Cell biology articles within Nature

Featured

  • Article |

    Chromothriptically produced pieces of a micronucleated chromosome are shown to be tethered together in mitosis by a protein complex consisting of MDC1, TOPBP1 and CIP2A, thus enabling their inheritance by a single daughter cell.

    • Prasad Trivedi
    • , Christopher D. Steele
    •  & Don W. Cleveland

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Insect salivary protein (BISP) targets OsRLCK185 to suppress defence in susceptible plants, whereas in resistant plants BISP binds BPH14 to activate host plant resistance. To restore cellular homeostasis, the resistance mechanism is fine-tuned by selective autophagy.

    • Jianping Guo
    • , Huiying Wang
    •  & Guangcun He

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Micronuclei, which are common features of nuclei in cancer cells, can generate heritable sources of transcriptional suppression, a finding that establishes an inherent relationship between chromosomal instability and variation in chromatin state and gene expression.

    • Stamatis Papathanasiou
    • , Nikos A. Mynhier
    •  & David Pellman

  • Article
    | Open Access

    We identify a highly controlled cytosolic surveillance mechanism that integrates independent mitochondrial stress signals to initiate the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPR), revealing a link between mitochondrial and cytosolic proteostasis.

    • F. X. Reymond Sutandy
    • , Ines Gößner
    •  & Christian Münch

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Missegregated chromosomes that are sequestrated in micronuclei are subject to changes in histone modifications leading to abnormalities in chromatin accessibility that remain long after the chromosomes have been reincorporated into the primary nucleus.

    • Albert S. Agustinus
    • , Duaa Al-Rawi
    •  & Samuel F. Bakhoum

  • Research Briefing |

    Axonemes are molecular machines that enable the movement of cilia, the hair-like structures found on the surface of some cells. Atomic models of axonemes from the flagella of green algae and from the cilia of human respiratory-tract cells reveal how the axoneme enables the cilia to move, and explain the effects of genetic mutations that cause human ciliary disease.

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Detailed atomic models of axonemes from algal flagella and human respiratory cilia, which are hair-like protrusions from cells that enable motility and clear mucus from human airways, could provide insights into how they function.

    • Travis Walton
    • , Miao Gui
    •  & Alan Brown

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A non-covalent inhibitor that binds preferentially to the inactive state of KRAS while sparing NRAS and HRAS is reported, indicating that most KRAS oncoproteins cycle between an active state and an inactive state in cancer cells.

    • Dongsung Kim
    • , Lorenz Herdeis
    •  & Piro Lito

  • Article |

    We report the cryo-electron microscopy structure of native pre-60S particles trapped in the channel of the yeast nuclear pore complex, suggesting a translocation model for the export of pre-60S particles through the complex.

    • Zongqiang Li
    • , Shuaijiabin Chen
    •  & Sen-Fang Sui

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The membrane-shaping protein ARL6IP1 is involved in the selective degradation of the endoplasmic reticulum, and this process depends on its ubiquitination and interaction with other membrane-shaping proteins such as FAM134B.

    • Hector Foronda
    • , Yangxue Fu
    •  & Christian A. Hübner

  • Article |

    A new specific, small-molecule activator of the PI3Kα isoform (UCL-TRO-1938) identified through high-throughput screening can transiently activate PI3K signalling and biological responses in cells and tissues, with potential therapeutic applications in tissue protection and regeneration.

    • Grace Q. Gong
    • , Benoit Bilanges
    •  & Bart Vanhaesebroeck

  • News & Views |

    The protein NINJ1 drives membrane rupture associated with certain types of cell death. Investigation of NINJ1 reveals mechanistic details of how it functions, raising the possibility of developing new therapeutics.

    • James C. Whisstock
    •  & Ruby H. P. Law

  • Article |

    A study presents evidence to support a model in which liquid–liquid phase separation of components of the transport machinery mediates formation of transient protein transport channels on peroxisomes.

