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Updated: May 31, 2026

In Vitro Reconstitution of Spatial Cell Contact Patterns with Isolated Caenorhabditis elegans Embryo Blastomeres and Adhesive Polystyrene Beads
Published on: November 26, 2019
14-3-3, an integrator of cell mechanics and cytokinesis
1Departments of Cell Biology; Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences; Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering; Johns Hopkins University; Baltimore, MD USA.
Abstract:
One of the goals of understanding cytokinesis is to uncover the molecular regulation of the cellular mechanical properties that drive cell shape change. Such regulatory pathways are likely to be used at multiple stages of a cell's life, but are highly featured during cell division. Recently, we demonstrated that 14-3-3 (encoded by a single gene in the social amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum) serves to integrate key cytoskeletal components-microtubules, Rac and myosin II-to control cell mechanics and cytokinesis. As 14-3-3 proteins are frequently altered in a variety of human tumors, we extend these observations to suggest possible additional roles for how 14-3-3 proteins may contribute to tumorigenesis.
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