{"title":"Same but different: Centromere regulations in holocentric insects and plants","authors":"André Marques , Ines A. Drinnenberg","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102484","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102484","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Centromeres are essential chromosomal regions responsible for ensuring proper chromosome segregation during cell division. Unlike monocentric chromosomes, which have a single centromeric region, holocentric chromosomes distribute centromeric activity along their entire length. This unique organization poses intriguing questions about its structure, function, and evolutionary origins. In this review, we outline recent advances in characterizing the molecular architectures of holocentric chromosomes in mitosis and meiosis, emphasizing both the shared features and lineage-specific adaptations that have evolved in plants and insects. A more detailed characterization of holocentric architectures across different lineages will also offer valuable insights into the potential mechanisms driving the evolutionary transition from monocentric to holocentric chromosomes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 102484"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143454122","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 unconventional role of vimentin intermediate filaments","authors":"Xinyi Huang , Shuangshuang Zhao , Yifan Xing , Xuedi Gao , Chenglin Miao , Yuhan Huang , Yaming Jiu","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102483","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102483","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Vimentin, a type III intermediate filament (IF) protein, is well-recognized for its role at the intersection of structural biology and cellular dynamics, influencing various pathways that determine cell fate and function. While these functions have been extensively characterized, there is still limited understanding of vimentin's broader impact beyond its traditional cytoskeletal roles in regulating a spectrum of cellular processes. This review explores the novel and unconventional roles of vimentin, with a focus on its extracellular functions, membrane receptor properties, and regulatory influence on gene expression and cellular metabolism.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 102483"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143444426","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":"Organelle homeostasis requires ESCRTs","authors":"Tsan-Wen Lu, Adam Frost, Frank R. Moss III","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102481","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102481","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) catalyze membrane shape transformations throughout the cell. Canonical functions of the ESCRTs include endosomal multivesicular body biogenesis, enveloped virus budding, and abscission of daughter cell plasma membranes. The ESCRT machinery is also required for membranous organelle homeostasis generally, including by facilitating lipid transport at membrane contact sites, repairing membrane damage, driving lysosomal catabolism, and maintaining nuclear envelope integrity, among other roles. Here, we review a subset of recent discoveries and highlight opportunities to better understand how ESCRT activities support cell health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 102481"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143402950","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Pioneer factors outline chromatin architecture","authors":"Juan Carlos Gómora-García, Mayra Furlan-Magaril","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102480","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102480","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pioneer factors are transcription factors capable of binding to nucleosomal DNA, initiating chromatin opening, and facilitating gene expression. By overcoming nucleosomes, pioneer factors enable cellular reprogramming, tissue-specific gene expression, and genome response to external stimuli. Here we discuss the recent literature on how pioneer factors modulate chromatin architecture at multiple levels, from local chromatin accessibility to large-scale genome organization, including chromatin compartments, topologically associating domains, and enhancer-promoter looping. Understanding the mechanisms by which pioneer factors modulate chromatin organization dynamics is key to understand their broader impact on gene expression regulation.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 102480"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143386540","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Replication-transcription symbiosis in the mammalian nucleus: The art of living together","authors":"Joana Segura, María Gómez","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102479","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102479","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Similarly to life in our planet, where thousands of species inhabit the same ecosystem, the cell nucleus hosts different essential processes that share the same territory, making the interaction between them unavoidable. DNA replication and transcription are essential processes that copy and decode the information contained in our genomes, sharing -and competing for- the same chromatin template. Both activities are executed by large macromolecular machines with similar requirements to access the DNA, remodel the nucleosomes ahead of them and reassemble the chromatin make-up behind. Mechanistically, both processes cannot simultaneously act on the same DNA sequence, but emerging evidence shows that they frequently interact. Here we revise recent data on how transcription and replication occur in chromatin highlighting the symbiotic relationship between both processes, which might help explain how their activities contribute to shape the structure and function of the mammalian genome.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 102479"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143378286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The recent advances and implications in cancer therapy for the hippo pathway","authors":"Siew Wee Chan, Camellia Ong, Wanjin Hong","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102476","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102476","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Hippo pathway is a highly conserved signaling network integrating diverse intracellular, intercellular and extracellular biological cues to regulate complex physiological processes such as organ size, tissue development, homeostasis and regeneration. These cues include cytoskeletal organization, mechanical force, cell–cell interaction, cell polarity, cell-extracellular matrix interaction to govern cell proliferation, differentiation, apoptosis, stem cell property and tissue microenvironment. In this review, we discuss how the emerging role of biomolecular condensates regulates the activity of the pathway components, and how dysregulation of the pathway leads to cancer. Lastly, we highlight the therapeutic modalities which target YAP/TAZ-TEAD interaction for cancer therapy.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 102476"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143145297","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":"Shining a light on cell biology of the nucleus with single-cell sequencing","authors":"Jeroen van den Berg , Peter Zeller","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102468","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102468","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>From the preservation of genomic integrity to the regulation of RNA translation, nearly all cellular processes are regulated in a cell context-dependent manner. To fully understand the context-specific function of involved nuclear processes, a vast number of single-cell sequencing technologies were developed over the last decade. This instrumental work demonstrated the heterogeneity between cell types and individual cells, bringing about new understanding of nuclear mechanisms and their crosstalk to cell states. In this review, we will cover new technological advances and their exciting applications as well as future opportunities to discover new nuclear processes and the crosstalk between them.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 102468"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143145335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Unconventional protein secretion: Exploring membrane proteins and beyond","authors":"Long Lin","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102469","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2025.102469","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Protein secretion is essential for cellular communication and function, enabling the delivery of both soluble and integral membrane proteins to the extracellular space and the cell surface. While the classical endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–Golgi pathway has been extensively studied, emerging evidence highlights the existence of unconventional protein secretion (UcPS) pathways. Among these, the mechanisms that enable membrane proteins to bypass the Golgi apparatus remain poorly understood. In this review, I discuss recent advances that shed light on the processes governing Golgi-bypassing membrane secretion. These findings reveal that UcPS of membrane proteins is evolutionarily conserved, operates under both physiological and stress conditions, and involves diverse intermediate carriers and molecular players. Looking ahead, advances in technology and the development of more sophisticated functional assays, along with <em>in vivo</em> models, are expected to further unravel the molecular mechanisms and biological roles of these unconventional pathways.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"93 ","pages":"Article 102469"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143145295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Beyond static snapshots: Mitochondria in action","authors":"Julien Cicero, Uri Manor","doi":"10.1016/j.ceb.2024.102460","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ceb.2024.102460","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Mitochondria are dynamic organelles essential for cellular homeostasis, undergoing continuous fission and fusion processes that regulate their morphology, distribution, and function. Disruptions in these dynamics are linked to numerous diseases, including neurodegenerative disorders and cancer. Understanding these processes is vital for developing therapeutic strategies aimed at mitigating mitochondrial dysfunction. This review provides an overview of recent perspectives on mitochondrial dynamics, focusing on the need for live video microscopy imaging in order to fully understand mitochondrial phenotypes and pathology. Advanced imaging tools, such as machine learning-based segmentation and label-free microscopy approaches, have the potential to transform our ability to study mitochondrial dynamics in live cells.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":50608,"journal":{"name":"Current Opinion in Cell Biology","volume":"92 ","pages":"Article 102460"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142907903","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}