@article{13342,
  abstract     = {Motile cells moving in multicellular organisms encounter microenvironments of locally heterogeneous mechanochemical composition. Individual compositional parameters like chemotactic signals, adhesiveness, and pore sizes are well known to be sensed by motile cells, providing individual guidance cues for cellular pathfinding. However, motile cells encounter diverse mechanochemical signals at the same time, raising the question of how cells respond to locally diverse and potentially competing signals on their migration routes. Here, we reveal that motile amoeboid cells require nuclear repositioning, termed nucleokinesis, for adaptive pathfinding in heterogeneous mechanochemical microenvironments. Using mammalian immune cells and the amoeba<jats:italic>Dictyostelium discoideum</jats:italic>, we discover that frequent, rapid and long-distance nucleokinesis is a basic component of amoeboid pathfinding, enabling cells to reorientate quickly between locally competing cues. Amoeboid nucleokinesis comprises a two-step cell polarity switch and is driven by myosin II-forces, sliding the nucleus from a ‘losing’ to the ‘winning’ leading edge to re-adjust the nuclear to the cellular path. Impaired nucleokinesis distorts fast path adaptions and causes cellular arrest in the microenvironment. Our findings establish that nucleokinesis is required for amoeboid cell navigation. Given that motile single-cell amoebae, many immune cells, and some cancer cells utilize an amoeboid migration strategy, these results suggest that amoeboid nucleokinesis underlies cellular navigation during unicellular biology, immunity, and disease.},
  author       = {Kroll, Janina and Hauschild, Robert and Kuznetcov, Arthur and Stefanowski, Kasia and Hermann, Monika D. and Merrin, Jack and Shafeek, Lubuna B and Müller-Taubenberger, Annette and Renkawitz, Jörg},
  issn         = {1460-2075},
  journal      = {EMBO Journal},
  publisher    = {Embo Press},
  title        = {{Adaptive pathfinding by nucleokinesis during amoeboid migration}},
  doi          = {10.15252/embj.2023114557},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{10918,
  abstract     = {Cellular metabolism must adapt to changing demands to enable homeostasis. During immune responses or cancer metastasis, cells leading migration into challenging environments require an energy boost, but what controls this capacity is unclear. Here, we study a previously uncharacterized nuclear protein, Atossa (encoded by CG9005), which supports macrophage invasion into the germband of Drosophila by controlling cellular metabolism. First, nuclear Atossa increases mRNA levels of Porthos, a DEAD-box protein, and of two metabolic enzymes, lysine-α-ketoglutarate reductase (LKR/SDH) and NADPH glyoxylate reductase (GR/HPR), thus enhancing mitochondrial bioenergetics. Then Porthos supports ribosome assembly and thereby raises the translational efficiency of a subset of mRNAs, including those affecting mitochondrial functions, the electron transport chain, and metabolism. Mitochondrial respiration measurements, metabolomics, and live imaging indicate that Atossa and Porthos power up OxPhos and energy production to promote the forging of a path into tissues by leading macrophages. Since many crucial physiological responses require increases in mitochondrial energy output, this previously undescribed genetic program may modulate a wide range of cellular behaviors.},
  author       = {Emtenani, Shamsi and Martin, Elliot T and György, Attila and Bicher, Julia and Genger, Jakob-Wendelin and Köcher, Thomas and Akhmanova, Maria and Pereira Guarda, Mariana and Roblek, Marko and Bergthaler, Andreas and Hurd, Thomas R and Rangan, Prashanth and Siekhaus, Daria E},
  issn         = {1460-2075},
  journal      = {The Embo Journal},
  publisher    = {Embo Press},
  title        = {{Macrophage mitochondrial bioenergetics and tissue invasion are boosted by an Atossa-Porthos axis in Drosophila}},
  doi          = {10.15252/embj.2021109049},
  volume       = {41},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{10179,
  abstract     = {Inhibitory GABAergic interneurons migrate over long distances from their extracortical origin into the developing cortex. In humans, this process is uniquely slow and prolonged, and it is unclear whether guidance cues unique to humans govern the various phases of this complex developmental process. Here, we use fused cerebral organoids to identify key roles of neurotransmitter signaling pathways in guiding the migratory behavior of human cortical interneurons. We use scRNAseq to reveal expression of GABA, glutamate, glycine, and serotonin receptors along distinct maturation trajectories across interneuron migration. We develop an image analysis software package, TrackPal, to simultaneously assess 48 parameters for entire migration tracks of individual cells. By chemical screening, we show that different modes of interneuron migration depend on distinct neurotransmitter signaling pathways, linking transcriptional maturation of interneurons with their migratory behavior. Altogether, our study provides a comprehensive quantitative analysis of human interneuron migration and its functional modulation by neurotransmitter signaling.},
