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		Commentary Mitochondrial genomes as living ‘fossils’ Ian Small BMC Biology 2013, 11:30 (15 April 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Ian Small discusses why the "fossilised" mitochondrial genome of Liriodendron could have such a slow mutation rate, and what it might tell us about the evolution of RNA editing.
		Research article The “fossilized” mitochondrial genome of Liriodendron tulipifera: ancestral gene content and order, ancestral editing sites, and extraordinarily low mutation rate Aaron O Richardson, Danny W Rice, Gregory J Young, Andrew J Alverson, Jeffrey D Palmer BMC Biology 2013, 11:29 (15 April 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary The mitochondrial genome of the tulip tree has a remarkably slow rate of nucleotide substitution, and could offer insight into the content and organisation of this genome in the ancestral flowering plant.
		Commentary Biological functions of natural antisense transcripts Andreas Werner BMC Biology 2013, 11:31 (12 April 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Question and Answer Q&A: Who needs a centrosome? Mónica Bettencourt-Dias BMC Biology 2013, 11:28 (11 April 2013) Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary The centrosome is classically regarded as the microtubule-organizing center of the cell. But cells can divide without them, and exactly what they do is largely mysterious. In a Q&A article in a series on cell geometry, Monica Bettencourt-Dias asks what we do know and what we don’t, about normal centrosomes and the abnormalities underlying disease.
		Research article The buccohypophyseal canal is an ancestral vertebrate trait maintained by modulation in sonic hedgehog signaling Roman H Khonsari, Maisa Seppala, Alan Pradel, Hugo Dutel, Gaël Clément, Oleg Lebedev, Sarah Ghafoor, Michaela Rothova, Abigael Tucker, John G Maisey, Chen-Ming Fan, Maiko Kawasaki, Atsushi Ohazama, Paul Tafforeau, Brunella Franco, Jill Helms, Courtney J Haycraft, Albert David, Philippe Janvier, Martyn T Cobourne, Paul T Sharpe BMC Biology 2013, 11:27 (28 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Comment Open questions: Reflections on plant development and genetics Virginia Walbot BMC Biology 2013, 11:25 (28 March 2013) Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary For the BMC Biology 10^th anniversary series of open questions, Virginia Walbot reflects on how genomics has contributed to our understanding of plants over the last ten years, and the challenge of understanding how the flexible phenotypes of plants may adapt to environmental effects in future.
		Research article Thyroid hormone actions are temperature-specific and regulate thermal acclimation in zebrafish (Danio rerio) Alexander G Little, Tatsuya Kunisue, Kurunthachalam Kannan, Frank Seebacher BMC Biology 2013, 11:26 (26 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Thyroid hormone plays an important part in adaptation to changing ambient temperature conditions in mammals, but surprisingly, its role in such adaptation in ectotherms is not known. Alexander Little and colleagues report investigations on zebrafish that suggest it is important for cold-blooded vertebrate adaptation too.
		Research article Copy-number variation of cancer-gene orthologs is sufficient to induce cancer-like symptoms in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Michaela de Clare, Stephen G Oliver BMC Biology 2013, 11:24 (25 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary An analysis of the effect of copy number variation on growth, apoptosis and the cell cycle for a selected subset of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes suggests that using this model yeast to predict the effects of similar copy number variants in human cancers is a worthwhile approach.
		Research article Frequency of intron loss correlates with processed pseudogene abundance: a novel strategy to test the reverse transcriptase model of intron loss Tao Zhu, Deng-Ke Niu BMC Biology 2013, 11:23 (5 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary It is well established that intron loss is common in gene evolution, but three competing theories have been proposed to explain it. A new study supports the model involving reverse transcription, by analysing genomic byproducts of reverse transcriptase activity.
		Research article Disruption of genital ridge development causes aberrant primordial germ cell proliferation but does not affect their directional migration Su-Ren Chen, Qiao-Song Zheng, Yang Zhang, Fei Gao, Yi-Xun Liu BMC Biology 2013, 11:22 (5 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Comment Open questions: Epigenetics and the role of heterochromatin in development Susan M Gasser BMC Biology 2013, 11:21 (4 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary As part of BMC Biology’s 10^th anniversary collection, Susan Gasser’s open questions link heterochromatin-mediated silencing, nuclear localisation and the true nature of epigenetic control.
		Research article Molecular basis for prey relocation in viperid snakes Anthony J Saviola, David Chiszar, Chardelle Busch, Stephen P Mackessy BMC Biology 2013, 11:20 (1 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Viperid snakes bite their prey and then let them go to avoid retaliation. By measuring snake behavior and analysing venom chemistry, Stephen Mackessy and colleagues provide an answer to how they find them again.
