近日，来自昆士兰大学的研究者发现了蛋白如何通过胶水粘连细胞共同作用形成健康组织的重要的步骤，在癌症和炎症病人中，这个过程被破坏掉了。文章中研究者发现了一种关键信号，这种信号可以促使蛋白质产生“胶水”然后结合细胞形成健康组织，相关研究成果刊登在了近日的国际杂志Nature Cell Biology上。
研究者Yap表示，细胞是构筑我们机体最基本的单元，健康的组织需要足够的细胞粘连来维持，而且这种黏着作用需要通过特殊的束状蛋白质来完成，束状蛋白质的形成依托于信号蛋白Rho的促进。这种信号就好比是管弦乐队的指挥者一样，确保整个乐队各个成员的发挥正常。
细胞网络中很多蛋白质都参与了癌症的发病，研究者的这项研究发现意味着可以为健康组织的形成提供一些思路。这项研究由人类前沿科学计划支持。（生物谷Bioon.com）
编译自：Cell glue gives insights into cancer
doi:10.1038/ncb2532
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Centralspindlin and α-catenin regulate Rho signalling at the epithelial zonula adherens
Aparna Ratheesh,1, 4 Guillermo A. Gomez,1, 4 Rashmi Priya,1 Suzie Verma,1 Eva M. Kovacs,1 Kai Jiang,2 Nicholas H. Brown,3 Anna Akhmanova,2 Samantha J. Stehbens1, 5 & Alpha S. Yap1
The biological impact of Rho depends critically on the precise subcellular localization of its active, GTP-loaded form. This can potentially be determined by the balance between molecules that promote nucleotide exchange or GTP hydrolysis. However, how these activities may be coordinated is poorly understood. We now report a molecular pathway that achieves exactly this coordination at the epithelial zonula adherens. We identify an extramitotic activity of the centralspindlin complex, better understood as a cytokinetic regulator, which localizes to the interphase zonula adherens by interacting with the cadherin-associated protein, α-catenin. Centralspindlin recruits the RhoGEF, ECT2, to activate Rho and support junctional integrity through myosin IIA. Centralspindlin also inhibits the junctional localization of p190 B RhoGAP, which can inactivate Rho. Thus, a conserved molecular ensemble that governs Rho activation during cytokinesis is used in interphase cells to control the Rho GTPase cycle at the zonula adherens.
