A long-standing paradigm in cell biology is the shutdown of endocytosis during mitosis. There is consensus that transferrin uptake is inhibited after entry into prophase and that it resumes in telophase. A recent study proposed that endocytosis is continuous throughout the cell cycle and that the observed inhibition of transferrin uptake is due to a decrease in available transferrin receptor at the cell surface, and not to a shutdown of endocytosis. This challenge to the established view is gradually becoming accepted. Because of this controversy, we revisited the question of endocytic activity during mitosis. Using an antibody uptake assay and controlling for potential changes in surface receptor density, we demonstrate the strong inhibition of endocytosis in mitosis of CD8 chimeras containing any of the three major internalization motifs for clathrin-mediated endocytosis (YXXΦ, [DE]XXXL[LI], or FXNPXY) or a CD8 protein with the cytoplasmic tail of the cationindependent mannose 6-phosphate receptor. The shutdown is not gradual: We describe a binary switch from endocytosis being "on" in interphase to "off" in mitosis as cells traverse the G 2 /M checkpoint. In addition, we show that the inhibition of transferrin uptake in mitosis occurs despite abundant transferrin receptor at the surface of HeLa cells. Our study finds no support for the recent idea that endocytosis continues during mitosis, and we conclude that endocytosis is temporarily shutdown during early mitosis.

Individuals with diabetes mellitus suffer from impaired angiogenesis and this contributes to poorer peripheral arterial disease outcomes. In experimental peripheral arterial disease, angiogenesis and perfusion recovery are impaired in mice with diabetes. We recently showed that a disintegrin and metalloproteinase domain-containing protein 12 (ADAM12) is upregulated in ischemic endothelial cells and plays a key role in post-ischemic angiogenesis and perfusion recovery following experimental peripheral arterial disease. Here we investigated the role of miR29a in the regulation of endothelial cell ADAM12 expression in ischemia and how hyperglycemia negatively affects this regulation. We also explored whether modulating miR29a can improve impaired post-ischemic angiogenesis associated with hyperglycemia. Additionally, we tested whether miR29a modulation could improve post ischemic angiogenesis in the setting of impaired vascular endothelial growth factor signaling. We forced miR29a expression in ischemic endothelial cells and assessed ADAM12 expression. We also evaluated whether hyperglycemia in vivo and in vitro impair ischemia-induced ADAM12 upregulation and miR29a downregulation. Lastly, we determined whether modulating endothelial cell miR29a expression in ischemia and hyperglycemia could improve impaired endothelial cell functions. We found under ischemic conditions where ADAM12 is upregulated in endothelial cells, miR29a is downregulated. Forced expression of miR29a in ischemic endothelial cell prevented ADAM12 upregulation . In ischemic hind limbs of mice with type 1 diabetes and in endothelial cells exposed to simulated ischemia plus hyperglycemia, ADAM12 upregulation and miR29a downregulation were blunted while angiogenesis was impaired. Knocking down miR29a with an miR29a inhibitor was sufficient to improve ADAM12 upregulation and angiogenesis in simulated ischemia plus hyperglycemia. It was also sufficient to improve perfusion recovery in type 1 diabetes mellitus mice in vivo and angiogenesis in vitro even when vascular endothelial growth factor signaling was impaired with blocking antibodies. In conclusion, MiR29a regulates endothelial cell ADAM12 upregulation in ischemia and this is impaired in hyperglycemia. Modulating miR29a improves impaired post-ischemic angiogenesis associated with hyperglycemia. Impact statement Individuals with diabetes are more likely to develop peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and when PAD is present, in those with diabetes, it is more severe and there is currently no effective medical treatment for impaired blood flow which occurs in diabetics with PAD. The current work advances the field by providing an understanding of a molecular mechanism involved in impaired post ischemic angiogenesis in diabetes. It shows for the first time that failure to downregulate miR29a in ischemic diabetic tissues is a major contributing factor to poor perfusion recovery in experimental PAD, and miR29a is elevated in skeletal muscle samples from human diabetics compared with levels in those without diabetes. Knocking down the elevated miR29a in ischemic diabetic mouse hind limbs improved perfusion recovery following experimental PAD. This shows miR29a modulation as a novel therapeutic target for improving blood flow in diabetics with PAD.

