Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

Volume 10 Issue 4, April 2008

Epifluorescence image of Zebrafish germ-layer progenitor-cell sorting in a hanging drop assay in vitro. Cells will self-sort according to their cortical tensions and mesoderm cell clusters (green) will always envelop ectoderm cell clusters (red).

Volume 10 Issue 4

Subscribe

Editorial

  • Much has been said about alternatives and enhancements to 'single-blind' peer review; but what actually constitutes a good referee report?

    Editorial

    Advertisement

Top of page ⤴

News & Views

  • Differentiation of neuronal stem cells into astrocytes or neurons is important in maintaining brain function. Oxidative stress and inflammation are now shown to bias differentiation toward astrocytes by modulating activity of the anti-ageing gene Sirt1. These findings link a longevity gene to the activity of neuronal stem cells and their response to stress.

    • Sergiy Libert
    • Dena Cohen
    • Leonard Guarente
    News & Views

  • The self-sorting of early embryonic cells is mediated not only by pure differential adhesion but also involves other processes. Direct force measurements reveal the role of cell-cortical tension, whereas epithelial-wrapping dominates the sorting of enclosed mesenchymal cells.

    • Jeremy B.A. Green
    News & Views

  • Phenotypic variation between tumour types is likely to reflect the nature of the cell of origin and the genes involved in pathogenesis. Compared with most sporadic breast cancers, those arising in carriers of BRCA1 mutations usually have distinctive pathological characteristics. A new study suggests that a role for BRCA1 in the determination of stem-cell fate may explain this phenomenon.

    • Matthew J. Smalley
    • Jorge S. Reis-Filho
    • Alan Ashworth
    News & Views

  • Kinetochores maintain a mechanical grip on disassembling microtubule plus ends, possibly through a 16-member Dam1 ring that acts as a sliding clamp. It turns out, however, that a ring is not required for maintaining grip: individual Dam1 complexes in vitro can diffuse on the microtubule lattice and track shortening microtubule tips.

    • Melissa K. Gardner
    • David J. Odde
    News & Views

  • The anaphase-promoting complex (APC) mediates the ubiquitination and degradation of key M-phase regulators, including cyclins and the anaphase inhibitor securin. Intriguingly, securin can also inhibit the degradation of cyclin B. This competition between substrates permits the accumulation of enough cyclin to drive entry into M phase.

    • Mark J. Solomon
    • Janet L. Burton
    News & Views
Top of page ⤴

Article

Top of page ⤴

Letter

Top of page ⤴

Erratum

Top of page ⤴

Corrigendum

Top of page ⤴

Search

Advanced search

Quick links