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In this Review, Prinz and co-authors discuss the role of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) in the de novo generation of peroxisomes, lipid droplets and omegasomes, and how this requires subdomains with specific protein and lipid compositions.
CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) sites are enriched at the boundaries of topologically associated domains (TADs), but their function within TADs is unclear. Removal of sub-TAD CTCF sites adjacent to the α-globin enhancers is now shown to result in inappropriate activation of neighbouring genes. Intra-TAD enhancer insulation might be broadly important for tissue specificity of enhancers.
The lung undergoes a striking repair process in response to severe injuries such as influenza infection. A study now demonstrates that associated stem/progenitor cells are heterogeneous in nature and comprise subpopulations dominated by hypoxia/Notch or Wnt signalling. Modulation of this heterogeneity in favour of functional repair may have therapeutic value.
Obesity now rivals smoking as one of the leading preventable causes of cancer. Obesity-associated neutrophilia is now shown to enhance breast cancer metastasis and to be reversible through dietary modification and weight loss.
Mutations in AT rich interactive domain 1A (ARID1A) are common in ovarian cancers. A study now shows that HDAC6 activity is required for survival of ovarian cancer cells bearing ARID1A mutations. HDAC6 inhibition selectively promotes apoptosis of ARID1A-inactivated cells, supporting the use of HDAC6 inhibition in the treatment of clear cell ovarian cancer.
Zhou et al. demonstrate that bone marrow adipocytes, but not intraperitoneal adipocytes, express high levels of stem cell factor (SCF), which is essential for the regeneration of haematopoietic stem cells and haematopoiesis after irradiation.
Xi et al. show that after influenza infection, hypoxia drives Notch signalling to expand Krt5+ basal-like cells in the lung. On HIF1α loss, epithelial progenitors directly differentiate into alveolar type II cells and promote functional regeneration.
Pitulescu et al. and Hasan et al. show that Dll4–Notch signalling in endothelial tip cells regulates angiogenesis through control of artery formation, linking sprouting angiogenesis and artery formation.
Pitulescu et al. and Hasan et al. show that Dll4–Notch signalling in endothelial tip cells regulates angiogenesis through control of artery formation, linking sprouting angiogenesis and artery formation.
Lengefeld et al. reveal how yeast cells distinguish between newly synthesized and pre-existing spindle pole bodies to enable their asymmetric segregation, through a mechanism involving Swe1, Kin3 and NuA4.
Hanssen et al. show that CTCF–cohesin binding sites at the α-globin gene cluster function as boundaries to restrict the interaction of enhancers with the flanking chromatin, thus preventing abnormal gene expression.
Bitler et al. show that HDAC6 activity is essential for the survival of ovarian cancer cells carrying loss-of-function ARID1A mutation, thus representing a promising therapeutic target.
Joyce and colleagues report that obesity promotes lung neutrophilia in mice, which in the presence of a primary breast tumour fosters metastasis to the lung in a manner dependent on GM-CSF and IL5.
Studying polarity establishment in C. elegans zygotes, Wang et al. find, by imaging GFP-tagged proteins, that clusters of the PAR-3 polarity protein assemble in response to membrane tension created by actomyosin contractility.
Lin et al. find that stress-induced p38 MAPK activation leads to cytoplasmic relocation of the Hippo pathway nuclear transcription factor TEAD. TEAD relocation causes inhibition of YAP activity and suppresses YAP-driven cancer cell growth.