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The RNA-binding protein Elav is recruited in the fruit fly to promoter regions, possibly by paused RNA polymerase II, to promote alternative polyadenylation.
Stephen J. Royle describes a cutting-edge study that provided definitive evidence for the first time that the kinetochore fibre is a bundle of parallel microtubules.
Two studies have determined the molecular mechanisms that underlie a specific clathrin-independent pathway for the internalization of activated surface receptors and bacterial toxins.
A robust method to induce primordial germ cells from human pluripotent stem cells has been developed, highlighting the importance of SOX17 in the specification of the human germline.
Considerable progress has been made in the past few years in our ability to visualize the structure of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) and their signalling complexes. This is due to a series of technical improvements in areas such as protein engineering, lipidic cubic phase-based crystallization and microfocus synchrotron beamlines.
The anaphase-promoting complex (also known as the cyclosome) is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that has a crucial function in the regulation of mitosis, particularly during anaphase and mitotic exit. Its activity is tightly controlled by several factors to ensure the timely degradation of key mitotic regulators and thus the proper progression of mitotic events.
The subcellular localization of mRNAs enables the spatial regulation of protein translation and generates functional and structural asymmetries in cells. New imaging (and other) techniques for tracking single-mRNA dynamics have unravelled mechanisms of mRNA movements and localization patterns in various cell types.
Retinoic acid regulates transcription by interacting with nuclear retinoic acid receptors, which bind to retinoic acid response elements near target genes. Recent studies have refined our knowledge of retinoic acid function in the limb, which serves as a paradigm for understanding how it regulates other developmental processes, such as somitogenesis, neuronal differentiation and organogenesis.
