Note to users. If you're seeing this message, it means that your browser cannot find this page's style/presentation instructions -- or possibly that you are using a browser that does not support current Web standards. Find out more about why this message is appearing, and what you can do to make your experience of our site the best it can be.

Sci. STKE, 23 March 2004
Vol. 2004, Issue 225, p. tw110
[DOI: 10.1126/stke.2252004TW110]

EDITORS' CHOICE

SPATIAL SIGNAL PATTERNS Functional Gradients Revealed

A variety of physiological processes—from cell motility to the partitioning of chromosomes during cell division—have been explained by the presumed existence of gradients of functionally active proteins. Niethammer et al. have now observed the existence of steady-state phosphorylation gradients of the tubulin-binding protein stathmin. These gradients were present in the lamellipodia of motile cells during interphase and around condensed chromosomes during mitosis. In both of these cases, the gradients are likely to be the result of localized kinase and diffusible phosphatase activities and will contribute to the production of polarized microtubule structures.

P. Niethammer, P. Bastiaens, E. Karsenti, Stathmin-tubulin interaction gradients in motile and mitotic cells. Science 303, 1862-1866 (2004). [Abstract] [Full Text]

Citation: Functional Gradients Revealed. Sci. STKE 2004, tw110 (2004).

To Advertise     Find Products

Science Signaling. ISSN 1937-9145 (online), 1945-0877 (print). Pre-2008: Science's STKE. ISSN 1525-8882