Articles in 2015

The suppression of homologous recombination in G1 depends on BRCA1–PALB2–BRCA2 complex formation at sites of damage. In mitosis, DNA repair factors prevent the formation of DNA damage by facilitating mitotic replication.

Centrosomes can nucleate not only microtubules but also actin filaments, in a process dependent on the actin-related protein 2/3 complex and WASH.

Rong Li tells us about the discovery of the seven-subunit actin nucleator Arp2/3 complex.

Cytoplasmic, but not nuclear, aggregates of β-sheet proteins mediate toxic effects through impaired nucleo-cytoplasmic transport of mRNA and protein.

The ubiquitin ligase COP1 promotes insulin secretion in mice by inducing the degradation of transcription factors ETV1, ETV4 and ETV5.

The CRISPR–Cas9 system is a powerful, sequence-specific tool that was initially developed for gene and genome editing. The recent adoption of nuclease-deactivated Cas9 (dCas9) has enabled expansion of the use of the system to multiplexed and inducible transcription regulation, genome-wide screens and cell fate engineering.

In addition to its known roles in nonsense-mediated mRNA decay, recent findings show that the exon junction complex (EJC) participates in diverse mRNA maturation processes, including splicing, transport and translation. This multi-functionality is reflected by an increasing number of EJC-related disorders being discovered.

The primase–polymerase PrimPol is required for bypassing G-quadruplexes in vertebrate cells by repriming replication downstream of the structures.

Cep135, Ana1 (Cep295) and Asterless (Cep152) are sequentially recruited to daughter centrioles to enable their maturation into duplication-competent mother centrioles.

ADAR enzymes convert adenosine to inosine (A-to-I editing) at numerous double-stranded Alu repeats in human transcripts, thereby affecting many cellular processes. Primary microRNAs (miRNAs) are also edited, and ADAR1 directly interacts with Dicer, resulting in the modulation of miRNA expression and activity and of downstream gene expression programmes during embryogenesis.

M. Bishr Omary reminds us of the three articles that first uncovered a causative link between mutations in intermediate filaments (specifically, keratin 14) and human diseases.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is typically associated with protein biogenesis. However, recent studies suggest that it additionally synchronizes and regulates a plethora of intracellular events owing to its ability to form tight membrane associations, so-called membrane contact sites (MCSs), with other organelles.

Two studies provide novel insights into how the Dpp morphogen regulates fly wing growth.

Most eukaryotic centromeres are defined epigenetically and require nucleosomes containing the histone H3 variant centromere protein A (CENP-A). We are now gaining insight into the mechanisms that regulate CENP-A deposition and positioning to specify and propagate centromeres during cell division, and into the function of centromeres in recruiting kinetochores to connect chromosomes to spindle microtubules.