Table of contents
January 2007 Vol 8 No 1
From the editors
p1 | doi:10.1038/nrm2095
Research Highlights
Membrane trafficking: Organelle blueprints unveiled
p2 | doi:10.1038/nrm2089
MicroRNA: Lost in translation
p3 | doi:10.1038/nrm2087
Cell division: The art of barrel coopery
p4 | doi:10.1038/nrm2086
DNA repair: Dedicated protection for the female germline
p4 | doi:10.1038/nrm2091
Webwatch
Watch and learn
p4 | doi:10.1038/nrm2097
Cancer: A rapid-response stress switch
p5 | doi:10.1038/nrm2093
Development: Sharing the signalling components
p6 | doi:10.1038/nrm2092
RNA interference: The Argonaute quest
p6 | doi:10.1038/nrm2094
Mechanisms of disease: Cure for a broken heart?
p7 | doi:10.1038/nrm2088
Membrane trafficking: Staying on track with lgd
p8 | doi:10.1038/nrm2090
In brief
Cell division | Systems biology | Telomeres
p8 | doi:10.1038/nrm2096
Reviews
P bodies: at the crossroads of post-transcriptional pathways
Ana Eulalio, Isabelle Behm-Ansmant and Elisa Izaurralde
p9 | doi:10.1038/nrm2080
Factors that are involved in different post-transcriptional processes, including mRNA degradation, translational repression, mRNA surveillance and RNA interference, colocalize in discrete cytoplasmic sites known as mRNA-processing (P) bodies. The physiological roles of P bodies and the regulation of their assembly are being elucidated.
Illuminating the silence: understanding the structure and function of small RNAs
Tariq M. Rana
p23 | doi:10.1038/nrm2085
To clarify the mechanisms by which RNA molecules silence genes, the structural and functional characteristics of various RNA triggers, such as small interfering RNAs and microRNAs, must be determined. This knowledge will also help us to optimize the efficiency of RNA interference.
The WASP–WAVE protein network: connecting the membrane to the cytoskeleton
Tadaomi Takenawa and Shiro Suetsugu
p37 | doi:10.1038/nrm2069
Membrane-binding and membrane-deforming proteins have emerged as binding partners of the Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome protein (WASP) and WASP-family verprolin-homologous protein (WAVE) family proteins that regulate the actin cytoskeleton. Membrane deformation and cytoskeletal reorganization might be coupled in processes that require alteration of membrane shapes, including endocytosis and membrane protrusion.
Integrating cell-signalling pathways with NF-
B and IKK function
Neil D. Perkins
p49 | doi:10.1038/nrm2083
Rather than functioning in isolation, the activities of nuclear factor (NF)-
B and inhibitor of NF-B kinase (IKK) proteins are integrated with diverse cell-signalling pathways, including the JNK, p53 and nuclear-receptor pathways. This crosstalk determines the consequences of NF-B and IKK activation and, ultimately, cell fate.
Capturing cyclic nucleotides in action: snapshots from crystallographic studies
Holger Rehmann, Alfred Wittinghofer and Johannes L. Bos
p63 | doi:10.1038/nrm2082
Many cellular processes are regulated by cyclic nucleotides through their binding to and activation of protein kinase A, protein kinase G, ion channels and Epac. Recent structural insights have advanced our understanding of how cyclic nucleotides might regulate these proteins.
Palmitoylation: policing protein stability and traffic
Maurine E. Linder and Robert J. Deschenes
p74 | doi:10.1038/nrm2084
Palmitate modifies both peripheral and integral membrane proteins and its addition can be permanent or transient, which makes it unique among the lipid modifications of proteins. Recent studies have provided insights into the mechanisms that mediate the functional consequences of this versatile modification.
Perspective
Opinion
The chromatoid body: a germ-cell-specific RNA-processing centre
Noora Kotaja and Paolo Sassone-Corsi
p85 | doi:10.1038/nrm2081
The chromatoid body, a unique cloud-like structure of male germ cells, has puzzled scientists for years. Recent findings indicate that microRNA and RNA-decay pathways converge at the chromatoid body, which might function as a germ-cell-specific RNA-processing centre.
