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.
 | Tyrosine kinase inhibition and cancer: The great escape
Current human epithelial growth factor receptor (HER) inhibitors are unable to induce sustained inhibition of HER3 and Akt signaling, thus limiting their anti-tumor activity.
Original research paper: Nature 445, 437 - 441 (25 January 2007) |
 | T cell signaling: Giving HPK1 the SLP
Hematopoietic progenitor kinase 1 (HPK1) diminishes T cell receptor (TCR) signaling activity and T cell proliferation by phosphorylating the adaptor protein SLP-76.
Original research paper: Nat. Immunol. 8, 84 - 91 (2007) |
 | Hepatocytes: Glucose comes into the eLiXiR
Glucose binds directly to liver X receptor (LXR) to induce the upregulation of genes participating in lipogenesis, thereby linking fat metabolism and glucose sensing independently of insulin.
Original research paper: Nature 445, 219 - 223 (2007) |
 | SUMO: Wrestling phosphatase activity
PIAS1 downregulates the activity of protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) by catalyzing its sumoylation.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biology 9, 80 - 85 (2006) |
 | The art of barrel coopery
The centriole proteins SPD-2 and ZYG-1 are required for the duplication of these barrel-shaped structures in single-cell Caenorhabditis elegans embryos.
Original research paper: Nature 444, 619 – 623 (2006) |
 | Beyond expectation
Mice lacking Tyrosine kinase 2 (TYK-2) have a relatively mild phenotype but new research shows that TYK-2 deficiency in humans causes profound immunological defects.
Original research paper: Immunity 25, 745 – 755 (2006) |
 | In brief: January 2007
Cell division | Systems biology | Telomeres | T cells | Immunotherapy | Autoimmunity | Natural killer cells | T-cell migration | Differentiation | Tumorigenesis | Metastasis | RNA world | Technology | Cancer genomics | Molecular neuroscience | Calcium Signalling | Repair | Stem cells | Parkinson's Disease |
 | When DNA damage prevents cancer
The efficient activation of DNA-damage response signaling is necessary to activate and maintain oncogene-induced senescence.
Original research paper: Nature 444, 633 - 637 (2006) |
 | Tumour microenvironment: Remodelling resistance
Small-molecule inhibitors of transglutaminase 2 (TG2) sensitize glioblastoma cells to chemotherapy, possibly by preventing TG2-dependent pro-survival signaling.
Original research paper: Oncogene (2006) |
 | Dedicated protection for the female germ line
An isoform of the p53 homologue p63 functions exclusively in the female germ line to eliminate oocytes with DNA damage.
Original research paper: Nature 444, 624 - 628 (2006) |
 | Good enhancer hunting
Researchers in California have characterized the in vivo enhancer activity of a large group of conserved non-coding elements in the human genome.
Original research paper: Nature 444, 499 – 502 (2006) |
 | Sharing the signalling components
The endosomal protein Sara recruits thickveins (Tkv), the decapentaplegic (Dpp) receptor, to a subset of endosomes that are distributed evenly in mitosis.
Original research paper: Science 314, 1135 – 1139, (2006) |
 | Which signal to respond to?
According to a new model of T cell receptor signaling, generation of alternative polarization axes by a competing signal might determine responsiveness of the cell to a subsequent distal signal.
Original research paper: Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 103, 18685 – 18690, (2006) |
 | BMPs on the brain
Bone morphogenetic proteins can block the growth of brain-tumor-initiating cells and inhibit their ability to establish glioblastomas after transplantation.
Original research paper: Nature 444, 761 – 765, (2006) |
 | Telomeres are double trouble
A new study shows that telomeres actually require DNA repair pathways at two distinct points in the cell cycle.
Original research paper: Cell 127, 709 – 720, (2006) |
 | Choice cuts?
Three new ground-breaking studies highlight possible new therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's disease targeting the two enzymes — ß- and ?-secretase — that produce amyloid-ß (Aß) through sequential cleavage of the Aß precursor protein.
Original research paper: Nature Med. 314, 664 – 666, (2006) |
 | Pinning down neuropathic pain
The discovery that dynorphin A, an opioid neuropeptide, promotes chronic pain through its agonist action at bradykinin receptors, could pave the way for new treatment options.
Original research paper: Nature Neurosci. 9, 1534 – 1540, (2006) |
 | Lipids under scrutiny
Researchers have developed a system to rapidly deplete or increase specific phosphatidylinositide species at the plasma membrane.
Original research paper: Science 314, 1458 – 1461, (2006) |
 | Organelle blueprints unveiled
A new study uses a comprehensive stock-take of the lipid and protein composition of a synaptic vesicles to provide an insight into the life cycle of neurotransmitter-loaded organelles.
Original research paper: Cell 127, 831 – 846, (2006) |
 | A stimulating collaboration
Original research paper: J. Immunol. 177, 8301 – 8305, (2006) |
 | Dendrites hit the spot
Researchers have now found evidence that dendrites actively seek out specific targets in the developing brain when making functional circuits.
Original research paper: Neuron 52, 609 – 621, (2006) |
 | Oncogenic signalling: Mysteries of addiction
When an oncoprotein is disrupted pro-survival signals are attenuated faster than pro-apoptotic signals - causing a temporary favor towards apoptotic cell fate.
Original research paper: Cancer Cell 10, 425 – 435, (2006) |
 | Unleashing regenerative potential
The Wnt-ß-catenin pathway is crucial to the regeneration of appendages in several vertebrates, although these regeneration-promoting properties are not only restricted to organisms that naturally regrow appendages.
Original research paper: Genes Dev. 7, 873 – 884, (2006) |
 | Riboswitching off bacterial growth
There is evidence that bacterial riboswitches — RNA structures that act as metabolic sensors and regulate gene expression accordingly — could represent a novel class of antibiotic targets.
Original research paper: Nature Chem. Biol. (2006) |
 | Breaching the barrier
New research indicates that the systemic immune activation characteristics of chronic HIV infection could be caused by the translocation of microorganisms through a breach in the integrity of the mucosal barrier in the gut.
Original research paper: Nature Med. 7, 235 – 239, (2006) |
 | A rapid-response stress switch
Following DNA damage Set9-mediated methylation of p53 on Lys 372 inhibits Smyd2-mediated methylation on Lys 370, and upregulates the expression of p53-responsive genes.
Original research paper: Nature 444, 629 – 632, (2006) |
 | Arming the front line with TLR9
Colonic homeostasis is maintained by distinctive apical toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) signaling in intestinal epithelial cells.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biol. 8, 1327 – 1336, (2006) |
 | Therapy: Inhibiting the inhibitors
The chemotherapeutic agent ABT-737 is a BH3 mimetic that targets selective BCL-2 proteins and efficiently induces apoptosis via Bak/Bax when MCL-1 is downregulated.
Original research paper: Cancer Cell 10, 375 – 388, (2006) |
 | It takes a lot to make the segmentation clock tick
A new microarray study shows that a complex network of genes transcribed in two groups that are exactly out of phase with each other underlies the mouse segmentation clock.
Original research paper: Science (2006) |
 | New way out for Cryptococcus
Cryptococcus neoformans can replicate after phagocytosis and then exit by a novel mechanism that leaves both the macrophage and the pathogen intact.
Original research paper: Curr. Biol. 16, 2156 – 2160, (2006) |
 | Fast-track to pain relief
Activation of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-a (PPARa) leads to rapid, broad-spectrum analgesia suggesting that PPARa agonists may represent a novel class of analgesics.
Original research paper: J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. 319, 1051 – 1061, (2006) |
