Newest Articles
Microtubules grow with bent protofilamentsHow microtubules (MTs) grow during the addition of guanosine triphosphate (GTP) tubulin is not clear. McIntosh et al. now show that MTs elongating either in vivo or in vitro end in bent protofilaments that curve out from the microtubule axis, suggesting that GTP-tubulin is bent in solution and must straighten to join the MT wall.
Identification of YKT6 as an autophagosomal SNAREMatsui et al. identify YKT6 as a novel autophagosomal SNARE protein. YKT6 is required for autophagosome–lysosome fusion independently of STX17, a known autophagosomal SNARE.
Integrin α4β7 switches its ligand specificity via distinct conformer-specific activationCCL25, CXCL10, and Mn2+ induce three distinct active conformations of integrin α4β7, which have selective high affinity for either MAdCAM-1, VCAM-1, or nonselective high affinity for both ligands. Via this mechanism, integrin α4β7 adopts different active conformations to switch its ligand-binding specificity.
RecA dynamics at DNA double-strand breaksSpontaneous DNA double-strand breaks form during DNA replication and are largely repaired by recombination with a sister chromosome. Using live-cell fluorescence imaging, Amarh et al. show that repair of a replication-dependent break is rapid, localized, and involves a transient RecA focus.
Endosomal TLRs differentially control neuronal morphologyHung et al. combine in vitro neuronal cultures, in utero electroporation, and transcriptomic profiling to show that the activation of TLR8, TLR7, or TLR3 results in dendritic shortening and that TLR7 and TLR3 but not TLR8 also control axonal growth. In-depth transcriptomic analyses show that TLRs use different downstream pathways to control neuronal morphology despite signaling through the same adapter, MYD88.
Xpo7 is a broad-spectrum exportin and a nuclear import receptorAksu et al. explore the vast cargo spectrum of exportin7/Xpo7 and present anti-Xpo7 nanobodies that acutely inhibit Xpo7’s transport cycles in living cells. Their expression selectively blocks nuclear enrichment of import cargoes as well as nuclear exclusion of export cargoes, establishing Xpo7 as a novel bidirectional nuclear transport receptor.
Nuclear transport adapts to varying heat stress in a multistep mechanismUsing a newly developed temperature shift assay, Ogawa and Imamoto find that nuclear transport pathways have different sensitivities to rising temperatures. The data suggest that the thermosensitivity of importin α1 enables a multistep shutdown of Ran-dependent transport according to the degree of heat stress.
Current Issue
May 7, 2018
Volume 217, No. 5
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Reviews & Opinions
- Protein kinase A activation: Something new under the sun?
Smith and Scott discuss work from Isensee et al. addressing the long-standing question of the regulation of protein kinase A–II activity by phosphorylation.
- Muscle tensions merge to cause a DNA replication crisis
Brayson et al. preview work from Wong et al. that provides evidence supporting the hypothesis that cell and tissue mechanics play a crucial role in the regulation of key nuclear functions.
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Researchers reconstitute caveolae assembly in cell-free extracts to investigate how these membrane microdomains interact with signaling proteins.