In This Issue - pv
doi:10.1038/nchembio1106-v
doi:10.1038/nchembio1106-559
The difficulty in working with lipids and other membrane components has left many fundamental questions about the biochemistry of membranes unanswered. New techniques are required to determine how cell membranes are organized structurally and functionally.
Full Text - Membranes stay afloat | PDF (86 KB) - Membranes stay afloat
Gerald W Feigenson
doi:10.1038/nchembio1106-560
Biological membranes are two-dimensional mixtures of an enormous number of different components. Modeling cell membranes as simple bilayer mixtures reveals rich phase behavior, but how can we use the observed phase behavior to understand the real membranes?
Full Text - Phase behavior of lipid mixtures | PDF (346 KB) - Phase behavior of lipid mixtures
Joshua Zimmerberg & Klaus Gawrisch
doi:10.1038/nchembio1106-564
Physical chemistry explains the principles of self-organization of lipids into bilayers that form the matrix of biological membranes, and continuum theory of membrane energetics is successful in explaining many biological processes. With increasing sophistication of investigative tools, there is now a growing appreciation for lipid diversity and for the role of individual lipids and specific lipid-protein interactions in membrane structure and function.
Full Text - The physical chemistry of biological membranes | PDF (10,889 KB) - The physical chemistry of biological membranes
Mirella Bucci
doi:10.1038/nchembio1106-568
As a pioneer in the field of membrane traffic, Randy Schekman shares a compelling historical perspective on the roles of various disciplines in forming a field and defining a scientist.
Douglas A Lauffenburger
doi:10.1038/nchembio1106-569
Understanding how cytokines interact with multimeric cell receptors to generate signals governing cell behavioral responses is crucial for the development of these promising pharmacological agents. A powerful quantitative approach is reported that was used to analyze the complicated case of binding of the GDNF family member artemin to the heteromeric GFR
3-Ret receptor.
Full Text - Right on cue | PDF (587 KB) - Right on cue
See also: Article by Schlee et al.
Matthew W Foster, Douglas T Hess & Jonathan S Stamler
doi:10.1038/nchembio1106-570
Accumulating evidence indicates that protein S-nitrosylation may convey a broad spectrum of cellular signals. S-nitrosylation of critical cysteine thiols activates a subset of cation-permeable, transient receptor potential channel proteins (TRPs), which may represent a general mechanism for regulating stimulus-coupled cellular Ca2+ flux.
Full Text - S-nitrosylation TRiPs a calcium switch | PDF (587 KB) - S-nitrosylation TRiPs a calcium switch
See also: Article by Yoshida et al.
Anna Moroni & Gerhard Thiel
doi:10.1038/nchembio1106-572
Ion-channel gating, or stochastic fluctuation between an open and a closed state, is not fully understood at the atomic level. Analysis of the bacterial channel OmpA now suggests that one mode of gating depends on the switching of a salt bridge within the pore.
Full Text - Flip-flopping salt bridges gate an ion channel | PDF (164 KB) - Flip-flopping salt bridges gate an ion channel
See also: Article by Hong et al.
Gustavo E Schujman & Diego de Mendoza
doi:10.1038/nchembio1106-573
A new pathway involving a fatty acid intermediate for the initiation of membrane phospholipid synthesis has been identified. This finding answers the question of how most bacteria catalyze the first acylation step in phosphatidic acid formation.
Full Text - Solving an old puzzle in phospholipid biosynthesis | PDF (116 KB) - Solving an old puzzle in phospholipid biosynthesis
doi:10.1038/nchembio1106-575
Full Text - Research Highlights | PDF (104 KB) - Research Highlights
Kristina E Ile, Gabriel Schaaf & Vytas A Bankaitis
doi:10.1038/nchembio835

Abstract - Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins and cellular nanoreactors for lipid signaling | Full Text - Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins and cellular nanoreactors for lipid signaling | PDF (408 KB) - Phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins and cellular nanoreactors for lipid signaling
Marilyn D Resh
doi:10.1038/nchembio834

Abstract - Trafficking and signaling by fatty-acylated and prenylated proteins | Full Text - Trafficking and signaling by fatty-acylated and prenylated proteins | PDF (352 KB) - Trafficking and signaling by fatty-acylated and prenylated proteins
Peng R Chen, Taeok Bae, Wade A Williams, Erica M Duguid, Phoebe A Rice, Olaf Schneewind & Chuan He
doi:10.1038/nchembio820

First Paragraph - An oxidation-sensing mechanism is used by the global regulator MgrA in Staphylococcus aureus | Full Text - An oxidation-sensing mechanism is used by the global regulator MgrA in Staphylococcus aureus | PDF (300 KB) - An oxidation-sensing mechanism is used by the global regulator MgrA in Staphylococcus aureus | Supplementary information | Chemical compounds
Takashi Yoshida, Ryuji Inoue, Takashi Morii, Nobuaki Takahashi, Shinichiro Yamamoto, Yuji Hara, Makoto Tominaga, Shunichi Shimizu, Yoji Sato & Yasuo Mori
doi:10.1038/nchembio821

Abstract - Nitric oxide activates TRP channels by cysteine S-nitrosylation | Full Text - Nitric oxide activates TRP channels by cysteine S-nitrosylation | PDF (733 KB) - Nitric oxide activates TRP channels by cysteine S-nitrosylation | Supplementary information | Chemical compounds
Campbell McInnes, Aveek Mazumdar, Mokdad Mezna, Christopher Meades, Carol Midgley, Fred Scaerou, Lee Carpenter, Mairi Mackenzie, Paul Taylor, Malcolm Walkinshaw, Peter M Fischer & David Glover
doi:10.1038/nchembio825

Abstract - Inhibitors of Polo-like kinase reveal roles in spindle-pole maintenance | Full Text - Inhibitors of Polo-like kinase reveal roles in spindle-pole maintenance | PDF (536 KB) - Inhibitors of Polo-like kinase reveal roles in spindle-pole maintenance | Supplementary information | Chemical compounds
Ulf Peters, Joseph Cherian, Jeffrey H Kim, Benjamin H Kwok & Tarun M Kapoor
doi:10.1038/nchembio826

Abstract - Probing cell-division phenotype space and Polo-like kinase function using small molecules | Full Text - Probing cell-division phenotype space and Polo-like kinase function using small molecules | PDF (1,248 KB) - Probing cell-division phenotype space and Polo-like kinase function using small molecules | Supplementary information | Chemical compounds
Heedeok Hong, Gabor Szabo & Lukas K Tamm
doi:10.1038/nchembio827

Abstract - Electrostatic couplings in OmpA ion-channel gating suggest a mechanism for pore opening | Full Text - Electrostatic couplings in OmpA ion-channel gating suggest a mechanism for pore opening | PDF (558 KB) - Electrostatic couplings in OmpA ion-channel gating suggest a mechanism for pore opening | Supplementary information
Sandra Schlee, Paul Carmillo & Adrian Whitty
doi:10.1038/nchembio823

Abstract - Quantitative analysis of the activation mechanism of the multicomponent growth-factor receptor Ret | Full Text - Quantitative analysis of the activation mechanism of the multicomponent growth-factor receptor Ret | PDF (358 KB) - Quantitative analysis of the activation mechanism of the multicomponent growth-factor receptor Ret | Supplementary information
This Challenge is looking for novel approaches to protein and nucleic acid detection. This is an Id...
This Challenge is looking for novel approaches to analyzing changes at a single-cell level. This is...
