Journal Club

Highlighting recently published papers selected by Academy members

Category Archives: Cell Biology

Journal Club: Insights from 3-D images defy assumptions about how plant cells communicate

Posted on June 23, 2017 by Carolyn Beans

When plant cells communicate, plasmodesmata serve as crucial conduits. These channels cross cell walls, linking one cell to its neighbor. If a plant needs to grow larger or fight off a pathogen, molecular signals pass through plasmodesmata to keep cells … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Macrophages help regenerate ear parts in spiny mice

Posted on June 10, 2017 by Jyoti Madhusoodanan

Salamander tails and fish fins are oft-cited examples of animals’ ability to regenerate a lost limb or organ. But one mammal—the African spiny mouse—has also emerged as a model of regenerative abilities. In a recent study, Ashley Seifert of the University … Continue reading →

Journal Club: ATP could help proteins dissolve in cells, prompting a rethink about its function and evolution

Posted on May 27, 2017 by Jyoti Madhusoodanan

Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is widely considered biology’s “energy currency”. A crucial player in cell function, it stores and releases energy for enzymatic reactions in its phosphate bonds. But cells typically hoard amounts of ATP several hundred-fold higher than that needed … Continue reading →

Categories: Biochemistry | Cell Biology | Journal Club | Tagged Alzheimer's disease, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ATP, plaque | 1 Comment

Journal Club: Newfound avenue for disrupting peroxisome organelles could have big implications in the cell

Posted on February 18, 2017 by Charles Choi

Peroxisomes are packages of enzymes that help destroy toxins and digest fuels for cells. Disrupt the assembly of these organelles, and the results could be fatal for humans. Previously, all mutant proteins linked to such disorders were thought to be … Continue reading →

Categories: Biochemistry | Cell Biology | Journal Club | Tagged apoptosis, cancer, eukaryotes, mitochondria, peroxisome | Leave a comment

Journal Club: A new strategy for producing polio vaccine without live virus

Posted on February 6, 2017 by Carolyn Beans

The poliovirus, which once paralyzed children across the globe, is nearly eradicated in nature. There were just 74 cases of polio reported in 2015, according to the World Health Organization, down from an estimated 350,000 in 1988. Two vaccines contributed … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Neural circuits and social status spur zebrafish to swim or flee

Posted on January 28, 2017 by Helen Shen

Should I stay or should I go? In the zebrafish (Danio rerio), two competing neural circuits determine whether an animal swims or turns tail and escapes. Social status can tip the balance between these circuits, leading dominant and subordinate animals … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Phage find clever ways to infiltrate resistant bacteria and shuttle DNA between strains

Posted on January 24, 2017 by Charlotte Schubert

In the gut, in the soil, and myriad other spots, bacteria reign, forming complex communities—but not in isolation. They’re often influenced by bacteria-killing viruses known as bacteriophages. A recent study in Cell now shows how such viruses can infect bystander, … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Extremophiles captured from normal freshwater lake

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Danielle Venton

Microbes capable of stunning metabolic feats—such as thriving in extremely hot or acidic conditions —might not require a trek to an exotic hot spring. The neighborhood pond might do just fine. That’s the implication of a new study in Biology … Continue reading →

Journal Club: Childhood adversities correlated with shortened telomeres, poorer health later in life

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Amber Dance

Stressful experiences during youth seem to leave a mark on a person’s genome decades later, in the form of withered chromosomal caps. As reported in PNAS, childhood stress correlates with increased odds to have shortened telomeres, the chromosome tips that … Continue reading →

Categories: Cell Biology | Journal Club | Psychological and Cognitive Sciences | Tagged childhood, stress, telomeres | Leave a comment

Journal Club: Clues into how dormant cancer cells come alive

Posted on September 12, 2016 by Charlotte Schubert

Tumors can come equipped with time-bombs—cells that migrate through the bloodstream, lodge in a distant organ, and then enter a dormant state. A new study of such cells in the lungs of mice examines how they wake up from dormancy … Continue reading →

Categories: Biochemistry | Cell Biology | Journal Club | Tagged cancer, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, inflammation, metastasis, zeb-1 | Leave a comment