Microreviews, Review
Mnemons: encoding memory by protein super-assembly
Fabrice Caudron and Yves Barral
This article comments on work published by Caudron and Barral (Cell, 2013), which proposes that polyQ- and polyN-based elements, termed mnemons, act as cellular memory devices to encode previous environmental conditions.
Intersubunit communications within KaiC hexamers contribute the robust rhythmicity of the cyanobacterial circadian clock
Yohko Kitayama1, Taeko Nishiwaki-Ohkawa1,2 and Takao Kondo1
This article comments on work published by Kitayama et al. (Nat Comm, 2013), which suggests that intersubunit communication precisely synchronizes KaiC subunits to avoid dephasing, and contributes to the robustness of circadian rhythms in cyanobacteria.
Mitochondrial protein import under kinase surveillance
Magdalena Opalińska1 and Chris Meisinger1,2
This article summarizes recent discoveries in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae model system that point towards a vital role of reversible phosphorylation in regulation of mitochondrial protein import.
Building a flagellum in biological outer space
Lewis D. B. Evans, Colin Hughes and Gillian M. Fraser
This article comments on work published by Evans et al. (Nature, 2013), which presents a simple and elegant transit mechanism in which growth is powered by the subunits themselves as they link head-to-tail in a chain that is pulled through the length of the growing structure to the tip. This new mechanism answers an old question and may have resonance in other assembly processes.
A novel mechanism involved in the coupling of mitochondrial biogenesis to oxidative phosphorylation
Jelena Ostojić1, Jean-Paul di Rago2,3, Geneviève Dujardin1,*
This article comments on a study by Ostojić et al. (Cell Metabolism, 2013), which has uncovered a regulatory loop by which the biogenesis of a major enzyme of the OXPHOS pathway, the respiratory complex III, is coupled to the energy producing activity of the mitochondria.
Identifying the assembly pathway of cyanophage inside the marine bacterium using electron cryo-tomography
Wei Dai1, Michael F. Schmid1, Jonathan A. King2, Wah Chiu1,*
Thiswork comments on a study by Dai et al. (Nature 2013) that illustrates that electron cryo-tomography is an approach whereby one can capture directly structural snapshots of transient phage assembly intermediates during maturation process. Such analysis can be generalizable not only to human viruses in human cells but also various molecular machines undergoing biological processes.
A plant Bcl-2-associated athanogene is proteolytically activated to confer fungal resistance
April 16, 2016
This article comments on work published by Li et al. (Plant Cell, 2016), which focuses on the role of Bcl-2-associated athanogene 6 (BAG6) in plant innate immunity, showing that BAG6 plays a key role in basal plant defense against fungal pathogens.
The molecular and cellular action properties of artemisinins: what has yeast told us?
April 14, 2016
Artemisinin (ART) or Qinghaosu is a natural compound possessing superior anti-malarial activity. Although intensive studies have been done in the medicinal chemistry field to understand the structure-effect relationship, the biological actions of artemisinin are poorly understood and controversial. This review summarizes what we have learned from yeast about the basic biological properties of ARTs, as well as some key unanswered questions.
Chemical proteomics approach reveals the direct targets and the heme-dependent activation mechanism of artemisinin in Plasmodium falciparum using an activity-based artemisinin probe
April 5, 2016
This article comments on work published by Wang et al. (Nat Commun, 2014), which provides insights into the mode-of-action of artemisinin and its specificity against malaria parasites.
Translational repression in malaria sporozoites
April 5, 2016
This article comments on work published by Zhang et al. (PLoS Pathog, 2016), which summarizea recent advances in the translational repression of gene expression in the malaria sporozoite.
Chromatin binding and silencing: Two roles of the same protein Lem2
April 4, 2016
This article comments on work published by Barrales et al. (Genes Dev, 2016), which identifies the nuclear envelope protein Lem2, a homolog of metazoan lamin-associated proteins (LAPs), as a relevant factor for heterochromatin silencing and perinuclear localization in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe.
When and where? Pathogenic Escherichia coli differentially sense host D-serine using a universal transporter system to monitor their environment
March 31, 2016
This article comments on work published by Connolly et al. (PLoS Pathog, 2016), which describes the discovery of a functional and previously uncharacterized D-serine uptake system in E. coli.
Signaling pathways and posttranslational modifications of tau in Alzheimer’s disease: the humanization of yeast cells
March 27, 2016
In the past decade, yeast have been frequently employed to study the molecular mechanisms of human neurodegenerative diseases, generally by means of heterologous expression of genes encoding the relevant hallmark proteins. Substantial posttranslational modifications of many of these proteins are required for the development and progression of potentially disease relevant changes. We give an overview on common modifications as they occur in tau during AD and discuss potential approaches to humanize yeast in order to create modification patterns resembling the situation in mammalian cells.
The bacterial cell cycle checkpoint protein Obg and its role in programmed cell death
March 16, 2016
This article comments on work published by Dewachter et al. (mBio, 2015), which identified a programmed cell death mechanism in Escherichia coli that is triggered by a mutant isoform of the essential GTPase ObgE.