Abstract not available

Abstract not available

For our 25th anniversary issue of Molecular Cell, we talk to one of our original board members, Dr. Susan M. Gasser, on the trajectory of her research in chromatin response to DNA repair, the concepts in the field, and technologies that influenced these discoveries. She also shares her thoughts on the evolution of Molecular Cell and what makes a “good” paper.

For our 25th anniversary of Molecular Cell, we talk to one of our original board members, Dr. James T. Kadonaga, about the trajectory of his research in transcriptional regulation and chromatin dynamics and the complexity of gene regulation. He also shares anecdotes from the early days of Molecular Cell, what makes a compelling paper, and advice for junior scientists.

For our 25th anniversary of Molecular Cell, we talk to one of our original board members, Dr. Arthur L. Horwich, about the discovery of chaperones, the importance of challenging “dogmas,” and the benefits of scientific collaboration. He also shares anecdotes from the early days of Molecular Cell, some of his favorite papers, and his advice for junior scientists.

The concept of specialized ribosomes has garnered equal amounts of interest and skepticism since it was first introduced. We ask researchers in the field to provide their perspective on the topic and weigh in on the evidence (or lack thereof) and what the future may bring.

Where there is defense, there is counter-defense. A paper by Hobbs et al. (2022) reconfirms that this emerging tenet of the arms race between bacteria and their predators also holds true for phage defense systems that rely on secondary messenger signals.

In a recent issue of Science, Gabriele et al. have, for the first time, quantified the dynamics of a topologically associating domain (TAD) in live cells by coupling super-resolution imaging and computational modelling, concluding that a TAD spends most of its life in a “partially extruded state” and that CTCF-CTCF loops are rare.

Metabolism is emerging as a central influencer of multiple disease states in humans. Peroxisomes are central metabolic organelles whose decreased function gives rise to severe peroxisomal diseases. Recently, it is becoming clear that, beyond such rare inborn errors, the deterioration of peroxisomal functions contributes to multiple and prevalent diseases such as cancer, viral infection, diabetes, and

Information in mRNA has largely been thought to be confined to its nucleotide sequence. However, the advent of mapping techniques to detect modified nucleotides has revealed that mRNA contains additional information in the form of chemical modifications. The most abundant modified nucleotide is N6-methyladenosine (m6A), a methyl modification of adenosine. Although early studies viewed m6A as a dynamic

Although some long noncoding (lnc)RNAs are known since the 1950s, the past 25 years have uncovered myriad lncRNAs with diverse sequences, structures, and functions. The advent of high-throughput and sensitive technologies has further uncovered the vast heterogeneity of lncRNA-interacting molecules and patterns of expressed lncRNAs. We propose a unifying functional theme for the expansive family of

Faithful DNA replication is critical for the maintenance of genomic integrity. Although DNA replication machinery is highly accurate, the process of DNA replication is constantly challenged by DNA damage and other intrinsic and extrinsic stresses throughout the genome. A variety of cellular stresses interfering with DNA replication, which are collectively termed replication stress, pose a threat to

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics has become a powerful technology to quantify the entire complement of proteins in cells or tissues. Here, we review challenges and recent advances in the LC-MS-based analysis of minute protein amounts, down to the level of single cells. Application of this technology revealed that single-cell transcriptomes are dominated by stochastic noise due to the very low

Chromosomes in higher eukaryotes are folded at different length scales into loop extrusion domains, spatial compartments, and chromosome territories and exhibit interactions with nuclear structures such as the lamina. Microscopic methods can probe this structure by measuring positions of chromosomes in the nuclear space in individual cells, while sequencing-based contact capture approaches can report

Macromolecular phase separation is being recognized for its potential importance and relevance as a driver of spatial organization within cells. Here, we describe a framework based on synergies between networking (percolation or gelation) and density (phase separation) transitions. Accordingly, the phase transitions in question are referred to as phase separation coupled to percolation (PSCP). The

We talk to co-first authors Laura Hsieh and Muryam Gourdet, and professor Geeta Narlikar, about their academic journeys, juggling motherhood and lab work during the pandemic, their paper, “A hexasome is the preferred substrate for the INO80 chromatin remodeling complex, allowing versatility of function,” and the importance of remaining open-minded and unafraid to challenge the field.

Chong et al. (2022) show how the propensity of transcription factors (TFs) to associate into hubs must be finely regulated for optimal transcription.

Structures of the reconstituted human inner kinetochore complex by Pesenti et al. (2022) and Yatskevich et al. (2022) raise the question of whether it is the CENP-A nucleosome or the CCAN complex itself that provides the foundation for kinetochore assembly.

Viegas et al. (2022) discover that in Trypanosoma brucei the poly(A) tails of the variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) transcripts are methylated, a mechanism that stabilizes these transcripts and ensures protection against the immune response in mammals.

Protein phosphorylation is a reversible post-translational modification. Nine of the 20 natural amino acids in proteins can be phosphorylated, but most of what we know about the roles of protein phosphorylation has come from studies of serine, threonine, and tyrosine phosphorylation. Much less is understood about the phosphorylation of histidine, lysine, arginine, cysteine, aspartate, and glutamate

CRISPR systems are prokaryotic adaptive immune systems that use RNA-guided Cas nucleases to recognize and destroy foreign genetic elements. To overcome CRISPR immunity, bacteriophages have evolved diverse families of anti-CRISPR proteins (Acrs). Recently, Lin et al. (2020) described the discovery and characterization of 7 Acr families (AcrVIA1-7) that inhibit type VI-A CRISPR systems. We detail several

Small-town wonder and inquisitive minds overcome pandemic hardships. Here, we talk to first author Bin Jiang and group leader Qinxi Li about their paper, “Filamentous GLS1 promotes ROS-induced apoptosis upon glutamine deprivation via insufficient asparagine synthesis,” and Qinxi tells us about his lab’s research and perseverance during lockdowns.

Caspases are often considered the final checkpoint for a pathogen to save its replicative niche from collapsing after cell death signaling has been initiated in response to infection. Two recent works (Li et al., 2021; Peng et al., 2022) found that pathogens inhibit host cell death by inactivating multiple caspases with a novel posttranslational modification.

A new study by Deforzh et al. (2022) demonstrates how two long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) link a distal enhancer to the HOXD3/D4/miR-10b gene promoter, leading to transcriptional activation of the therapeutic target miR-10b in glioblastoma multiforme.

Tsvetkov et al. (2022) discovered a new form of cell death triggered by targeted accumulation of Cu in mitochondria that drives lipoylated TCA cycle enzyme aggregation via direct Cu binding.

Defects in DNA double-strand break repair are thought to render BRCA1 or BRCA2 (BRCA) mutant tumors selectively sensitive to PARP inhibitors (PARPis). Challenging this framework, BRCA and PARP1 share functions in DNA synthesis on the lagging strand. Thus, BRCA deficiency or “BRCAness” could reflect an inherent lagging strand problem that is vulnerable to drugs such as PARPi that also target the lagging

Next-generation sequencing techniques have led to a new quantitative dimension in the biological sciences. In particular, integrating sequencing techniques with biophysical tools allows sequence-dependent mechanistic studies. Using the millions of DNA clusters that are generated during sequencing to perform high-throughput binding affinity and kinetics measurements enabled the construction of energy