  author       = {Bajaj, Sunanjay and Bagley, Joshua A. and Sommer, Christoph M and Vertesy, Abel and Nagumo Wong, Sakurako and Krenn, Veronica and Lévi-Strauss, Julie and Knoblich, Juergen A.},
  issn         = {1460-2075},
  journal      = {EMBO Journal},
  number       = {23},
  publisher    = {Embo Press},
  title        = {{Neurotransmitter signaling regulates distinct phases of multimodal human interneuron migration}},
  doi          = {10.15252/embj.2021108714},
  volume       = {40},
  year         = {2021},
}

@article{8142,
  abstract     = {Cell production and differentiation for the acquisition of specific functions are key features of living systems. The dynamic network of cellular microtubules provides the necessary platform to accommodate processes associated with the transition of cells through the individual phases of cytogenesis. Here, we show that the plant hormone cytokinin fine‐tunes the activity of the microtubular cytoskeleton during cell differentiation and counteracts microtubular rearrangements driven by the hormone auxin. The endogenous upward gradient of cytokinin activity along the longitudinal growth axis in Arabidopsis thaliana roots correlates with robust rearrangements of the microtubule cytoskeleton in epidermal cells progressing from the proliferative to the differentiation stage. Controlled increases in cytokinin activity result in premature re‐organization of the microtubule network from transversal to an oblique disposition in cells prior to their differentiation, whereas attenuated hormone perception delays cytoskeleton conversion into a configuration typical for differentiated cells. Intriguingly, cytokinin can interfere with microtubules also in animal cells, such as leukocytes, suggesting that a cytokinin‐sensitive control pathway for the microtubular cytoskeleton may be at least partially conserved between plant and animal cells.},
  author       = {Montesinos López, Juan C and Abuzeineh, A and Kopf, Aglaja and Juanes Garcia, Alba and Ötvös, Krisztina and Petrášek, J and Sixt, Michael K and Benková, Eva},
  issn         = {1460-2075},
  journal      = {The Embo Journal},
  number       = {17},
  publisher    = {Embo Press},
  title        = {{Phytohormone cytokinin guides microtubule dynamics during cell progression from proliferative to differentiated stage}},
  doi          = {10.15252/embj.2019104238},
  volume       = {39},
  year         = {2020},
}

@article{6980,
  abstract     = {Tissue morphogenesis in multicellular organisms is brought about by spatiotemporal coordination of mechanical and chemical signals. Extensive work on how mechanical forces together with the well‐established morphogen signalling pathways can actively shape living tissues has revealed evolutionary conserved mechanochemical features of embryonic development. More recently, attention has been drawn to the description of tissue material properties and how they can influence certain morphogenetic processes. Interestingly, besides the role of tissue material properties in determining how much tissues deform in response to force application, there is increasing theoretical and experimental evidence, suggesting that tissue material properties can abruptly and drastically change in development. These changes resemble phase transitions, pointing at the intriguing possibility that important morphogenetic processes in development, such as symmetry breaking and self‐organization, might be mediated by tissue phase transitions. In this review, we summarize recent findings on the regulation and role of tissue material properties in the context of the developing embryo. We posit that abrupt changes of tissue rheological properties may have important implications in maintaining the balance between robustness and adaptability during embryonic development.},
  author       = {Petridou, Nicoletta and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J},
  issn         = {1460-2075},
  journal      = {The EMBO Journal},
  number       = {20},
  publisher    = {EMBO},
  title        = {{Tissue rheology in embryonic organization}},
  doi          = {10.15252/embj.2019102497},
  volume       = {38},
  year         = {2019},
}