The Infona portal uses cookies, i.e. strings of text saved by a browser on the user's device. The portal can access those files and use them to remember the user's data, such as their chosen settings (screen view, interface language, etc.), or their login data. By using the Infona portal the user accepts automatic saving and using this information for portal operation purposes. More information on the subject can be found in the Privacy Policy and Terms of Service. By closing this window the user confirms that they have read the information on cookie usage, and they accept the privacy policy and the way cookies are used by the portal. You can change the cookie settings in your browser.
Telomere crisis occurs during tumorigenesis when depletion of the telomere reserve leads to frequent telomere fusions. The resulting dicentric chromosomes have been proposed to drive genome instability. Here, we examine the fate of dicentric human chromosomes in telomere crisis. We observed that dicentric chromosomes invariably persisted through mitosis and developed into 50–200 μm chromatin bridges...
The envelope glycoprotein trimer mediates HIV-1 entry into cells. The trimer is flexible, fluctuating between closed and more open conformations and sometimes sampling the fully open, CD4-bound form. We hypothesized that conformational flexibility and transient exposure of non-neutralizing, immunodominant epitopes could hinder the induction of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). We therefore...
Cellular lipid requirements are achieved through a combination of biosynthesis and import programs. Using isotope tracer analysis, we show that type I interferon (IFN) signaling shifts the balance of these programs by decreasing synthesis and increasing import of cholesterol and long chain fatty acids. Genetically enforcing this metabolic shift in macrophages is sufficient to render mice resistant...
Touch perception begins with activation of low-threshold mechanoreceptors (LTMRs) in the periphery. LTMR terminals exhibit tremendous morphological heterogeneity that specifies their mechanical receptivity. In a survey of mammalian skin, we found a preponderance of neurofilament-heavy-chain+ circumferential endings associated with hair follicles, prompting us to develop a genetic strategy to interrogate...
A central question in biology is whether variability between genetically identical cells exposed to the same culture conditions is largely stochastic or deterministic. Using image-based transcriptomics in millions of single human cells, we find that while variability of cytoplasmic transcript abundance is large, it is for most genes minimally stochastic and can be predicted with multivariate models...
We have defined a network of interacting Drosophila cell surface proteins in which a 21-member IgSF subfamily, the Dprs, binds to a nine-member subfamily, the DIPs. The structural basis of the Dpr-DIP interaction code appears to be dictated by shape complementarity within the Dpr-DIP binding interface. Each of the six dpr and DIP genes examined here is expressed by a unique subset of larval and pupal...
This issue’s Select focuses on the recent development in the understanding of how gut microbiota impact the anti-cancer efficacy of immune checkpoint blockers.
Spatial genome organization and its effect on transcription remains a fundamental question. We applied an advanced chromatin interaction analysis by paired-end tag sequencing (ChIA-PET) strategy to comprehensively map higher-order chromosome folding and specific chromatin interactions mediated by CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) and RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) with haplotype specificity and nucleotide resolution...
How stochastic is gene expression in mammalian cells? Not very, according to Battich et al., who report that single-cell variability in cytoplasmic mRNAs is remarkably predictable given measurements of a cell’s phenotypic state and microenvironment. The noise from transcriptional bursts is buffered by a hallmark of eukaryotes—the nucleus.
Learned and adaptive behaviors rely on neural circuits that flexibly couple the same sensory input to alternative output pathways. Here, we show that the Drosophila mushroom body functions like a switchboard in which neuromodulation reroutes the same odor signal to different behavioral circuits, depending on the state and experience of the fly. Using functional synaptic imaging and electrophysiology,...
Microbial metabolism of dietary components has been causally linked to cardiovascular disease and atherosclerosis. Now, Wang et al. demonstrate that inhibition of microbial TMA lyases, essential for production of pro-atherogenic trimethylamines, prevents atherosclerosis in vivo.
Vesicular nucleo-cytoplasmic transport is becoming recognized as a general cellular mechanism for translocation of large cargoes across the nuclear envelope. Cargo is recruited, enveloped at the inner nuclear membrane (INM), and delivered by membrane fusion at the outer nuclear membrane. To understand the structural underpinning for this trafficking, we investigated nuclear egress of progeny herpesvirus...
Structural maintenance of chromosome (SMC) complexes are proteinaceous rings that embrace DNA to enable vital chromosomal functions. The ring is formed by two SMC subunits, closed at a pair of ATPase heads, whose interaction is reinforced by a kleisin subunit. Using biochemical analysis of fission-yeast cohesin, we find that a similar series of events facilitates both topological entrapment and release...
Somatic cells can be reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells (PSCs) by using pure chemicals, providing a different paradigm to study somatic reprogramming. However, the cell fate dynamics and molecular events that occur during the chemical reprogramming process remain unclear. We now show that the chemical reprogramming process requires the early formation of extra-embryonic endoderm (XEN)-like cells...
Development of mature blood cell progenies from hematopoietic stem cells involves the transition through lineage-restricted progenitors. The first branching point along this developmental process is thought to separate the erythro-myeloid and lymphoid lineage fate by yielding two intermediate progenitors, the common myeloid and the common lymphoid progenitors (CMPs and CLPs). Here, we use single-cell...
Information processing relies on precise patterns of synapses between neurons. The cellular recognition mechanisms regulating this specificity are poorly understood. In the medulla of the Drosophila visual system, different neurons form synaptic connections in different layers. Here, we sought to identify candidate cell recognition molecules underlying this specificity. Using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq),...
Set the date range to filter the displayed results. You can set a starting date, ending date or both. You can enter the dates manually or choose them from the calendar.