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.
 | DNA damage: PP4 calls a halt
Phosphatase PP4 dephosphorylates RPA2 to aid DNA repair via homologous recombination.
Original research paper: Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol. 17, 365-372 (2010) |
 | SUMO signaling: No half measures
Radically different active sites are used for the two steps of SUMO E1's catalysis.
Original research paper: Nature 463, 906-912 (2010) |
 | Cell signaling: NLK turns it down a Notch
Nemo-like kinase suppresses Notch signaling by hampering formation of the ternary transcription complex.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biology 12, 278-285 (2010) |
 | Tumor cell invasion: p53 and integrin duet
Mutant p53 promotes cancer cell invasion and random motility by enhancing integrin recycling.
Original research paper: Cell 139, 1327-1341 (2009) |
 | Tolerance: How AIRE wakes up sleepy genes
A molecular alarm call for peripheral tissue antigen genes in mTECs.
Original research paper: Cell 140, 123-135 (2010) |
 | Angiogenesis: Regulating vessel size
VEPTP and the ANG-TIE2 pathway regulate blood vessel size in tumour angiogenesis.
Original research paper: Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 22399-22404 (2009) |
 | Complex disease: A mutational history of Alzheimer's
A common polymorphism that accelerates the onset of the most common form of Alzheimer's disease by an average of 7 years has been identified.
Original research paper: Pharmacogenomics J. 22 Dec 2009 |
 | Development: Male versus female
New research shows that development of female traits requires active repression of male development.
Original research paper: Cell 139, 1130-1142 (2009) |
 | Lymphomagenesis: Far, far away
The Igh 3' regulatory region (Igh3' RR) can function over long distances to activate the transcription of translocated Myc.
Original research paper: Nature 462, 803-807 (2009) |
 | Signalling: Sensing a change
Three papers present evidence that signaling pathways respond to fold-changes in sensor molecules.
Original research paper: Mol. Cell 36, 885-893 (2009) |
 | Axon guidance: A developmental switch
The switch from attraction to repulsion downstream of cAMP depends on a switch from EPAC- to PKA-mediated signaling.
Original research paper: J. Neurosci. 29, 15434-15444 (2009) |
 | Small RNAs: Size control
miR-8 positively regulates Drosophila melanogaster body size.
Original research paper: Cell 139, 1096-1108 (2009) |
 | Proteases: Unravelling the therapeutic activity of activated protein C
Two new studies shed further light on the beneficial roles and mechanisms of action of activated protein C (APC) in two disease conditions: amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and sepsis.
Original research paper: J. Clin. Invest. 119, 3437-3449 (2009) |
 | Lipid trafficking: Exchange by ORDer
ORPs bind two membranes simultaneously and regulate sterol transfer between them.
Original research paper: J. Cell Biol. 187, 889-903 (2009) |
 | T cell responses: mTOR mixes up a recipe for success
How does mTOR integrate signals from antigen, costimulatory and cytokine receptors in CD8+ T cells?
Original research paper: Immunity 7 Jan 2010 (DOI 10.1016/j.immuni.2009.10.010) |
 | Metastasis: Motion capture
Mutant p53 promotes cell migration and invasion through integrin recycling.
Original research paper: Cell 139, 1327-1341 (2009) |
 | Viral infection: Entry through tunnel vision
SV40 induces the formation of tubular invaginations in the host cell membrane in a manner that is dependent on the acyl-chain length of GM1 but independent of active host cell trafficking machinery.
Original research paper: Nature Cell Biol. 12, 11-18 (2010) |
 | DNA damage response: DNA takes a break with SUMO
PIAS1 and PIAS4 promote BRCA1 sumoylation and DNA repair.
Original research paper: Nature 462, 935-939 (2009) |
 | Systems biology: Network spreading
Identification of a small transcription factor network that is responsible for the mesenchymal behavior of glioma cells.
Original research paper: Nature 463, 318-325 (2009) |
