Cell skeleton and the brush border
Irina Kaverina, PhD, Matthew Tyska, PhD, and colleagues in Argentina explored the role of microtubules — part of the cellular “skeleton” — in building the border, which is critical for healthy organ function. The investigators used a cell model of individual intestinal cell polarization (the establishment of “sidedness”) and found that disruption of microtubules prevented brush border formation. They confirmed the findings in cultured kidney cells.