DAVID MACK / PHOTO RESEARCHERS, INC.1. SWEET proteins found » A new class of proteins, dubbed SWEETs, transport glucose molecules out of plant, worm, and human cells. In some plants, SWEET proteins are co-opted by bacterial pathogens to deliver nutrition to the invaders.
L.Q. Chen et al., Nature, 468:527-32, 2010.
2. Good news for trauma » In a trial of more than 20,000 trauma victims, tranexamic acid, a pro-clotting agent often prescribed for excessive bleeding, was safe and reduced the risk of bleeding-related death—a finding likely to change clinical practice.
CRASH-2 trial collaborators, Lancet, 376:23-32, 2010.
3. Focus on focal adhesions » The architecture of focal adhesions—structures that mediate signaling and adhesion to the extracellular matrix—is described in vivid detail, showing several distinct strata including an integrin-signaling layer, an intermediate force-transduction layer, and an actin-regulatory layer.
P. Kanchanawong et al., Nature, 468:580-4, 2010.
4. Powerful tension » Tension stabilizes the attachment of microtubules to kinetochores during cell division in budding yeast, demonstrating how mechanical forces can modulate chromosome ...
