Project description:Cell movement is an important character during epithelial-mesenchymal transition. A subpopulation with accelerated baseline motility (MG cells) or an immotile one (non-MG cells) from a colon cancer cell line (HCT116) were isolated. In this study, to investigate changes of global DNA methylation status between these two subpopulations, genomic DNA from these cells were subjected to DNA methylation array.
Project description:A methyl-specific metabolic labeling approach for global methylome mapping and found extensive His methylation at C3H1 zinc fingers.
Project description:This project evaluates the stoichiometric stability of the motility apparatus in human prostate cancer PC3 cells following prolonged exposure to the selective motility inhibitor KBU2046. An unbiased label free global whole cell proteomic screen was conducted to assess global variance and proteome wide integrity.
Project description:Aberrant DNA methylation profiles have been associated with male infertility and some semen parameters. However, few studies systematically surveyed DNA methylation profiles associated with sperm motility in normozoospermia and asthenozoospermia. In this study, based on promoter targeted bisulfite sequencing technology, we provided a quantitative description on global DNA methylation profiles. The average global methylation values were 24.7% and the inter-individual variance was about 14.4%, while the intra-individual variance was about 3.9%. The difference between different motile sperm population or different participant groups was subtle and not significant. Furthermore, we identified 134 differentially methylated CpGs and 134 differentially variable CpGs in low motile sperm from asthenozoospermic patient (P < 0.05). Based on the literature, we further found 16 differentially methylated or variable genes which were required for spermatogenesis or sperm motility or dominantly expressed in testis. This study will provide potential markers for clinical diagnosis and a promising basis for understanding the effect of DNA methylation on asthenozoospermia.
Project description:Apicomplexan parasites such as Toxoplasma gondii depend on finely tuned cytoskeletal dynamics to invade and exit host cells. A central structure in this process is the conoid, a dynamic apical microtubule-based scaffold that integrates signalling and structural cues to initiate motility. While the lysine methyltransferase AKMT has been implicated in promoting the apical recruitment of the glideosome-associated connector (GAC), which links F-actin to surface adhesins, the broader methylation logic governing motility onset remains unclear. Here, we describe PCKMT, a second apically localized methyltransferase residing at the preconoidal rings, as essential for motility initiation. PCKMT enables the stable recruitment of the formin FRM1, whose actin-nucleating activity drives conoid extrusion and F-actin engagement with other components of the glideosome. In its absence, FRM1 fails to localise apically, conoid protrusion is impaired, and parasites are unable to glide, invade, or egress—despite normal replication and preserved conoid ultrastructure. In contrast, AKMT remains apically localised in PCKMT-deficient parasites but fails to relocalise upon motility activation—a process shown here to depend on FRM1 and actin dynamics. Although AKMT methylates numerous apical proteins, including cytoskeletal factors, the functional consequences of these modifications remain to be elucidated. Together, our findings define a dual methylation checkpoint at the parasite apex: PCKMT anchors FRM1 to license actin assembly, while AKMT reshapes apical architecture through actin-dependent disengagement and GAC recruitment. This layered regulatory system ensures that motility is initiated only when key components are in place, revealing an unappreciated role for lysine methylation in dynamic cellular remodelling.