Extracellular actin is an evolutionarily-conserved signal of tissue injury that is recognised in the fruit fly via similar machinery as reported in vertebrates.
An unbiased transcriptional profiling screen reveals the secreted matrix metalloproteinase MMP-1 is a transcriptional target of the ensheathing glial receptor Draper following acute axon injury in adult Drosophila.
Bone cells exposed to physiological forces release ATP through repairable membrane injury, generating an intercellular signal that conveys the destructive potential of forces and the adaptive capacity of endangered cells.
Restoring locomotion after complete spinal cord injury does not require locomotor training, only the return of sufficient excitability within neurons of the spinal cord.
Genetic analyses in mice reveal a communication system between the knee joint and the developing bones that could be explored in studies addressing evolutionary changes in body proportions and in future therapies for growth disorders.
Studying individual Achilles tendon geometry and interface sliding capacity may allow prediction of injury sites, and targeted training on specific muscle-(sub-)tendon units may boost beneficial outcomes for Achilles tendinopathy.