Volume 25 Issue 11, November 2018

The σ₁ receptor, an endoplasmic reticulum–resident transmembrane protein, modulates many physiological and pathological processes and binds multiple drugs, but is nonetheless poorly understood. In a recent issue, Kruse and colleagues illustrate structural differences between agonist- and antagonist-bound receptor and propose that agonist binding may impair oligomerization, making a major step in understanding σ₁ function. They also use a combination of kinetic and molecular dynamic modeling to explain how ligands access the binding pocket.

Attempts to develop a method for 3D genome reconstruction of single cells have been frustrated by the inability to distinguish between chromosome homologs. A novel Hi-C workflow uses haplotype imputation to map the nuclear organization of single diploid cells.

Cells rely on the synthesis, translocation, folding and turnover of proteins. Owing to complexity, spatiotemporal regulation and surveillance of these processes are vital. Advances in the field were discussed at the international symposium ‘Proteins: From the Cradle to the Grave’ that took place in the wonderful setting of a Buddhist temple located close to Kyoto, Japan. The emerging theme was the interdependence among cellular processes and organelle compartments.

Cross-linking mass spectrometry has developed into a robust and flexible tool that provides medium-resolution structural information. This review highlights notable successes of this technique and discusses common pipelines.

In this Review, Haoxing Xu and colleagues summarize current knowledge of TRP channels and their roles in the response to environmental and cellular signals, focusing in particular on the least known class, the organellar TRPs.

A new class of miRNA-recognition elements that function exclusively in protein-coding regions use distinct target-recognition rules and mediate translational repression instead of mRNA destabilization.

Baker, Marcos and colleagues analyze β-arches (loops connecting unpaired β-strands) and derive rules used for de novo design of a hyperthermostable jellyroll structure, with eight antiparallel β-strands forming double-stranded β-helices.

The lncRNA SAMMSON promotes a balanced increase in rRNA maturation and protein synthesis in the cytosol and mitochondria by modulating the localization of CARF, which affects two rRNA-processing factors.

SLFN11 sensitizes cancer cells to therapeutic drugs by selectively catalyzing the cleavage of Leu-TAA and Leu-AAG tRNAs in response to camptothecin DDA treatment, thereby inhibiting the translation rate of proteins enriched for these codons.