Table of contents
May 2009 Vol 10 No 5
From the editors
p299 | doi:10.1038/nrm2687
Research Highlights
DNA damage response: Higher-order BRCA1 complexity | PDF (193 KB)
p301 | doi:10.1038/nrm2683
Small RNAs: MicroRNAs get a boost | PDF (154 KB)
p302 | doi:10.1038/nrm2670
Autophagy: Breaking and exiting | PDF (166 KB)
p302 | doi:10.1038/nrm2671
Membrane trafficking: Earliest endosomes | PDF (131 KB)
p302 | doi:10.1038/nrm2676
In brief
Autophagy | Prions | RNA decay | Cell division | PDF (127 KB)
p303 | doi:10.1038/nrm2684
Cytoskeleton: JMY: actin up in cell motility | PDF (164 KB)
p304 | doi:10.1038/nrm2678
Epigenetics: A silent inheritance | PDF (175 KB)
p304 | doi:10.1038/nrm2682
DNA damage response: Change of guard at the checkpoint | PDF (185 KB)
p305 | doi:10.1038/nrm2677
Structure Watch
Cyclin D–CDK4 finds form | Structural checkpoint | PDF (138 KB)
p305 | doi:10.1038/nrm2681
Journal Club
A new ubiquitin chain, a new signal | PDF (140 KB)
p306 | doi:10.1038/nrm2685
Technology: Structure provides clues | PDF (178 KB)
p306 | doi:10.1038/nrm2686
Reviews
Molecular mechanisms of mTOR-mediated translational control
Xiaoju Max Ma & John Blenis
p307 | doi:10.1038/nrm2672
Cells have evolved complex mechanisms to control overall protein synthesis and the translation of specific mRNAs. At the heart of this process is the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling pathway, which senses and responds to nutrient availability, energy sufficiency, stress, hormones and mitogens to modulate protein synthesis.
Ubiquitin-like protein activation by E1 enzymes: the apex for downstream signalling pathways
Brenda A. Schulman & J. Wade Harper
p319 | doi:10.1038/nrm2673
The attachment of ubiquitin-like proteins (UBLs) to proteins is a central mechanism of modulation of protein function. Enzymatic, structural and genetic studies have elucidated how mechanistically and structurally related E1 enzymes activate UBLs and selectively direct them to downstream pathways.
The trip of the tip: understanding the growth cone machinery
Laura Anne Lowery & David Van Vactor
p332 | doi:10.1038/nrm2679
The journey of the growth cone is similar to a vehicle on a road. Cytoskeletal elements form the 'motor' to move forward and provide traction on the road, whereas a 'navigator' system guides the vehicle to translate environmental signals into directional movement.
Ion channels versus ion pumps: the principal difference, in principle
David C. Gadsby
p344 | doi:10.1038/nrm2668
Ions move across cell membranes through either ion channels or ion pumps. Recently, atomic-resolution structures and high-resolution functional measurements of examples from both channels and pumps have begun to suggest that these molecules need not be as different as was once thought.
Perspectives
Opinion
Bringing up the rear: defining the roles of the uropod
Francisco Sánchez-Madrid & Juan M. Serrador
p353 | doi:10.1038/nrm2680
The uropod, a protrusion at the rear of amoeboid motile cells such as leukocytes, exemplifies the importance of morphology in cell motility. Although the signalling and structural requirements of uropod formation are being characterized, a clear understanding of uropod function is still lacking.
Opinion
The evolving understanding of COPI vesicle formation
Victor W. Hsu, Stella Y. Lee & Jia-Shu Yang
p360 | doi:10.1038/nrm2663
Coat proteins, such as coat protein I (COPI), couple vesicle formation with cargo sorting to ensure the generation of correctly packaged transport vesicles. Emerging evidence suggests that some long-held views on how COPI vesicles are formed need to be revised.
Corrigendum: Polo-like kinases: conservation and divergence in their functions and regulation
Vincent Archambault & David M. Glover
p364 | doi:10.1038/nrm2675
