Kinases articles from across Nature Portfolio

Reprogramming intercellular mechanotransduction and signaling pathways is still challenging. A recent advance uses a plug-and-play DNA nanodevice to allow non-mechanosensitive receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) to transmit force-induced cellular signals.

Mitochondrial fission, performed by Drp1, is carefully regulated, particularly in neurons. Here, the authors examine Drosophila Cdk8/CDK19 function in mitochondrial fission and uncover a role phosphorylating Drp1 in the cytoplasm and show overexpression suppresses a Parkinson’s disease model.

KdpD is known as the sensory histidine kinase of two-component system KdpDE that controls the transcription of the kdpFABC genes. Here, the authors show that KdpD acts as atypical serine kinase, which post-translationally regulates KdpFABC.

Polo-like kinase 3 (Plk3) has a tumor suppressive role through the induction of apoptosis, however, the mechanism underlying its activation is unclear. Here, in pancreatic cancer, the authors show that activation of Plk3 is dependent on its cleavage into p41Plk3, by the metalloendopeptidase nardilysin.

The repair of DNA double strand breaks is strictly controlled during the cell cycle by the CDK kinase. Here the authors identify the DDK kinase as a second major regulator for this cell cycle regulation and elucidate its functional targets.

High-resolution cryo-EM study of human muscle phosphorylase kinase reveals its complex structure and how calcium ions activate it, offering insights into glycogen metabolism and kinase regulation.

Reprogramming intercellular mechanotransduction and signaling pathways is still challenging. A recent advance uses a plug-and-play DNA nanodevice to allow non-mechanosensitive receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) to transmit force-induced cellular signals.

Cells use various metabolic pathways to synthesize the building blocks for growth and proliferation. To ensure balanced growth, these biosynthetic processes must be tightly coordinated. We describe a molecular machinery that senses the cellular capacity to make lipids to regulate other biosynthetic processes — such as protein synthesis — accordingly.