B7-H3 is actively being explored as an immunotherapy target for pediatric patients with solid tumors using monoclonal antibodies or T cells expressing chimeric antigen receptors (CARs). B7-H3-CARs containing a 41BB costimulatory domain are currently favored by several groups based on preclinical studies. In this study, we initially performed a detailed analysis of T cells expressing B7-H3-CARs with different hinge/transmembrane (CD8α versus CD28) and CD28 or 41BB costimulatory domains (CD8α/CD28, CD8α/41BB, CD28/CD28, CD28/41BB). Only subtle differences in effector function were observed between CAR T cell populations in vitro . However, CD8α/CD28-CAR T cells consistently outperformed other CAR T cell populations in three animal models, resulting in a significant survival advantage. We next explored whether adding 41BB signaling to CD8α/CD28-CAR T cells would further enhance effector function. Surprisingly, incorporating 41BB signaling into the CAR endodomain had detrimental effects, while expressing 41BBL on the surface of CD8α/CD28-CAR T cells enhanced their ability to kill tumor cells in repeat stimulation assays. Furthermore, 41BBL expression enhanced CD8α/CD28-CAR T cell expansion in vivo and improved antitumor activity in one of four evaluated models. Thus, our study highlights the intricate interplay between CAR hinge/transmembrane and costimulatory domains. Based on our study, we selected CD8α/CD28-CAR T cells expressing 41BBL for early phase clinical testing.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)–plasma membrane (PM) junctions are contact sites between the ER and the PM; the distance between the two organelles in the junctions is below 40 nm and the membranes are connected by protein tethers. A number of molecular tools and technical approaches have been recently developed to visualise, modify and characterise properties of ER–PM junctions. The junctions serve as the platforms for lipid exchange between the organelles and for cell signalling, notably Ca2+ and cAMP signalling. Vice versa, signalling events regulate the development and properties of the junctions. Two Ca2+‐dependent mechanisms of de novo formation of ER–PM junctions have been recently described and characterised. The junction‐forming proteins and lipids are currently the focus of vigorous investigation. Junctions can be relatively short‐lived and simple structures, forming and dissolving on the time scale of a few minutes. However, complex, sophisticated and multifunctional ER–PM junctions, capable of attracting numerous protein residents and other cellular organelles, have been described in some cell types. The road from simplicity to complexity, i.e. the transformation from simple ‘nascent’ ER–PM junctions to advanced stable multiorganellar complexes, is likely to become an attractive research avenue for current and future junctologists. Another area of considerable research interest is the downstream cellular processes that can be activated by specific local signalling events in the ER–PM junctions. Studies of the cell physiology and indeed pathophysiology of ER–PM junctions have already produced some surprising discoveries, likely to expand with advances in our understanding of these remarkable organellar contact sites.

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Disconnection of a cell from its epithelial neighbours and the formation of a mesenchymal phenotype are associated with profound changes in the distribution of cellular components and the formation of new cellular polarity. We observed a dramatic redistribution of inositol trisphosphate receptors (IP 3 Rs) and stromal interaction molecule 1 (STIM1)-competent endoplasmic reticulum-plasma membrane junctions (ER-PM junctions) when pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells disconnect from their neighbours and undergo individual migration. In cellular monolayers IP 3 Rs are juxtaposed with tight junctions. When individual cells migrate away from their neighbours IP 3 Rs preferentially accumulate at the leading edge where they surround focal adhesions. Uncaging of inositol trisphosphate (IP 3 ) resulted in prominent accumulation of paxillin in focal adhesions, highlighting important functional implications of the observed novel structural relationships. ER-PM junctions and STIM1 proteins also migrate to the leading edge and position closely behind the IP 3 Rs, creating a stratified distribution of Ca 2 + signalling complexes in this region. Importantly, migration of PDAC cells was strongly suppressed by selective inhibition of IP 3 Rs and store-operated Ca 2 + entry (SOCE), indicating that these mechanisms are functionally required for migration.