B. Baum

Evolutionarily conserved principles of ESCRT-III-mediated membrane remodelling revealed by a two-subunit Asgard archaeal system

The paper identifies evolutionarily conserved principles of ESCRT-III-mediated membrane remodeling using an Asgard archaeal two-subunit system, showing homology to eukaryotic ESCRT-IIIB and IIIA.

The parasitic lifestyle of an archaeal symbiont

This study identifies a parasitic lifestyle in a DPANN archaeon that causes host cell lysis, suggesting a predatory-like interaction similar to viruses.

Oncogenic Ras deregulates cell-substrate interactions during mitotic rounding and respreading to alter cell division orientation

This study shows oncogenic Ras-ERK signalling alters cell division orientation by affecting actomyosin contractility and cell-substrate interactions during mitotic rounding and respreading.

SCAR and the Arp2/3 complex polarise the actomyosin cortex and plasma membrane organization in asymmetrically dividing neuroblasts

The paper investigates the role of Arp2/3 complex and SCAR in polarizing the actomyosin cortex during asymmetric neuroblast division, showing they regulate apical Myosin levels and cortical stability.

Modelling Membrane Reshaping by Staged Polymerization of ESCRT-III Filaments

The paper models how ESCRT-III filaments reshape membranes through staged polymerization and depolymerization, identifying mechanical conditions for membrane deformation and scission.

The patterned assembly and stepwise Vps4-mediated disassembly of composite ESCRT-III polymers drives archaeal cell division

The paper uses super-resolution microscopy and computational modeling to show how CdvB/CdvB1/CdvB2 proteins form a patterned composite ESCRT-III division ring that disassembles stepwise to drive archaeal cell division.

Mechanochemical rules for shape-shifting filaments that remodel membranes

The paper develops a kinetic model to study how composite filaments remodel membranes by sequentially changing composition, showing this process lowers the energetic barrier for membrane deformation.

Spindle reorientation in response to mechanical stress is an emergent property of the spindle positioning mechanisms

The paper investigates how mitotic spindles reorient in response to mechanical stress and finds that spindle rotation emerges from interactions between positioning machinery and cortical tension.

Tension at intercellular junctions is necessary for accurate orientation of cell division in the epithelium plane

This study shows that tissue tension at intercellular junctions is necessary for accurate in-plane spindle orientation during epithelial cell division.

Characterisation of the Ubiquitin-ESCRT pathway in Asgard archaea sheds new light on origins of membrane trafficking in eukaryotes

This study characterizes the ubiquitin-ESCRT pathway in Asgard archaea, showing its pre-eukaryotic origin and evolutionary path through gene duplication.

Physical mechanisms of ESCRT-III-driven cell division in archaea

The paper develops a physical model to explain how ESCRT-III filaments drive cell division in archaea, showing that active geometry changes and disassembly are sufficient for efficient splitting.

Oncogenic RAS instructs morphological transformation of human epithelia via differential tissue mechanics.

This study shows that oncogenic RAS causes morphological changes in human epithelial tissues through differential mechanics, leading to three-dimensional structures similar to cancer behaviors.

Asymmetric nuclear division of neural stem cells contributes to the formation of sibling nuclei with different identities

Bacterial Vipp1 and PspA are members of the ancient ESCRT-III membrane-remodelling superfamily

The paper shows Vipp1 and PspA are evolutionarily related to ESCRT-III and use similar mechanisms for membrane remodeling in bacteria.

Designing membrane-reshaping nanostructures through artificial evolution

This study uses artificial evolution with molecular dynamics to design ligand patterns on nanoparticles that enhance cell uptake, revealing that one-dimensional ligand chains are optimal in low-ligand regimes.

Live cell imaging of the hyperthermophilic archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius identifies complementary roles for two ESCRTIII homologues in ensuring a robust and symmetric cell division

The paper develops a heated imaging system to study Sulfolobus cell division, revealing distinct roles for two ESCRTIII proteins in ensuring robust and symmetric division.

Closed mitosis requires local disassembly of the nuclear envelope

This study identifies a novel protein involved in local nuclear envelope breakdown during closed mitosis in fission yeast.

Proteasome-mediated protein degradation resets the cell division cycle and triggers ESCRT-III-mediated cytokinesis in an archaeon

This study identifies proteasome-mediated degradation of CdvB as a mechanism resetting the cell division cycle and triggering cytokinesis in the archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius.

Changes in ESCRT-III filament geometry drive membrane remodelling and fission in silico

This paper develops a computational model to simulate ESCRT-III filament dynamics and shows how changes in filament geometry drive membrane remodeling and scission.

Oncogenic signaling alters cell shape and mechanics to facilitate cell division under confinement.

This study shows that oncogenic Ras-ERK signaling changes cell mechanics and division behavior under confinement, aiding mitotic rounding and chromosome segregation.

Actomyosin controls planarity and folding of epithelia in response to compression

This study shows that actomyosin cytoskeleton adapts to compressive forces in epithelia, enabling tissue flattening and regulated folding beyond a critical strain threshold.

Isotropic myosin-generated tissue tension is required for the dynamic orientation of the mitotic spindle

This study shows that isotropic tissue tension is necessary for proper mitotic spindle orientation in epithelial cells, with spindle alignment failing in low-tension regions.

Automating multimodal microscopy with NanoJ-Fluidics

The paper introduces NanoJ-Fluidics, an open-source system for automating multimodal microscopy workflows, demonstrating its ability to perform complex imaging experiments with high reproducibility.

Polarization of Myosin II refines tissue material properties to buffer mechanical stress.

The paper identifies a mechanosensitive pathway that uses Myosin II polarization to stiffen tissues and buffer mechanical stress, preventing damage and preserving tissue shape.

Real-time fluorescence and deformability cytometry - flow cytometry goes mechanics

This paper introduces RT-FDC, combining real-time fluorescence imaging with deformability cytometry to enable label-free, high-throughput mechanical and molecular cell analysis.

Size control in mammalian cells involves modulation of both growth rate and cell cycle duration

The paper measures single-cell volume over cell cycles in mammalian cells and finds size homeostasis relies on both growth rate and cell cycle duration modulation.

Two-Step Interphase Microtubule Disassembly Aids Spindle Morphogenesis

The paper identifies a two-step interphase microtubule disassembly process during mitosis entry, showing its role in spindle morphogenesis and the consequences of its failure.