Top 7 in molecular biology

linkurl:1. Powerful tension;http://f1000.com/6664957?key=bwswnw4wz8qh0l1

Image of mitotic spindle in a human cell:
microtubules in green, chromosomes in blue, and kinetochores in red.
Wikimedia Commons, linkurl:Afunguy;http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Kinetochore.jpg

Tension stabilizes the attachment of microtubules to kinetochores during cell division in budding yeast, demonstrating how mechanical forces can modulate chromosome movement during replication.B. Akiyoshi, et al., linkurl:"Tension directly stabilizes reconstituted kinetochore-microtubule attachments,";http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/21107429?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m Nature, 468:576-9. 2010. Evaluations by Raquel Oliveira, Univ of Oxford; Yamini Dalal, NCI; Eugenio Marco and Gaudenz Danuser, Harvard Med School; Jonathan Millar, Univ of Warwick; Iain Cheeseman, MIT. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://f1000.com/6664957?key=bwswnw4wz8qh0l1 linkurl:2. The genome shuffle;http://f1000.com/7848958?key=g79vstgp2slq12qIn some cancers, chromosomes are broken apart and stitched back together, resulting in tens to hundreds of spontaneous genomic rearrangements, contravening the model of slowly accumulating point mutations and more subtle chromosome rearrangements. The process, dubbed "chromothripsis," occurs in at least 2-3 percent of all cancers, across many subtypes, and is present in 25 percent of bone cancers. P.J. Stephens et al., linkurl:"Massive genomic rearrangement acquired in a single catastrophic event during cancer development,";http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/21215367?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m Cell, 144:27-40, 2011. Evaluations by Jordi Camps and Thomas Ried, NCI/NIH; Yamini Dalal, NCI/NIH; Giovanni Neri, Univ Cattolica del S Cuore, Italy; Robert Booth, Virobay Inc; Yan Xu and Makoto Komiyama, Univ Tokyo. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://f1000.com/7848958?key=g79vstgp2slq12q linkurl:3. Ribosomes at home;http://f1000.com/5730956?key=dp74k0kffk0n28xThe closest look ever at the architecture of human ribosomes in intact human cells reveals a compact, ordered structure similar to that of bacterial ribosomes, suggesting conserved orientation of this molecular machinery across species. F. Brandt, et al., linkurl:"The three-dimensional organization of polyribosomes in intact human cells,";http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/20797628?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m Mol Cell, 39:560-9, 2010. Evaluations by Dmitri Ermolenko and George Makhatadze, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; Daniel MacDougall, Margaret Elvekrog and Ruben Gonzalez, Columbia Univ; J Robert Hogg and Kathy Collins, Univ pf California at Berkeley. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://f1000.com/5730956?key=dp74k0kffk0n28x linkurl:4. Bizarre replication breaks DNA;http://f1000.com/8492962?key=8n84ggd3c844bnqCommon fragile sites, large chromosomal regions that frequently break under replication stress and play a role in various cancers, are prone to breakage due to an unusual replication pattern in human lymphocytes, described by researchers for the first time. A. Letessier, et al., linkurl:"Cell-type-specific replication initiation programs set fragility of the FRA3B fragile site,";http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/21258320?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m Nature, 470:120-3, 2011. Evaluations by Armelle Lengronne and Philippe Pasero, Ins of Human Genetics. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://f1000.com/8492962?key=8n84ggd3c844bnq linkurl:5. Meiosis double play;http://f1000.com/7707956?key=9cbgb0bgthz6lmpA protein, Exo1, plays two distinct roles during meiotic recombination in budding yeast: it is involved in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks and, in a biochemically distinct pathway, promotes cross over between chromosomes.K. Zakharyevich, et al., linkurl:"Temporally and biochemically distinct activities of Exo1 during meiosis: double-strand break resection and resolution of double Holliday junctions,";http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/21172664?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m Mol Cell, 40:1001-15, 2010. Evaluations by William Holloman, Weill Medical College of Cornell Univ; Ian Hickson, Univ of Copenhagen. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://f1000.com/7707956?key=9cbgb0bgthz6lmp linkurl:6. Chromatin controls T cells;http://f1000.com/7448956?key=yfg3l12245sbvjhChromatin regulation is key to T cell development and activation: Inactive T cells do not proliferate because transcriptions factors cannot access gene targets in the nucleus due to chromatin condensation, while T cells that engage with an antigen lose chromatin compaction, express target genes, and proliferate. J.S. Rawlings, et al., linkurl:"Chromatin condensation via the condensin II complex is required for peripheral T-cell quiescence,";http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/21169989?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m EMBO, 30:263-76, 2011. Evaluations by Allan Zajac, Univ of Alabama at Birmingham; Pierre Ferrier, Univ de la Mediterranee; Wendy Bickmore, MRC Human Genetics Unit. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://f1000.com/7448956?key=yfg3l12245sbvjh linkurl:7. Rad repair;http://f1000.com/7696958?key=v3rhtl9kmv0jkwrIn healthy cells, knocking out the Rad52 protein, involved in DNA recombination and repair, causes no obvious defect. But when BRCA2 -- a protein also involved in repairing chromosomal damage -- is defective, the Rad52 knockout is lethal, suggesting that Rad52 is an alternative DNA repair pathway and a potential target for therapy in BRCA2-deficient cells, which can form tumors.Z. Feng, et al., linkurl:"Rad52 inactivation is synthetically lethal with BRCA2 deficiency,";http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez/21148102?dopt=Abstract&holding=f1000,f1000m Proc Natl Acad Sci, 108:686-91, 2010. Evaluations by Roland Kanaar, Erasmus Med Center; William Holloman, Weill Med College of Cornell Univ. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://f1000.com/7696958?key=v3rhtl9kmv0jkwr The F1000 Top 7 is a snapshot of the highest ranked articles from a 30-day period on Faculty of 1000 Medicine, as calculated on February 25, 2010. Faculty Members evaluate and rate the most important papers in their field. To see the latest rankings, search the database, and read daily evaluations, visit linkurl:http://f1000.com.;http://f1000.com
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