Top 7 papers in biochemistry

linkurl:1. How cilia talk;http://f1000.com/4113956?key=yw1qvsr7z0436kr Primary (nonmotile) cilia need membrane proteins to send and receive extracellular signals as part of their role as a coordinator of signaling pathways, and new findings show how cilia retain those membrane proteins -- a barrier at the base of cilia made up of proteins called septins.

MaterialscientistWikimedia Commons

Q. Hu et al., __Science__, 329:436-39, 2010. Evaluated by Y. Barral, ETH; M. Wirschell and W. Sale, Emory; H. Folsch, Northwestern; Y. Yamashita, UMich; M. Bettencourt-Dias, IGC; S. Feng and W. Guo, UPenn; M. Labouesse, CNRS; J. Axelrod, Stanford. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://f1000.com/4113956?key=yw1qvsr7z0436kr linkurl:2. Nickel allergy explained;http://f1000.com/4848958?key=v29z7h3qzsy2dsv Allergy to nickel plated jewelry is initiated because Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) binds and recognizes nickel in much the same way that it recognizes lipopolysaccharides, a component of the bacterial cell wall. M. Schmidt et al., __Nat Immunol__, 11:814-9, 2010. Evaluated by Marc Rothenberg, Cincinnati Children's Hosp Med Center; Caetano Reis e Sousa, Cancer Research UK; Michael Maroney, Univ of Massachusetts. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://f1000.com/4848958?key=v29z7h3qzsy2dsv linkurl:3. Third one's the charm;http://beta.f1000.com/3003957?key=zl82zj1mkdg0rqw By comparing the three conformations in the crystal structure of a key microbacterial transporter protein, researchers propose a model for how the protein -- similar to those involved in mammalian neurotransmission -- moves substrates across the membrane. T. Shimamura, et al., Science, 328:470-3, 2010. Evaluations by Louis De Felice, Virginia Commonwealth Univ; Baruch Kanner, Hebrew Univ Hadassah Medical School, Israel; Robert Vandenberg, Univ of Sydney, Australia; Gary Rudnick, Yale Univ School of Medicine. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://beta.f1000.com/3003957?key=zl82zj1mkdg0rqw linkurl:4. Source of mechanotransduction?;http://beta.f1000.com/4765957?key=6ksdc5w50wlxt30 Researchers pinpoint the molecular identity of a mechanosensitive channel in C. elegans, suggesting a possible starting point for the hunt for mechanotransduction channels mediating hearing, touch, and propioception in mammals.L. Kang, et al., Neuron, 67:381-91, 2010. Evaluations by Rachel Wilson, Harvard Medical School; Andy Groves, Baylor College of Medicine; Paul Garrity, Brandeis Univ; Roger Hardie, Univ of Cambridge. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://beta.f1000.com/4765957?key=6ksdc5w50wlxt30 linkurl:5. Shining new light on fMRI;http://f1000.com/3469956?key=105q35hkz3hmsw3 A new approach strengthens the technical validity of functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) -- which measures changes in blood oxygen levels in the brain as a proxy for neuronal activity -- by combining it with a system that activates specific types of neurons using pulses of light.J.H. Lee, et al., __Nature__, 465:788-92, 2010. Evaluations by Aina Puce, Indiana Univ.; Atsushi Iriki, RIKEN Brain Science Institute; Luis de Lecea, Stanford Univ. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://f1000.com/3469956?key=105q35hkz3hmsw3 linkurl:6. The many mutations of cancer;http://f1000.com/4759956?key=4491vf3hl9g0vnw

Lung carcinomaWikimedia Commons

A comprehensive analysis of 441 tumor samples of human breast, lung, ovarian, and prostate cancers revealed strikingly diverse mutational backgrounds among cancer types and subtypes while identifying potential novel drug targets.Z. Kan, et al., __Nature__, 466:869-73, 2010. Evaluations by Thomas Ried, National Cancer Institute; Donald Nierlich, UCLA; Silvio Gutkind, National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. linkurl:Free F1000 Evaluation;http://f1000.com/4759956?key=4491vf3hl9g0vnw 7. Guidance proteins in actionResearchers have finally described the detailed crystal structure of signaling proteins, called semaphorins, interacting with their receptors (plexins), affording insights that may help target drugs to ailing nervous, cardiovascular or immune systems, where the binding partners regulate development and functioning.H. Liu, et al., __Cell__, 142:749-61, 2010. Evaluations by Yuxiao Wang and Xuewu Zhang, Univ of Tex Southwestern Med Ctr; Prasanta Hota and Matthias Buck, Case Western Res Univ; Guido Serini and Giulio Gabbiani, Univ Geneva. Free F1000 EvaluationThe F1000 Top 7 is a snapshot of the highest ranked articles from a 30-day period on Faculty of 1000 Biochemistry, as calculated on October 14, 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://beta.f1000.com/
**__Related stories:__***linkurl:Top 7 papers in neuroscience;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/57742/
[12th October 2010]*linkurl:Top 7 in developmental biology;http://www.the-scientist.com/news/display/57736/
[5th October 2010]*linkurl:Top 7 immunology papers;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57727/
[28th September 2010]