Cell biology articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although IFNγ is a Th1 signature cytokine and is repressed in Th2 cells, it is reactivated in a subset of memory Th2 cells. Here the authors show that Hdac2 is released from Gata3 by Akt-mediated phosphorylation, leading to transcriptional derepression of Tbx21 and IFNγin these cells.

    • Hiroyuki Hosokawa
    • , Tomoaki Tanaka
    •  & Toshinori Nakayama

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Platelets are blood circulating corpuscles generated from megakaryocytes that initiate wound healing. Here, Moreau et al. describe a way of producing large quantities of megakaryocytes from human pluripotent stem cells in the laboratory, moving us a step closer to manufacturing transfusion products.

    • Thomas Moreau
    • , Amanda L. Evans
    •  & Cedric Ghevaert

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The accumulation of senescent cells within tissues plays a role in numerous age-related pathologies. Yosef and Pilpel et al. demonstrate that the resistance of these cells to apoptosis is driven by upregulation of survival proteins, whose pharmacological inhibition triggers senescent cell elimination in mice.

    • Reut Yosef
    • , Noam Pilpel
    •  & Valery Krizhanovsky

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Circular RNAs are formed from exon back-splicing, the significance of these endogenous RNAs is beginning to be unraveled. Here, the authors identify thousands of circular RNAs differentially expressed between normal and cancer tissues and show that an abundant circular RNA generated from HIPK3regulates cell growth.

    • Qiupeng Zheng
    • , Chunyang Bao
    •  & Shenglin Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Strong Notch signalling promotes initial T cell lineage specification of lymphoid progenitors but is also permissive for thymic natural killer (NK) cell development. Here the authors show that GATA3 directs human T-lineage commitment by modulating Notch activity and repressing the NK programme.

    • Inge Van de Walle
    • , Anne-Catherine Dolens
    •  & Tom Taghon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The use of specific small molecule inhibitors can contribute to the study of kinesins' cellular functions. Here the authors develop a chemical-genetic approach to engineer kinesin motors that can be efficiently inhibited upon addition of cell-permeable molecules.

    • Martin F. Engelke
    • , Michael Winding
    •  & Kristen J. Verhey

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The protein kinase ASK1 has been linked to cellular stress responses. Here the authors show that ASK1 also regulates gene expression and activity of beige and brown adipocytes, and demonstrate adipocyte ASK1 has a physiological role in regulating thermogenesis in mice.

    • Kazuki Hattori
    • , Isao Naguro
    •  & Hidenori Ichijo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Plasmodium knowlesi infects macaques and can cause malaria in humans. Here, Dankwa et al. show that the absence of a sialic-acid component on the surface of macaque red blood cells (RBCs) limits infection of human RBCs with P. knowlesi, but the parasite can adapt to invade human RBCs by using alternative pathways.

    • Selasi Dankwa
    • , Caeul Lim
    •  & Manoj T. Duraisingh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ternary complex (TC) and eIF4F complex assembly are rate-limiting steps in translation initiation that are regulated by eIF2α phosphorylation and the mTOR/4E-BP pathway. Here the authors show that the protein kinases mTORC1 and CK2 coordinate TC and eIF4F complex assembly through eIF2β to stimulate cell proliferation.

    • Valentina Gandin
    • , Laia Masvidal
    •  & Ivan Topisirovic

  • Article
    | Open Access

    mTORC1 is crucial for chondrocyte proliferation and bone growth, but the downstream signalling is not clear. Here, the authors use rapamycin and chondrocyte-specific Tsc1 knockout mice to show that S6K1 can cause nuclear accumulation of Gli2, thus driving PTHrP expression and preventing terminal differentiation of prehypertrophic chondrocytes.

    • Bo Yan
    • , Zhongmin Zhang
    •  & Xiaochun Bai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The transcription factor Runx2 regulates osteoblast differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells. In this manuscript, the authors, using a specific conditional knock-out mouse model and molecular studies, demonstrate that the mediator subunit MED23 binds to Runx2 and is essential for driving mesenchymal stem cells toward an osteoblast fate.

