MinD oscillations adapt to cell growth by modulating concentration gradients through dynamic protein interactions and diffusion, ensuring accurate division site placement. This study provides a quantitative understanding of Min oscillations, emphasizing the system’s plasticity and adaptability in the cellular environment.
Shui Bo Xu, Xiu Kui Gao, Hao Di Liang, Xiao Xia Cong, Xu Qi Chen, Wen Kai Zou, Jia Li Tao, Zhao Yuan Pan, Jiao Zhao, Man Huang, Zhang Bao, Yi Ting Zhou, Li Ling Zheng
Xu et al. reveal the roles of the nuclear import adaptor KPNA3 in regulating histone locus body formation by importing NPAT into nuclei. Moreover, KPNA3 modulates the self-association of NPAT via a steric hindrance strategy to prevent aberrant NPAT condensation in the cytoplasm.
Ho Yee Joyce Fung, Jenny Jiou, Ashley B. Niesman, Natalia E. Bernardes, Yuh Min Chook
It was unclear how the H2A-H2B chaperone Nap1 cooperates with the importin Kap114 to transport and process H2A-H2B. Fung et al. explain how they co-chaperone H2A-H2B, and how RanGTP and Nap1, within the quaternary Nap12/H2A-H2B/Kap114/RanGTP complex, coordinate the transfer of H2A-H2B from Kap114 to assembling nucleosomes.
Dahyana Arias Escayola, Chuyue Zhang, Emily Nischwitz, Leonard Schärfen, Kerstin Dörner, Korinna Straube, Ulrike Kutay, Falk Butter, Karla M. Neugebauer
This study identifies new Cajal body components and tests their roles in the formation of these nuclear membraneless organelles. Imbalances in the levels of nuclear dimethylarginine are caused by the depletion of ribosomal proteins and are associated with changes in CB number and shape.
Gayathri Ramakrishnan, Veronika Miskolci, Miranda Hunter, Morgan A. Giese, Daniela Münch, Yiran Hou, Kevin W. Eliceiri, Michael R. Lasarev, Richard M. White, Anna Huttenlocher
Ramakrishnan et al. describe a larval zebrafish model of early melanoma invasion that is amenable to real time imaging of the dynamic interactions between macrophages and invading tumor cells. The work highlights a role for Rac2 signaling in macrophages during early melanoma invasion.
Kuan-Chung Su, Elena Radul, Nolan K. Maier, Mary-Jane Tsang, Claire Goul, Brittania Moodie, Océane Marescal, Heather R. Keys, Iain M. Cheeseman
Microtubules are vital for diverse cellular processes. Su et al. used CRISPR/Cas9 functional genetic screens to identify factors that affect cell sensitivity to antimicrotubule drugs. This work revealed new roles for established microtubule-associated proteins and identified new players in microtubule function.
Yeonji Chung, Chewon Yim, Gilberto P. Pereira, Sungjoon Son, Lisbeth R. Kjølbye, Lauren E. Mazurkiewicz, Amy M. Weeks, Friedrich Förster, Gunnar von Heijne, Paulo C.T. Souza, Hyun Kim
The mechanism by which the signal peptidase complex (SPC) distinguishes signal peptides from signal-anchored sequences remains unclear. Chung et al. demonstrate that the Spc2 subunit modulates the properties of the SPC and its surrounding membrane environment, enhancing the complex’s ability to discriminate between these sequences.
Ali et al. offer a Perspective on how rather than degrading newly synthesized “orphan” proteins during stress, cells preserve them in condensates with chaperones that activate the heat shock response.
Mogk and den Brave discuss exciting results from a comprehensive screen of heat shock response components in yeast, published in this issue by Pincus and colleagues. Their work reveals modulatory regulatory loops that fine-tune the timing of the shutdown of this highly conserved pathway.
