Latest Articles
- MinireviewCentromere Biology: Transcription Goes on Stage
Accurate chromosome segregation is a fundamental process in cell biology. During mitosis, chromosomes are segregated into daughter cells through interactions between centromeres and microtubules in the mitotic spindle.
- Research ArticleHistone Chaperone Asf1 Is Required for the Establishment of Repressive Chromatin in Schizosaccharomyces pombe fbp1 Gene Repression
The arrangement of nucleosomes in chromatin plays a role in transcriptional regulation by restricting the accessibility of transcription factors and RNA polymerase II to cis-acting elements and promoters. For gene activation, the chromatin structure is altered to an open configuration.
- Research Article | SpotlightRac1 Nanoscale Organization on the Plasma Membrane Is Driven by Lipid Binding Specificity Encoded in the Membrane Anchor
Rac1 is a small guanine nucleotide binding protein that cycles between an inactive GDP-bound and active GTP-bound state to regulate cell motility and migration. Rac1 signaling is initiated from the plasma membrane (PM).
- Research ArticleHeat Shock Causes a Reversible Increase in RNA Polymerase II Occupancy Downstream of mRNA Genes, Consistent with a Global Loss in Transcriptional Termination
Cellular transcriptional programs are tightly controlled but can profoundly change in response to environmental challenges or stress. Here we describe global changes in mammalian RNA polymerase II (Pol II) occupancy at mRNA genes in response to heat shock and after recovery from the stress.
- Research Article | SpotlightDynamic Interaction of Eukaryotic Initiation Factor 4G1 (eIF4G1) with eIF4E and eIF1 Underlies Scanning-Dependent and -Independent Translation
Translation initiation of most mRNAs involves m7G-cap binding, ribosomal scanning, and AUG selection. Initiation from an m7G-cap-proximal AUG can be bypassed resulting in leaky scanning, except for mRNAs bearing the translation initiator of short 5′ untranslated region (TISU) element.
- Research ArticleModulation of Heat Shock Factor 1 Activity through Silencing of Ser303/Ser307 Phosphorylation Supports a Metabolic Program Leading to Age-Related Obesity and Insulin Resistance
Activation of the adaptive response to cellular stress orchestrated by heat shock factor 1 (HSF1), which is an evolutionarily conserved transcriptional regulator of chaperone response and cellular bioenergetics in diverse model systems, is a central feature of organismal defense from environmental and cellular stress. HSF1 activity, induced by proteostatic, metabolic, and growth factor signals, is regulated by posttranscriptional...
- Research ArticleP-Body Localization of the Hrr25/Casein Kinase 1 Protein Kinase Is Required for the Completion of Meiosis
P-bodies are liquid droplet-like compartments that lack a limiting membrane and are present in many eukaryotic cells. These structures contain specific sets of proteins and mRNAs at concentrations higher than that in the surrounding environment.
- Research ArticleZinc Finger Protein 521 Regulates Early Hematopoiesis through Cell-Extrinsic Mechanisms in the Bone Marrow Microenvironment
Zinc finger protein 521 (ZFP521), a DNA-binding protein containing 30 Krüppel-like zinc fingers, has been implicated in the differentiation of multiple cell types, including hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPC) and B lymphocytes. Here, we report a novel role for ZFP521 in regulating the earliest stages of hematopoiesis and lymphoid cell development via a cell-extrinsic mechanism.