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The dual genetic origin of mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes leads to the synthesis of subunits by mitochondrial and cytosolic ribosomes. Now, Richter-Dennerlein et al. report that membrane-integrated assembly factors associate with ribosome nascent chain complexes in human mitochondria to coordinate translational plasticity with the import of subunits from the cytosol.
Activated macrophages undergo metabolic reprogramming, which drives their pro-inflammatory phenotype, but the mechanistic basis for this remains obscure. Here, we demonstrate that upon lipopolysaccharide (LPS) stimulation, macrophages shift from producing ATP by oxidative phosphorylation to glycolysis while also increasing succinate levels. We show that increased mitochondrial oxidation of succinate...
All cellular proteins are synthesized by ribosomes, whose biogenesis in eukaryotes is a complex multi-step process completed within minutes. Several chemical inhibitors of ribosome function are available and used as tools or drugs. By contrast, we lack potent validated chemical probes to analyze the dynamics of eukaryotic ribosome assembly. Here, we combine chemical and genetic approaches to discover...
A comprehensive analysis uncovered a set of yeast proteins promoting protein-based inheritance that shares many of the non-Mendelian properties of prions. Lacking any sequence or structural signatures of known prions, these proteins represent a new class of non-amyloid, protein-based epigenetic determinants that can control phenotype without impacting genotype.
Antibody blockade of the inhibitory CTLA-4 pathway has led to clinical benefit in a subset of patients with metastatic melanoma. Anti-CTLA-4 enhances T cell responses, including production of IFN-γ, which is a critical cytokine for host immune responses. However, the role of IFN-γ signaling in tumor cells in the setting of anti-CTLA-4 therapy remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate that patients identified...
Redirecting T cells to attack cancer using engineered chimeric receptors provides powerful new therapeutic capabilities. However, the effectiveness of therapeutic T cells is constrained by the endogenous T cell response: certain facets of natural response programs can be toxic, whereas other responses, such as the ability to overcome tumor immunosuppression, are absent. Thus, the efficacy and safety...
Prions are a paradigm-shifting mechanism of inheritance in which phenotypes are encoded by self-templating protein conformations rather than nucleic acids. Here, we examine the breadth of protein-based inheritance across the yeast proteome by assessing the ability of nearly every open reading frame (ORF; ∼5,300 ORFs) to induce heritable traits. Transient overexpression of nearly 50 proteins created...
Avycaz combines an older cephalosporin antibiotic, ceftazidime, and the β-lactamase inhibitor avibactam. Ceftazidime targets penicillin-binding proteins (PBPs) in the bacterial periplasm that are required for cell wall synthesis. Avibactam blocks β-lactamases (β-L) in the periplasm, which would otherwise inactivate the antibiotics resulting in drug resistance.
Genome-metabolism interactions enable cell growth. To probe the extent of these interactions and delineate their functional contributions, we quantified the Saccharomyces amino acid metabolome and its response to systematic gene deletion. Over one-third of coding genes, in particular those important for chromatin dynamics, translation, and transport, contribute to biosynthetic metabolism. Specific...
piRNA guides the action of PIWI proteins to silence deleterious transposons in animal reproductive tissues. Biogenesis of piRNA-induced silencing complex (piRISC) involves a multi-step process. In this issue, Matsumoto et al. report the first crystal structure of a PIWI-clade protein displaying a guide RNA, ready for action.
While a third of the world carries the burden of tuberculosis, disease control has been hindered by a lack of tools, including a rapid, point-of-care diagnostic and a protective vaccine. In many infectious diseases, antibodies (Abs) are powerful biomarkers and important immune mediators. However, in Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) infection, a discriminatory or protective role for humoral immunity...
Microtubule-organizing centers (MTOCs) nucleate microtubules that can grow autonomously in any direction. To generate bundles of parallel microtubules originating from a single MTOC, the growth of multiple microtubules needs to coordinated, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Here, we show that a conserved two-component system consisting of the plus-end tracker EB1 and the minus-end-directed...
Adoptive immunotherapy using receptor engineering to achieve specific tumor targeting by T cells holds much promise for advancing cancer therapy. Here, two studies by Boice et al. and Roybal et al. provide distinct and potentially complimentary approaches to improve the efficacy and curb potential toxicities of this approach.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Andreas Rett’s report on 22 girls who developed a peculiar and devastating neurological disorder that later came to bear his name. On this occasion, we reflect on the progress that has occurred in understanding Rett Syndrome, development of potential treatments, and the ramifications that Rett research has had on the fields of neurobiology...
The inflammasome is an intracellular signaling complex, which on recognition of pathogens and physiological aberration, drives activation of caspase-1, pyroptosis, and the release of the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18. Bacterial ligands must secure entry into the cytoplasm to activate inflammasomes; however, the mechanisms by which concealed ligands are liberated in the cytoplasm have...
For the past several decades, advances in plant development, physiology, cell biology, and genetics have relied heavily on the model (or reference) plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Arabidopsis resembles other plants, including crop plants, in many but by no means all respects. Study of Arabidopsis alone provides little information on the evolutionary history of plants, evolutionary differences between...
The HVEM (TNFRSF14) receptor gene is among the most frequently mutated genes in germinal center lymphomas. We report that loss of HVEM leads to cell-autonomous activation of B cell proliferation and drives the development of GC lymphomas in vivo. HVEM-deficient lymphoma B cells also induce a tumor-supportive microenvironment marked by exacerbated lymphoid stroma activation and increased recruitment...
While conventional pathogenic protists have been extensively studied, there is an underappreciated constitutive protist microbiota that is an integral part of the vertebrate microbiome. The impact of these species on the host and their potential contributions to mucosal immune homeostasis remain poorly studied. Here, we show that the protozoan Tritrichomonas musculis activates the host epithelial...
The nitrogen-fixing Rhizobium-legume partnership is presently the best understood of all host-microbe symbioses. Bacterial and plant partners signal across developmental time and space.
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