Volume 21 Issue 8, August 2020

Frederick Grinnell argues that the era of molecular medicine has provoked new understanding of basic medical terms, necessitating an ‘upgrade’ to modern biomedical ethics.

Young and colleagues show that anti-cancer compounds can undergo partitioning into biomolecular condensates, affecting their activity.

Increased expression of the circular RNA generated by the sulfateless gene (circSfl), and of the protein it encodes, can extend the lifespan of flies.

Ilya Levental outlines maturation of the concept of lipid rafts as an organizational principle of biomembranes.

The unfolded protein response (UPR) comprises a network of signalling pathways that reprogramme transcription, translation and protein modifications to relieve the load of unfolded or misfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum lumen and restore proteostasis. Understanding the regulation of the UPR and the role it has in the pathophysiology of various cell types and organs might open new therapeutic avenues.

Autophagy involves engulfment of cellular components into double-membrane vesicles called autophagosomes. The biogenesis of autophagosomes requires the cooperation of multiple proteins and lipids from various membrane sources. Our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of the initiation, growth, bending and closure of autophagosomal membranes is expanding at a rapid pace.

G-quadruplexes (G4s) are structures formed in guanine-rich DNA or RNA, which are linked to transcription, translation, chromatin biology, genome instability and RNA modifications. Recent studies connect G4 formation with cancer-cell lethality and indicate that G4s could be therapeutic targets.

Circular RNAs, which are produced through back-splicing of exons, are emerging as key regulators of immune responses and cell proliferation. Recent studies have shed new light on the biogenesis and functions of circular RNAs, which include the modulation of transcription and splicing, and interference with microRNAs and other cellular signalling pathways.