In this image of the month, we focus on the transcription factor SNAI1, one of the major drivers of EMT. EMT is the cellular process during which epithelial cells loosen their connections with neighboring cells and modify their interactions with the extracellular matrix, thus acquiring mesenchymal traits and a more motile phenotype. EMT is crucial for the formation of tissues and organs during embryogenesis, however in the disease context, the same process is also associated with fibrosis, cancer progression and metastasis (Nieto et al, 2016 )...Read more

In a study published in Nature Communications, the expression of all human protein-coding genes in more than 1,000 human cell lines representing 27 cancer types was investigated using genome-wide transcriptomics analysis...Read more

In this image of the month we focus on the microtubules and the protein CAMSAP2. Microtubules are filaments that, together with the other components of the cytoskeleton, provide structure and shape to our cells. They also play important roles in intracellular transport, cell division, as well as the formation of cilia and flagella. Microtubules are formed by the polymerization and lateral association of alpha - and beta-tubulin proteins into a hollow tubelike filament. Due to the end-to-end linear arrangement of the α- and β-tubulin dimers the filaments have a polarity, which is crucial for their dynamics and their biological functions ( Akhmanova and Steinmetz, 2015)...Read more

In this movie light-sheet microscopy has been used to visualize the mouse peripheral nervous system in 3D with Prof Patrik Ernfors explaining how this system develops, functions and is organized...Read more

In a recent publication in Journal of Proteome Research antibodies from the Human Protein Atlas was utilized in a microarray format for protein profiling of 960 serum samples within the context of rheumatic diseases...Read more