Cytoskeleton reorganization in influenza hemagglutinin-initiated syncytium formation.

ABSTRACT: Little is known about the mechanisms of cell-cell fusion in development and diseases and, especially, about fusion stages downstream of an opening of nascent fusion pore(s). Earlier works on different cell-cell fusion reactions have indicated that cytoskeleton plays important role in syncytium formation. However, due to complexity of these reactions and multifaceted contributions of cytoskeleton in cell physiology, it has remained unclear whether cytoskeleton directly drives fusion pore expansion or affects preceding fusion stages. Here we explore cellular reorganization associated with fusion pore expansion in syncytium formation using relatively simple experimental system. Fusion between murine embryonic fibroblasts NIH3T3-based cells is initiated on demand by well-characterized fusogen

SUBMITTER: Richard JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2668568 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature