Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology

Volume 9, No 5 May 2008

Featured Article

Article series: Mechanisms of Disease

Adipocyte dysfunctions linking obesity to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes

Adilson Guilherme, Joseph V. Virbasius, Vishwajeet Puri & Michael P. Czech

Advance Online Publication

Review

Filopodia: molecular architecture and cellular functions

Pieta K. Mattila & Pekka Lappalainen

Filopodia are thin, actin-rich, finger-like structures that are involved in numerous cellular processes, such as cell migration, wound healing, neurite outgrowth and embryonic development. But what are the mechanisms that regulate filopodia formation in distinct cell types?

Advance Online Publication

Perspective

Membrane nanotubes: dynamic long-distance connections between animal cells

Daniel M. Davis & Stefanie Sowinski

Membrane nanotubes are thin extensions of the plasma membrane that connect cells transiently and might facilitate intercellular communication. Recent studies have revealed considerable heterogeneity in their structure, formation, mode of cargo transport and functional properties, depending on the cell types involved.

Advance Online Publication

Research Highlights

Cell signalling:
Dynamic redistribution


Ekat Kritikou

New findings highlight the diversity of mechanisms through which Wnt signals influence cells.

DNA repair:
Working on different ends

Francesca Cesari

The chemical nature of DNA break ends determines the pathway used to repair DNA.

Current Issue

Analysis

Transcriptional control of human p53-regulated genes

Todd Riley, Eduardo Sontag, Patricia Chen & Arnold Levine

The p53 protein regulates the transcription of many target genes in response to a wide variety of stress signals. This Analysis article presents the most comprehensive list so far of human p53-regulated genes and their experimentally validated, functional binding sites that confer p53 regulation.

Current Issue

Review

Expansion and evolution of cell death programmes

Alexei Degterev & Junying Yuan

Cell death has historically been divided into regulated (apoptotic) and unregulated (necrotic) mechanisms. Emerging evidence, however, suggests that these two categories do not adequately explain all cell death mechanisms. How and why might non-apoptotic, regulated cell death mechanisms have evolved?

FOCUS ISSUE

Focus on Lipids

This Focus provides a snapshot of lipid biology. The accompanying Poster, which was produced with support from Merck Serono International S.A. provides an overview of the protein–lipid signalling network and how this network can be exploited to attenuate proliferative, inflammatory and metabolic diseases.

More Molecular Cell Biology

Noticeboard

Readout of chromatin marks

This Poster illustrates well-known histone marks and representative examples of histone-binding effector modules, and outlines emerging themes in the molecular recognition of modified histones. It also describes possible modes of multivalent chromatin mark recognition, which are also discussed in the accompanying article by C. David Allis, Dinshaw J. Patel and colleagues.

Focus on Ageing

This Focus highlights the latest advances in our understanding of ageing at the molecular and cellular level, and how this translates to organismal ageing. The accompanying podcast, which was produced with support from Sirtris Pharmaceuticals, features a round-table discussion with experts Lenny Guarente, Cynthia Kenyon and David Sinclair.

Stem cells series

In a Series of specially commissioned articles, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology reports on the current hot and exciting topics in stem-cell research, discusses new technologies and resources to study stem cells and explores controversial issues, such as stem-cell ethics and funding.

Mechanisms of disease series

A series of articles that reports on our current understanding of the molecular mechanisms that underlie a range of common human disorders, explores possible therapeutic targets and treatments, and discusses new technologies and resources to study disease mechanisms.

Web Focus Collection

Please visit our archive of selected articles from the Nature Publishing Group on key current topics. Web Focuses are updated monthly with relevant Review and Perspective articles from Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology.

Journal Citation Reports, Thomson, 2007

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