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Last decade has seen quick developments in the understanding of a new type of T lymphocytes, Th17 cells. This information is benefiting the understanding and treatment of a variety of inflammatory diseases, as suggested by a recent paper in Immunity.
In recent years, researchers worldwide have developed protocols to efficiently differentiate skeletal myogenic cells from human pluripotent stem cells through either ectopic gene expression or the use of small molecules. These stem cell-derived myogenic cells provide new avenues for the study of muscle-related diseases, drug screening and are potentially a new tool for cell therapy against muscular dystrophies.
Epigenetic modifications such as histone acetylation play a central role in the transcriptional regulation of many oncogenic drivers. Accumulating evidence suggests that pharmacological modulation of certain key epigenetic reader proteins such as BRD2/3/4 may serve as an attractive strategy for treatment of many cancers, including tamoxifen-resistant breast cancer.
Global shortening of 3′ untranslated regions (3′ UTRs) through alternative polyadenylation is an emerging hallmark of cancer. A recent study identifies the cleavage factor Im 25 (CFIm25) as an important mediator of 3′ UTR shortening in glioblastomas and demonstrates a causal relationship between alternative polyadenylation and cancer cell proliferation.
The Parkinson's disease (PD)-associated proteins, Parkin and PINK1, together comprise a mitochondrial quality control pathway that promotes neuronal survival through autophagy of damaged mitochondria. Three recent studies have found that Parkin recruitment to mitochondria and ubiquitin ligase activity is controlled by the phosphorylation of ubiquitin by PINK1.
A recent paper published in Nature reports sensory nerve fibers in the skin that give local immune cells important instructions for the organization of an immune response; in this particular case the cooperation between the nervous and immune systems had disastrous consequences, namely an auto-destruction of the skin.
Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) have a major function in the repression of transposable elements in the germline; in addition, they have been proposed to regulate gene expression. A recent study in Cell Research reveals a general role for piRNAs in the massive mRNA decay during mouse spermiogenesis, reinforcing this emerging function of piRNAs.
Mediator is a large and structurally dynamic protein complex that is globally required for eukaryotic transcription by RNA polymerase II. In a recent paper published in Cell Research, Wang et al. report for the first time the location of distinct subunits and redefine domains in the S. cerevisiae Mediator complex.
In a recent Cell paper, Kitambi and colleagues identify a small molecule (Vacquinol-1) that has beneficial effects on a glioblastoma multiforme mouse model by oral administration. In glioblastoma cells, Vacquinol-1 targets macropinocytosis, a cellular process that will not lead to cell death in normal cells.
Regenerative medicine for cardiovascular disease requires effective approaches for therapeutic revascularization. In a recent paper in Cell Research, Sahara et al. establish a new role for Notch signaling to promote endothelial progenitor differentiation, and develop a protocol based on Notch inhibition in endothelial progenitors to markedly enhance the yield and purity of functional endothelial cells differentiated from embryonic stem cells.
Slow-cycling BRAFV600E melanoma cells are notoriously resistant to standard chemotherapy or targeted therapy but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. Now a new study unlocks this mystery and offers novel insights into developing more effective therapeutic interventions.
Balancing inflammatory reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is essential for safely eliminating pathogenic microbes. The newly described protein Negative Regulator of ROS (NRROS) dampens ROS production by restricting NOX2 availability, and thus “cools-off” inflammation.
