Darren R Mallett, Mengqiu Jiang, Gianna M Minnuto, Sue Biggins
{"title":"Kinetochore clustering is mediated by Mps1 phosphorylation of conserved MELT motifs in Stu1.","authors":"Darren R Mallett, Mengqiu Jiang, Gianna M Minnuto, Sue Biggins","doi":"10.1083/jcb.202601143","DOIUrl":"10.1083/jcb.202601143","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Unattached kinetochores promote microtubule capture while preventing cell cycle progression during mitosis. The Mps1 kinase controls these events by mediating kinetochore assembly of the fibrous corona in animal cells and by triggering the spindle checkpoint. In budding yeast, which does not assemble a fibrous corona, the Stu1 and Slk19 spindle proteins promote microtubule capture by clustering unattached kinetochores, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here, we show that Mps1 controls this pathway by phosphorylating two conserved MELT motifs in Stu1 to recruit Slk19 and mediate kinetochore clustering. Structural analysis of the Stu1:Slk19 complex reveals long, string-like filaments and offers mechanistic insight into how kinetochores might cluster. Our findings suggest the regulation of kinetochore capture is a conserved Mps1 function across eukaryotes.</p>","PeriodicalId":15211,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cell Biology","volume":"225 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13431455/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148470852","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sergi Marco, Peter J Walsh, Alexey S Revenko, Tobias Schmidt, Peter A Thomason, Lynn McGarry, A Robert MacLeod, Sonam Ansel, Dina Tataran, Martin Bushell, Chiara Braconi, Jim C Norman
{"title":"EPHA2/CD44-directed trafficking enhances endosomal leakiness and antisense therapy delivery.","authors":"Sergi Marco, Peter J Walsh, Alexey S Revenko, Tobias Schmidt, Peter A Thomason, Lynn McGarry, A Robert MacLeod, Sonam Ansel, Dina Tataran, Martin Bushell, Chiara Braconi, Jim C Norman","doi":"10.1083/jcb.202507217","DOIUrl":"10.1083/jcb.202507217","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The potential for using therapeutic antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) has been hampered by a lack of understanding of how they enter cells and subsequently access their targets. Endocytosis contributes to ASO uptake, but the machinery mediating subsequent ASO trafficking to permit suppression of their target mRNAs has not been described. Here, we show that direct ASO engagement with a scavenger receptor (CD44) activates the ERK-RSK axis to promote serine phosphorylation of a receptor tyrosine kinase (EPHA2). Serine phosphorylation of EPHA2 permits endocytosis, trafficking, and accumulation of ASOs in nuclear-captured endosomes. These endosomes are then subject to lipid peroxidation and become leaky, allowing ASOs to escape and effectively suppress target mRNA expression. Inhibition of stress granule-mediated repair of these leaky endosomes further enhances ASO effectiveness. These data identify an endocytic route to the nucleus which may be exploited to maximize the effectiveness of ASO-mediated therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":15211,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cell Biology","volume":"225 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13521514/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148706639","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"To escape or not to escape, that is the question.","authors":"Ya-Cheng Liao, Claudio Bussi","doi":"10.1083/jcb.202608020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202608020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Marco et al. (https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202507217) identify a tumor-selective endocytic route in which CD44 and EPHA2 co-traffic antisense oligonucleotides (ASOs) to nuclear-proximal, recycling-endosome-like compartments that become leaky through lipid peroxidation and show that stress granule-mediated repair of these compartments limits productive ASO escape.</p>","PeriodicalId":15211,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cell Biology","volume":"225 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148813008","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"PAK4: A vanguard of epithelial vertex remodeling.","authors":"Raghavan Thiagarajan, Jakub Sedzinski","doi":"10.1083/jcb.202607020","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202607020","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>How epithelial tissues remodel while preserving their barrier remains a fundamental question in epithelial biology. In this issue, Adhikary et al. (https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202510024) identify PAK4 as a dynamic regulator of vertex remodeling that fine-tunes actomyosin contractility to maintain tissue integrity.</p>","PeriodicalId":15211,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cell Biology","volume":"225 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-09-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148764955","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Maria Tereshchenko, Rebecca Earnshaw, Christopher Chin Sang, Minjung Won, Jeanine L Van Nostrand, Ryan C Russell, Hyun O Lee
