Research Highlights in 2023

Cell quiescence dampens mTOR signalling and enables AGO2 localization to the nucleus, where it suppresses retrotransposons by directly cleaving their RNA.

Yu et al. identify senescent cells as important players in the regeneration of complex structures.

Phosphorylation of the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) maintenance factor TFAM during spermatogenesis prevents its import into mitochondria, resulting in elimination of paternal mtDNA and leading to maternal inheritance.

mTOR inhibition by deprivation of the amino acids Tyr, Trp and Phe promotes the translocation of the 26S proteasome from the nucleus to the cytosol, which is required for stress tolerance and cell survival.

Sarkar et al. identify a feedback loop between the methyltransferase SETDB1 and nuclear pore complexes that ensures silencing of early-oogenesis genes as oocyte specification progresses.

Congratulations to John Jumper and Demis Hassabis for winning the 2023 Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award.

Liang et al. show that mitochondria can be expelled from cells via extracellular vesicles as a route of quality control that is an alternative to lysosomal degradation.

To activate noncanonical LC3B lipidation and NLRP3 inflammasome formation, stimulator of interferon genes (STING) forms a proton channel in Golgi membranes.

In the amphibian axolotl, the kinase mTOR is hyper-sensitive and activates a protein synthesis response that is crucial for wound healing and tissue regeneration.

Cremer et al. show that the ubiquitin ligase RNF26 and vimentin-based intermediate filaments cooperate to control perinuclear ER membrane organization and thus facilitate recovery from ER stress.

Cycles of stretch and compression, such as during cell migration through tissues, lead to stabilization of microtubules owing to redistribution of the plus-end-binding protein CLASP2 along microtubule lengths.

Transcription factors bind RNA through an Arg-rich motif; these interactions potentially promote transcription and development, and their dissociation can contribute to disease.

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.