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1-S-Nitrosylation of NSF Controls Membrane Trafficking |
Nitric oxide is a diffusible molecule with profound effects on regulated exocytosis in several biological systems—however, the molecular targets remain elusive. In this issue of Cell, Matsushita et al. report that in aortic endothelial cells, S-nitrosylation of NSF, an ATPase essential for the activation of the membranefusion machinery, inhibits the exocytosis of Weibel-Palade bodies, secretory granules containing a cocktail of mediators essential to the regulation of vascular vessel tone. |
2-TSH, The Bone Suppressing Hormone |
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The skeleton is a dynamic organ whose structural integrity depends on constant remodeling, controlled by many local and systemic factors. In this issue of Cell, Abe et al. (2003) identify thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) as an important regulator of this process. |
3-The Double Life of Ribosomal Proteins |
Many integral proteins of the ribosome also carry out extra-ribosomal functions as independent polypeptides, raising questions as to their evolutionary derivation. In this issue of Cell, Mazumder et al. report a surprising new twist in the dual life of these molecules: as part of a cellular response to interferon, a large-subunit protein dramatically exits the ribosome to bind and inhibit the translation of a specific mRNA. |
4-R2D2 Leads the Silencing Trigger to mRNA's Death Star |
During RNA interference (RNAi), Dicer generates short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), which then guide target mRNA cleavage by the RISC complex. Now, Liu et al. identify R2D2, a Dicer-associated protein that is important for siRNA incorporation into RISC, thus linking the initiation and execution phases of RNAi. |
5-Targeting Survival: Integration Site Selection by Retroviruses and LTR-Retrotransposons |
Replication of retroviruses and retrotransposons depends on selecting a favorable chromosomal site for integration of their genomic DNA. Different retroelements meet this challenge by targeting distinctive chromosomal regions. Despite these differences, recent data hints at a common targeting mechanism —tethering of integration complexes to proteins bound at favorable sites. |
6-Nitric Oxide Regulates Exocytosis by S-Nitrosylation of N-ethylmaleimide Sensitive Factor |
Nitric oxide (NO) inhibits vascular inflammation, but the molecular basis for its anti-inflammatory properties is unknown. We show that NO inhibits exocytosis of Weibel-Palade bodies, endothelial granules that mediate vascular inflammation and thrombosis, by regulating the activity of N-ethylmaleimide-sensitive factor (NSF). |
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The con. of amyloid form. by the amyloid precursor protein in Alzheimer's disease have been the focus of many studies, yet little is knownabout the nonpathogenic func. of APP. On some progress is made in this direction by Chen et al., who show that APP induces a suicide path in neurons. |
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