●Telomere dysfunction and the initiation of genome instability. Feldser, D. M, Hackett, J. A. & Greider, C. W. Nature Reviews Cancer August (2003). In this Opinion piece, the possibility that telomere defects, rather than mutations in specific genes, might be a significant cause of chromosome instability is discussed.

●The molecules that make muscle. Gullberg, D. Nature 10 July (2003). This News and Views piece discusses recent findings that might resolve the controversy — which has arisen as a result of conflicting results from cultured cells and whole animals — surrounding the role of integrins in the formation of skeletal muscle.

●Co-stimulatory members of the TNFR family: keys to effective T-cell immunity? Croft, M. Nature Reviews Immunology August (2003).

●New dimensions in cell migration. Webb, D. J. & Horwitz, A. F. Nature Cell Biology August (2003). The authors of this News and Views article discuss the results of recent experiments, carried out in a three-dimensional matrix, in which two modes of tumour-cell motility — differentially regulated by Rho GTPases — are described.

●The biochemistry of neuronal necrosis: rogue biology? Syntichaki, P. & Tavernarakis, N. Nature Reviews Neuroscience August (2003).

●PEDF: a multifaceted neurotrophic factor. Tombran-Tink, J. & Barnstable, C. J. Nature Reviews Neuroscience August (2003).

●Cdk5 is a dynamo at the synapse. Samuels, B. A. & Tsai, L.-H. Nature Cell Biology August (2003). A News and Views piece in which the role of Cdk5 as a dephosphin kinase that functions in synaptic-vesicle endocytosis is discussed.

●Pharmacophylogenomics. Searls, D. B. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery August (2003).

●The emerging role of lysophosphatidic acid in cancer. Mills, G. B. & Moolenaar, W. H. Nature Reviews Cancer August (2003).

●Restraining the V(D)J recombinase. Roth, D. B. Nature Reviews Immunology August (2003).

●The human Y chromosome: a genetic marker comes of age. Jobling, M. A. & Tyler-Smith, C. Nature Reviews Genetics August (2003).

●Technicolour transgenics: imaging tools for functional genomics in the mouse. Hadjantonakis, A.-K., Dickinson, M. E., Fraser, S. E. & Papaioannou, V. E. Nature Reviews Genetics August (2003).