BioEssays最新文献

{"title":"Motor-Assisted Co-Migration of Intracellular Organelles and Microtubules as a Mechanism for Directed Cargo Transport","authors":"Chuying Zhou,&nbsp;Mineko Kengaku","doi":"10.1002/bies.70127","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70127","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Intracellular cargo transport relies on a microtubule (MT) network and its molecular motors, dynein and kinesin. While conventional models emphasize motor-driven cargo movement along stationary MT tracks, emerging evidence suggests that dynamic movements of MTs also contribute to directional transport. We propose a model of cargo co-migration with moving MTs, exemplified by nuclear migration in developing neurons. This transport mode may operate across cell types, provided that cargo-MT tethering and directional MT movements are present. We hypothesize multiple complementary mechanisms, including motor catch-bond formation and clustering, as well as MT-associated protein-mediated anchorage. We further discuss how directional MT movements can be generated through motor-driven sliding, cortical gliding, actin-MT crosslinking, and dynamic MT instability. This coupled transport mechanism provides an additional layer of directional control that supplements motor-stepping-dependent transport. Potential experimental approaches to validate this hypothesis are discussed. Understanding MT-mediated cargo delivery could refine our current models of intracellular transport and reveal new insights into neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"48 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13015778/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147509593","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Diverse Scaffolds Facilitate NLRP3 Clustering and Inflammasome Formation in Response to Perturbations in Cell Homeostasis","authors":"Elvira Boršić-Mlinarič,&nbsp;Iva Hafner-Bratkovič","doi":"10.1002/bies.70130","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70130","url":null,"abstract":"<p>A central component of innate immunity, the NLRP3 inflammasome is a multiprotein complex formed in response to a chemically and morphologically diverse spectrum of stimuli. Despite extensive investigation, no single ligand or signal has emerged to account for this breadth of activation. Here, we review the landscape of NLRP3 activation across subcellular compartments and examine how this process is shaped by a network of interacting partners. Recent studies suggest that NLRP3 responds to cellular perturbations, such as changes in lipid membrane composition, protein localization, or organelle function. We propose that distinct upstream cues converge to generate diverse molecular scaffolds that recruit NLRP3. The NLRP3-scaffold interactions promote NLRP3 clustering, destabilize its autoinhibited conformation, and drive assembly of the inflammasome. NLRP3 is thus an adaptable sensor, equipped with versatile molecular interactions that allow it to integrate multiple danger signals into inflammasome activation.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"48 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13015780/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147509300","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Morphogen Gradients as Drivers of Mosaicism During Early Human Development","authors":"Sergio P. Acebrón,&nbsp;Janina Hattemer,&nbsp;Tobias Rausch,&nbsp;Anchel De Jaime-Soguero","doi":"10.1002/bies.70128","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70128","url":null,"abstract":"<p>WNT, BMP, FGF, and Nodal signalling gradients drive naive to primed epiblast transitions and primitive endoderm specification, as well as subsequent gastrulation of the implanted embryo. Recently, these pathways were shown to control a signalling rheostat that modulates chromosome replication and segregation fidelity in human pluripotent stem cells. In particular, WNT and BMP antagonists associated with embryo anteriorization during gastrulation (DKK1, Cerberus, LEFTY2, Noggin, and Chordin) induce DNA replication stress and damage in S-phase leading to ultra-fine-bridges and whole-chromosome mis segregation in the subsequent mitosis. Of note, aneuploidy in pre- and early post-implantation embryos is the first cause of miscarriage in humans, and has also been associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we hypothesize that the antero-posterior (A–P) signalling gradient generates overlapping patterns of genome and chromosomal mosaicism in human embryos, with potential links to human infertility and lineage-specific developmental disorders.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"48 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13015771/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147509586","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Vimentin Intermediate Filaments: A Paradigm Shift From Static Structure to Dynamic Cytoplasmic Network","authors":"Bhuvanasundar Renganathan,&nbsp;Stephen A. Adam,&nbsp;Vladimir I. Gelfand","doi":"10.1002/bies.70125","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70125","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Recent advances in live-cell imaging, super-resolution microscopy, labeling techniques and cryo-electron microscopy reveal vimentin intermediate filaments (VIFs) as adaptable polymers that couple mechanical stability with rapid remodeling. In this review, we highlight recent findings and discuss how VIFs function as dynamic, interpenetrating networks with actin microfilaments and microtubules, coordinating cytoskeletal architecture while simultaneously facilitating organelle positioning and influencing cellular behavior. We also propose a hybrid transport model to capture the diverse modes of VIF cellular interactions. This emerging framework positions VIFs as dynamic integrators of cytoskeletal organization and intracellular logistics, with broad implications for understanding cell mechanics, migration, and disease.