    • Zhen Liu
    • , Xiao Yao
    •  & Gang Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Temporal regulation of microtubule dynamics in mitosis can be achieved by phosphorylation of microtubule plus-end proteins. Here, the authors show that Aurora B and CDK1 phosphorylate EB2, which changes microtubule binding affinity and controls kinetochore microtubule dynamics and genome stability.

    • Makoto Iimori
    • , Sugiko Watanabe
    •  & Yoshihiko Maehara

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hippo and TGF-β are crucial signalling pathways involved in the development of various types of tumours. Here, the authors demonstrate that TGF-β can directly regulate Hippo pathway through the stabilization of the scaffold protein Zyxin, which forms a ternary complex with Siah2 and Lats2 promoting Lats2 degradation and YAP activation.

    • Biao Ma
    • , Hongcheng Cheng
    •  & Yushan Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    How limb regeneration in the newt is regulated at a cellular level is much debated. Here, the authors show different mechanisms acting at different developmental stages, namely stem/progenitor cells in larval regeneration and muscle fibres in the blastema regulate limb regeneration after metamorphosis.

    • Hibiki Vincent Tanaka
    • , Nathaniel Chuen Yin Ng
    •  & Chikafumi Chiba

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Compartmentalization of enzymes into cellular organelles is a promising strategy for improving pathway efficiency. Here, the authors use a high-throughput assay to identify enhanced peroxisomal targeting signals in yeast, and study the effects of peroxisomal compartmentalization on the performance of a model pathway.

    • William C. DeLoache
    • , Zachary N. Russ
    •  & John E. Dueber

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mechanisms that trigger meiosis in germ cells and halt this process in non-germline cells are unclear. Here, the authors show that knockout of Maxin embryonic stem cells results in meiotic onset in a mechanism that involves the PRC1 complex.

    • Ayumu Suzuki
    • , Masataka Hirasaki
    •  & Akihiko Okuda

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Restricting hypertrophic heart growth in response to pathologic overload is an unmet therapeutic need. Here, the authors show that blocking Ca2+signaling controlled by the transport protein PMCA4 in cardiac fibroblasts enhances secretion of a potent Wnt signaling inhibitor, sFRP2, and prevents the development of pathologic cardiac hypertrophy in mice.

    • Tamer M. A. Mohamed
    • , Riham Abou-Leisa
    •  & Delvac Oceandy

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The developmental potential of mosaic embryos of euploid and aneuploid cells is unknown. Here, the authors create a mouse model of chromosome mosaicism, showing that aneuploid cells in the fetus are eliminated by apoptosis and developmental potential is dependent on the presence of sufficient euploid cells.

    • Helen Bolton
    • , Sarah J. L. Graham
    •  & Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although Mg2+is vital for platelet activation and aggregation, its regulation in these cells is still largely unknown. Here, the authors show that TRPM7, a cation channel and a protein kinase, regulates thrombopoiesis and platelet size by affecting the cytoskeleton of these cells in mice and humans.

    • Simon Stritt
    • , Paquita Nurden
    •  & Attila Braun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The expression of the oncogene Myc is carefully controlled and dysregulation often leads to cancer. Here, the authors describe an E3 ligase for Myc—ELL—and show that it likely controls the ubiquitination and degradation of Myc.

    • Yu Chen
    • , Chi Zhou
    •  & Wuhan Xiao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Natural killer cells are a major component of the innate immune response. Here, Wang et al. show that natural killer cell development requires robust activation of autophagy at the immature stage where it acts to remove damaged mitochondria and reduces levels of reactive oxygen species.

    • Shuo Wang
    • , Pengyan Xia
    •  & Zusen Fan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    BRAG1 mutations are linked to synaptic deficits and X-chromosome linked intellectual disability. Here, the authors show that BRAG1 mediates activity-dependent removal of synaptic AMPA receptors via Arf-GEF activity and PDZ interactions, and is required for maintaining AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission.

    • Joshua C. Brown
    • , Amber Petersen
    •  & Nashaat Z. Gerges

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway contributes to radio resistance in intestinal stem cells but the underlying mechanism is currently unknown. In this study, the authors demonstrate that LIG4, a DNA ligase involved in the DNA repair process, is a direct target of β-catenin and it specifically mediates non-homologous end joining repair in colorectal cancer cells.

