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Senescence is an important mechanism for suppressing mammalian tumours and it may also contribute to aging. A new study suggests that changes in the metabolism of oxygen radicals are important for establishing senescence and blocking cytokinesis to ensure senescent cells never divide again.
A new study has identified a novel phospholipase D (PLD) that is located in the mitochondrial outer membrane and is required for organelle fusion. As PLD-catalysed production of fusogenic lipids is critical for many examples of membrane fusion (such as those mediated by SNAREs), this startling finding raises the possibility that mitochondria use a mechanism common to other cellular fusion events.
Ubiquitin receptors that bind ubiquitinated proteins through ubiquitin-binding domains have key roles in various cellular processes. These receptors are often themselves monoubiquitinated, referred to as coupled monoubiquitination. Now, coupled monoubiquitination has been shown to involve monoubiquitination of a ubiquitin ligase and its subsequent interaction with a ubiquitin receptor.
Loss of tissue organization, including disruption of epithelial polarity, is a feature of many carcinomas. Activation of the oncogenic receptor tyrosine kinase, ErbB2, induces alterations in epithelial architecture, but the mechanisms underlying this effect are poorly understood. New data suggests that the polarity proteins, Par6 and atypical PKC, may affect epithelial polarity and cell survival through interactions with an ErbB2 receptor complex.
Nature Cell BiologyandNature Reviews Molecular Cell Biologyhave joined forces to present this collection of reviews and commentaries, designed as highly accessible and practical guides to some of the most important approaches and challenges in systems biology. This user's guide also contains lists of glossary terms, further reading and systems biology research institutions, as well as a library of related articles across the Nature titles.
