📰 "Competing forces of polarization and adhesion generate directional migration bias in a minimal model"
https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.11642 #Cytoskeletal #Q-Bio.Cb
#Adhesion #Forces
Competing forces of polarization and adhesion generate directional migration bias in a minimal model
Left-right axis specification establishes embryonic laterality through asymmetric signaling cascades originating at the cellular scale. We previously reported the presence of a directionality bias in confined pairs of endothelial (and fibroblast) cells exhibiting persistent circular motion, with cytoskeletal contractility modulating the direction. The relative simplicity of the experimental setup makes it a perfect testing ground for the physical forces that could endow this system with a tunable directional migration bias. We model self-propelling biological cells migrating in response to confinement, polarity, and pairwise repulsive forces. Our framework reproduces three key experimental observations: spontaneous coherent circular movement of confined cell pairs, emergence of directional bias when cells have asymmetric properties, and contractility-modulated switching of the rotation direction. Two key assumptions are required: an internal torque arising from cytoskeletal organization (previously observed in other cellular systems), and an asymmetric polarity response between cells, which introduces a difference in how quickly each cell reorients its migration direction. New experiments on daughter cell pairs support this asymmetry requirement in cellular properties. Tuning the polarity response timescale (or strength) relative to centering forces from confinement and cell-cell adhesion can amplify or reverse the directional migration bias.
📰 "A system-wide investigation into the phosphoregulatory network of TNIK and its cellular implications"
https://doi.org/doi:10.3389/fbinf.2026.1722876https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41909809/ #Cytoskeletal #Dynamics
Frontiers | A system-wide investigation into the phosphoregulatory network of TNIK and its cellular implications
IntroductionTNIK (Traf2- and Nck-interacting kinase) is a serine/threonine kinase that plays a crucial role in cytoskeletal organization, Wnt pathway activat...
📰 "Sticks with whips in neurodegenerative diseases: On the roles of intrinsic disorder in the (dis)function of cytoskeletal proteins"
https://doi.org/doi:10.1016/bs.apcsb.2025.10.031https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41904007/ #Cytoskeleton #Cytoskeletal #CellDivision📰 "G-protein coupled receptor regulates cytoskeletal remodelling of extracellular Tau in Alzheimer's disease"
https://doi.org/doi:10.1016/bs.apcsb.2025.10.018https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41904005/ #Cytoskeletal #Dynamics📰 "5-Azacitidine Partially Resets the Subcellular Localization of YAP in Human Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells"
https://doi.org/doi:10.3390/cells15060524https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41892315/ #Cytoskeletal #Mechanical📰 "Mitotically Driven Cytoskeletal Reorganization Governs Zebrafish Left-Right Organizer Detachment from EVL and Lumen Morphogenesis"
https://doi.org/doi:10.64898/2026.03.18.712746https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41889804/ #Morphogenesis #Cytoskeletal
Mitotically Driven Cytoskeletal Reorganization Governs Zebrafish Left-Right Organizer Detachment from EVL and Lumen Morphogenesis
Left–right asymmetry in vertebrate embryos is established by the left–right organizer (LRO), with the zebrafish Kupffer’s vesicle (KV) providing a tractable model for studying de novo epithelial morphogenesis. During KV formation, dorsal forerunner cells (DFCs) initially form polarized attachments to the enveloping layer (EVL) before reorganizing into multicellular rosettes that precede lumen formation. Here, we show that while DFC–EVL junctions form independently of mitosis, early cytokinetic events play an instructive role in remodeling these contacts. Live imaging and targeted laser ablation reveal that cytokinetic bridges and their associated microtubule bundles recruit actin, seed rosette centers, and promote the transition from external to internal epithelial organization. Disruption of early, but not later, DFC divisions impairs actin accumulation, rosette coalescence, KV detachment from the EVL, and lumenogenesis. These findings identify a temporally restricted role for cytokinesis in organizing cytoskeletal architecture and reveal how division history directs epithelial tissue assembly during LRO development.
### Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
National Institute of General Medical Sciences, https://ror.org/04q48ey07, R01GM-127621, R01GM-130874, R35GM158119
Rxiv mechanobio