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Caveolin-1 (CAV1) is best known as a building block of caveolae, flask-shaped ‘little caves’ that buffer the plasma membrane by flattening in response to mechanical stress. CAV1 is now linked to a feature of cellular topography that can respond to mechanical cues and relieve membrane tension: dolines.
In type 2 diabetes, altered lipid metabolism causes a defect in insulin secretion. A study now shows how reduced very long-chain sphingolipids in β cells may impair the export of insulin-processing enzymes from the endoplasmic reticulum. The resulting defect in insulin production causes increased blood glucose concentrations.
Griess et al. determine the lipid signatures of pancreatic islets in type 2 diabetes models. They define a lipid environment linking the endoplasmic reticulum–Golgi transport protein Tmed2 to the proinsulin processing enzyme Pcsk1 to ensure insulin production.
Lolo et al. show caveolin-1 functions in non-caveolae structures termed dolines. Whereas caveolae respond to high forces over a mechanical threshold, dolines transduce low and medium mechanical forces gradually in a complementary buffering system.
Maan et al., Meier et al. and Song et al. report that microtubule plus-end binding proteins can undergo liquid–liquid phase separation to regulate microtubule dynamics.
Maan et al., Meier et al. and Song et al. report that microtubule plus-tip end binding proteins can undergo liquid–liquid phase separation and regulate microtubule dynamics.
Maan et al., Meier et al. and Song et al. report that microtubule plus-tip end binding proteins can undergo liquid–liquid phase separation and regulate microtubule dynamics.
IL-2 is a powerful growth factor for T cells. New work shows that immune checkpoint blockade depends upon the presence of IL-2, and that mesenchymal stem cells can be efficiently engineered to safely deliver it directly in advanced tumours to rescue CD8+ T cell responsiveness to anti-PD-L1 antibody treatment.
Allen et al. identify a pathogenic role for microbial small RNAs enriched on low-density lipoprotein to activate TLR8 signalling, thereby promoting polarization of inflammatory macrophages and facilitating the development of atherosclerosis.
Bae et al. engineer mesenchymal stem cells to express and deliver IL-2 to tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes, leading to activation and expansion of CD8+ T cells and improved tumour control, overcoming adaptive resistance to immune checkpoint blockade.
Nature Cell Biology is proud to support fundamental cell biological studies. We look forward to continuing to publish impactful research that advances our understanding of cells in basic and applied contexts.
Efstathiou et al. describe an Argonaute-dependent endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated RNA silencing pathway that acts together with ER-associated protein degradation to preserve ER homeostasis and function.
Kwak et al. report that adherens junctions organize membrane microdomains, leading to lipid-dependent γ-secretase recruitment and size-dependent protein segregation, excluding full-length Notch receptor.
Zhang et al. have data suggesting that, in the chicken embryo, monocytes foster a pro-angiogenic microenvironment in advance of angiogenesis by depositing migrasomes enriched in angiogenic factors.
Lim et al. developed a fluorescence resonance energy transfer-based assay to identify anti-CRISPR molecules and discovered an SpCas9 inhibitor that is twofold more efficient in inhibiting Cas9 at diverse genomic loci than existing inhibitors and easy to synthesize.