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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.
