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.
 | Jak2–STAT3 signaling: turned-off macrophages
Jak2–STAT3 signaling mediates the cholinergic anti-inflammatory response of intestinal macrophages.
Original research paper: Nature Immunology 6, 844 – 851, (2005) |
 | Immunological synapses:
No rafts required
Protein–protein interactions facilitate T-cell signaling by creating discrete microdomains of receptors and signaling molecules that concentrate or exclude cell surface proteins.
Original research paper: Cell 121, 937 – 950, (2005) |
 | In brief: August 2005
Gene expression | Cell fate | Regulatory T cells | Asthma and allergy | HIV | Genetics | Cell cycle | RNA World | RNA Interference | Epigenetics | Vision | Kinases | Infectious diseases | Anticancer drugs | Parkinson's disease | Parasitology | Vaccines |
 | Tumorigenesis:
Stability check
The nucleolar protein nucleophosmin (NPS) plays a crucial role during embryonic development and prevents hematological malignancies by maintaining genomic stability.
Original research paper: Nature (6 July 2005) |
 | Stroma: Environmental issues
Rac1b and reactive oxygen species (ROS) mediate the matrix metalloproteinase-3 (MMP-3)-induced epithelial to mesenchymal transition, and increase cell motility and invasiveness.
Original research paper: Nature 436, 123 – 127, (2005) |
 | Neurodegenerative disorders: Blocking a path to cell death
The chemical inhibitor Necrostatin-1 blocks non-apoptotic cell death and confers neuroprotection in a mouse model of brain ischemia.
Original research paper: Nature Chem. Biol. 1, 112 – 119, (2005) |
 | Chemical Biology:
Uncaging an antibiotic
A 'caged' version of a protein synthesis inhibitor, when released at a high concentration in a restricted region, can be employed to precisely inhibit biological processes.
Original research paper: Chem. Biol. 12, 685 – 693, (2005) |
 | RhoA and growth cones: Lost in translation
Semaphorin-3A induces local translation of RhoA which leads to growth cone collapse.
Original research paper: Nature 436, 1020 – 1024, (18th August 2005) |
 | Gene expression: What lies at the core
Two groups show that RNA polymerase 2 is at the heart of RNA interference-mediated chromatin modifications and gene silencing in fission yeast.
Original research paper: Science 309, 467 – 469, (2005) |
 | Haematopoiesis: SLAM-dunk decider
The differential expression of signaling lymphocytic activation molecule (SLAM) family members provides a simple method for the reliable identification of haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs).
Original research paper: Cell 121, 1109 – 1121, (2005) |
 | Small molecule inhibitors: Stabilizing influence
Inhibitors of HDM2's (human double minute 2) ubiquitin ligase activity stabilize and activate p53, thus revealing an attractive new strategy to treat tumors.
Original research paper: Cancer Cell 7, 547 – 559, (2005) |
 | Mutant analysis: Calculated constraints
A new method called multivariate analysis of protein polymorphism (MAPP) uses sequence information and evolutionary variation to predict how particular mutations might affect protein function.
Original research paper: Genome Res. 15, 978 – 986, (2005) |
 | Development: Cell patterning by preferential adhesion
A new study shows how dynamic interactions between two cell-adhesion molecules, Roughest and Hibris, determine the precise patterning of the developing Drosophila eye.
Original research paper: Dev. Cell 8, 925 – 935, (2005) |
 | RNA interference: Silence of the genes
The delivery obstacle is the greatest barrier for using small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) therapeutically, but a new method that delivers siRNA into specific cell types via cell-surface receptors may offer a solution.
Original research paper: Nature Biotechnol. 23, 709 – 717, (2005) |
 | Drug discovery: Hastened to death
Chemical-genetic selection in yeast identifies an inhibitor that targets a spindle-checkpoint kinase resulting in massive chromosome loss and cell death.
