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The tumour suppressor VHL is known to stabilize the ubiquitin ligase Jade-1. Jade-1 targets both phosphorylated and unphosphorylated -catenin, thereby linking VHL function directly to inhibition of Wnt signalling.
Plus-tip (+TIP) proteins, such as EB1 and EB3, bind to growing microtubules ends. Interaction of EB3 with drebrin is important to couple filamentous actin to microtubules during neuronal growth-cone formation.
An RNAi sreen shows that assembly of stress granules, which are involved in mRNA translation and decay regulation, requires glycocyslation of translation machinery components.
The process of lateral inhibition in the canonical Delta-Notch pathway is crucial for cell-fate determination. d-Asb11, a regulator of neural progenitors in zebrafish, is an essential mediator of lateral inhibition through ubiquitylation of Delta A.
Two distinct steps drive COPI vesicle fission: bud-neck constriction, which is dependent on the protein BARS and COPI constituents, followed by bud-neck scission, which is dependent on phosphatidic acid.
Malate is involved in mediating plant stomatal responses to high CO2. By acting as a malate importer, the ABC transporter AtABCB14 controls stomatal movements by increasing their osmotic pressure.
Dendrites and axons differ in microtubule orientation and in composition of organelles and protein. In Drosophila melanogaster dendritic arborization neurons, dynein is required for axonal microtubule polarization and for dendrite-specific targeting of Golgi outposts.
Dendritic morphogenesis is important for neuronal function. In Drosophila melanogaster dendritic arborization neurons, microtubule motors control dendritic branching in a manner that involves trafficking of Rab5-containing early endosomes.
In response to TGFβ, and in contrast to canonical SMAD activation, TGFβ receptor kinase activity is dispensable for activating the TAK1 kinase, whereas the TRAF6 ubiquitin ligase is neccessary.
Adhesion assembly is needed for cell migration. Horwitz and colleagues report that new adhesions assemble in the lamellipodium in a manner that is independent of myosin II but requires actin polymerization.
Talins link integrins to the actin cytoskeleton and are important for cell spreading. Sheetz and colleagues show that talin is dispensable for initial cell spreading but it is required for sustained cell spreading and adhesion.
Viruses use various mechanisms to hijack cellular processes. Zhou and colleagues now describe a viral histone H3K27 methylase that modifies host histones and represses host target genes.
The kinase Plk1 regulates multiple processes during mitosis in mammalian cells. Chen and colleagues show that Plk1 also controls a transcriptional network required for orderly cell-cycle progression through Cdk1-dependent phosphorylation of the transcription factor FoxM1
A new study shows that coordinated regulation of transcription due to a transcriptional ripple effect is widespread in the mammalian genome. Nishida and colleagues have found that induction of immediate early genes is accompanied by upregulation of genes in the vicinity; this process is dependent on the MAPK pathway and the transcription factor SRF.
Ageing is associated with mitochondrial degeneration. In yeast, reducing cytosolic protein synthesis suppresses age-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction and extends lifespan.
Cellular progression through mitosis is largely controlled by the APC-Cdh1 complex. Zhang and colleagues report that, when the Cdh1 gene is disrupted, cells undergo premature p16-dependent senescence, and that Cdh1-deficient mice show impairment of hippocampus-dependent learning and memory.
A siRNA screen in mammalian epithelial cells uncovers 42 genes not previously implicated in migration or adhesion. Many genes are involved in β-catenin, β1-integrin and actin signaling. Genes that accelerate migration tend to impair adhesion.
The ubiquitin ligase Mdm2 promotes both proteolytic degradation of the tumour suppressor p53 and its translation. Fahraeus and colleagues report an additional layer of regulation: p53 mRNA binds directly to Mdm2 protein to inhibit ubiquitin ligase activity, promoting its own translation.
Miz1, a Myc-associated transcriptional repressor inhibits cell proliferation. Eilers and colleagues show that the ribosomal protein L23 negatively regulates Miz1 by retaining its activator, nucleophosmin, in the nucleolus.