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Related Concept Videos

Cell Migration01:09

Cell Migration

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Cell migration, the process by which cells move from one location to another, is essential for the proper development and viability of organisms throughout their life. When cells are not able to migrate properly to their ordained locations, various disorders may occur. For example, disruption in cell migration causes chronic inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
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Cell Migration01:19

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Cell migration is a process by which the cells move from one location to another, playing an essential role in embryological development, repair and regeneration, immune response, and metastasis. Cells migrate in response to chemical or mechanical signals generated by specific organs or tissues. The overall mechanism includes three steps - polarization, protrusion, and release. Polarization involves the formation of a distinct cell front and rear, which determines the direction of movement.
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Cells can detect chemical cues in their environment and reorganize the cytoskeleton to migrate toward them or away from them. This directional migration, called chemotaxis, is essential during embryogenesis and development, immune response, tissue repair and regeneration, and reproduction. These chemical cues can either attract or repel the cell's movement. For example, axon development is determined by a combination of chemoattractants and chemorepellents that direct the growing axon...
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Cell polarity is the asymmetric distribution of cellular and membrane components, making one side of the cell different from the other. This polarity is essential to many processes such as embryogenesis, axon migration, glucose transport across epithelial cells, and directional cell migration. A migrating cell responds to intracellular or extracellular signals via molecular cascades that reorganize the actin cytoskeleton to establish this polarity. In these cells, the Rho family proteins Cdc42,...
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Myosins are multimeric motor proteins involved in various cellular processes such as migration, adhesion, and proliferation. Myosin II is the most common type in animal cells, which binds and cross-links actin filaments.
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Cytoskeletal Coordination in Cell Migration01:32

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A migrating cell changes its shape during the cyclic events of attachment and detachment from the substratum and repositions the cell organelles correspondingly. These complex events are orchestrated by the dynamic cytoskeletal network comprising actin filaments, intermediate filaments, and microtubules. Cytoskeletal crosstalk — the direct and indirect communication between the different components — is crucial for this coordination. Direct communication involves various linker...
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Related Experiment Video

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Creating Adhesive and Soluble Gradients for Imaging Cell Migration with Fluorescence Microscopy
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Optogenetic approaches to cell migration and beyond.

Matthew Weitzman1, Klaus M Hahn2

  • 1Department of Pharmacology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.

Current Opinion in Cell Biology
|September 13, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Optogenetics uses light to control genetically encoded proteins, expanding beyond neurobiology channels to diverse non-channel proteins. This review surveys engineered optogenetic tools for controlling cellular functions with light.

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Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Optogenetics enables precise control of protein function using light.
  • Historically focused on ion channels for neurobiology.
  • Recent expansion to diverse protein types and engineering approaches.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review non-channel proteins engineered for optogenetic applications.
  • To survey novel protein engineering strategies for light control.
  • To illustrate advantages and disadvantages of existing optogenetic tools.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review of optogenetic tools.
  • Focus on protein engineering for light-inducible function.
  • Categorization of engineered non-channel proteins.

Main Results:

  • Identification of engineered optogenetic tools targeting motility, cytoskeletal regulation, and gene expression.
  • Examples of diverse protein engineering strategies.
  • Analysis of the strengths and limitations of various approaches.

Conclusions:

  • Optogenetics is a versatile tool applicable to a wide range of non-channel proteins.
  • Innovative protein engineering methods offer new possibilities for light-controlled biological systems.
  • This review provides a guide for developing novel light-controlled proteins.