Publications
For a full list of publications, see Helen’s Google Scholar or ORCID profiles.
Ganguli, S., Wyatt, T., Nyga, A., Lawson, R.H., Meyer, T., Baum, B. and Matthews, H.K. (2023). Oncogenic Ras deregulates cell-substrate interactions during mitotic rounding and respreading to alter cell division orientation.
Current Biology IN PRESS 20 Jun 2023 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.05.061
We showed how an oncogene, RRAS, deregulates substrate attachment during mitosis leading to out-of-plane cell divisions loss of epithelial tissue structure
Matthews, H.K., Bertoli, C. & de Bruin, R.A.M. Cell cycle control in cancer (2022) Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 23, 74–88 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-021-00404-3
In this review, we present an overview of the regulation of cell cycle checkpoints in cancer and how they can be targeted therapeutically for cancer treatment.
Matthews, H.K., Ganguli, S., Plak, K., Taubenberger, A., Win, Z., Williamson, M., Piel, M., Guck, J. and Baum, B. (2020) Oncogene activation alters cell shape and mechanics to facilitate cell division in confinement. Developmental Cell 52, 563-573 DOI: 10.1016/j.devcel.2020.01.004
We discovered that activation of Ras oncogenes enhances cell rounding and stiffening at mitosis, allowing cells to successfully divide in confined micro-environments, similar to those found in tumours.
Taubenberger, A.V., Baum, B. and Matthews, H.K. (2020) The Mechanics of Mitotic Cell Rounding. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. 8:687. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcell.2020.00687
In this review we discussed how to measure cell mechanical properties in mitosis, the molecular mechanisms of mitotic stiffening and the consequences of these mechanical changes for cell division in healthy tissues and tumours.
Dix, C.L.*, Matthews, H.K.*, Uroz, M., McLaren, S., Wolf, L., Heatley, N., Win, Z., Almada, P., Henriques, R., Boutros, M., Trepat, X. and Baum, B. (2018) The role of mitotic cell-substrate adhesion re-modeling in animal cell division. Developmental Cell. 45, 132-145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2018.03.009
We showed how focal adhesion complexes are disassembled in early mitosis but how cells remain attached to the substrate through beta1-integrin-rich puncta, which are essential to guide post mitotic respreading.
Cadart, C., Zlotek-Zlotkiewicz, E., Le Berre, M., Piel, M. and Matthews, H.K. (2014) Exploring the function of cell shape and size during mitosis. Developmental Cell. 29, 159-69 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2014.04.009
We discussed how cell rounding at mitosis facilitates cell division by ensuring proper mitotic spindle formation and positioning.
Matthews, H.K., Delabre, U., Rohn, J.L., Guck, J., Kunda, P. and Baum, B. (2012) Changes in Ect2 localization couple actomyosin-dependent cell shape changes to mitotic progression. Developmental Cell. 23, 371–83 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.devcel.2012.06.003
We identified a key molecular regulator of cell rounding in mitosis, the RhoGEF, Ect2, which forms a link between the cell cycle control machinery (Cdk1) and the acto-myosin reorganization that occurs at mitotic entry.