with a de novo 4p16.1-p15.32 duplication in association with a subtle 4p terminal deletion of 6 Mb in size. This unusual chromosome imbalance resulted in WHS classical phenotype, while clinical manifestations of 4p trisomy were practically absent. Conclusio…

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Unjamming overcomes kinetic and proliferation arrest in terminally differentiated cells and promotes collective motility of carcinoma

Under homeostatic conditions, mature epithelia are locked in a kinetically-silent, jammed state. During wound repair or branching morphogenesis epithelia must unjam and acquire liquid-like properties. These events might be recapitulated in the transition from in situ to invasive cancer stages. How cells control this transition and how biologically relevant it is, however, remains unclear. Recently, we showed that altering RAB5A levels, a master regulator of endosomal trafficking, is sufficient to re-awaken motility in jammed epithelia, through ill-defined, endocytic-sensitive biochemical pathways. Here, we show that RAB5A promotes non-clathrin-dependent internalization of epidermal growth f…

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IRSp53 shapes the plasma membrane and controls polarized transport at the nascent lumen during epithelial morphogenesis

AbstractEstablishment of apical–basal cell polarity is necessary for generation of luminal and tubular structures during epithelial morphogenesis. Molecules acting at the membrane/ actin interface are expected to be crucial in governing these processes. Here, we show that the I-BAR-containing IRSp53 protein is restricted to the luminal side of epithelial cells of various glandular organs, and is specifically enriched in renal tubules in human, mice, and zebrafish. Using three-dimensional cultures of renal MDCK and intestinal Caco-2 cysts, we show that IRSp53 is recruited early after the first cell division along the forming apical lumen, and is essential for formation of a single lumen and …

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Unjamming overcomes kinetic and proliferation arrest in terminally differentiated cells and promotes collective motility of carcinoma.

During wound repair, branching morphogenesis and carcinoma dissemination, cellular rearrangements are fostered by a solid-to-liquid transition, known as unjamming. The biomolecular machinery behind unjamming and its pathophysiological relevance remain, however, unclear. Here, we study unjamming in a variety of normal and tumorigenic epithelial two-dimensional (2D) and 3D collectives. Biologically, the increased level of the small GTPase RAB5A sparks unjamming by promoting non-clathrin-dependent internalization of epidermal growth factor receptor that leads to hyperactivation of the kinase ERK1/2 and phosphorylation of the actin nucleator WAVE2. This cascade triggers collective motility effe…

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