{"title":"The power of connections: Recent advances in understanding the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics by membrane contact sites","authors":"Jason C. Casler, Laura L. Lackner","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102535","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102535","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The continuous remodeling of the mitochondrial network through fusion, fission, transport, and turnover events, collectively known as mitochondrial dynamics, is essential for the maintenance of mitochondrial metabolic and genomic health. While the primary molecular machines that mediate these processes were discovered decades ago, the regulation of mitochondrial dynamics clearly involves additional factors. A major breakthrough came from the discovery that sites of close apposition between organelles, known as membrane contact sites (MCSs), serve as critical regulators of organelle function. MCSs between mitochondria and the ER are now universally recognized as important regulatory hubs of mitochondrial dynamics. Despite this, there are still many unknowns pertaining to the mechanisms by which MCSs influence mitochondrial dynamics. In this review, we describe recent progress identifying novel protein and lipid components that regulate mitochondrial dynamics and emphasize clear gaps in our understanding of how mitochondrial dynamics are coordinated at MCSs. Finally, we conclude by discussing progress towards defining the highly biomedically relevant, but enigmatic, role of mitochondrial dynamics in the preservation of mitochondrial DNA integrity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 102535"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144147527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mitotic signalling in progenitor cells: Integrating cell division with cell specification","authors":"Torcato Martins , Yuu Kimata","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102542","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102542","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mitotic signalling mediated by cell cycle regulators (CCRs) is pivotal for coordinating cell division and fate specification across metazoans. CCRs, including cyclin-dependent kinases and ubiquitin ligases, use post-translational modifications for rapid, dynamic regulation of the cell cycle, ensuring its unidirectionality and integration with fate determination. This review explores recent findings that further elucidate CCRs’ noncanonical functions, particularly in progenitor cells. Advancements in quantitative <em>in vivo</em> imaging, precise genome editing, and single-cell omics have provided unprecedented spatiotemporal resolution into the mechanisms through which CCRs regulate asymmetric cell division, epigenetic regulation, and cell cycle variations. The evolution of CCRs underscores their crucial role in integrating cellular and developmental signals in multicellular organisms, with implications for disease and therapeutic strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 102542"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144147528","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Actin in mitochondrial regulation and mechanometabolic crosstalk","authors":"Peng Shi , Yuhan Zhang , Congying Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102539","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102539","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mitochondria undergo dynamic adaptations to cellular energy demands, changing morphology and function, through active interactions with other cellular organelles and the cytoskeletons. With advances in light and electron microscopy, actin probes for live-cell imaging, as well as proximity labeling, subtle and transient actin structures associated with mitochondria have been resolved and examined, which opened a new era for the understanding of architectural and mechanical regulation of organelles and metabolism. Here, we first review the recent findings that elucidate the actin–mitochondrion interactions in regulating mitochondrial dynamics (including fission, fusion and trafficking), and cristae architecture. Further, we discuss the functional consequences accompanying these morphological changes, which link cellular metabolism to the cytoskeleton and mechanotransduction through direct or indirect organelle control. Moreover, we summarize the avant-garde techniques for probing mitochondrion-associated actin, including new ways to visualize mitochondria–actin interaction in the cytosol and within the mitochondria, methods to identify the molecular components mediating actin–mitochondria crosstalk, and techniques for reconstructing the 3D ultrastructure of actin–mitochondrion interaction. Finally, we conclude pressing issues in this exciting field, calling for interdisciplinary efforts in examine actin–mitochondrion interactions at micro and macro levels. The dynamics and structural integrity of mitochondria are essential for energy metabolism and signal transduction, while their abnormalities lead to mitochondrial dysfunction and severe disease. This review aims to provide a comprehensive perspective on the emerging roles of the actin cytoskeleton in shaping mitochondrial morphology, structure, and functions, providing new angles to understand mitochondria-related diseases.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 102539"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144139028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"New players on lipid droplets: Their regulations and functions","authors":"Huimin Pan , Honggang Su , Xun Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102541","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102541","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Lipid droplets (LDs) are highly conserved organelles found across a wide range of organisms, from prokaryotic to eukaryotes. LD proteins are a diverse group of proteins that are associated with LDs, regulating various aspects of LD function, such as storage, mobilization, and interactions with other organelles. Recent research in LD proteins has uncovered a broader range of physiological and pathological roles of LDs, extending beyond their traditional function in lipid metabolism. In this review, we summarize the mechanisms behind LD protein targeting and explore the discovery of new players on LDs, highlighting their specific contributions to cellular function. These discoveries significantly deepen our understanding of LD biology.