		Research article A functional genomics screen for microRNA regulators of NF-kappaB signaling Anthony O Olarerin-George, Lauren Anton, Yih-Chii Hwang, Michal A Elovitz, John B Hogenesch BMC Biology 2013, 11:19 (28 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Editorial Q&A: Re-review opt-out and painless publishing Miranda Robertson BMC Biology 2013, 11:18 (28 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary BMC Biology operates on the principle that the function of a journal is to facilitate publication of sound research results. Miranda Robertson reviews in Q&A format the journal’s re-review opt-out policy and how it has worked over the four years of its operation.
		Comment Open questions: What is there left for cell biologists to do? Sean Munro BMC Biology 2013, 11:16 (27 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary In a contribution to the 10^th anniversary series on open questions in biology, Sean Munro asks provocatively what there is left for cell biologists to do, and with great elan and a touch of waspish humor produces five unanswered questions on issues from the special properties of non-dividing cells to the architecture of the brain.
		Research article Genome mining for methanobactins Grace E Kenney, Amy C Rosenzweig BMC Biology 2013, 11:17 (26 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Methanotrophic bacteria have potential as a biological methane sink, and methanobactins are a set of peptides important in regulating this activity. A genome mining study highlights genes involved in methanobactin production, but also suggests that not all methanotrophs have them.
		Research article Quantifying the contribution of chromatin dynamics to stochastic gene expression reveals long, locus-dependent periods between transcriptional bursts José Viñuelas, Gaël Kaneko, Antoine Coulon, Elodie Vallin, Valérie Morin, Camila Mejia-Pous, Jean-Jacques Kupiec, Guillaume Beslon, Olivier Gandrillon BMC Biology 2013, 11:15 (25 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary A combined biological and computational approach adds further detail to a growing body of evidence that most genes undergo short bursts of transcription interspersed between long periods of downtime.
		Commentary Predicting the evolution of antibiotic resistance Martijn F Schenk, J Arjan GM de Visser BMC Biology 2013, 11:14 (22 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Commenting on research in BMC Evolutionary Biology, Arjan de Visser and Martijn Schenk discuss how two genetic properties, pleiotropy and epistasis, might help us to predict the evolution of antibiotic resistance.
		Research article Notch2 is required in somatic cells for breakdown of ovarian germ-cell nests and formation of primordial follicles Jingxia Xu, Thomas Gridley BMC Biology 2013, 11:13 (13 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Research article MST1, a key player, in enhancing fast skeletal muscle atrophy Bin Wei, Wen Dui, Dong Liu, Yan Xing, Zengqiang Yuan, Guangju Ji BMC Biology 2013, 11:12 (1 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Comment Open questions: Chromosome condensation - Why does a chromosome look like a chromosome? Frank Uhlmann BMC Biology 2013, 11:9 (31 January 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary In his contribution to the ‘Open questions’ anniversary collection for BMC Biology, Frank Uhlmann poses the unsolved problem of chromosome packaging
		Comment Open questions - in brief: Beyond -omics, missing motor proteins, and getting from molecules to organisms Stephen J Benkovic, Julie Theriot, Dagmar Ringe BMC Biology 2013, 11:8 (31 January 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Editorial Open questions in biology - a tenth anniversary series Miranda Robertson BMC Biology 2013, 11:7 (31 January 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary To celebrate its tenth anniversary, BMC Biology asked its Editorial Board members to write a paragraph or two on their favorite open questions in biology, and this month it publishes the first contributions, on topics from the challenges of proteomics to the mechanisms of apoptosis.
		Methodology article Multi-channel acoustic recording and automated analysis of Drosophila courtship songs Benjamin J Arthur, Tomoko Sunayama-Morita, Philip Coen, Mala Murthy, David L Stern BMC Biology 2013, 11:11 (31 January 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Drosophila fruit flies' "singing" during courtship is a model system for both genetic and neural control of behaviour. A newly-designed recording system allows for analysis of the songs' various rhythms and cycles in unprecedented detail.
		Comment Open questions: missing pieces from the immunological jigsaw puzzle Gillian M Griffiths BMC Biology 2013, 11:10 (31 January 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary Gillian Griffiths, in her ‘Open questions’ contribution for BMC Biology, pinpoints some critical missing links in the cell-biological specializations of immune cells

	All
		Commentary Mitochondrial genomes as living ‘fossils’ Ian Small BMC Biology 2013, 11:30 (15 April 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Ian Small discusses why the "fossilised" mitochondrial genome of Liriodendron could have such a slow mutation rate, and what it might tell us about the evolution of RNA editing.
