The mechanism by which nucleosomes are evenly spaced at silent loci is explored by Narlikar and colleagues, who use a FRET assay to follow in vitro nucleosome movement mediated by the ACF chromatin remodeling complex. On the cover the beads on an abacus represent nucleosomes spaced on DNA. Photo licensed from iStockPhoto.com. pp 1078-1083 | News and Views p 1047

Work from de la Mata and Kornblihtt suggests that the C-terminal domain (CTD) of RNA polymerase II recruits the splicing repressor SRp20, thus influencing alternative splicing. Since the CTD is an elongated and flexible structure tagged by phosphate groups, the snake-like and flagged creature depicted in "Drago" by Xul Solar here represents this domain, and its interactive nature. Foundation Pan Klub-Museo Xul Solar reserved rights. pp 973-980, News and Views p 952

The Fucini and Vila-Sanjurjo groups present a structure/function analysis of the antibiotic kasugamycin. Shown are lanterns at the Kasuga shrine in Nara, Japan. The Streptomyces strain from which kasugamycin was isolated was found near here. Image by Fabrizio Savoca. Please see pp 871-878 and 879-886, News and Views p 858

Work from the Corey and Rossi labs implicates the Argonaute proteins in transcriptional gene silencing mediated by small RNAs. Shown are argonaut shells secreted by the female octopod Argonauta sp. Photograph by Albert Koetsier. pp 787â–792 and 793â–797

Structural data from the Berger, Botchan and Nogales labs show that initiator proteins of DNA replication in E. coli and Drosophila form a spiraling superstructure represented here by a spring. pp 676-683 | 684-690 | p 665

Studies from Miller and Hahn map the path of the promoter, represented here by the Great Wall of China, across the faces of the eukaryotic Pol II subunits and the general transcription factors which crowd the DNA on either side of the TATA box. The photo was kindly provided by Guo Ximin. pp 603-610 | p 564

The Gordian Knot is a legend associated with Alexander the Great. It is often used as a metaphor for an intractable problem, solved by a bold stroke ("cutting the Gordian knot"). Here the knot represents structural motifs in messenger RNA that pose a roadblock to scanning ribosomes and impede translation. Studies from the Boris–Lawrie group demonstrate that RNA helicase A recognizes the highly structured 5' untranslated region in selected messenger RNAs and stimulates efficient translation. p 509

The satellite dish array receives and transmits signals into the cosmos above. New data from Park et al. suggest that the bacterial chemotaxis proteins responsible for sensing and signaling in response to environmental stimuli are arranged in a similar hedgerow-like array in the cell. pp 400-407 pp 382

The four-fold symmetry found in this MC Escher-inspired geometrical patterning is reminiscent of the KcsA tetrameric channel. Studies from the Perozo group outline a region in the KcsA pore responsible for C-type inactivation and for the voltage dependence of the channel's open probability. Cover design by E. Boyle. pp 311 pp 319

The C2A and C2B domains of synaptotagmin are believed to act as Ca 2+ -sensing triggers in synaptic vesicle fusion. Data from Araç et al. indicate that the C2B domain can bind simultaneously to two separate membranes, suggesting that synaptotagmin can bring the synaptic vesicle and plasma membranes into close proximity as a prelude to vesicle fusion events. Cover art by E. Boyle is based on an EM image provided by J. Rizo and inspired by W. Kandinsky. pp 209-217

Yama is the God of Death revered in Tibetan Buddhism. While his western counterpart, The Grim Reaper, is typically personified as an old man or a skeleton with a scythe, Yama has different manifestations, one of which is shown here (photo courtesy of R. Mann). The protein Reaper activates apoptotic proteases and is involved in translation inhibition. Colon-Ramos et al. show that Reaper directly associates with the ribosomal 40S subunit and probably interferes with its recognition of the start codon. pp 103-111

An artist's interpretation of how Pol E synthesizes DNA in the absence of a sliding clamp. The model is based on the cryo-EM structure of the Pol & multisubunit complex reported by Cheung et al. pp 35â–43 (E. Boyle, oil on board)