These short, accessible highlights summarize and contextualize must-read papers related to cell signaling. These articles add background and context to summaries of primary research. 'In brief' articles emphasize key aspects of selected articles.
 | Going out on a limb: FGF8 signaling and MKP3
Fibroblast growth factor 8 (FGF8) regulates mesenchymal MAP kinase phosphatase 3 (Mkp3) expression. MKP3 then functions via the PI(3)K pathway to antagonize the MAPK/ERK signaling cascade, thus acting as an apoptotic regulator in the developing vertebrate limb.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biology 5, 513 – 519, (2003) |
 | Sumoylation: Centre of attention
The polycomb group protein Pc2 has been identified as a new SUMO E3 that recruits the transcriptional corepressor CtBP and the E2 enzyme Ubc9 to PcG bodies, thereby enhancing CtBP sumoylation.
Original research paper: Cell 113, 127 – 137, (2003) |
 | In brief: May 2003: Part 1
Apoptosis | Cell Death And Immunity | T-Cell Memory | T-Cell Activation | Epigenetics | Anticancer Drugs | Anticancer Drugs |
 | In brief: May 2003: Part 2
Chromosome Dynamics | T-Cell Signalling | Cell Death And Immunity | Immunotherapy | Kinase Inhibitors | Anti-obesity Drugs |
 | DNA replication: Preventing a repeat
Another nuclear function for the small GTPase Ran has now been identified.
Original research paper: Cell 113, 115 – 125, (2003) |
 | Cell death and immunity: Turning up the heat
A new mouse model promises to provide some insights into the physiological function of pyrin, an intracellular protein, and its role in familial Mediterranean fever.
Original research paper: Mol. Cell 11, 591 – 604, (2003) |
 | Innate immunity: Chemokine mimic is STAg's secret ingredient
A parasite protein has been identified that can activate dendritic cells through a chemokine receptor.
Original research paper: Nature Immunol. 4, 485 – 490, (2003) |
 | Drug resistance: Sensitive to change
The resistance of ovarian cancer cell lines to cisplatin depends on the methylation status of one of the key FANC genes, FANCF.
Original research paper: Nature Med. 9, 568 – 574, (2003) |
 | Breast cancer: An elitist sport
Researchers have found that a subset of cells that comprise just a small proportion of a tumor are actually able to initiate tumorigenesis.
Original research paper: Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 100, 3983 – 3988, (2003) |
 | Developmental genetics: Wizard of clocks
Wnt signaling has a key role in the clock that controls vertebrate segmentation.
Original research paper: Dev. Cell 4, 395 – 406, (2003) |
 | Cell biology of the neuron: Primed and ready to go
Findings now open up many possibilities for the future study of how glycine signals through the NMDA receptors and regulates the strength of synaptic transmission by these receptors.
Original research paper: Nature 422, 302 – 307, (2003) |
 | GPCRs: Rules of attraction
A novel orphan GPCR has been identified that appears to mediate an important chemotactic response in immune cells.
Original research paper: Mol. Pharmacol. 63, 471 – 477, (2003) |
 | Inflammation: The double-deal for NF?B inhibitors
NF-?B has a dual function as an initiator of systemic inflammation and as an apoptosis inhibitor in sites of injury caused by intestinal ischemia-reperfusion.
Original research paper: Nature Medicine 9, 575 – 581, (2003) |
 | Ubiquitylation: CUE the beginning
The CUE domain of vacuolar protein sorting 9 (Vps9), a yeast guanine nucleotide exchange factor, is a new ubiquitin-binding domain.
Original research paper: Curr. Biol. 13, 258 – 262, (2003) |
 | Cytokinesis: Time to separate?
The use of blebbistatin has allowed the further dissection of the proteins and processes involved in cytokinesis.
Original research paper: Science 299, 1743 – 1747, (2003) |
 | Cell death and immunity: Mitochondria take centre stage
Results indicate the importance of the mitochondrial pathway in granzyme-B-mediated cell death.
Original research paper: Immunity 18, 319 – 329, (2003) |
 | Tumorigenesis: Changing signals
A number of genetic events are needed to change the RAS signal from stop to go.
Original research paper: Mol. Cell. Biol. 23, 2530 – 2542, (2003) |
 | Anticancer drugs: Breaking down resistance
An in vitro screen to survey mutagenized forms of BCR–ABL has been developed.
Original research paper: Cell 112, 831 – 843, (2003) |
 | Hematopoietic stem cells: Wnt to be a stem cell?