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 102541"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144131357","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Outside Back Cover","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/S0955-0674(25)00093-6","DOIUrl":"10.1016/S0955-0674(25)00093-6","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"94 ","pages":"Article 102555"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144124494","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"New directions in epithelial mechanoadaptation","authors":"Julia Eckert , Virgile Viasnoff , Alpha S. Yap","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102536","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102536","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cells are active mechanical objects: they are subject to forces, exert force, and interpret changes in force as biological information. We now understand much about how this occurs at the molecular and single-cell level. We also appreciate that mechanobiology gains even greater complexity when it operates at the multicellular level of tissues and organisms. Here, cells exert forces on other cells within tissues to support morphogenesis and homeostasis; but these forces must also be accommodated to ensure that tissue integrity is preserved. Cell–cell adhesion junctions play important roles in transmitting, resisting, as well as detecting mechanical forces in coherent tissues. In this brief article we consider how epithelia adapt to mechanical stresses, focusing on recent developments in understanding the sources of force and new mechanisms for adherens junctions and desmosomes in mechanotransduction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 102536"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144131356","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The tri-molecular interaction controlling plant cell structure","authors":"Preet Manchanda, Anja Geitmann","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102538","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102538","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The plant cell wall is a dynamic envelope crucial for cell structure. Recent insights highlight the pivotal roles of RAPID ALKALINIZATION FACTOR (RALF) peptides, LEUCINE-RICH REPEAT EXTENSINS (LRX), and the FERONIA (FER) receptor kinase in maintaining cell wall integrity. This tri-molecular complex, along with other membrane receptors, modulates cell wall mechanics through interactions with de-methylesterified homogalacturonan (HG) in a feedback-controlled manner along with other intra-cellular responses. Through the characterization of this complex, critical questions have emerged regarding the mechanistic details of RALF-induced HG modulation, the mechanosensing role of FER, and the structural roles of extensins in modulating cell wall dynamics. This review underscores the intricate feedback mechanisms involved in the maintenance of cell wall integrity and cellular growth dynamics, offering strategies to enhance crop productivity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 102538"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144125022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"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 and feedback mechanisms in organelle size control","authors":"Deb Sankar Banerjee , Shiladitya Banerjee","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102533","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102533","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Intracellular organelles are essential for cellular architecture and function, and their size regulation is critical for maintaining cellular homeostasis. Organelle size often scales with cell size, governed by mechanisms that integrate resource allocation, stochastic dynamics, and feedback controls. Here we review these underlying biophysical principles of organelle size control, including the limiting pool hypothesis, stochastic assembly processes, and feedback-driven growth dynamics. We discuss how negative feedback motifs stabilize size, while positive feedback can amplify growth and maintain size under specific conditions. Additionally, we discuss recent advances in modeling size control for organelles with nucleation and fission-fusion dynamics. By integrating experimental observations with theoretical insights, this review provides a conceptual understanding of the design principles governing organelle size regulation in dynamic cellular environments.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 102533"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144106116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Mechano-metabolism on the rise","authors":"Sirio Dupont","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102529","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102529","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cells respond to the physical and geometrical tissue properties by multiple mechanotransduction mechanisms that can profoundly influence cells' decision-making, extending to cell metabolism. This review incorporates the most recent findings on this topic, organized along the idea that the mechano-metabolic connection serves three main functions, namely to inform systemic metabolism on the general functioning of a tissue/organ, to tune cells’ energy production with the mechanical requirements imposed by their surroundings, and to coordinate cell metabolism with cell fate choices induced in response to mechanical cues. This connection highlights the pervasive influence of mechanical cues on cell activity, opens interesting questions on its physiological and pathological roles, and lays the foundations for exploiting the mechano-metabolism axis to design new therapeutic approaches.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 102529"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144068043","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the cell nucleus: From chromosome structure to single-cell omics","authors":"Tatsuo Fukagawa, Maria Elena Torres-Padilla","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102530","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102530","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The cell nucleus is a fascinating organelle. The myriad of fundamental processes that ensure that the genetic information is read correctly and faithfully transmitted provides a rich subject of research across time scales and model systems. Topics ranging from chromosome ‘metascale’ organization and division, enabled by molecular machineries like the kinetochore, to the organization of the genome that ensues cell division during interphase, which enables fine tuning of gene regulation, are subjects that we cover in the ‘Cell Nucleus’ issue of <em>Current Opinion in Cell Biology</em>.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"95 ","pages":"Article 102530"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144071655","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}