Live-cell imaging of G-actin dynamics using sequential FDAP

Formin' cables under stress

How application of force affects actin remodelling during mechanotransduction has remained unclear. Mechanical manipulation of the cell cortex is now shown to trigger actin monomer release from filaments, which in turn activates formin-dependent actin filament elongation. This force-sensitive actin polymerization does not require GTPases or membrane receptors, but it involves actin itself.

BioArchitecture: the organization and regulation of biological space

BioArchitecture is a term used to describe the organization and regulation of biological space. It applies to the principles which govern the structure of molecules, polymers and mutiprotein complexes, organelles, membranes and their organization in the cytoplasm and the nucleus. It also covers the integration of cells into their three dimensional environment at the level of cell-matrix, cell-cell interactions, integration into tissue/organ structure and function and finally into the structure of the organism. This review will highlight studies at all these levels which are providing a new way to think about the relationship between the organization of biological space and the function of biological systems.