Articles
Volume 9 (2011) - April 2011
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Research article
Architectures of archaeal GINS complexes, essential DNA replication initiation factors Takuji Oyama, Sonoko Ishino, Seiji Fujino, Hiromi Ogino, Tsuyoshi Shirai, Kouta Mayanagi, Mihoko Saito, Naoko Nagasawa, Yoshizumi Ishino, Kosuke Morikawa BMC Biology 2011, 9:28 (28 April 2011) |
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Research article
Derya Sargin, Ahmed El-Kordi, Amit Agarwal, Michael Müller, Sonja M Wojcik, Imam Hassouna, Swetlana Sperling, Klaus-Armin Nave, Hannelore Ehrenreich BMC Biology 2011, 9:27 (28 April 2011) Erythropoietin has positive effects on the brain due to blood oxygenation. An additional contribution, via direct action on neurons that express its receptor, is now supported by the superior cognitive performance of transgenic mice that express a constitutively active variant of this receptor in pyramidal neurons.
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Commentary
Butterfly eyespot serial homology: enter the Hox genes James Hombría BMC Biology 2011, 9:26 (28 April 2011) Homeotic (Hox) genes specify segmental diversity during early development. Commenting on a recent paper in EvoDevo on the role of the Hox gene Antennapedia in the specification of butterfly eyespots, James Castelli-Gair Hombría speculates on the evolutionary conservation of eyespot development.
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Commentary
Promiscuity and preferences of metallothioneins: the cell rules Andrew W Foster, Nigel J Robinson BMC Biology 2011, 9:25 (28 April 2011) Metalloproteins are vital for many cellular functions, but it is not known how they select their specific metal. Commenting on a recent paper in BMC Biology, Foster and Robinson explain the many regulatory factors whereby their preferences may be set or overcome by cells.
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Research article
Polyploidization increases meiotic recombination frequency in Ales Pecinka, Wei Fang, Marc Rehmsmeier, Avraham A Levy, Ortrun Mittelsten Scheid BMC Biology 2011, 9:24 (21 April 2011) In evolutionary terms, polyploidy has both costs and benefits for an organism. Help in quantifying these is given by an elegant assay involving fluorescent Arabidopsis seeds, which shows that polyploids have an elevated rate of meiotic recombination.
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Comment
The miswired brain: making connections from neurodevelopment to psychopathology Kevin J Mitchell BMC Biology 2011, 9:23 (12 April 2011) In a brief comment, Kevin Mitchell discusses the implications of the convergence of neuropsychiatric genetics on genes involved in neurodevelopment, outlining the challenge of linking the primary mutations to the final pathology, and explaining how mouse models can help.
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Review
Learning to live together: mutualism between self-splicing introns and their hosts David R Edgell, Venkata R Chalamcharla, Marlene Belfort BMC Biology 2011, 9:22 (11 April 2011) The relationship between self-splicing introns and hosts is often seen as one of molecular parasitism. Edgell, Chalamcharla and Belfort review ways in which they may actually show cooperation rather than conflict.
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