What is Rho-dependent IL-2 receptor endocytosis? Internalization of transmembrane receptors was thought to occur exclusively via clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME). However, the discovery of clathrin-independent endocytic routes, in particular, the pathway that mediates the internalization of the cytokine receptor interleukin-2 (IL-2R), raises into question the [...]
What is flotillin-associated endocytosis? Flotillins, which are proteins that localize to specific microdomains or lipid rafts in the plasma membrane, mediate a clathrin-independent endocytosis pathway that is regulated by the Src family tyrosine kinase Fyn [1], [2]. Flotillins are detergent insoluble and named for [...]
What is Fast Endophilin-Mediated Endocytosis (FEME)? FEME is a novel clathrin-independent endocytic pathway, regulated by the BAR domain protein endophilin, where tubulo-vesicular carriers form within seconds at the plasma membrane upon activation of specific G-protein coupled receptors (GPCRs) by their ligands, internalizing GPCRs and [...]
What is exocytosis? Exocytosis is defined as the transport and fusion of secretory vesicles with the plasma membrane and the extracellular space. There are three exocytosis pathways that deliver vesicles to the plasma membrane. Found in all cells, the constitutive secretory pathway operates continuously [...]
How does scission of the clathrin-coated vesicle occur? As mentioned, in mammalian CME the GTPase dynamin is believed to play important roles in invagination and clathrin-coated pit (CCP) maturation [1]. Its binding partners endophilin and amphiphysin, can also induce tubulation of the vesicles and [...]
What is autophagy? Autophagy, meaning self-eating, is an intracellular degradation system wherein unwanted cargo, such as old or damaged organelles, unneeded proteins, as well as pathogenic agents, are digested and the macromolecular contents from the digestion are released back into the cytosol [1]. First [...]
Genome Regulation Genome regulation encompasses all facets of gene expression, from the biochemical modifications of DNA, to the physical arrangement of chromosomes and the activity of the transcription machinery. The genome regulation programs that cells engage control which proteins are produced, and to what [...]
What is caveolar endocytosis? Macropinocytosis or ‘cell drinking’ is a type of endocytosis that involves the nonspecific uptake of extracellular material, such as soluble molecules, nutrients, and antigens. First observed in 1931 by Warren Lewis while working on rat macrophages, macropinocytosis was described as [...]
What is phagocytosis? Phagocytosis is a process by which cells ingest large particles (> 0.5 micrometers) into membrane-bound vesicles called phagosomes, which are then targeted to the lysosomes for enzymatic degradation. The internalization of particles occur by an actin-based mechanism [1][2] and has been [...]
What is the nucleus? The nucleus is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells, the exception being red blood cells. In animal cells it is both the largest and stiffest organelle and is easily identifiable by light microscopy. The average mammalian nucleus has a [...]
What properties of the nucleus facilitate mechanotransduction? Similar to the concept of long distance force propagation along the cytoskeleton, the prestressed nuclear state, which counterbalances intracellular forces from the cytoskeleton, enables mechanotransduction [1][2]. Both the nuclear envelope and nuclear interior contribute to the mechanical [...]
How is nuclear “prestress” maintained? As an integral part of cellular behavior, cells are sensitive to matrix rigidity, local geometry and stress or strain applied by external factors [1]. In recent years, it has been established that an extensive network of protein assembly couples [...]
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One of four Research Centres of Excellence at NUS, MBI is working to identify, measure and describe how the forces for motility and morphogenesis are expressed at the molecular, cellular and tissue level.