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Heterochromatin as a balancing act between transcription and gene silencing
Heterochromatin as a balancing act between transcription and gene silencing
An elegant study revealed the distinct roles of different H3K9 methylation states in heterochromatin formation and function.
Long-lived proteomes in healthy ovaries
Long-lived proteomes in healthy ovaries
Many proteins in the mouse ovary are extremely stable; they enhance proteostasis and limit protein aggregation, thereby su...
Virus–host warfare by PROTACs
Virus–host warfare by PROTACs
The studies that paved the way for the development of PROTACs (proteolysis-targeting chimeras) as therapeutic strategies, ...
The discovery of cyclin-dependent kinases
The discovery of cyclin-dependent kinases
Paul Nurse discusses how a 1971 paper by Culotti and Hartwell inspired him to investigate the cell cycle in fission yeast,...
Cellular and pathological functions of tau
Cellular and pathological functions of tau
Tau protein is involved in various cellular processes, including having a canonical role in binding and stabilization of m...
Regulation of and challenges in targeting NAD+ metabolism
Regulation of and challenges in targeting NAD+ metabolism
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, in its oxidized (NAD+) and reduced (NADH) forms, is a reduction–oxidation (redox)...
What does it take to build a nucleus?
What does it take to build a nucleus?
Abigail Buchwalter recounts what happened to the nuclei of cells lacking all lamin genes.
MYB-related proteins make chloroplasts
MYB-related proteins make chloroplasts
MYB-related transcription factors are found to function in chloroplast biogenesis alongside GLK in the distantly related s...
Localized translation in the embryo
Ahna Skop and Karen Schindler describe a paper that found localized translation in mammalian embryos, demonstrating the im...
A code within the genetic code
A code within the genetic code
The story of a paper that established the concept of codon optimality and its connection with translation efficiency and m...
Protein N-terminal acetylation is entering the degradation end game
Despite being one of the most common protein modifications in eukaryotes, the cellular effect of N-terminal acetylation re...
Single-cell live volume measurements using the fluorescence exclusion method
In this Tools of the Trade article, Venkova and Popard (Piel lab) discuss recent updates to the fluorescence exclusion met...
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of skin wound healing
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of skin wound healing
Wound healing is a complex process that involves the coordinated actions of many different tissues and cell lineages. It r...
How ancient RNA survives and what we can learn from it
Although normally transient, RNA can persist postmortem when preserved by cold, desiccation or chemical treatment. In this...
Opportunities and challenges in design and optimization of protein function
Opportunities and challenges in design and optimization of protein function
The field of protein design has made remarkable progress over the past decade. Historically, the low reliability of purely...
Seeing transcription in real time
Seeing transcription in real time
Imaging of fluorescently labelled nascent RNA in live cells enabled real-time observation of transcription of an endogenou...
The molecular basis of translation initiation and its regulation in eukaryotes
The molecular basis of translation initiation and its regulation in eukaryotes
The regulation of gene expression is fundamental for life. Whereas the role of transcriptional regulation of gene expressi...
Does species-specific alternative splicing make us human?
Florian Heyd describes a paper that pointed towards alternative splicing as a driver of human cognitive abilities.
Lysosomes as coordinators of cellular catabolism, metabolic signalling and organ physiology
Lysosomes as coordinators of cellular catabolism, metabolic signalling and organ physiology
Every cell must satisfy basic requirements for nutrient sensing, utilization and recycling through macromolecular breakdow...
Local and systemic mechanisms that control the hair follicle stem cell niche
Local and systemic mechanisms that control the hair follicle stem cell niche
Hair follicles are essential appendages of the mammalian skin, as hair performs vital functions of protection, thermoregul...
Extended heterochronic parabiosis as an approach to study rejuvenation
In this Tools of the Trade article, Bohan Zhang (Gladyshev lab) discusses how the use of extended heterochronic parabiosis...
Senescent cells support limb regeneration
Yu et al. identify senescent cells as important players in the regeneration of complex structures.
The nuance in DNA and transcription factor interactions
The nuance in DNA and transcription factor interactions
Emily Wong describes a study that provided a quantitative methodology for analyzing ChIP experiments and shifted ...
Probing cytoskeletal remodelling by cutting and marking filaments
In this Tools of the Trade article, Manuela Richter (Dumont lab) describes a method to probe mechanisms of cytoskeletal ne...
The molecular basis for cellular function of intrinsically disordered protein regions
The molecular basis for cellular function of intrinsically disordered protein regions
Intrinsically disordered protein regions exist in a collection of dynamic interconverting conformations that lack a stable...
Mechanisms of SNARE proteins in membrane fusion
Mechanisms of SNARE proteins in membrane fusion
Soluble N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor attachment protein receptors (SNAREs) are a family of small conserved eukaryotic...
Challenges and opportunities in macromolecular structure determination
Embedded within the complexity of biological systems lies a formidable task: deciphering the intricate architecture of mac...
Mechanism of sperm mtDNA elimination
Mechanism of sperm mtDNA elimination
Phosphorylation of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) maintenance factor TFAM during spermatogenesis prevents its import into m...
ERMES — from myths to molecules
Ernst and Renne highlight two papers, one that discovered and another that structurally defined the ER–mitochondria ...
Activation of human endogenous retroviruses and its physiological consequences
Activation of human endogenous retroviruses and its physiological consequences
Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) are abundant sequences that persist within the human genome as remnants of ancient r...