Original research paper: Curr. Biol. 15, 1070 – 1076, (2005) |
 | Tumorigenesis: MYC mutants off the radar
Burkitt’s-lymphoma-derived MYC mutants evade p53 surveillance by interfering with a parallel apoptotic pathway that involves the pro-apoptotic factor Bim.
Original research paper: Nature 436, 807 – 811, (11th August 2005) |
 | Stem cells: Ignoring the stop sign
MicroRNAs are required for Drosophila germline stem cells to bypass the normal G1/S checkpoint and to assure continuous cell division.
Original research paper: Nature 435, 974 – 978, (2005) |
 | HIV: Another string to HIV's bow
The fusion domain of the HIV envelope glycoprotein gp41 targets T-cell receptor molecules to suppress antigen-specific T cell activation.
Original research paper: J. Clin. Invest. 115, 2149 – 2158, (2005) |
 | Tumorigenesis: JUN steps in
The phosphorylation-dependent interaction between c-Jun and T-cell factor 4 regulates intestinal tumorigenesis.
Original research paper: Nature (10 July 2005) |
 | Development: Directing neuronal destiny
A new study sheds light on the roles of the transcription factors PAX6 and OLIG2 in adult neuronal regeneration in the olfactory system.
Original research paper: Nature Neurosci. 8, 865 – 872, (2005) |
 | Biomaterials: Making a muscle
A new method for the culture of vascularized, transplantable muscle tissue could serve as a model for future tissue engineering efforts.
Original research paper: Nat. Biotechnol. 23, 879 – 884, (2005) |
 | Bacterial pathogenesis: Dual to the death
Streptococcus pneumoniae, the main cause of bacterial meningitis in adults, induces programmed cell death (PCD) in brain-derived endothelial cells by two distinct mechanisms that occur over different time frames.
Original research paper: J. Clin. Invest. 115, 1607 – 1615, (2005) |
 | β-adrenergic receptor endocytosis: phosphoinositide 3-kinase prefers protein
Tropomyosin, a novel phosphinositide 3-kinase substrate, mediates β-adrenergic receptor endocytosis.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biology 7, 785 – 796, (2005) |
 | Protein folding: Quality control
New research reveals that the folding and degradation of the tumor suppressor von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) is controlled by distinct chaperone pathways.
Original research paper: Cell 121, 739 – 748, (2005) |
 | Natural killer cells: DNA damage link to innate immunity
DNA damage leads to the expression of NKG2D (natural-killer group 2, member D) ligands, which alert the immune system to the presence of damaged and potentially dangerous cells.
Original research paper: Nature (3 Jul 2005) |
 | Lymphocyte responses: How RAG2 cycles
The cell cycle regulator S-phase kinase-associated protein 2 (SKP2) ensures the periodic destruction of recombination-activating gene 2 (RAG2) at the G1-to-S transition.
Original research paper: Mol. Cell 18, 699 – 709, (2005) |
 | Tumorigenesis: Shoddy repair leads to a bad end
A point mutation in the subunit 1 of replication protein A (RPA1) leads to defective DNA repair, chromosome instability and tumorigenesis in mice.
Original research paper: Nature Genet. 37, 750 – 755, (2005) |
 | Developmental Genetics: Missing the beat
Phospholipase C γ 1 (Plcg1) functions downstream of vascular endothelial growth factor (Vegf) to control cardiac contractility in the embryonic heart.
Original research paper: Genes Dev. 19, 1624 – 1634, (2005) |
 | Vision: First light
The photopigment melanopsin makes intrinsic photoreceptive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) light responsive at birth, long before the image-forming visual pathway matures.
Original research paper: Curr. Biol. 15, 1099 – 1107, (2005) |
 | Virology: Home-grown HCV
Three teams of researchers have developed cell culture systems for the modeling of hepatitis C viral infection and the subsequent generation of infectious virus particles.
Original research paper: Nat. Med. 11, 791 – 796, (2005) |
