Quantitatively mapping local quality of super-resolution microscopy by rolling Fourier ring correlation

In fluorescence microscopy,computational algorithms have been developed to suppress noise,enhance contrast,and even enable super-resolution(SR).However,the local quality of the images may vary on multiple scales,and these differences can lead to misconceptions.Current mapping methods fail to finely estimate the local quality,challenging to associate the SR scale content.Here,we develop a rolling Fourier ring correlation(rFRC)method to evaluate the reconstruction uncertainties down to SR scale.To visually pinpoint regions with low reliability,a filtered rFRC is combined with a modified resolution-scaled error map(RSM),offering a comprehensive and concise map for further examination.We demonstrate their performances on various SR imaging modalities,and the resulting quantitative maps enable better SR images integrated from different reconstructions.Overall,we expect that our framework can become a routinely used tool for biologists in assessing their image datasets in general and inspire further advances in the rapidly developing field of computational imaging.

The regulation of host cytoskeleton during SARS-CoV-2 infection in the nervous system

The global economy and public health are currently under enormous pressure since the outbreak of COVID-19. Apart from respiratory discomfort, a subpopulation of COVID-19 patients exhibits neurological symptoms such as headache, myalgia, and loss of smell. Some have even shown encephalitis and necrotizing hemorrhagic encephalopathy. The cytoskeleton of nerve cells changes drastically in these pathologies, indicating that the cytoskeleton and its related proteins are closely related to the pathogenesis of nervous system diseases. In this review, we present the up-to-date association between host cytoskeleton and coronavirus infection in the context of the nervous system. We systematically summarize cytoskeleton-related pathogen-host interactions in both the peripheral and central nervous systems, hoping to contribute to the development of clinical treatment in COVID-19 patients.

The Role of Host Cytoskeleton in Flavivirus Infection

The family of flaviviruses is one of the most medically important groups of emerging arthropod-borne viruses. Host cell cytoskeletons have been reported to have close contact with flaviviruses during virus entry, intracellular transport, replication, and egress process, although many detailed mechanisms are still unclear. This article provides a brief overview of the function of the most prominent flaviviruses-induced or-hijacked cytoskeletal structures including actin, microtubules and intermediate filaments, mainly focus on infection by dengue virus, Zika virus and West Nile virus. We suggest that virus interaction with host cytoskeleton to be an interesting area of future research.

High-fidelity structured illumination microscopy by point-spread-function engineering

Structured illumination microscopy(SIM)has become a widely used tool for insight into biomedical challenges due to its rapid,long-term,and super-resolution(SR)imaging.However,artifacts that often appear in SIM images have long brought into question its fidelity,and might cause misinterpretation of biological structures.We present HiFi-SIM,a high-fidelity SIM reconstruction algorithm,by engineering the effective point spread function(PSF)into an ideal form.HiFi-SIM can effectively reduce commonly seen artifacts without loss of fine structures and improve the axial sectioning for samples with strong background.In particular,HiFi-SIM is not sensitive to the commonly used PSF and reconstruction parameters;hence,it lowers the requirements for dedicated PSF calibration and complicated parameter adjustment,thus promoting SIM as a daily imaging tool.

Joining actions: crosstalk between intermediate filaments and actin orchestrates cellular physical dynamics and signaling

Many key cellular functions are regulated by the interplay of three distinct cytoskeletal networks, made of actin filaments,microtubules, and intermediate filaments(IFs), which is a hitherto poorly investigated area of research. However, there are growing evidence in the last few years showing that the IFs cooperate with actin filaments to exhibit strongly coupled functions.This review recapitulates our current knowledge on how the crosstalk between IFs and actin filaments modulates the migration properties, mechano-responsiveness and signaling transduction of cells, from both biophysical and biochemical point of view.

HID-1 is a peripheral membrane protein primarily associated with the medial-and transGolgi apparatus

Caenorhabditis elegans hid-1 gene was first identified in a screen for mutants with a high-temperature-induced dauer formation(Hid)phenotype.Despite the fact that the hid-1 gene encodes a novel protein(HID-1)which is highly conserved from Caenorhabditis elegans to mammals,the domain structure,subcellular localization,and exact function of HID-1 remain unknown.Previous studies and various bioinformatic softwares predicted that HID-1 contained many transmembrane domains but no known functional domain.In this study,we revealed that mammalian HID-1 localized to the medial-and transGolgi apparatus as well as the cytosol,and the localization was sensitive to brefeldin A treatment.Next,we demonstrated that HID-1 was a peripheral membrane protein and dynamically shuttled between the Golgi apparatus and the cytosol.Finally,we verified that a conserved N-terminal myristoylation site was required for HID-1 binding to the Golgi apparatus.We propose that HID-1 is probably involved in the intracellular trafficking within the Golgi region.

Actin nucleator formins regulate the tension-buffering function of caveolin-1

Both the mechanosensitive actin cytoskeleton and caveolae contribute to active processes such as cell migration,morphogenesis,and vesicular trafficking.Although distinct actin components are well studied,how they contribute to cytoplasmic caveolae,especially in the context of mechano-stress,has remained elusive.Here,we identify two actin-associated mobility stereotypes of caveolin-1(CAV-1)-marked intracellular vesicles,which are characterized as‘dwelling’and‘go and dwelling’.In order to exploit the reason for their distinct dynamics,elongated actin-associated formin functions are perturbed.We find drastically decreased density,increased clustering,and compromised motility of cytoplasmic CAV-1 vesicles resulting from lacking actin nucleator formins by both chemical treatment and RNA silencing of formin genes.Furthermore,hypo-osmosis-stimulated diminishing of CAV-1 is dramatically intensified upon blocking formins.The clustering of CAV-1 vesicles when cells are cultured on soft substrate is also aggravated under formin inhibition condition.Together,we reveal that actin-associated formins are essential for maintaining the dynamic organization of cytoplasmic CAV-1 and importantly its sensitivity upon mechanical challenge.We conclude that tension-controlled actin formins act as a safety valve dampening excessive tension on CAV-1 and safeguarding CAV-1 against mechanical damage.

Interactive mechanisms between caveolin-1 and actin filaments or vimentin intermediate filaments instruct cell mechanosensing and migration

Introduction Cell mechanosensing is the process that cell senses extracellular mechanical cues through mechanosensors and transduces them to downstream signaling pathways to alter cell mechanics and behaviors,which is involved in embryonic development(Gaetani et al.,2020),tissue regeneration(Fu et al.,2019),inflammatory response(Worbs et al.,2017),and tumor invasion and metastasis(Gargalionis et al.,2018).This ability is crucial for cells to adapt to mechanical stimuli(compressive force,shear stress,substrate rigidity,topology,adhesiveness,etc.)and maintain homeostasis(Chen et al.,2017).