Focuses and supplements
The groups of reviews in the Nature Structural & Molecular Biology supplement archive provide in depth analyses on topics of interest to the structural and molecular biology communities.
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2009
Focus on Telomeres and Ribosomes -
The 2009 Nobel Prizes celebrated research on telomeres and ribosomes. Telomeres cap the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes and are maintained by telomerase activity. The study of telomere biology, pioneered by the Nobel Prize recipients Elizabeth Blackburn, Carol Greider and Jack Szostak, has given insights into aging and cancer. The ribosome is a widely conserved macromolecular complex that translates mRNA with exquisite fidelity and the Nobel committee recognized key contributions to this field from Venki Ramakrishnan, Tom Steitz and Ada Yonath. Structural and functional work from many labs has given us unprecedented insight into the inner workings of a biological machine, how it is regulated and how it can be targeted specifically by antibiotics.
Focus on Protein Folding -
To be functional, most proteins need to reach their correct three-dimensional structure, through a process called folding. Defects in protein folding can lead to protein aggregation or degradation and are associated with several pathological conditions. To bring readers up to date on the basic concepts and the latest developments in the field, Nature Structural & Molecular Biology presents a focus issue on 'Protein Folding', with four commissioned Reviews and two Perspectives.
June Vol. 16, Issue 6
Focus on Splicing -
Splicing describes the removal of introns from pre-mRNAs to form mRNAs and is carried out by a large complex, the spliceosome. This processing can have a profound effect on the regulation and number of gene products encoded by the genome. In addition, mutations in key components of the splicing machinery, as well as dysfunction of alternative splicing regulators, have been associated with disease. This focus compiles recent papers that have elucidated the organization, structure and regulation of spliceosomal components, thus shedding light on the mechanistic heart of splicing, whereas the broader NPG library highlights recent insights into splicing and the regulation and impact of alternative splicing.
As part of the NSMB Focus on Splicing, we present Splice Talk, interviews with Reinhard Lührmann, Andrew MacMillan and Christine Guthrie about their recent research and splicing more generally.
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2008
Focus on Membrane Fusion -
The fusion of biological membranes is a controlled process that occurs when two closely apposed membrane compartments are brought together so that their contents can be mixed. Membrane fusion is critical for communication between membrane-bound compartments in eukaryotic cells and is essential for host cell infection by enveloped viruses. This special focus on membrane fusion, comprised of an Essay and five Reviews, describes fundamental fusion processes and the interactions that regulate them.
July Vol. 15, Issue 7
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2007
Focus on Ion Channels -
Ion channels play important roles in a variety of processes in almost all cells, from sensing membrane pressure to neurotransmission. Since the first structure of a potassium channel was reported nearly 10 years ago, improvements in methods have provided us with additional high-resolution views of ion channels, which have informed and guided mechanistic studies. This focus highlights emerging insights into these important molecules obtained from the most current structural and functional studies. The library of NPG articles compiles recent work in the ion channel field.
Focus on Chromatin -
In eukaryotes, the packaging of DNA by histones into chromatin has profound effects on transcription and other nuclear processes. Far from being a uniform set of 'beads on a string', chromatin structure is remodeled and even modified, altering the accessibility of packaged genes to the factors involved in their regulation. This special focus on chromatin features an Overview, six Reviews and a Perspective that describe how chromatin is built and subsequently altered at various structural levels, and the impact of these events on fundamental biological processes involving DNA.
November Vol. 14, Issue 11
2000
Structural genomics -
Two sets of comprehensive reviews answer the questions of 'who? what? why? when? and how?' about the high-throughput, genome-wide structural analyses efforts across the globe.
November Vol. 7, Issue 11s
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1998
NMRII special issue -
The reviews in the second NMR supplement focus on the unique capability of NMR to study the dynamics of biomolecules and on the development of non-NOE-based methods to extract structural information.
August Vol. 5, Issue 8s
Synchrotron special issue -
A series of reports provide an overview of the synchrotron radiation facilities and highlight the progress from various types of research projects facilitated by the use of synchrotron radiation.
July Vol. 5, Issue 7s
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1997
NMR special issue -
The first NMR supplement contains reviews that discuss technological breakthroughs in using NMR for structure determination, as well as an online resource for NMR structural biologists.
October Vol. 4, Issue 10s
