Arp2/3 is a protein complex that nucleates actin filament assembly in the lamellipodium in adherent cells crawling on planar 2-dimensional (2D) substrates. However, in physiopathological situations, cell migration typically occurs within a 3-dimensional (3D) environment, and little is known about the role of Arp2/3 and associated proteins in 3D cell migration. Using time resolved live-cell imag...

The signals that initiate cell invasion are not well understood, but there is increasing evidence that extracellular physical signals play an important role. Here we show that epithelial cell invasion in the intestine of zebrafish meltdown (mlt) mutants arises in response to unregulated contractile tone in the surrounding smooth muscle cell layer. Physical signaling in mlt drives formation of m...

Systemic metastasis is the dissemination of cancer cells from the primary tumor to distant organs and is the primary cause of death in cancer patients. How do cancer cells leave the primary tumor mass? The ability of the tumor cells to form different types of actin-rich protrusions including invasive protrusions (invadopodia) and locomotory protrusions (lamellipodia [2D] or pseudopodia [3D]), f...

Cell migration entails the formation of cellular protrusions such as lamellipodia or filopodia, the growth of which is powered by the polymerisation of actin filaments abutting the plasma membrane. Specific Rho-GTPase subfamilies are able to drive different types of protrusions. However, significant crosstalk between Rho-family members and the interplay of distinct Rho-effectors regulating or m...

background and objectives: squamous cell carcinoma of the tongue (sccot) is the most common malignant neoplasm in oral cavity. at the time of the diagnosis of sccot regional metastases with a high mortality rate are common, which is due to the extensive lymphatic system drainage of the tongue. although the level of healthcare has significantly improved, the survival rate is still low with an un...

granular cell tumor is a rare benign neoplasm most commonly appears in the head and neck region, especially in the tongue, cheek mucosa, and palate. occurrence in limbs is even rarer. these tumors account for approximately 0.5% of all soft tissue tumors. granular cell tumor can also affect other organs including skin, breast, and lungs. local recurrence and metastasis is potentially higher in m...

The application of L·DOPA (L-3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine) to the treatment of extrapyramidal disorders has been extremely beneficial for parkinsonism 1)-8). At the same time several side-effects have been recognized. Among them, the appearance of dyskinesia poses an important problem 8)-13l , but causative mechanisms of L·DOPA induced dyskinesia are not yet sufficiently elucidated. Such dyskine...

One or two bottle preference tests, i.e., relative fluid consumption, constitute the primary methodology for determining acceptance or rejection of tastes in animals other than humans. These tests require organisms to initiate and maintain drinking behavior, and, therefore, can not be applied to preparations which do not eat or drink spontaneously. The taste reactivity test, a new method for as...

In mammals, taste buds develop in different regions of the oral cavity. Small epithelial protrusions form fungiform papillae on the ectoderm-derived dorsum of the tongue and contain one or few taste buds, while taste buds in the soft palate develop without distinct papilla structures. In contrast, the endoderm-derived circumvallate and foliate papillae located at the back of the tongue contain ...

Background and Aim: Benign migratory glossitis, or geographic tongue, is usually an asymptomatic inflammatory disorder of unknown etiology that affects the epithelium of the tongue. Among the etiologic factors proposed, emotional causes were suspected by several investigators. The objective of this study was to evaluate the anxiety and cortisol level in patients with geographic tongue compared ...