Highlight research publications

Vinculin coordinates focal adhesions under tension.

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How do cells sense changes in their extracellular environment? Which intracellular mechanisms regulate a cellular response? We show that the focal adhesion protein vinculin has a key role in coordinating the assembly and disassembly of force sensing units, the focal adhesions, in cells.

Alex Carisey, Ricky Tsang, Alexandra M Greiner, Nadja Nijenhuis, Nikki Heath, Alicja Nazgiewicz, Ralf Kemkemer, Brian Derby, Joachim Spatz, Christoph Ballestrem, (2013) Current Biology 23(4): 271-81.

Bailing out mitochondria to stay alive.

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Cells receive signals from their environment telling them to stay alive. These signals go to the mitochondria, which actively removes a protein, Bax, which otherwise would kill the cell. The loss of survival signals leads to Bax accumulating on the mitochondria.

Barbara Schellenberg, Pengbo Wang, James A Keeble, Ricardo Rodriguez-Enriquez, Scott Walker, Thomas W Owens, Fiona Foster, Jolanta Tanianis-Hughes, Keith Brennan, Charles H Streuli, Andrew P Gilmore, (2013) Molecular Cell 49(5): 959-71.

Deciphering the regulatory networks involved in embryonic stem cell escape from pluripotency.

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Embryonic stem cells hold the potential for revolutionising regenerative medicine. Here we performed a genome-wide screen to identify over 400 genes required for escape from ground state pluripotency and the onset of differentiation. This study provides an important resource as the majority of these genes have not been previously been implicated in this process.

Shen-Hsi Yang, Tuzer Kalkan, Claire Morrisroe, Austin Smith, Andrew D Sharrocks, (2012) PLoS genetics 8(12): e1003112.

How epithelial cells know which way up they are.

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This article used genetic analyses to provide new clues about how the polarity of epithelial cells becomes orientated in the mammary gland.

Nasreen Akhtar, Charles H Streuli, (2013) Nature Cell Biology 15(1): 17-27.

Running rings around radial growth.

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Plant biomass is a renewable energy source the majority of which is present in plant vascular tissue. We have demonstrated that integration of two hormone signalling pathways controls vascular proliferation in plants. This understanding may be used improve bioenergy feedstocks.

J Peter Etchells, Claire M Provost, Simon R Turner, (2012) PLoS Genetics 8(11): e1002997.