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Proteins are controlled by post-translational modifications that can be recognized by specific protein-interaction domains. These domains read the state of the proteome and therefore couple post-translational modifications to cellular organization. But how domodification-dependent interactionssynergize to regulate cell behaviour?
The extensive biochemical and molecular characterization of telomerase holoenzymes has provided new insights into the regulation and function of this specialized polymerase in different model organisms. New approaches are now required to investigate telomerases in physiological context.
Recent advances have shed light on the interactions that occur between pathogens and endocytic pathway components. With the aim of generating suitable replication niches, microorganisms use existing cellular pathways and have developed selective and manipulative behaviour to avoid lysosome-mediated killing.
The ERBB network is one of the most studied areas in signal transduction, and it exemplifies the pathogenic power of aberrant signalling. Systems-level modelling and an understanding of the network's circuitry, robustness and controls will enable the development of novel cancer therapies.
The transfer of poly(ADP-ribose) (PAR) to proteins is mediated by the growing family of PAR polymerases. This post-translational modification regulates many important cellular processes, including maintenance of genome integrity, gene expression and cell division, and is emerging as an important epigenetic mark.
The exosome complex of 3′→5′ exoribonucleases degrades many types of RNA in the nucleus and the cytoplasm that are targeted by the cell's RNA-surveillance machinery. It is also responsible for the precise trimming of the 3′ ends of nuclear RNA precursors during RNA maturation.
What makes a stem cell is still poorly understood. Recent studies have uncovered that chromatin might hold some of the keys to how embryonic stem cells maintain their pluripotency, their ability to self-renew and induce lineage specification.