    • Rini Ravindran
    • , Isabel O. L. Bacellar
    •  & Stephen W. Michnick

  • Article |

    Integrative structural biology combining quantitative live imaging, cryo-correlative microscopy, subtomogram averaging and molecular modelling enables in situ determination of the structure of the endoplasmic reticulum–mitochondria encounter complex in yeast.

    • Michael R. Wozny
    • , Andrea Di Luca
    •  & Wanda Kukulski

  • Article |

    Gene expression analysis in muscle tissues showed upregulation of ectodysplasin A2 receptor in tumour-bearing mice and patients with cachectic cancer, and thus therapeutic targeting of relevant pathways may be beneficial in prevention of muscle loss.

    • Sevval Nur Bilgic
    • , Aylin Domaniku
    •  & Serkan Kir

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The CIP2A–TOPBP1 complex tethers fragmented chromosomes from micronuclei for asymmetric mitotic inheritance, explaining distinct patterns of chromosome rearrangements in cancers and genomic disorders.

    • Yu-Fen Lin
    • , Qing Hu
    •  & Peter Ly

  • News & Views |

    Inorganic phosphate is an essential mineral for cellular metabolism and signalling. It emerges that a fruit-fly organelle can store this chemical in the form of phospholipids, releasing it in times of need.

    • Emily Strachan
    •  & Irene Miguel-Aliaga

  • Research Briefing |

    It emerges that copper ions found in cell organelles called mitochondria regulate the cellular changes that underlie transitions in cell state. A small molecule that inhibits copper-mediated catalysis can suppress the activation of immune cells called macrophages, conferring therapeutic benefits in models of acute inflammation.

  • News & Views |

    A serendipitous observation has revealed that cells make several versions of a key protein needed for cell division. The ratio of these protein isoforms influences how long division can be delayed when errors arise.

    • Silke Hauf

  • News & Views |

    The conversion of dietary sugar to the molecule lactate is a hallmark of many cancers. The discovery of a new binding partner of lactate provides insight into how cells link nutrient metabolism to the decision to divide.

    • Minervo Perez
    •  & Jordan L. Meier

  • Research Briefing |

    Intracellular machines called ribosomes use messenger-RNA sequences to synthesize proteins. Investigations using single-molecule imaging and cryo-electron microscopy techniques reveal structural and kinetic differences in how human ribosomes function compared with those of bacteria. These differences explain why ribosomes in cell-nucleus-bearing species are slower and more accurate than their bacterial counterparts.

  • News & Views |

    An injection system from bacteria has been re-engineered in an effort to develop a programmable system for protein delivery into cells. Its customizability opens the door to a multitude of biomedical applications.

    • Charles F. Ericson
    •  & Martin Pilhofer

  • Article |

    Functional mutations identified in patients with androgen insensitivity syndrome, in the formin and actin nucleator DAAM2, uncover signal-regulated nuclear actin assembly at a steroid hormone receptor necessary for transcription.

    • Julian Knerr
    • , Ralf Werner
    •  & Nadine C. Hornig

  • Research Briefing |

    Cells in which the whole genome has been doubled do not upscale protein synthesis to cope with the increase in DNA. Instead, a shortage of proteins that regulate the packing of DNA in the nucleus leads to poor segregation of DNA structures, which eventually contributes to the development of cancer.

  • Research Briefing |

    The structure and function of mitochondrial networks were analysed using a combination of approaches to generate detailed maps of these cellular organelles. This analysis revealed that the mitochondria in different subtypes of lung cancer show distinct functional and structural signatures.

  • Article
    | Open Access

    A study describing an approach that combines imaging and profiling techniques to structurally and functionally analyse lung cancer in vivo, revealing heterogeneous mitochondrial networks and an association between bioenergetic phenotypes and mitochondrial organization and function.

    • Mingqi Han
    • , Eric A. Bushong
    •  & David B. Shackelford

  • News & Views |

    Cellular organelles called mitochondria contain their own DNA and RNA. The molecule fumarate has now been found to trigger the release of these nucleic acids into the cytosol, aberrantly activating inflammation.

    • Taylor A. Poor
    •  & Navdeep S. Chandel

Browse broader subjects

Browse narrower subjects

Browse Cell biology across other nature.com journals