Volume 11 Issue 1, January 2010

ABA receptors function as PP2C inhibitors in an ABA-dependent manner.

Intermediate filament assembly is regulated by sumoylation of IFB-1A.

Non-adhesive cell migration occurs in 3D tissues.

Cell sorting at tissue boundaries depends on actomyosin-based mechanical tension.

Both strands of the miRNA duplex are sorted into AGO and can silence mRNA.

Lagging strand polymerase synthesizes DNA faster than leading strand polymerase.

WASH multiprotein complex has an integral role in endosomal sorting.

Ubiquitin chains are built by sequential transfer of single molecules.

The AGC kinase subfamily of protein kinases contains 60 members, including PKA, PKG and PKC. Research has shed light onto the architecture and regulatory mechanisms of these kinases, which mediate important cellular functions and are dysregulated in many human diseases.

Urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor (uPAR) regulates extracellular matrix (ECM) proteolysis by binding the extracellular protease uPA and also activates many intracellular signalling pathways. Coordination of ECM proteolysis and intracellular cell signalling by uPAR is important for cell migration, proliferation and survival.

Primordial germ cells (PGCs) arise far from the somatic cells of the developing gonad and have to migrate across the embryo to reach their site of function. Studies of different model organisms reveal that, despite important differences, several features of PGC migration are conserved.

The pH of individual cellular compartments is independently regulated and highly variable. Molecules that sense the proton concentration and dynamically transport acid and base equivalents stringently regulate pH to ensure that it is maintained at optimal levels for organellar function.

Formins are highly conserved proteins with essential roles in remodelling the actin and microtubule cytoskeletons. The emerging complexity in the mechanisms governing formin activity mirrors the wide range of essential functions that they perform in cell motility, cell division and cell and tissue morphogenesis.

The cytoskeleton is a dynamic fibrous network that has essential roles in the generation and regulation of cell architecture. It has also evolved as a scaffold that anchors various biochemical pathways, and might participate in the spatial organization and regulation of translation.