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Signalling pathways involved in axonal growth are the subject of intense study. A new report further highlights the role of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)/p35 pathway, but identifies a surprising potential trigger: the death receptor Fas. This study illustrates the importance of cellular context in the functional outcome of a given signalling mechanism.
One of the most fundamental questions of fertilization is how do sperm locate eggs? In many animals and lower plant groups, sperm are guided by chemo-attractants released from eggs. In this issue of Nature Cell Biology, Kaupp and colleagues now examine the very early events of this process in the sea urchin Arbacia punctulata.
In both the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans and mammals, two proteins released from the mitochondrion — apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) and endonuclease G — cooperate in executing programmed cell death. Although both factors can kill cells in a caspase-independent fashion, new studies indicate that their translocation from mitochondria depends, in part, on caspase activation. Together, these data raise new questions about the functional hierarchy between caspases, AIF and mitochondrial membrane permeabilization.
Dynamic regulation of the microtubule apparatus is central to cell division, cell migration, polarity and transport. New data demonstrating functional association of the von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) tumour suppressor with microtubules provide a new lead in unravelling VHL tumour suppressor mechanisms.
Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL perform important functions in cell life or death decisions by setting the threshold for activation of the programmed cell death machinery. FKBP38, a member of the immunophilin family, has now been identified as a new Bcl-2/Bcl-xL-binding partner. Furthermore, FKBP38 seems to be crucial in targeting Bcl-2/Bcl-xL to the correct cellular locations.
The establishment and maintenance of apicobasal cell polarity is of fundamental importance for most physiological functions of epithelial tissues. In Drosophila melanogaster, several critical regulators of cell polarity have been identified over the past years, but we are just beginning to understand how these genes interact with each other. Two new papers now shed light on the genetic hierarchy that rules this process.
