Issues
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Cover Image
Cover Image
On the cover
Wee et al. describe how the Ran GTPase and its effector protein Canoe orient the mitotic spindle by recruiting the dynein adaptor protein Mud to the cell cortex. The central cluster of cells shows a mitotic spindle (red) aligned toward a cortical patch of the apical protein Pins (green). The surrounding cell clusters show misoriented spindles in the absence of Canoe and Mud. Images courtesy of Brett Wee.
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In This Issue
In Focus
Imaging β amyloid's pore performance
Study visualizes Alzheimer's disease–related peptides forming toxic calcium channels in the plasma membrane.
People & Ideas
Benny Geiger: A force in the study of focal adhesions
Geiger researches the composition and function of cell adhesions.
Review
Report
Drosophila ATM and ATR have distinct activities in the regulation of meiotic DNA damage and repair
ATM and ATR display distinct activities in meiotic DSB repair, such that ATM functions in DNA damage repair and negative feedback control over programmed double strand breaks, whereas ATR is required for checkpoint activity.
Canoe binds RanGTP to promote PinsTPR/Mud-mediated spindle orientation
The scaffolding protein Canoe regulates spindle orientation by binding to RanGTP and recruiting RanGTP and Mud to the cell cortex.
CIIA functions as a molecular switch for the Rac1-specific GEF activity of SOS1
CIIA mediates the TGF-β–induced activation of SOS1–Rac1 signaling and cell migration.
Article
Multiple pathways can bypass the essential role of fission yeast Hsk1 kinase in DNA replication initiation
A number of different genetic backgrounds and growth conditions bypass DNA replication defects caused by the absence of yeast Hsk1 kinase, demonstrating the plasticity of the eukaryotic DNA replication program.
Selective repression of MEF2 activity by PKA-dependent proteolysis of HDAC4
PKA and CaM kinase II both target the histone deacetylase HDAC4 such that the former antagonizes MEF2 activity and the latter promotes it.
A p53/miRNA-34 axis regulates Snail1-dependent cancer cell epithelial–mesenchymal transition
Expression of the essential EMT inducer Snail1 is inhibited by miR-34 through a p53-dependent regulatory pathway.
Class III PI-3-kinase activates phospholipase D in an amino acid–sensing mTORC1 pathway
In response to amino acid availability, the class III PI-3-kinase hVps34 activates the phospholipase PLD and mTORC1 signaling to regulate mammalian cell size.
Phosphorylation at serine 331 is required for Aurora B activation
Chk1 phosphorylates Aurora B to promote its full activation during mitotic prometaphase.
Brr6 drives the Schizosaccharomyces pombe spindle pole body nuclear envelope insertion/extrusion cycle
Insertion into and release of the cytoplasmic domain of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe spindle pole body from a nuclear envelope fenestra during mitosis requires Brr6.
Actin filament severing by cofilin is more important for assembly than constriction of the cytokinetic contractile ring
When fission yeast express mutant cofilin that is inefficient at actin filament severing, cytokinetic contractile ring formation is severely impaired, but ring contraction proceeds efficiently.
The C terminus of talin links integrins to cell cycle progression
Talin recruits and activates focal adhesion proteins required for cell cycle progression.
Single-channel Ca2+ imaging implicates Aβ1–42 amyloid pores in Alzheimer’s disease pathology
High-resolution imaging of calcium influx reveals that the Aβ peptides implicated in Alzheimer’s disease form highly toxic Ca2+-permeable pores.
Clathrin phosphorylation is required for actin recruitment at sites of bacterial adhesion and internalization
Clathrin assembles at bacterial adhesion sites and its phosphorylation is required for actin recruitment during bacterial infection.