The lipid second messenger PI(4,5)P(2) modulates actin dynamics, and its local accumulation at plasmalemmal microdomains (rafts) might mediate regulation of protrusive motility. However, how PI(4,5)P(2)-rich rafts regulate surface motility is not well understood. Here, we show that upon signals promoting cell surface motility, PI(4,5)P(2) directs the assembly of dynamic raft-rich plasmalemmal p...

The quality of sample inoculation is critical for achieving an optimal yield of discrete colonies in both monomicrobial and polymicrobial samples to perform identification and antibiotic susceptibility testing. Consequently, we compared the performance between the InoqulA (BD Kiestra), the WASP (Copan), and manual inoculation methods. Defined mono- and polymicrobial samples of 4 bacterial speci...

Actin related protein 2/actin related protein 3 (Arp2/3) complex nucleates new actin filaments in eukaryotic cells in response to signals from proteins in the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) family. The conserved VCA domain of WASP proteins activates Arp2/3 complex by inducing conformational changes and delivering the first actin monomer of the daughter filament. Previous models of acti...

Coexisting but temporally separated cohorts of insects with a multiannual life cycle may have dissimilar average abundance, resulting in periodically fluctuating population density. In the case of the boreal moth genus Xestia with a 2-year life cycle and a distinct abundance difference between the two coexisting cohorts, empirical results and a simple model suggest that the oscillatory dynamics...

BACKGROUND Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine-metabolic disorder highly associated with insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinemia. It is known that the insulin signaling pathway is impaired in endometria from PCOS hyperinsulinemic women, but no information is available about molecules associated with cell surface GLUT4 translocation. We therefore evaluated the protein l...

Neural Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (N-WASP) is an actin-regulating protein that induces filopodium formation downstream of Cdc42. It has been shown that filopodia actively extend from the growth cone, a guidance apparatus located at the tip of neurites, suggesting their role in neurite extension. Here we examined the possible involvement of N-WASP in the neurite extension process. Since ve...

Bruton's tyrosine kinase (Btk) has been shown to play a role in normal B-lymphocyte development. Defective expression of Btk leads to human and murine immunodeficiencies. However, the exact role of Btk in the cytoplasmic signal transduction in B cells is still unclear. This study represents a search for the substrate for Btk in vivo. We identified one of the major phosphoproteins associated wit...

Regulated migration and spatial localization of dendritic cells (DCs) are critical events during the initiation of physiologic immune responses and maintenance of tolerance. Here we have used cells deficient in the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) to demonstrate the importance of dynamic remodeling of the actin cytoskeleton for these trafficking processes to occur in vitro and in vivo. O...

Yeast protein, Bee1, exhibits sequence homology to Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP), a human protein that may link signaling pathways to the actin cytoskeleton. Mutations in WASP are the primary cause of Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, characterized by immuno-deficiencies and defects in blood cell morphogenesis. This report describes the characterization of Bee1 protein function in budding yea...