Research Highlights

Shi et al. show the role of myosin VI in the protection of stalled replication forks during replication stress.

During cellular stresses, the mRNA internal 7-methylguanosine (m⁷G) modification is bound by QKI-7, which regulates the stability and/or translation of the mRNAs by sequestering them in stress granules.

The tight junction protein TJP1 is essential for controlling BMP signalling during patterning of human gastrulation models.

Rogers et al. provide evidence that hypoxia is beneficial in mammalian ageing, extending the lifespan of prematurely ageing mice.

Subunits of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodelling complexes ‘bookmark’ cell-type specifying genes during mitosis to allow their timely reactivation upon mitosis exit.

Transport of the developmental mRNA oskar to its destination at the posterior pole of the Drosophila embryo relies on the two dsRNA-binding proteins Egalitarian and Staufen that promote switching between the motor proteins dynein and kinesin.

A new study collaboratively delivered by Valentina Greco’s and Smita Krishnaswamy’s labs provides new insight into patterns of calcium signalling in epithelial tissues using intravital imaging of the basal layer of the mouse epidermis.

The eukaryotic genome is organized into topologically associating domains by cohesin and CTCF. Davidson et al. now reveal a role for DNA tension in the regulation of the CTCF–cohesin interaction to modulate domain boundaries.

Cold temperature prolongs lifespan in nematodes by inducing ubiquitin-independent proteasome activity, which prevents protein aggregation and neuronal degeneration. The pathway is conserved in humans.

Shelby et al. demonstrate the existence of discrete domains in plasma membranes of B cells that selectively partition membrane-associated proteins.

McCarthy et al. identify distinct populations of smooth muscle cells in the intestine that support the establishment of the intestinal stem cell niche during postnatal development by supplying trophic signals to enable niche expansion.

Self-assembly of replication protein A (RPA) into dynamic condensates after binding of single-stranded DNA promotes telomere maintenance in cancer cells.

Weems et al. show that sustained membrane blebbing promotes pro-survival signalling in extracellular matrix-detached cells.

Scott et al. describe a mechanism based on C-degron mimicry by which an E3 ubiquitin ligase discriminates bona fide substrates from non-physiological substrates.

Tyrosine sulfation is a novel histone post-translational modification, which facilitates transcription.

Nassour et al. demonstrate that the innate immunity sensor Z-DNA binding protein 1 (ZBP1) is an important mediator of immune signalling downstream of shortening telomeres.

Organelles are normally transmitted to progeny exclusively through the maternal germ line. Chung et al. now describe genetic and environmental factors that increase the inheritance of plastids through pollen.

The increased expression of certain human endogenous retroviruses induces the cGAS–STING pathway and drives cell senescence and ageing.

Early zebrafish embryos increase the size and complexity of their nuclear pore complexes, enabling efficient nuclear import of maternal transcription factors, which induces zygotic genome activation.

Fong et al. describe a novel complex that links between H3K9 methylation and H3K27 methylation and has a role in gene silencing and cancer.