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.
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VRK3: Feedback regulation of MAPK signaling
Vaccinium related kinase 3 (VRK3) suppresses ERK activity by activating the Mitogen-activated kinase phosphatase VHR.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biology 8, 863 - 869 (2006) |
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Klf2 and T cells: An exit strategy
Krüppel-like factor 2 (Klf2) positively regulates the expression of proteins required for thymocyte and T cell migration.
Original research paper: Nature 442, 299-302 (20 July 2006) |
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Schizophrenia: erbB4 suppresses NMDAR
Enhanced NRG1 signaling may contribute to NMDA hypofunction in schizophrenia.
Original research papers: Nature Medicine 12, 824 - 828 (2006); Nature Medicine 12, 734 - 735 (2006) |
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Prometheus/Wnt2b: Firing up liver development
Canonical Wnt signaling acts at early stages of development to induce hepatoblast cell fate.
Original research paper: Nature 442, 688 - 691 (10 Aug 2006) |
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Quietening
TIM in MS
Defective upregulation of TIM3 (T-cell immunoglobulin
mucin 3) expression at sites of inflammation might contribute to the
pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis.
Original research paper: J. Exp. Med.
203, 1413 – 1418, (2006) |
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Shifting
the balance
TP53, one of the most commonly mutated genes in human cancers,
can alter the balance between glycolysis and aerobic respiration in
tumor cells.
Original research paper: Science 4,
891 – 899, (2006) |
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In
brief: July 2006
Phagocytosis
| Tumour
suppressor | Ageing
| Angiogenesis
| Pharmacogenomics
| Immune
regulation | Transcription
| Systems
biology | Disease
genetics | Pain
| Innate
immunity | Virology |
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MIWI
and MILI find small partners
Two independent reports reveal the existence
of a new class of small RNAs that are germline-specific and interact
with mammalian Piwi proteins.
Original research paper: Nature (4 June
2006) |
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The
triple-action factor
In addition to regulating cell cycle exit, the
cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27kip1 promotes neuronal
differentiation and migration in the cerebral cortex.
Original research paper: Genes Dev. (1 June 2006) |
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A
new way to get complement
A new complement fixation pathway initiated by
the lectin SIGN-R1 contributes to innate immune resistance against
certain encapsulated microorganisms.
Original research paper: Cell 125,
47 – 58, (2006) |
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Shedding
light on the barrier problem
Researchers have harnessed the luciferin system
to monitor passage of releasable luciferin–transporter conjugates
into the cell.
Original research paper: J. Am. Chem. Soc.
128, 6526 – 6527, (2006) |
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FGF8
— you're making my heart!
FGF8 promotes cardiogenesis by activating transcriptional
networks that are required for cell division and survival.
Original research paper: Development 133,
2419 – 2433, (2006) |
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In
the absence of AIRE...
The autoimmune regulator Aire controls the development
and maturation of natural killer T (NKT) cells that express a semi-invariant
T-cell receptor.
Original research paper: Nature Med. 12,
624 – 626, () |
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Partners
in crime
Tumors that express Mic ligands cause the sustained
activation of NKG2D receptors and population expansion of immunosuppressive
T cells.
Original research paper: Nature Rev. Immunol.
(2006) |
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A
lean feat — microRNAs and muscle mass
A point mutation that creates an illegitimate
microRNA target in the 3' UTR of myostatin, inhibits its expression
and contributes to the muscular hypertrophy of Texel sheep.
Original research paper: Nature Genet.
5, 202 – 212, (2006) |
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Changing
channels
The opening of hemichannels — sets of proteins
that form one half of a gap junction — contributes to ionic dysregulation
and neuronal death following ischemic injury.
Original research paper: Science 312,
924 – 927, (2006) |
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Sorting
out the best targets
A new fluorescence-based bacterial display assay
could greatly accelerate the identification of target sequences for
uncharacterized proteases.
Original research paper: Proc. Natl. Acad.
Sci. USA 103, 7583 – 7588, (2006) |
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Exploiting
the host
Two new studies describe how different intracellular
pathogens interact with and exploit the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase
(PI3K) pathway.
Original research paper: PLoS Pathogens
2, e45(2006) |
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Hang
on to survive
p63, a member of the p53 gene family, regulates
both epithelial cell adhesion and survival.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biol.
8, 551 – 561, (2006) |
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Ships
in the night
A new study shows that B-cell receptor (BCR)
signaling and internalization are mutually exclusive events.
Original research paper: PLoS Biol. 4,
e200(2006) |
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A
death-defying addiction
Cellular dependence upon antiapoptotic BCL2 proteins
for survival correlates with their distinct binding affinities for
specific BH3 domains.
Original research paper: Cancer Cell 9,
351 – 365, (2006) |
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Instructions
for induction
The specification of neural crest cells occurs
earlier than was previously thought, and requires the transcription
factor PAX7.
Original research paper: Nature 441,
218 – 222, (2006) |
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Hacking
the genome
Like computer hackers who cooperate in developing
and using tools to understand and manipulate the inner workings of
computer software, researchers are developing sophisticated biological
methods that will allow them to crack the function of the genome.
Original research paper: Nat. Genetics
38, 626 – 635, (2006) |
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Unravelling
regulatory networks
A comparative analysis of transcriptional regulatory
networks for 175 phylogenetically diverse microorganisms sheds light
on the evolution of virulent genes.
Original research paper: J. Mol. Biol.
358, 614 – 633, (2006) |
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Maturing
is part of life
Two independent groups show with three-dimensional
time-lapse microscopy that the Golgi cisternae of S. cerevisiae mature
over time.
Original research paper: Nature (2006) |
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Cytokine
partnership to destruction
A mutation in the interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor
subunit gp130 causes lymphocyte-mediated rheumatoid arthritis by increasing
the production of IL-7.
Original research paper: J. Exp. Med 203,
1459 – 1470, (2006) |
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A
new pathway for CYLD
The deubiquitylase CYLD inhibits tumor cell proliferation
by preventing the nuclear translocation of the nuclear factor kB (NF?B)
coactivator BCL3.
Original research paper: Cell 125,
665 – 677, (2006) |
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A
singular level of noise
Two studies have now measured how protein abundance,
and therefore noise, varies across individual yeast cells.
Original research paper: Nature 6,
451 – 464, (2006) |
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Hunting
for huntingtin modification
Palmitoylation of huntingtin by huntingtin interacting
protein 14 (HIP14) is essential for its normal trafficking and function.
Original research paper: Nature Neuro.
(2006) |
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Sticky
fingers
A new study describes the function and mechanism
of pili assembly of the Gram-positive pathogen Group B Streptococcus,
the leading cause of neonatal pneumonia, sepsis and meningitis.
Original research paper: Mol. Microbiol.
60, 1404 – 1413, (2006) |