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"48 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12989643/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147462623","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Transposon Ecology and the Octopus Genome","authors":"Stefan Linquist,&nbsp;Tyler A. Elliott,&nbsp;Stefan C. Kremer,&nbsp;T. Ryan Gregory,&nbsp;Brent Saylor,&nbsp;Karl Cottenie","doi":"10.1002/bies.70124","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70124","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Recent discoveries of transposable element (TE) activity in the octopus genome suggest, to some, that these “jumping genes” facilitated the evolution of cephalopod brains and possibly contribute to cognitive flexibility in these animals. In contrast, TEs are often regarded as genomic parasites with net deleterious effects on host fitness. The octopus genome provides an opportunity to compare these proposals to a genome-ecological alternative. We review evidence of TE accumulation and somatic activity, showing compatibility with both organism-beneficial and selfish-DNA interpretations. To resolve this, we apply ecological thinking within the genome to generate novel predictions. If TEs are adapted to a “requirement niche” typically found in germline cells, then TE-population growth rates (replication rates) should be nonnegative under similar “environmental” conditions (e.g., similar gene expression patterns to testes). This invites a comparison of expression levels across tissues. It is reasonable to infer some organism-beneficial function only when TE expression levels deviate from those predicted by the degree of niche-overlap with germline cells.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"48 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12988792/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147455599","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Emergent Homeostasis and Degeneracy From Multi-Dimensional Attractors","authors":"Kuheli Biswas,&nbsp;Hanna Salman,&nbsp;Naama Brenner","doi":"10.1002/bies.70116","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70116","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Biological systems maintain homeostasis, ensuring stability in the face of internal and external perturbations and counteracting stochastic noise. Traditionally, this is understood through the lens of control mechanisms designed to offset variations and maintain certain quantities near functionally desired set points. Here, we propose an alternative perspective to understand homeostasis: the <i>collective dynamics perspective</i>, in which homeostasis emerges spontaneously from high-dimensional interactions, creating limiting manifolds in phase space. These multi-dimensional attractor manifolds can constrain many components collectively, eliminating the need for explicit control of individual variables. The presence of null directions on a manifold allows for degenerate states that can add flexibility while preserving functionality. Using single-cell growth and division homeostasis as a test case, we develop and support our perspective by models and meta-analysis of numerous single-cell datasets across organisms and conditions. Importantly, we do not reject the control-theory perspective but rather suggest that control circuit models can be seen as low-dimensional projections of a more complex, multi-dimensional system.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"48 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12966630/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147369027","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Imprecision in Vision: Lessons From Neural Circuits in the Fly","authors":"Mathias F. Wernet,&nbsp;Marion Silies","doi":"10.1002/bies.70122","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70122","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Visual systems appear like homogenous structures, where identical functional units repeat themselves across the eye. This architecture is thought to ensure a uniform sampling of the surrounding environment. Furthermore, anatomically and functionally identical properties of single units belonging to the same cell type, yet located across retinotopical positions are thought to ensure translational invariance. At the same time, regional differences and stochastic variations in microcircuit architecture have been linked to the processing of specific visual features. Recent access to connectomic datasets has revealed heterogeneity in visual circuitry that is at odds with these criteria: Cells considered to belong to the same type are variable in number and identity of connected partners, as well as in the relative number of synapses. This variable connectivity suggests that heterogeneous computations, even within defined cell types, is the rule, rather than the exception. It is therefore an exciting question whether these network properties increase functional variability, or even functional robustness, of visual processing.