{"title":"The effects of lipids on channel function.","authors":"Anthony G Lee","doi":"10.1186/jbiol178","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/jbiol178","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anionic lipids affect the function of many channels, including connexins, as shown in a recent report in BMC Biology. These effects might follow from direct binding of the anionic lipids to the channels.</p>","PeriodicalId":15075,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biology","volume":"8 9","pages":"86"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-10-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/jbiol178","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"28426800","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nursing some sense out of Myc.","authors":"Nicole M Sodir, Gerard I Evan","doi":"10.1186/jbiol181","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/jbiol181","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Data recently published in BMC Biology provide insights into the normal physiological function of c-myc in the development and regeneration of the mammary gland and indicate a key role in epithelial cell proliferation, elaboration of ductal alveoli, and the biosynthetic capacity and milk production of the mature organ.</p>","PeriodicalId":15075,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biology","volume":" ","pages":"77"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-09-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/jbiol181","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40056223","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Physical forces in myelination and repair: a question of balance?","authors":"Nina G Bauer, Charles ffrench-Constant","doi":"10.1186/jbiol169","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/jbiol169","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A recent report in BMC Cell Biology examines how the balance of extracellular forces and intracellular contractions regulate the shape changes required for oligodendrocyte myelination. A failure of remyelination such as seen in multiple sclerosis could be caused by loss of this balance.</p>","PeriodicalId":15075,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biology","volume":" ","pages":"78"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/jbiol169","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40056222","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Deciphering the genetic code of morphogenesis using functional genomics.","authors":"Athea Vichas, Jennifer A Zallen","doi":"10.1186/jbiol180","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/jbiol180","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A fundamental goal of developmental biology is to define the molecular mechanisms that control cell behavior during morphogenesis. A recent study in BMC Biology combines gene expression profiling, bioinformatics and functional analysis to identify genes that shape the Drosophila embryo.</p>","PeriodicalId":15075,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biology","volume":" ","pages":"76"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/jbiol180","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"40048824","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The 'stem cell' concept: is it holding us back?","authors":"Arthur D Lander","doi":"10.1186/jbiol177","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/jbiol177","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Developmental biology, regenerative medicine and cancer biology are increasingly occupied with the molecular characterization of stem cells. Yet recent work adds to a growing body of literature suggesting that 'stemness' cannot be reduced to the molecular features of cell types, and is instead an emergent property of cell lineages under feedback control.</p>","PeriodicalId":15075,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biology","volume":"8 8","pages":"70"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/jbiol177","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"28413515","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Motifs from the deep.","authors":"Tony W Hwang, Vlad Codrea, Andrew D Ellington","doi":"10.1186/jbiol174","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/jbiol174","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Because of the increasing recognition of the importance of non-coding RNAs in gene regulation, there is considerable interest in identifying RNA motifs in genomic data. In a recent report in BMC Genomics, Breaker and colleagues describe a new algorithm for identifying functional noncoding RNAs in metagenomic sequences of marine organisms, a strategy that may be particularly effective for discovering new and unique riboswitches.</p>","PeriodicalId":15075,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biology","volume":"8 8","pages":"72"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/jbiol174","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"28386712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Complementary pathways in mammalian female sex determination.","authors":"Serge Nef, Jean-Dominique Vassalli","doi":"10.1186/jbiol173","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/jbiol173","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In mammals, the sex of the embryo is determined by the fate of the gonad. Recent papers, including one in BMC Developmental Biology, shed light on the molecular regulation of ovarian development and suggest that the R-spondin1/Wnt4/beta-catenin pathway and the Foxl2 transcription factor act in a complementary manner to promote ovarian fate and to repress testicular development.</p>","PeriodicalId":15075,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biology","volume":"8 8","pages":"74"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-09-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/jbiol173","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"28386711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Insulators as mediators of intra- and inter-chromosomal interactions: a common evolutionary theme.","authors":"Chin-Tong Ong, Victor G Corces","doi":"10.1186/jbiol165","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/jbiol165","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Insulator elements mediate intra- and inter-chromosomal interactions. The insulator protein CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is important for insulator function in several animals but a report in BMC Molecular Biology shows that Caenorhabditis elegans, yeast and plants lack CTCF. Alternative proteins may have a similar function in these organisms.</p>","PeriodicalId":15075,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biology","volume":"8 8","pages":"73"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/jbiol165","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"28451737","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The absolute pitch mind continues to reveal itself.","authors":"Patrick Bermudez, Robert J Zatorre","doi":"10.1186/jbiol171","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/jbiol171","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Absolute pitch has proved useful as an alternative perspective from which to investigate various cognitive faculties. A new functional magnetic resonance imaging study published recently in BMC Neuroscience adds new data to the ongoing debate concerning the neural underpinnings of this unusual ability.</p>","PeriodicalId":15075,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biology","volume":"8 8","pages":"75"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/jbiol171","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"28451738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The complex genetic basis of simple behavior.","authors":"Anna J Jasinska, Nelson B Freimer","doi":"10.1186/jbiol172","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/jbiol172","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Genetic approaches to dissecting complex traits in animal models increasingly use transcript levels as a molecular phenotype and as validation for predictions of gene function. A recent study in BMC Biology using these approaches shows the complexity of the genetic contribution to aggressive behavior in Drosophila.</p>","PeriodicalId":15075,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Biology","volume":"8 8","pages":"71"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2009-08-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://sci-hub-pdf.com/10.1186/jbiol172","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"28451739","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}