Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

JCI Insight 2021 Apr 19. Epub 2021 Apr 19.

Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, United States of America.

The microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton plays a critical role in axon growth and guidance. Here, we identify the MT severing enzyme fidgetin-like 2 (FL2) as a negative regulator of axon regeneration and a therapeutic target for promoting nerve regeneration after injury. Genetic knockout of FL2 in cultured adult dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons resulted in longer axons and attenuated growth cone retraction in response to inhibitory molecules. Read More

Trends Cell Biol 2021 Apr 15. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

School of BioSciences, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia. Electronic address:

Delta (δ-) and epsilon (ε-) tubulin are lesser-known cousins of alpha (α-) and beta (β-) tubulin. They are likely to regulate centriole function in a broad range of species; however, their in vivo role and mechanism of action in mammals remain mysterious. In unicellular species and mammalian cell lines, mutations in δ- and ε-tubulin cause centriole destabilization and atypical mitosis and, in the most severe cases, cell death. Read More

Oncol Rep 2021 May 31;45(5). Epub 2021 Mar 31.

Department of Infectious Disease, The Third Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan 410013, P.R. China.

There is little information on the role of microRNA (miR)‑922 in the malignant behavior of liver cancer. The present study investigated the regulation of miR‑922 expression levels by cAMP response element binding protein 1 () in liver cancer tissue, its role in regulating malignant behavior and its potential targets in liver cancer. miR‑922 expression in liver cancer cells and tissue was determined by reverse transcription‑quantitative PCR. Read More

Nat Struct Mol Biol 2021 Apr 29;28(4):388-397. Epub 2021 Mar 29.

Laboratory of Chemistry and Cell Biology, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA.

The structural conservation across the AAA (ATPases associated with diverse cellular activities) protein family makes designing selective chemical inhibitors challenging. Here, we identify a triazolopyridine-based fragment that binds the AAA domain of human katanin, a microtubule-severing protein. We have developed a model for compound binding and designed ASPIR-1 (allele-specific, proximity-induced reactivity-based inhibitor-1), a cell-permeable compound that selectively inhibits katanin with an engineered cysteine mutation. Read More

Case Rep Neurol 2021 Jan-Apr;13(1):84-91. Epub 2021 Feb 15.

Department of Internal Medicine, National Hospital Organization Niigata National Hospital, Kashiwazaki, Japan.

Spastic paraplegia type 4 (SPG4) is the most common type of hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) caused by the mutations in the gene, which encodes a microtubule-severing protein named spastin. Spastin regulates the number and mobility of microtubules and is essential for axonal outgrowth and neuronal morphogenesis. Herein, we report a patient with SPG4 harboring a novel donor splice site mutation in the gene (c. Read More