Dr. Dustin King spoke with Molecular Cell about his research interests in understanding how bacteria use protein carboxylation to sense greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide, his philosophy towards sustainability, and his hopes for a more sustainable future.

Prof. Niels Mailand and Ann Schirin Mirsanaye share with Molecular Cell some of their thoughts on making molecular biology more sustainable, outline their first-hand experiences of having their lab LEAF (Laboratory Efficiency Assessment Framework) certified, and impart some advice to our readers who are considering doing the same.

Molecular Cell has a conversation with Martin Farley about LEAF, the program he developed to run molecular biology laboratories in a sustainable way; the obstacles to making molecular biology sustainable; programs available to scientists; and caution to be exercised when taking steps towards sustainability.

Abstract not available

Here, Molecular Cell has a discussion with Dr. Andrea Bodnar about GMGI and its various efforts to minimize harm through research and implementing sustainable practices and efforts made at the institutional level to train budding scientists with diverse scientific skills and eco-conscious mindsets.

We talk to corresponding author Amy Lee and co-authors Shaoni Mukhopadhyay and Maria Amodeo about their scientific journey, research interests, and some behind-the-scenes details of their paper “eIF3d controls the persistent integrated stress response” (this issue of Molecular Cell).

Akey et al.1 use complementary experimental approaches and AI-based structure prediction to reveal new details of the structure of the yeast nuclear pore complex, providing key insights into evolution, assembly, and nucleocytoplasmic transport mechanisms.

A recent study by Liang et al.1 reveals that interacting enhancer RNAs (eRNAs) and promoter-transcribed upstream antisense RNAs (uaRNAs) can identify enhancer-promoter interactions. Complementary sequences within the interacting eRNAs and uaRNAs, predominantly Alu sequences, confer the specificity for eRNA-uaRNA pairing and hence enhancer-promoter recognition.

Histone variants provide versatility in the basic unit of chromatin, helping to define dynamic landscapes and cell fates. Maintaining genome integrity is paramount for the cell, and it is intimately linked with chromatin dynamics, assembly, and disassembly during DNA transactions such as replication, repair, recombination, and transcription. In this review, we focus on the family of H3 variants and

Mitotic DNA synthesis (MiDAS) is an unusual form of DNA replication that occurs during mitosis. Initially, MiDAS was characterized as a process associated with intrinsically unstable loci known as common fragile sites that occurs after cells experience DNA replication stress (RS). However, it is now believed to be a more widespread “salvage” mechanism that is called upon to complete the duplication

Mitochondria are central hubs of cellular metabolism that also play key roles in signaling and disease. It is therefore fundamentally important that mitochondrial quality and activity are tightly regulated. Mitochondrial degradation pathways contribute to quality control of mitochondrial networks and can also regulate the metabolic profile of mitochondria to ensure cellular homeostasis. Here, we cover

Abstract not available

Kavitha Sarma, corresponding author of “G-quadruplexes associated with R-loops promote CTCF binding” (in this issue of Molecular Cell), discusses her paper, scientific path, and mentorship experiences while also providing an insightful take on the struggles of being a woman in science.

In this issue, Seo et al.1 report a non-canonical function of the Hippo kinase MAP4K2 in energy stress response by regulating autophagy and cell survival, with relevance and therapeutic potential for head and neck cancer treatment.

RNA-guided DNA endonucleases such as those from CRISPR-Cas systems were considered limited to prokaryotes. Saito et al.1 reveal that distant eukaryotic relatives of Cas nucleases, called Fanzors, also function as RNA-guided DNA endonucleases and can be harnessed for genome editing.

Translesion synthesis (TLS) DNA polymerases were originally described as error-prone enzymes involved in the bypass of DNA lesions. However, extensive research over the past few decades has revealed that these enzymes play pivotal roles not only in lesion bypass, but also in a myriad of other cellular processes. Such processes include DNA replication, DNA repair, epigenetics, immune signaling, and

We talk to co-first authors Donghoon Lee and Yanan Zhu and co-corresponding author Ying Lu about their paper “Molecular mechanism for activation of the 26S proteasome by ZFAND5” (this issue of Molecular Cell), the challenges of the project, their scientific pathways, and the late Dr. Alfred Goldberg.

In this issue, Xu and Pan et al1 report a glucose-sensing and activation mechanism of mTORC1 through the glycosyltransferase OGT, which activates Raptor, allowing lysosomal targeting of mTORC1 to promote cell proliferation.

In this issue, Zhang et al.1 show that CTCF blocks cohesin-mediated loop extrusion in an orientation-dependent manner. Using single-molecule imaging assays, the authors find that dCas9 and R-loops can also stall extrusion.

A recent study by Yang et al.1 uncovers the pyrimidinosome, a multienzyme complex where enzymes from different subcellular compartments collaborate to enable efficient pyrimidine biosynthesis and ferroptosis defense, highlighting the remarkable adaptability of cellular metabolism and new therapeutic opportunities.

Cells tightly regulate mRNA processing, localization, and stability to ensure accurate gene expression in diverse cellular states and conditions. Most of these regulatory steps have traditionally been thought to occur before translation by the action of RNA-binding proteins. Several recent discoveries highlight multiple co-translational mechanisms that modulate mRNA translation, localization, processing

Cohesin connects CTCF-binding sites and other genomic loci in cis to form chromatin loops and replicated DNA molecules in trans to mediate sister chromatid cohesion. Whether cohesin uses distinct or related mechanisms to perform these functions is unknown. Here, we describe a cohesin hinge mutant that can extrude DNA into loops but is unable to mediate cohesion in human cells. Our results suggest that

Here, Molecular Cell talks to first author Jianong Zhang and co-corresponding author Haojie Huang about their paper, ‘‘A lncRNA from the FTO locus acts as a suppressor of the m6A writer complex and p53 tumor suppression signaling’’ (in this issue of Molecular Cell) and their scientific journeys until now.

Tsai et al.1 in this issue and Mark et al.2 in Cell reveal how the E3 ligase UBR5 mediates broad regulation by selectively targeting agonist-bound nuclear hormone receptors, MYC, and other transcriptional regulators not incorporated into active gene expression complexes.

In this issue of Molecular Cell, Gasparski et al.1 and Loedige et al.2 reshape our understanding of subcellular gene product localization by highlighting the importance of messenger RNA (mRNA) stability and co-translational mechanisms in mRNA and protein localization.

Red blood cell rupture (hemolysis) activates innate immunity and inflammation by releasing heme. Sundaram et al.1 implicate the immune sensor NLRP12 in hemolytic disease, showing that it controls necrotic cell death induction in response to heme combined with pathogen-associated molecules.