Science is becoming more and more integrated, and the boundaries surrounding scientific disciplines are now hazier than ever; no longer can we proclaim ourselves to be 'single-discipline' scientists. Far from being detrimental, this has enabled science to progress — so much so that it's often worth looking to other research areas for inspiration. Take GGA proteins, for example. Proteins from this family of Arf-dependent clathrin adaptors were identified back in 2000 and, since then, biochemical, structural, morphological and functional information has contributed to our knowledge of the biology of these proteins (see Review by Juan S. Bonifacino on page 23).

On page 33, Oliver Hantschel and Giulio Superti-Furga also bring together data recently obtained from crystal-structure analysis and phosphorylation-site mapping to present a coherent model of how the non-receptor tyrosine kinase c-Abl and its oncogenic counterpart, Bcr–Abl, are regulated. This work also emphasizes the merits in studying both forms of this protein – clues gained from studying one form of the protein should help us to understand how the other works. This should, in turn, help in the design of drugs, such as Gleevec, that target Bcr–Abl.

Plant biology has apparently long been playing 'catch-up' with other, seemingly faster-moving, areas of biology. Historically, this area of research has been studied using more traditional genetic approaches. But over the forthcoming months, we will publish a series of articles on plant cell biology to give you a taste of how biochemical and imaging techniques have contributed to the wealth of exciting data in this field. On page 13, Clive Lloyd and Jordi Chan kick-off the series with their Review on microtubule organization and how this affects plant morphology.

Last, but not least, as the 'Cell of the Month' competition enters its second year, why not try your hand at microscopy?