{"title":"PARP1 hyperactivity stalls translation and triggers stress granule formation following DNA damage.","authors":"Maria Tereshchenko, Rebecca Earnshaw, Christopher Chin Sang, Minjung Won, Jeanine L Van Nostrand, Ryan C Russell, Hyun O Lee","doi":"10.1083/jcb.202409149","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1083/jcb.202409149","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cells respond to various stressors by inhibiting global translation and forming stress granules (SGs), cytoplasmic organelles enriched in certain RNA-binding proteins, and RNA. Genotoxic stress also induces SG assembly, but it is unclear how nuclear stress signals are transmitted to trigger cytoplasmic responses. We show that DNA-damaging agents that activate a nuclear poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP), PARP1, stall translation and induce SGs. We find that PARP1 activation depletes NAD+, which depletes cellular ATP, activating ATP-sensor AMPK and inhibiting mTORC1 via Raptor phosphorylation. Subsequent hypophosphorylation of 4EBP1 inhibits translation. These effects are suppressed by PAR-metabolism regulators, XRCC1, PARG, and Nudix5, and reversed by NAD+ precursor supplementation. Cells lacking SG scaffolds, G3BP1 and G3BP2, show reduced viability after genotoxic stress, which is rescued by G3BP1 overexpression. These findings link PARP1 activity to translational control and SG formation, which may protect against cell death following DNA damage. These mechanisms provide insight into PARP1- and stress granule-associated diseases, including cancer and neurodegeneration.</p>","PeriodicalId":15211,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cell Biology","volume":"225 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148619843","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Design principles of human membrane protein topology.","authors":"Haoxi Wu, Ramanujan S Hegde","doi":"10.1083/jcb.202604059","DOIUrl":"10.1083/jcb.202604059","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We have curated and annotated the topologic determinants for all human membrane proteins made at the endoplasmic reticulum. This census of 4,863 proteins allowed us to systematically analyze the physical properties of their 20,546 transmembrane domains (TMDs) and flanking soluble regions. Single-pass proteins house the majority of large exoplasmic and cytosolic domains, whereas multipass proteins overwhelmingly contain short loops and tails. All classes of TMDs have positively charged cytosolic flanks, but negatively charged exoplasmic flanks feature primarily on TMDs inserted by Oxa1 family insertases. The TMD pair, a topologic unit of two TMDs with a short exoplasmic loop, is the dominant building block of multipass proteins. TMD pairs accommodate high-hydrophilicity and charge-containing TMDs crucial for multipass protein functions. We interpret these context-dependent TMD features in light of current mechanistic models for membrane protein biogenesis and function. Our findings have implications for the evolution of membrane proteomes and for engineering new membrane proteins.</p>","PeriodicalId":15211,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cell Biology","volume":"225 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13220792/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148054652","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Marjana Ndoci, Sharanya Bhattacharya, Ishita Agrawal, Yvonne Hinze, Kathrin Lemke, Anna-Lena Schumacher, Esther Uijttewaal, Ulrich Elling, Steffen Lawo, Patrick Giavalisco, Thomas Langer, Soni Deshwal
{"title":"Mitochondria limit coenzyme Q export under cholesterol biosynthetic stress.","authors":"Marjana Ndoci, Sharanya Bhattacharya, Ishita Agrawal, Yvonne Hinze, Kathrin Lemke, Anna-Lena Schumacher, Esther Uijttewaal, Ulrich Elling, Steffen Lawo, Patrick Giavalisco, Thomas Langer, Soni Deshwal","doi":"10.1083/jcb.202507174","DOIUrl":"10.1083/jcb.202507174","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Coenzyme Q (CoQ) is a hydrophobic lipid primarily synthesized in the mitochondria, though it is also present in non-mitochondrial membranes. However, the metabolic pathways that regulate intracellular CoQ distribution are unknown. This study identifies a key role for the mevalonate pathway in regulating CoQ distribution. The mevalonate pathway synthesizes isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) as the precursor metabolite for both CoQ and cholesterol. We show that CoQ synthesis remains stable regardless of whether the mevalonate pathway is upregulated or downregulated. Upregulation of HMG-CoA reductase (HMGCR), indicative of increased mevalonate flux, enhances cholesterol ester synthesis without altering CoQ levels. When the pathway is downregulated, cholesterol synthesis declines, yet mitochondrial CoQ levels are preserved. Under these limiting conditions, mitochondria reduce CoQ export to maintain their internal CoQ pool. While this adaptation sustains mitochondrial respiration, it diminishes extramitochondrial CoQ availability and sensitizes cells to ferroptosis. These findings uncover a mitochondria-driven mechanism that preserves respiratory function by prioritizing CoQ retention during metabolic stress.</p>","PeriodicalId":15211,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cell Biology","volume":"225 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13245278/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148199075","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yu Shi, Nadia I Manzi, Nicole R Grater, Nitya Kopparapu, Lauren S Ohler, Bailey N de Jesus, Daniel J Dickinson
