Table of contents
From the editors
p183 | doi:10.1038/nrm2364
Research Highlights
Cell migration: Collaborations at the cell front | PDF (162 KB)
p184 | doi:10.1038/nrm2359
Stem cells: Harvest in the right season | PDF (248 KB)
p185 | doi:10.1038/nrm2355
In brief
Signal transduction | Cell cycle | Protein degradation | PDF (102 KB)
p185 | doi:10.1038/nrm2360
Post-translational modification: Sugar-coated signalling | PDF (230 KB)
p186 | doi:10.1038/nrm2350
Membrane trafficking: Mitochondria–peroxisome connection | PDF (146 KB)
p186 | doi:10.1038/nrm2362
Plant cell biology: Shedding light on plant growth | PDF (296 KB)
p187 | doi:10.1038/nrm2349
Cytoskeleton: Microtubule tip tracker | PDF (258 KB)
p188 | doi:10.1038/nrm2348
Technology Watch
Colour-changing worms | Exons exposed | PDF (150 KB)
p188 | doi:10.1038/nrm2356
Mechanisms of disease: Getting back to 
-cell basics | PDF
(187 KB)
p188 | doi:10.1038/nrm2361
In the news
Escorting siRNA | PDF (83 KB)
p189 | doi:10.1038/nrm2363
An Interview With...
Marshall Nirenberg | PDF (239 KB)
p190 | doi:10.1038/nrm2353
Reviews
Article series: Mechanisms of disease
Molecular and metabolic mechanisms of insulin resistance and 
-cell failure in type 2 diabetes
Deborah M. Muoio & Christopher B. Newgard
p193 | doi:10.1038/nrm2327
Type 2 diabetes is projected to afflict 300 million people worldwide by 2020. Therefore, a deeper understanding of the processes and mechanisms that lead to metabolic failure in key tissues and organ systems in patients with type 2 diabetes is urgently required.
The Rpd3/Hda1 family of lysine deacetylases: from bacteria and yeast to mice and men
Xiang-Jiao Yang & Edward Seto
p206 | doi:10.1038/nrm2346
The Rpd3/Hda1 family of protein lysine deacetylases has numerous substrates and diverse functions. Whereas class I enzymes are multiprotein histone deacetylase complexes that are crucial for chromatin modification and transcriptional regulation, some class II enzymes function as signal transducers that are regulated by nucleocytoplasmic translocation.
Small non-coding RNAs in animal development
Giovanni Stefani & Frank J. Slack
p219 | doi:10.1038/nrm2347
Our understanding of the biological functions of small non-coding RNAs has been fostered by the analysis of genetic deletions of individual microRNAs (miRNAs) in mammals. These studies show that miRNAs are key regulators of animal development and are potential human disease loci.
Apoptosis: controlled demolition at the cellular level
Rebecca C. Taylor, Sean P. Cullen & Seamus J. Martin
p231 | doi:10.1038/nrm2312
Cells that undergo apoptosis are demolished in a controlled manner that minimizes damage to neighbouring cells and avoids the release of immunostimulatory molecules. These events are orchestrated primarily by a family of cysteine proteases called caspases, which target hundreds of proteins for restricted proteolysis.
A structural understanding of the dynamic ribosome machine
Thomas A. Steitz
p242 | doi:10.1038/nrm2352
Ribosomes have been the focus of structural and biochemical studies for more than 50 years. Recently, high-resolution structures have provided molecular snapshots of different intermediates in ribosome-mediated translation in atomic detail, which has revolutionized our understanding of the mechanism of protein synthesis.
Perspective
Timeline
Self-organization in cell biology: a brief history
Eric Karsenti
p255 | doi:10.1038/nrm2357
The idea that processes can be self-organized and self-reproducing is more than 100 years old. But self-organization principles that were first developed in chemistry and physics are only now beginning to be applied to cellular and subcellular morphogenesis.
