Collections

  • Focus |

    Plants are continuously exposed to a variety of stresses from their environment; to thrive, plants must be capable of raising a wide range of responses to those stresses. Deeper understanding of plant stress responses will provide new opportunities for increasing plant resilience and improving crop productivity in the face of climate change and emerging food shortages. In this Focus, we present three Reviews discussing the roles of reactive oxygen species, hormones and small RNAs in plant abiotic- and biotic-stress responses. We also include a selection of Journal Clubs and Research Highlights, as well as recent related research articles from other Nature Portfolio journals. Together, we aim to draw attention to the diversity and versatility of mechanisms governing plant resilience and immunity.

    Image: Vicky Summersby
  • Focus |

    This focus features Reviews and selected short articles that discuss the mechanisms and functions of phase separation, examining the roles of RNA and the properties and disease-relevance of the nucleolus and protein condensates. We also include a Roadmap to study and elucidate the cellular roles of condensates, and a selection of recent primary research articles from the Nature journals.

    Image: Vicky Summersby
  • Focus |

    Mitochondria are the powerhouses of cells, and their function is often compromised in disease and ageing. This focus issue brings together Reviews and Comments that discuss several aspects of mitochondrial function and the cellular mechanisms that are in place to maintain a functional mitochondrial network. They also discuss the bases of mitochondrial diseases and strategies to prevent their transmission to offspring.

    Image: Vicky Summersby
  • Focus |

    DNA, RNA and proteins are dynamically modified by methylation to regulate gene expression and protein function. Methylation dysregulation is associated with cancer and other diseases. The Reviews in this focus issue showcase the latest understanding of the mechanisms and roles of methylation in animals and of its clinical relevance.

    Image: Vicky Summersby
  • Focus |

    This Focus issue includes Review articles and comments that discuss how mechanical forces are transduced into the cell, including into the nucleus, to control gene expression and to regulate morphogenesis, tissue regeneration and tumorigenesis. Also discussed is the therapeutic potential of modulating mechanotransduction with the use of synthetic matrices.

    Image: Vicky Summersby
  • Focus |

    DNA lesions are repaired by a plethora of cellular processes, together constituting the DNA damage response, which is crucial for the maintenance of genomic integrity. It is becoming increasingly clear that different repair pathways can crosstalk, owing to the capacity of certain proteins to function in the signalling and repair of different DNA lesions. Furthermore, DNA repair factors and pathways are intricately connected with cellular processes such as DNA replication, transcription and protein post-translational modifications.

    Image: Nicola Hawes
  • Focus |

    The first report of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) in 2006 revolutionized the field of stem cell research, demonstrating that it is possible to directly reprogramme adult somatic cells into a pluripotent, embryonic-like state by ectopically expressing a defined set of transcription factors. To mark the 10-year anniversary of the discovery, this Focus issue looks at how research on iPSCs and Embryonic stem cells (ES cells) has provided insight into the molecular basis of reprogramming, pluripotency and cell fate specification, and highlights progresses and limitations in translating stem cell research to the clinic.

    Image: Vicky Summersby
  • Focus |

    Transcription is a fundamental step in the control of gene expression, which determines cell identity and function and enables cells to respond and adapt to changing cellular environments. Recent insights into the mechanisms that regulate transcription initiation, elongation and termination by RNA polymerase II highlight the complexity of these processes, which ensure the correct implementation of gene expression programmes.

    Image: Vicky Summersby
  • Focus |

    The cellular sensing and relay of chemical and mechanical cues from the extracellular matrix (ECM) influences cell morphology, movement and function, and even cell fate. Our knowledge of the structure, biochemistry, biology and physics of the ECM has increased in recent years, as has our understanding of how the dysregulation of its formation, remodelling and function can lead to diseases such as fibrosis and cancer.

  • Focus |

    Organelles bring order to eukaryotic cells, and their formation must therefore be tightly regulated but also sufficiently dynamic to allow adaptation to a changing cellular environment and correct inheritance. This Focus issue homes in on a selected set of organelles: the autophagosome, lipid droplets, peroxisomes and chloroplasts, and highlights both the common and unique features of their biogenesis and homeostasis.

  • Focus |

    Through exposure to internal and environmental stresses, cells are continuously at risk of accumulating molecular damage that could impair their functions. Thus, they have evolved protective quality control systems to either prevent errors from occurring, or, if damage has occurred, to detect abnormal macromolecules and initiate their repair or degradation.

  • Focus |

    Cells rapidly adapt to changing nutrient availability, alter their metabolism to meet their changing needs and integrate this information about their metabolic state to drive cellular behaviour. Unprecedented insights are being gained into the molecular basis of how metabolic pathways interface with cell biological processes and how this can be disrupted in metabolic disorders.