Journal article
Masters of asymmetry - lessons and perspectives from 50 years of septins
Molecular biology of the cell, v 31(21), pp 2289-2297
01 Oct 2020
PMID: 32991244
Abstract
Septins are a unique family of GTPases, which were discovered 50 years ago as essential genes for the asymmetric cell shape and division of budding yeast. Septins assemble into filamentous nonpolar polymers, which associate with distinct membrane macrodomains and subpopulations of actin filaments and microtubules. While structurally a cytoskeleton-like element, septins function predominantly as spatial regulators of protein localization and interactions. Septin scaffolds and barriers have provided a long-standing paradigm for the generation and maintenance of asymmetry in cell membranes. Septins also promote asymmetry by regulating the spatial organization of the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton, and biasing the directionality of membrane traffic. In this 50th anniversary perspective, we highlight how septins have conserved and adapted their roles as effectors of membrane and cytoplasmic asymmetry across fungi and animals. We conclude by outlining principles of septin function as a module of symmetry breaking, which alongside the monomeric small GTPases provides a core mechanism for the biogenesis of molecular asymmetry and cell polarity.
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Details
- Title
- Masters of asymmetry - lessons and perspectives from 50 years of septins
- Creators
- Elias T. Spiliotis - Drexel UniversityMichael A. McMurray - University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
- Publication Details
- Molecular biology of the cell, v 31(21), pp 2289-2297
- Publisher
- Amer Soc Cell Biology
- Number of pages
- 9
- Grant note
- 1928900 / National Science Foundation; National Science Foundation (NSF) 5R01 GM-124024-04; 5R01 GM-097664-09; 1R35 GM-136337-01 / National Institutes of Health; United States Department of Health & Human Services; National Institutes of Health (NIH) - USA
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Biology
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000576349400001
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-85092456370
- Other Identifier
- 991019168401704721
InCites Highlights
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Cell Biology