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ERK2 is a key regulator of the 'poised' state of developmental genes, as it promotes PRC2-mediated trimethylation of H3K27 and converts RNAPII to RNAPII(S5P).
Nuclear pore complexes bind the spindle assembly checkpoint protein MAD1 during interphase, which slows mitotic entry and lowers the threshold for mitotic arrest.
The epithelial polarity programme (EPP) is organized in response to extracellular cues and executed through the establishment of an apical–basal axis, intercellular junctions, epithelial-specific cytoskeletal rearrangements and a polarized trafficking machinery. Recent studies have provided insights into the interactions of the EPP with the polarized trafficking machinery and how they regulate epithelial polarization and depolarization.
Studies of mouse models and advances in metabolomic analysis, particularly of haematopoietic stem cells, have revealed how metabolic cues from anaerobic glycolysis, bioenergetic signalling, the AKT–mTOR pathway, and Gln and fatty acid metabolism, affect the balance between stem cell self-renewal and differentiation. Understanding how metabolic pathways regulate fate decisions may be beneficial therapeutically.
The detailed motor mechanisms of individual kinesin family members are described in the context of their interactions with dynamic microtubules, and their contributions to important mechanistic events during bipolar spindle assembly and chromosome segregation in animal cells.
The adhesive interaction of cells with the environment through integrins regulates multiple aspects of cellular physiology. The prominence of gene mutations in specific constituents of integrin-mediated adhesions, which are collectively known as the 'integrin adhesome', in diverse pathological states, is providing insight into the molecular mechanisms that underlie these diseases.
Five experts discuss their views on the main achievements and challenges of synthetic biology in basic and applied science, consider potential ethical issues, and describe how synthetic biology relates to disciplines such as systems biology and computational modelling.
