Articles in 2012

Eukaryotic cells choose the pathway to repair DNA double-strand breaks according to the cell-cycle phase, with homologous recombination preferred during S and G2 phases. Now the direct interaction between CDK2 and the C-terminus of Mre11 is revealed and shown to be important for phosphorylation of CtIP.

PUF (Pumilio/FBF) RNA-binding proteins and Argonaute (Ago) miRNA-binding proteins regulate mRNAs post-transcriptionally, each acting through similar yet distinct mechanisms. New genetic and biochemical analyses demonstrate that PUF and Ago proteins also function together in complex with elongation factor eEF1A to repress translation elongation.

Is there upregulation of the single active X chromosome in mammals or not? Recent studies take different points of view.

Structural studies of the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) have advanced greatly in recent years, but they have used a 'divide-and-conquer' approach for independent study of the intracellular and extracellular regions. Several recent papers provide important new perspectives on 'undivided' EGFR and describe the initial steps in reconstructing signaling behavior of the intact receptor.

Oncogene-induced replication stress and DNA damage are among the hallmarks of cancer. A recent study explores how different levels of replication stress affect animal development and tumorigenesis, and how targeting of the replication stress–signaling pathway of ATR and Chk1 kinases can be exploited for selective killing of cancer cells.