In the last issue of Purinergic Signalling (16(2)), we published an obituary of Geoff Burnstock, the creator of the field of purinergic receptors and signalling and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of this journal. His energy, enthusiasm and contributions to science were an inspiration to so many people in the scientific community around the world and a special tribute issue of Purinergic Signalling that will honour him and his achievements is in preparation. It will include invited reviews from senior workers in the field and long-term associates and contributions by each of the national Purine Clubs that he helped form. We are also in the process of setting up an online link through which people can upload their own memories and tributes and further details will be advertised on the journal’s website once this is in place.

Earlier this year, Geoff asked me to become Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Purinergic Signalling and I was delighted to agree to do so. The aim was that we and the excellent board of Associate Editors that he had recruited would work together to maintain and develop the high-quality and great success of the journal. We remain committed to this aim and to carrying on his good work and will strive to ensure that Purinergic Signalling continues to grow and develop and to be at the forefront of purinergic research.

As part of the planned development, this issue sees the appearance of two new types of article that from now on will be part of all regular issues of the journal. First, “Highlights in Purinergic Signalling” places a spotlight on papers published in the current issue of the journal that an Associate Editor or I feel warrant particular attention. To get the ball rolling, Pranela Rameshwar discusses the paper by Cymer et al., on purinergic signalling in bone marrow stem cell mobilization and Leticia Bergamin that by Kan et al., on P2X7 receptors and glioma cells. Second, “Journal Club” reports on important papers in our field that have been published in other major scientific journals, such as Nature and Science. For example, several papers reporting the tertiary structure of ATP-permeant pore, pannexin 1, have been published recently and Mark Young has provided an excellent overview of the new insights that they provide. I also discuss a recent report on the protein TMEM163, which potentiates ATP-evoked currents mediated by P2X1, P2X3 and P2X4 receptors and, conversely, inhibits those carried by P2X7 receptors.

We would like to particularly encourage younger investigators, such as PhD students, post-docs or junior PIs, to contribute to “Journal Club”. So, if you feel that an important paper has been published recently that we all should be aware of and you are willing to write a short (750 words maximum) description of it, please email me first with details of your proposal at c.kennedy@strah.ac.uk and we will discuss it further.

Geoff may be gone, but together we can make sure that Purinergic Signalling continues to be the natural home for reporting and discussing purinergic research.

Dr. Charles Kennedy

Deputy Editor-in-Chief,

Purinergic Signalling