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.
 | Tissue Growth: Fat Hippo suppresses cancer
New components of the Fat tumor suppressor pathway reveal unexpected links to other growth-regulating pathways.
Original research papers: Nature Genetics, doi:10.1038/ng1887; Current Biology, in press. |
 | β-cell differentiation: NFATuated with calcineurin
The nuclear re-localization of NFAT protein complexes increases β-cell proliferation and insulin production.
Original research paper: Nature 443, 345-349 (21 September 2006) |
 | Ion channels: CRAC-king store-operated calcium entry
Conserved residues of the transmembrane protein Orai determine the ion selectivity of CRAC channels.
Original research papers: Nature 443, 226-229 (2006); Nature 443, 230-233 (2006); Nature Cell Biology 8, 771–773 (2006) |
 | GTPase signaling: Cdc42 regulates neural progenitor fate
The Rho GTPase cdc42 maintains the fate of ventricular zone progenitors and adherens junctions in mammalian neuronal development.
Original research paper: Nature Neuroscience 9, 1099-1107 (2006) |
 | EGFR Signaling: Keeping its Cool
Phosphorylation of Cool-1 prevents EGFR endocytosis and is essential for v-Src-induced transformation.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biol., (6 August 2006) |
 | Receptor traffic — parkin rules
A proteasome-independent ubiquitylation pathway contributes to the etiology of Parkinson's disease.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biol. 8, 834 – 848, (2006) |
 | Stressed out hearts
The cancer therapeutic agent imatinib (Glivec) — an inhibitor of BCR-ABL kinase activity — has been linked to cardiotoxicity.
Original research paper: Nature Medicine 12, 908 - 916 (2006) |
 |
In
brief: September 2006
Apoptosis
| DNA repair
| Cytokinesis | Asthma and allergy | HIV
| Angiogenesis
| Tumour suppressors | Cell death | Gene regulation | Gene expression
| Development
| Behavioural neuroscience |
 | Sniffing out regulation at a distance
A new study sheds light on how the expression of a single odorant receptor gene from a wide array of candidates is achieved.
Original research paper: Cell 126, 403 – 413, (2006) |
 | Stress can fuel tumour angiogenesis
Stress hormones activate ß2-adrenoreceptors on tumor cells and induce the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) leading to increased tumor vascularization.
Original research paper: Nature Med. 12, 939 – 944, (2006) |
 | Informatics: Exploring pharmacological space
The integration of several vast sources of medicinal chemistry structure-activity relationships (SAR) data has enabled the construction of a ligand-target matrix to explore the global relationships between chemical structure and biological targets.
Original research paper: Nature Biotechnol. 24, 805 – 815, (2006) |
 | Quantum dots go with the flow
Adding quantum dots to a repertoire of conventional fluorochromes allows researchers to extend the power of fluorescence immunophenotyping.
Original research paper: Nat. Med. 12, 972 – 977, (2006) |
 | Enter to silence
Double-stranded (ds) RNA uptake in Drosophila S2 cells involves receptor-mediated endocytosis.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biol. 8, 793 – 802, (2006) |
 | Gouty inflammation crystal clear?
The interleukin-1receptor and its signaling protein myeloid differentiation primary response protein 88 (MyD88) drive the gouty inflammatory response to monosodium urate crystals.
Original research paper: J. Clin. Invest. 116, 2262 – 2271, (2006) |
 | Decidedly different
A new study shows that differing lesions cooperate oncogenically with Myc by discrete mechanisms that can themselves synergize with each other.
Original research paper: Cancer Cell 10, 113 – 130, (2006) |
 | The insulating role of an RNAi architect
The RNAi machinery can induce global changes in gene expression by regulating the formation of higher-order chromatin structures in Drosophila.
Original research paper: Nature Genet. 6, 24 – 35, (2006) |
 | Pruning processes
A mechanistic link between the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) and the apoptotic machinery in the regulation of neuronal remodeling has been uncovered.
Original research paper: Neuron 51, 283 – 290, (2006) |
 | Up close and personal
In yeast, activated kinases physically associate with their target genes suggesting that they may be able to regulate gene transcription.
Original research paper: Science 313, 533 – 536, (2006) |
 | Conjugating enzyme IDed
Ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme 13 (UBC13) has a key role in B-cell development and is important for both B-cell and macrophage activation.
Original research paper: Nature Immunol. (2006) |
 | Therapy: Through the barricades
Researchers have managed to get the monoclonal antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin) across the blood-brain barrier in mice by using focused ultrasound.
Original research paper: Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 103, 11719 – 11723, (2006) |
 | POT-tering about the telomere
Two independent studies show that the DNA-binding protein POT1 (protection of telomeres 1) is required for telomere integrity and genome stability
Original research paper: Cell 126, 49 – 62, (2006) |
 | Model behaviour
Two recent studies demonstrate the potential use of zebrafish in the study of apoptotic pathways.
Original research paper: Cell Death Diff. (2006) |
 | Suspended license to kill
CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells reversibly suppress the release of lytic granules from cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
Original research paper: Immunity 25, 129 – 141, (2006) |
 | Eph-ective tumour growth inhibition
The receptor tyrosine kinase EphB4 inhibits breast tumor cell growth in mice.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biol. 8, 815 – 825, (2006) |
 | Forming the optic disc
Sequential activity of bone morphogenetic protein 7 (BMP7) and sonic hedgehog (SHH) is required for the formation of the optic disc.
Original research paper: Development 133, 3179 – 3190, (2006) |
 | Is MipZ the new MinCD?
During cell division, MipZ coordinates positioning of the cytokinetic FtsZ ring with chromosome segregation in the freshwater bacterium Caulobacter.
Original research paper: Cell 126, 147 – 162, (2006) |
 | Connected clues?
Silent Information Regulator 2 (Sir2) enzymes (or sirtuins) increase acetyl-CoA production and function as specific deacetylases potentially linking histone modifications, metabolism and ageing.
Original research paper: Mol. Cell 23, 207 – 217, (2006) |
 | Pick a CARD
Caspase-recruitment-domain protein 9 (CARD9) is involved in a novel non-TLR-dependent signaling pathway required for antifungal innate immunity.
Original research paper: Nature 442, 651 – 656, (2006) |
 | Transmission possible
Canine transmissible venereal tumor (CTVT) cells arose from a common ancestral neoplastic cell and have evolved into a transmissible parasite.
Original research paper: Cell 126, 477 – 487, (2006) |
 | What vitamins can do for hedgehog
Vitamin D3 contributes to silencing the hedgehog signaling pathway in the absence of ligand.
Original research paper: PLoS Biol. 4, e232(2006) |
 | STEDy progress
Continuing progress in the development of stimulated emission depletion microscopy (STED) is gradually fulfilling the method's promise of ultrahigh-resolution fluorescence microscopy.
Original research paper: Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103, 11440 – 11445, (2006) |