{"title":"Opposing actomyosin pools establish epithelial polarity during naive pluripotency exit.","authors":"Yu Shi, Nadia I Manzi, Nicole R Grater, Nitya Kopparapu, Lauren S Ohler, Bailey N de Jesus, Daniel J Dickinson","doi":"10.1083/jcb.202408198","DOIUrl":"10.1083/jcb.202408198","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Epithelial cell polarity is fundamental for embryonic development and organ function. During organogenesis, epithelia often develop from unpolarized precursor cells. How mammalian epithelial cells establish polarity de novo is unclear, in part due to challenges of observing this process in real time in nontransformed cells. Here, we leverage 3D spheroid culture of mouse embryonic stem cells, fluorescent protein knock-in, and live imaging to study epithelial polarity establishment. We show that apical myosin activity, regulated by myosin light chain kinase (MLCK), is crucial for proper epithelial polarity in this system. MLCK-dependent actin flows carry ZO-1, a tight junction component, to the apical junction. A second pool of myosin, regulated by Rho kinase, localizes basally and modulates ZO-1 recruitment to the membrane. MLCK inhibition also disrupts localization of atypical protein kinase C and podocalyxin, supporting a broader role of MLCK-dependent myosin in establishing the apical membrane. Our results support a model in which distinct apical and basal actomyosin pools coordinate epithelial polarity establishment.</p>","PeriodicalId":15211,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cell Biology","volume":"225 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148149811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Efe Begar, Ece Seyrek, Selin Yilmaz-Karaoglu, Melis D Arslanhan, Ezgi Odabasi, Elif Nur Firat-Karalar
{"title":"Centriolar satellites assemble via a hierarchical pathway driven by PCM1 multimerization.","authors":"Efe Begar, Ece Seyrek, Selin Yilmaz-Karaoglu, Melis D Arslanhan, Ezgi Odabasi, Elif Nur Firat-Karalar","doi":"10.1083/jcb.202509238","DOIUrl":"10.1083/jcb.202509238","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Centriolar satellites (CS) are ubiquitous membraneless organelles with diverse functions and links to developmental and neuronal diseases. However, the molecular principles governing their assembly and regulation remain poorly understood. To address this, we developed cellular and in vitro biogenesis assays that enable spatiotemporal quantification of CS granule properties during assembly, remodeling, and maintenance. Using these tools, we show that CS assemble via a hierarchical pathway initiated by pericentriolar material-1 (PCM1) scaffold formation and followed by client recruitment. PCM1 intrinsically assembles into granules through multimerization, a process modulated by the cytoskeleton. High-resolution imaging revealed that PCM1 and its clients occupy distinct subdomains with different compositions and dynamics. Perturbing PCM1 multimerization impaired ciliary signaling and mitotic progression, underscoring its functional importance. Together, these findings define the molecular basis of CS biogenesis, establish tools to probe CS regulation, and provide a framework for understanding how CS deregulation contributes to disease. More broadly, these may extend to other membraneless organelles and help explain their specificity and plasticity.</p>","PeriodicalId":15211,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cell Biology","volume":"225 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148217473","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mia S Frier, Shawn P Shortill, Michael Davey, Elizabeth Conibear
{"title":"The Rab GEF VINE couples phosphatase recruitment to GAP-mediated Rab5 inactivation.","authors":"Mia S Frier, Shawn P Shortill, Michael Davey, Elizabeth Conibear","doi":"10.1083/jcb.202601107","DOIUrl":"10.1083/jcb.202601107","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Rab5-family GTPases cycle between active and inactive forms to regulate endosomal membrane identity and protein trafficking. VPS9-family guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) promote Rab activation at endosomes, whereas GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) oppose Rab signaling. Here, we identify an unexpected role for the yeast VPS9-family GEF complex VINE in promoting the inactivation of the Rab5 homolog Vps21. Through genome-wide proximity screening, predictive modeling, targeted mutagenesis, and in vivo assays, we show that VINE recruits the protein phosphatase Glc7 through the ankyrin repeat-containing domain of its GEF subunit Vrl1. Our results suggest this directs the dephosphorylation of Kxd1, a subunit of the GAP adaptor BLOC-1, which in turn enhances its interaction with the Vps21-specific GAP Msb3 and accelerates GAP-mediated Vps21 inactivation. Thus, VINE is a VPS9-family GEF complex that selectively limits endosomal Rab signaling. These findings reveal a novel mechanism integrating positive and negative Rab regulation, providing insight into how Rab5 signaling is fine-tuned during endosomal trafficking and maturation.</p>","PeriodicalId":15211,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Cell Biology","volume":"225 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":6.1,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148396636","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}