Newest Articles
SecA mediates cotranslational protein targetingProteins are thought to be delivered to the bacterial plasma membrane cotranslationally by signal recognition particle or posttranslationally by SecA. Wang et al. identify a new membrane protein–targeting pathway in bacteria in which SecA cotranslationally recognizes and targets the inner membrane protein RodZ, which harbors an internal transmembrane domain.
Prepatterning of Rho GTPases by RhoGEFsDuring wound repair, Rho GTPases form dynamic spatial and temporal patterns surrounding the wound and coordinate the cytoskeletal response. Nakamura et al. show that Rho GTPase arrays form in response to prepatterning by RhoGEFs, which depends on annexin B9.
Membrane microenvironment in actin polymerizationHow the membrane environment informs when and where actin is polymerized in clathrin-mediated endocytosis is unclear. Daste et al. show that high membrane curvature stimulates PI(3,4)P2 dephosphorylation by INPP4A and that PI(3)P recruits SNX9 in conjunction with both PI(4,5)P2 and high membrane curvature. Furthermore, they find that Lowe syndrome mimics this membrane microenvironment with the aberrant formation of a PI(4,5)P2/PI(3)P intermediate, giving rise to actin comets.
Mitochondrial outer membrane channelsChannels in the mitochondrial outer membrane exchange metabolites, ions, and proteins with the rest of the cell. Kruger et al. identify several new types of channel and suggest that the outer mitochondrial membrane is a more selective molecular sieve with a greater variety of channel-forming proteins than previously appreciated.
BLM antagonizes RAD51 in BRCA1-hypomorphic cellsThe DNA helicase BLM can have both pro- and anti-recombination effects. Patel et al. show that in cells lacking the homologous recombination repair factors BRCA1, XRCC2, or BRCA2, BLM prevents the assembly of stable RAD51 nucleoprotein filaments, leading to genomic instability and reduced cell viability.
Dual role of kindlin-2 during cell spreadingCell spreading relies on the coordinated and dynamic regulation of integrin-mediated adhesions and actin structures. Böttcher et al. show that in the periphery of adhering cells kindlin-2 binds paxillin to activate Rac1 and the Arp2/3 complex to allow for Rac1-mediated membrane protrusions.
Cdc42 regulates junctions but not polarizationAdherens junction remodeling allows changes in cell shape and position. Zilberman et al. show through live imaging that CDC-42 is dispensable for epithelial cell polarization, but its RhoGAP-regulated activity is needed to control junctional actin organization during embryo elongation.
Current Issue
September 4, 2017
Volume 216, No. 9
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Reviews & Opinions
- Catch and release: 14-3-3 controls Ncd in meiotic spindles
Dasso discusses work from Beaven et al. on the regulation of Ncd in the meiotic spindle by 14-3-3 proteins.
- How the vasculature delivers lung epithelia from an incorrect fate
Cross talk between pulmonary endothelia and epithelia prevents abnormal differentiation into liver cells.
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Casanova and Winckler discuss Liu et al.’s recent finding that WDR91 coordinates Rab and phosphoinositide conversion during endosome maturation in neurons.