Epithelial cells require apical–basal plasma membrane polarity to carry out crucial vectorial
transport functions and cytoplasmic polarity to generate different cell progenies for tissue …

Myelinated nerve fibers are essential for the rapid propagation of action potentials by
saltatory conduction. They form as the result of reciprocal interactions between axons and …

The Blood–brain barrier (BBB), present at the level of the endothelium of cerebral blood
vessels, selectively restricts the blood-to-brain paracellular diffusion of compounds; it is …

Cell migration requires sustained forward movement of the plasma membrane at the cell's
front or" leading edge." To date, researchers have uncovered four distinct ways of extending …

One of the major challenges in modern biology is to understand how the molecular
components of a living cell operate in a highly noisy environment. What are the specific …

Many genes and molecules that drive tissue patterning during organogenesis and tissue
regeneration have been discovered. Yet, we still lack a full understanding of how these …

Rho GTPases are key regulators of cytoskeletal dynamics and affect many cellular
processes, including cell polarity, migration, vesicle trafficking and cytokinesis. These …

After years of extensive scientific discovery much has been learned about the networks that
regulate epithelial homeostasis. Loss of expression or functional activity of cell adhesion …

To provide a stable environmental barrier, the epidermis requires an integrated network of
cytoskeletal elements and cellular junctions. Nevertheless, the epidermis ranks among the …

To form epithelial organs cells must polarize and generate de novo an apical domain and
lumen. Epithelial polarization is regulated by polarity complexes that are hypothesized to …