		Research article The “fossilized” mitochondrial genome of Liriodendron tulipifera: ancestral gene content and order, ancestral editing sites, and extraordinarily low mutation rate Aaron O Richardson, Danny W Rice, Gregory J Young, Andrew J Alverson, Jeffrey D Palmer BMC Biology 2013, 11:29 (15 April 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary The mitochondrial genome of the tulip tree has a remarkably slow rate of nucleotide substitution, and could offer insight into the content and organisation of this genome in the ancestral flowering plant.
		Commentary Biological functions of natural antisense transcripts Andreas Werner BMC Biology 2013, 11:31 (12 April 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Question and Answer Q&A: Who needs a centrosome? Mónica Bettencourt-Dias BMC Biology 2013, 11:28 (11 April 2013) Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary The centrosome is classically regarded as the microtubule-organizing center of the cell. But cells can divide without them, and exactly what they do is largely mysterious. In a Q&A article in a series on cell geometry, Monica Bettencourt-Dias asks what we do know and what we don’t, about normal centrosomes and the abnormalities underlying disease.
		Research article The buccohypophyseal canal is an ancestral vertebrate trait maintained by modulation in sonic hedgehog signaling Roman H Khonsari, Maisa Seppala, Alan Pradel, Hugo Dutel, Gaël Clément, Oleg Lebedev, Sarah Ghafoor, Michaela Rothova, Abigael Tucker, John G Maisey, Chen-Ming Fan, Maiko Kawasaki, Atsushi Ohazama, Paul Tafforeau, Brunella Franco, Jill Helms, Courtney J Haycraft, Albert David, Philippe Janvier, Martyn T Cobourne, Paul T Sharpe BMC Biology 2013, 11:27 (28 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Comment Open questions: Reflections on plant development and genetics Virginia Walbot BMC Biology 2013, 11:25 (28 March 2013) Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary For the BMC Biology 10^th anniversary series of open questions, Virginia Walbot reflects on how genomics has contributed to our understanding of plants over the last ten years, and the challenge of understanding how the flexible phenotypes of plants may adapt to environmental effects in future.
		Research article Thyroid hormone actions are temperature-specific and regulate thermal acclimation in zebrafish (Danio rerio) Alexander G Little, Tatsuya Kunisue, Kurunthachalam Kannan, Frank Seebacher BMC Biology 2013, 11:26 (26 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Thyroid hormone plays an important part in adaptation to changing ambient temperature conditions in mammals, but surprisingly, its role in such adaptation in ectotherms is not known. Alexander Little and colleagues report investigations on zebrafish that suggest it is important for cold-blooded vertebrate adaptation too.
		Research article Copy-number variation of cancer-gene orthologs is sufficient to induce cancer-like symptoms in Saccharomyces cerevisiae Michaela de Clare, Stephen G Oliver BMC Biology 2013, 11:24 (25 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary An analysis of the effect of copy number variation on growth, apoptosis and the cell cycle for a selected subset of Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes suggests that using this model yeast to predict the effects of similar copy number variants in human cancers is a worthwhile approach.
		Research article Frequency of intron loss correlates with processed pseudogene abundance: a novel strategy to test the reverse transcriptase model of intron loss Tao Zhu, Deng-Ke Niu BMC Biology 2013, 11:23 (5 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary It is well established that intron loss is common in gene evolution, but three competing theories have been proposed to explain it. A new study supports the model involving reverse transcription, by analysing genomic byproducts of reverse transcriptase activity.
		Research article Disruption of genital ridge development causes aberrant primordial germ cell proliferation but does not affect their directional migration Su-Ren Chen, Qiao-Song Zheng, Yang Zhang, Fei Gao, Yi-Xun Liu BMC Biology 2013, 11:22 (5 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Comment Open questions: Epigenetics and the role of heterochromatin in development Susan M Gasser BMC Biology 2013, 11:21 (4 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary As part of BMC Biology’s 10^th anniversary collection, Susan Gasser’s open questions link heterochromatin-mediated silencing, nuclear localisation and the true nature of epigenetic control.
		Research article Molecular basis for prey relocation in viperid snakes Anthony J Saviola, David Chiszar, Chardelle Busch, Stephen P Mackessy BMC Biology 2013, 11:20 (1 March 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Viperid snakes bite their prey and then let them go to avoid retaliation. By measuring snake behavior and analysing venom chemistry, Stephen Mackessy and colleagues provide an answer to how they find them again.
