These papers were selected from multiple disciplines from the Faculty of 1000, a Web-based literature awareness tool http://www.facultyof1000.com.

J. Roos et al., "STIM1, an essential and conserved component of store-operated Ca²⁺ channel function," J Cell Biol, 169:435–45, May 9, 2005.

This paper reports that STIM1, an integral membrane protein expressed in endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the plasma membrane, is required for store-operated Ca²⁺ entry in diverse cell types. An RNAi-based screen of Drosophila S2 cells established that from many candidate proteins, only STIM1 was essential for thapsigargin-activated Ca²⁺ entry. STIM1 may be a ubiquitous component of store-regulated Ca²⁺ entry, with its EF-hand perhaps sensing the Ca²⁺ content of the ER.

- Colin TaylorUniversity of Cambridge, United Kingdom

C.H. Lecellier et al., "A cellular microRNA mediates antiviral defense in human cells," Science, 308:557–60, April 22, 2005.

This is a most interesting finding...