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"48 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12957902/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147347198","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Issue Information: BioEssays 3/2026","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/bies.70121","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70121","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"48 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.70121","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147569808","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Eukaryogenesis Meets Constructive Neutral Evolution?","authors":"Dave Speijer","doi":"10.1002/bies.70120","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70120","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;p&gt;Scientists occasionally consider certain publications strangely neglected. We think the results presented in some articles should be widely known, but find them, and their implications, to be mostly overlooked. My own special example is a Genome Biology and Evolution article published in 2015 by van der Sluis and co-workers, entitled “Parallel Structural Evolution of Mitochondrial Ribosomes and OXPHOS Complexes” [&lt;span&gt;1&lt;/span&gt;]. Over a decade, it has been cited almost 90 times, which is a respectable number, but still not commensurate with the findings presented, I think. More importantly, the possible far-reaching consequences for many aspects of eukaryogenesis of its conclusions are often missed. So, what did these authors uncover? Here, directly quoting their abstract is best: “…our findings reveal that both structurally and compositionally, mitoribosomes have evolved very similarly to mitochondrial OXPHOS complexes…” during a “…phase that mainly acted &lt;i&gt;early&lt;/i&gt; in eukaryote evolution, resulting in the recruitment of altogether approximately &lt;i&gt;75 novel subunits&lt;/i&gt;…” (my italics). They propose that newly recruited ribosomal- and OXPHOS proteins, encoded in the nucleus, shore up mutationally destabilized mitochondrially encoded components, with their initial recruitment best described as instances of Constructive Neutral Evolution (CNE) [&lt;span&gt;1-3&lt;/span&gt;].&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Why, in my opinion, are these observations highly relevant for models trying to reconstruct eukaryogenesis? A comparison with what happened during the later acquisition of a cyanobacterium by a eukaryote, which turned into the chloroplast, is illuminating. Though it also lost the large majority of its genes and relies heavily on the import of proteins encoded in the nucleus, using systems akin to the mitochondrial ones, no such parallel initial developments now characterize their ribosomes or electron transport chain complexes. Chloroplast ribosomes are still “just” bacterial. Why are there outspoken differences between these two instances of primary endosymbiosis involving gram-negative bacteria? Because the difference is not in the endosymbiont-to-be but in the cell that was involved in the uptake. Hyperbolically speaking, the eukaryote taking up the cyanobacterium knew how to handle it, but the primordial cell confronted with the alpha-proteobacterium did not, because it was not a eukaryote, but a complex Asgard archaeon.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Such a scenario makes sense of the observations presented in [&lt;span&gt;1&lt;/span&gt;]. Aerobic alpha-proteobacteria, which suddenly find themselves oxidizing different host metabolites on the inside of a cell, might encounter the mutational destabilization observed, by producing much more reactive oxygen species (ROS) than they would normally do, for example, along lines described in [&lt;span&gt;4&lt;/span&gt;]. But the implications of the findings of van der Sluis et al. could go even further. Because if this was the result of endogenous ROS formation for the aerobic ba","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"48 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.70120","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147316497","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Histone Nuclear Import and Beyond: Multifunctional Roles of Importins","authors":"Natalia Bernardes,&nbsp;Yuh Min Chook","doi":"10.1002/bies.70119","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70119","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The separation of DNA-based processes from cytoplasmic protein synthesis demands precise and effective nuclear import of histones and chromatin regulators. Because histones are highly basic and aggregation-prone, their proper folding, sequestration, and deposition into chromatin depend on coordinated action of histone chaperones and nuclear import receptors. This review summarizes recent advances in understanding the mechanisms of core and linker histone import and chaperoning. Structural and biochemical studies have elucidated how Importin-4/Kap123 mediates nuclear import of H3–H4 heterodimers in concert with ASF1, revealing Importin-4's dual role as both transporter and histone chaperone. Likewise, Importin-9/Kap114 recognizes and imports H2A–H2B heterodimers through a mechanism unusually insensitive to RanGTP, which cooperates with Nap1 for histone release. Finally, new structural analyses of the Importin-β-Importin-7 heterodimer clarify its mode of linker histone H1 import. Together, these studies establish importins as multifunctional factors that couple histone stabilization, protection from aberrant interactions, nuclear import, and targeted delivery for nucleosome assembly. Outstanding questions include how secondary importins, histone modifications, and compartment-specific chaperone dynamics regulate histone trafficking, and whether importins themselves function in nucleosome assembly. Addressing these questions will define how nuclear import integrates with chromatin homeostasis.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"48 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7,"publicationDate":"2026-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12933015/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147282641","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}