    • Sohee Jun
    • , Youn-Sang Jung
    •  & Jae-Il Park

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Oligomerisation of transcription factors regulates their translocation into the nucleus, DNA binding affinity and sequence specificity. Here, Hinde et al. present a microscopy analysis, pair correlation of molecular brightness, that tracks the molecular mobility of different oligomeric species in the same cell.

    • Elizabeth Hinde
    • , Elvis Pandžić
    •  & Katharina Gaus

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In neurons, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) transcription is activated by synaptic activity, in part by epigenetic regulation of its promoter regions. Here the authors characterize histone modifications in response to NMDA treatment that result in different kinetics of Bdnf activation from its different promoter regions.

    • Ernest Palomer
    • , Javier Carretero
    •  & Mauricio G. Martin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mammalian genomes contain multiple repetitive sequences such as transposable elements and local repeats. Here, the authors show that the conserved long non-coding RNA Firre contains repeats that act as nuclear retention signals and a DNA enhancer element.

    • Ezgi Hacisuleyman
    • , Chinmay J. Shukla
    •  & John L. Rinn

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Signals through VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR2) increase vascular permeability, promoting cancer progression. Here the authors show that a point mutation in VEGFR2 preventing its auto-phosphorylation leads to reduced metastatic spread and improved response to chemotherapy in tumor-bearing mice, without affecting tumor inflammation.

    • Xiujuan Li
    • , Narendra Padhan
    •  & Lena Claesson-Welsh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    TLR and IL-1R1 ligands are danger signals released following tissue injury and during the healing response. Here, the authors show that IL-1β signalling via IL-1R1/MyD88 inhibits the Akt/GSK-3β/β-catenin pathway in mesenchymal stem cells, which suppresses their mobilization, proliferation, and differentiation into osteoblasts, processes necessary for bone regeneration.

    • Mikaël M. Martino
    • , Kenta Maruyama
    •  & Shizuo Akira

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Liver fibrosis is a pathogenic driver of many liver diseases, so understanding its regulation might open the door to new therapies. Here the authors perform a screen for miRNA candidates and identify that miR-378 inhibits liver fibrosis in mice by interfering with Hedgehog signalling in hepatic stellate cells.

    • Jeongeun Hyun
    • , Sihyung Wang
    •  & Youngmi Jung

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Astrocytes in the brain are derived from neural precursor cells (NPCs). Here, Motoshi Nagao and colleagues show that the transcription repressor Zbtb20 regulates astrocyte specification in the mouse neocortex.

    • Motoshi Nagao
    • , Toru Ogata
    •  & Yukiko Gotoh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nuclear bodies can nucleate at sites of active transcription and are beneficial for efficient gene expression. Here, the authors show that Cajal bodies, a prominent type of nuclear body, contribute to genome organization with global effects on gene expression and RNA splicing fidelity.

    • Qiuyan Wang
    • , Iain A. Sawyer
    •  & Miroslav Dundr

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cell polarity is marked by re-orientation of the centrosome, but the mechanisms governing centrosome polarization are poorly understood. Here Obino et al. show that in lymphocytes centrosome-associated Arp2/3 nucleates actin that tethers the centrosome to the nucleus; activation depletes Arp2/3 from the centrosome and frees it from the nucleus.

    • Dorian Obino
    • , Francesca Farina
    •  & Ana-Maria Lennon-Duménil

  • Article
    | Open Access

    PGRMC1 binds to EGFR and cytochromes P450, and is known to be involved in cancer proliferation and in drug resistance. Here, the authors determine the structure of the cytosolic domain of PGRMC1, which forms a dimer via haem–haem stacking, and propose how this interaction could be involved in its function.

    • Yasuaki Kabe
    • , Takanori Nakane
    •  & Makoto Suematsu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Tagging proteins with fluorescent proteins is a powerful method for both imaging and non-imaging applications. Here the authors use the eleventh β-strand of sfGFP and sfCherry as epitope tags for multicolour imaging and amplified signals by tandem arrangement; shortness of the tag enabled introduction into genomic loci using CRISPR/Cas9.

    • Daichi Kamiyama
    • , Sayaka Sekine
    •  & Bo Huang

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