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Nature 444, 279-280 (16 November 2006) | doi:10.1038/nature05306; Published online 15 November 2006

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Cell biology: Brief encounters bolster contacts

Tom L. Blundell1 & Juan Fernández-Recio2

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Molecules often work together in complexes to carry out their functions in the cell. But how do they get together in such a dynamic environment? A structural study follows proteins as they meet their partners.

Living cells, particularly during growth and proliferation, need regulatory processes of great sensitivity and high specificity. To achieve this, signal-to-noise ratios must be high when information is received and transmitted between the cell surface, the cytoplasm and the nucleus.

  1. Tom L. Blundell is in the Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Tennis Court Road, Cambridge CB2 1GA, UK.
    Email: tom@cryst.bioc.cam.ac.uk
  2. Juan Fernández-Recio is at the Institute of Biomedical Research, Barcelona Science Park, Barcelona 08028, Spain.

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