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The loss of stem cells, through cell dysfunction or senescence, is thought to contribute to biological aging. Recently, Hongbo Zhang and colleagues have shown that activation of the mitochondrial unfolded protein response, a retrograde stress response, through administration with an NAD+-raising compound, can rejuvenate stem cells and extend lifespan in mice.
Robust genetic evidence in mice and humans indicates that RANK signaling plays a major role in mammary carcinogenesis driven by BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations. These findings may inaugurate a new era of breast cancer prevention, changing the life of millions of women worldwide.
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) sponsoring hematopoiesis are preserved in the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment or niche. Here, Itkin et al. demonstrate how distinct blood vessels contribute to HSC maintenance and hematopoiesis in the BM niches.
Root meristem growth factors (RGFs), a family of “orphan” peptides, control root growth by altering the expression and gradient of transcription factors PLETHORAS (PLTs) that maintain stem cell niche. However, the receptors for RGFs remain unknown until recently when three groups independently reported the identification of a group of receptor-like kinases (RLKs) as cell surface receptors for RGFs.
The autophagy-related process LC3-Associated Phagocytosis, or LAP, is known to control the degradation of engulfed cells and microorganisms. Now Martinez et al. discover that LAP controls immune responses to dying cells and its inhibition leads to development of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus-like disease.
Changing exposure to intestinal helminths, or alterations in our intestinal microbiome, have been independently proposed to underlie the increasing incidence of chronic inflammatory diseases including allergy, autoimmunity and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) observed in developed nations. A recent study in Science links these findings by showing that intestinal helminth infection can prevent the outgrowth of a common intestinal bacterium that causes IBD in genetically susceptible mice.
The non-canonical inflammasome triggers host cell death and inflammation upon recognition of cytosolic LPS. A recent report in Cell now shows that Outer Membrane Vesicles (OMVs) of extracellular Gram-negative bacteria can deliver LPS into the host cell cytosol.
The current outbreak of Zika virus-associated diseases in South America and its threat to spread to other parts of the world has emerged as a global health emergency. Insights from cell and animal models to understand how Zika virus causes severe birth defects may lead to treatments and prevention of these diseases.
Circadian rhythms in the level of intracellular Mg2+ appear to be widely conserved phylogenetically, and have the potential to impact nearly all aspects of metabolism. Moreover, the clock regulates the ion channels that generate the rhythm, demonstrating that the whole cell operates as a circadian system.
Whether mixed lineage kinase domain-like (MLKL) mediates necroptosis by forming ion channel, none-selective pore, or simply by disrupting plasma membrane is unclear. In a paper published in recent issue of Cell Research, Xia et al. showed that MLKL functions as a novel class of cation channel.
Detachment from extracellular matrix causes metabolic defects that transformed cells must overcome in order to survive and proliferate outside of their normal niche. A recent report from Jiang et al. published in Nature describes how cancer cells grown in suspension utilize reductive carboxylation of glutamine to transfer reducing power from the cytosol to mitochondria to detoxify reactive oxygen species and promote anchorage-independent growth and survival.