Two studies reveal that Wnt signaling regulates hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal.
Original research paper: Nature 423, 401 – 408, (2003) |
 | Protein translocation: Doing the three-step
The twin-pore TIM22 complex inserts precursors into the inner mitochondrial membrane in three steps.
Original research paper: Science 299, 1747 – 1751, (2003) |
 | Axon guidance: What Sonic did next
In addition to Sonic hedgehog's classic role as a morphogen, it can also act as an axon-guidance cue.
Original research paper: Cell 113, 11 – 23, (2003) |
 | Lymphocyte development: Damage limitation
Two studies describe protective mechanisms that are intrinsic to the V(D)J recombinase-activating genes 1 and 2 (RAG1/2).
Original research paper: EMBO J. 22, 1931 – 1938, (2003) |
 | Therapeutics: It's suffocating in here!
YC-1, a new anticancer drug, can starve tumor cells of the oxygen that is required for growth and metastasis by inhibiting the activity of hypoxia inducible factor-1a (HIF-1a).
Original research paper: J. Natl Cancer Inst. 95, 516 – 525, (2003) |
 | Spinal cord: Ephrins take control
Research on the Eph receptor tyrosine kinases and their ephrin ligands in the spinal cord suggests that they have roles in pain processing and in the control of locomotion.
Original research paper: Nature Neurosci. 6, 339 – 340, (2003) |
 | Spinal cord regeneration: Without p75NTR you've got some nerve
p75NTR displaces the active form of RhoA from its complex with Rho-GDI thus causing the inhibition of central nervous system (CNS) nerve growth. These results may offer a practical therapeutic approach for treating injuries of the central nervous system.
Original research paper: Nature Neuroscience 6, 461 – 467, (2003) |
 | Apoptosis: A lethal injection
Research suggests that the predominant granzyme B death pathway starts with the activation of pro-caspase-3, and that the death signal is maximized by mitochondria through caspase-mediated engagement of the BH3-only/BAX/BAK pathway.
Original research paper: J. Cell Biol. 160, 875 – 885, (2003) |
 | Signal transduction: Emerging from hibernation
Dally-like protein (Dlp) and casein kinase 1a (CK1a) have newly assigned roles in Hh signaling.
Original research paper: Science 299, 2039 – 2045, (2003) |
 | Cell cycle: Three-wheel drive
Cells can continue to cycle in the absence of CDK2.
Original research paper: Cancer Cell 3, 233 – 245, (2003) |
 | Development: Shaping up
In Drosophila, the homeodomain protein Cut functions to develop the finer morphological features of specific dendrites.
Original research paper: Cell 112, 805 – 818, (2003) |
 | Diabetes: GPR40 no longer an orphan
The G-protein-coupled receptor GPR40, which is abundantly expressed in the pancreas, functions as a receptor for long-chain free fatty acids.
Original research paper: Nature 422, 173 – 176, (2003) |
 | EGF receptor signaling: Imaging lateral signaling
A coupling between epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) activation and protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibition by hydrogen peroxide enables a feedback loop to control the lateral propagation of EGFR phosphorylation at the plasma membrane.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biology 5, 309 – 319, (2003) |
 | Cytoskeleton: A star is born
A system for producing filopodia-like bundles suggests that filopodia form by the elongation of a pre-existing actin filament network by inhibition of capping and the subsequent bundling of these filaments.
Original research paper: J. Cell Biol. 160, 951 – 962, (2003) |
 | Angiogenesis: Culprits uncovered
The signaling pathway that leads from RAS to MYC culminates in the repression of the key anti-angiogenic factor, thrombospondin-1.
Original research paper: Cancer Cell 3, 219 – 231, (2003) |
 | Developmental genetics:
Picking up the signals
An impaired ability to respond to Hedgehog signals, rather than their faulty autoprocessing, could link mutated cholesterol biosynthesis genes and the developmental abnormalities that they cause.
Original research paper: Nature Genet. 33, 508 – 513, (2003) |
 | Neurogenesis: New cells for old
Leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF) is the key to primary neuron renewal in the mammalian olfactory epithelium, and is produced by dying neurons to stimulate their replacement.
Original research paper: J. Neurosci. 23, 1792 – 1803, (2003) |
 | Inflammation: Promise for glycolysis inhibitor
HIF1a inhibitors are being developed for the treatment of cancer, but might turn out to have an even bigger market in treating inflammation and arthritis because they can completely block tissue invasion by inflammatory cells in animal models.
Original research paper: Cell 112, 645 – 657, (2003) |
