Mechanisms of disease articles from across Nature Portfolio

Hereditary nucleotide excision repair deficiencies cause different cancerous and progeroid disorders of which the exact etiology is not understood. This study finds that prolonged binding of DNA repair factor TFIIH to DNA damage contributes to a more severe phenotype caused by DNA repair deficiency.

Uncontrolled secretion of ECM proteins, such as collagen, can lead to excessive scarring. Here the authors describe membrane permeable peptides that target the interface of TANGO1 and cTAGE5, inhibit secretion of ECM components and could be of therapeutic benefit during wound healing and fibrotic processes.

This study presents a new iPS cell-based model to study the mechanisms of tau propagation in 4R tauopathies.

Progeria, or premature ageing, is a devastating condition caused by defects in the nuclear envelope and is associated with systemic inflammation. A study now shows in animal models that inhibiting necroptosis, and particularly activity of the RIPK1 kinase, reduces inflammation and results in a meaningful extension in lifespan¹.