		Research article A functional genomics screen for microRNA regulators of NF-kappaB signaling Anthony O Olarerin-George, Lauren Anton, Yih-Chii Hwang, Michal A Elovitz, John B Hogenesch BMC Biology 2013, 11:19 (28 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Editorial Q&A: Re-review opt-out and painless publishing Miranda Robertson BMC Biology 2013, 11:18 (28 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary BMC Biology operates on the principle that the function of a journal is to facilitate publication of sound research results. Miranda Robertson reviews in Q&A format the journal’s re-review opt-out policy and how it has worked over the four years of its operation.
		Comment Open questions: What is there left for cell biologists to do? Sean Munro BMC Biology 2013, 11:16 (27 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary In a contribution to the 10^th anniversary series on open questions in biology, Sean Munro asks provocatively what there is left for cell biologists to do, and with great elan and a touch of waspish humor produces five unanswered questions on issues from the special properties of non-dividing cells to the architecture of the brain.
		Research article Genome mining for methanobactins Grace E Kenney, Amy C Rosenzweig BMC Biology 2013, 11:17 (26 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Methanotrophic bacteria have potential as a biological methane sink, and methanobactins are a set of peptides important in regulating this activity. A genome mining study highlights genes involved in methanobactin production, but also suggests that not all methanotrophs have them.
		Research article Quantifying the contribution of chromatin dynamics to stochastic gene expression reveals long, locus-dependent periods between transcriptional bursts José Viñuelas, Gaël Kaneko, Antoine Coulon, Elodie Vallin, Valérie Morin, Camila Mejia-Pous, Jean-Jacques Kupiec, Guillaume Beslon, Olivier Gandrillon BMC Biology 2013, 11:15 (25 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary A combined biological and computational approach adds further detail to a growing body of evidence that most genes undergo short bursts of transcription interspersed between long periods of downtime.
		Commentary Predicting the evolution of antibiotic resistance Martijn F Schenk, J Arjan GM de Visser BMC Biology 2013, 11:14 (22 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Commenting on research in BMC Evolutionary Biology, Arjan de Visser and Martijn Schenk discuss how two genetic properties, pleiotropy and epistasis, might help us to predict the evolution of antibiotic resistance.
		Research article Notch2 is required in somatic cells for breakdown of ovarian germ-cell nests and formation of primordial follicles Jingxia Xu, Thomas Gridley BMC Biology 2013, 11:13 (13 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Research article MST1, a key player, in enhancing fast skeletal muscle atrophy Bin Wei, Wen Dui, Dong Liu, Yan Xing, Zengqiang Yuan, Guangju Ji BMC Biology 2013, 11:12 (1 February 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Comment Open questions: Chromosome condensation - Why does a chromosome look like a chromosome? Frank Uhlmann BMC Biology 2013, 11:9 (31 January 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary In his contribution to the ‘Open questions’ anniversary collection for BMC Biology, Frank Uhlmann poses the unsolved problem of chromosome packaging
		Comment Open questions - in brief: Beyond -omics, missing motor proteins, and getting from molecules to organisms Stephen J Benkovic, Julie Theriot, Dagmar Ringe BMC Biology 2013, 11:8 (31 January 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed
		Editorial Open questions in biology - a tenth anniversary series Miranda Robertson BMC Biology 2013, 11:7 (31 January 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary To celebrate its tenth anniversary, BMC Biology asked its Editorial Board members to write a paragraph or two on their favorite open questions in biology, and this month it publishes the first contributions, on topics from the challenges of proteomics to the mechanisms of apoptosis.
		Methodology article Multi-channel acoustic recording and automated analysis of Drosophila courtship songs Benjamin J Arthur, Tomoko Sunayama-Morita, Philip Coen, Mala Murthy, David L Stern BMC Biology 2013, 11:11 (31 January 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Editor’s summary Drosophila fruit flies' "singing" during courtship is a model system for both genetic and neural control of behaviour. A newly-designed recording system allows for analysis of the songs' various rhythms and cycles in unprecedented detail.
		Comment Open questions: missing pieces from the immunological jigsaw puzzle Gillian M Griffiths BMC Biology 2013, 11:10 (31 January 2013) Abstract \| Full text \| PDF \| PubMed \| Cited on BioMed Central \| Editor’s summary Gillian Griffiths, in her ‘Open questions’ contribution for BMC Biology, pinpoints some critical missing links in the cell-biological specializations of immune cells