This week’s articles highlight a role for a polyglutamine tract in regulating autophagy; how cytokinesis affects the mechanosensitivity of cell junctions; the effect of interferon-γ on tumor vasculature; advances in human brain organoid technology; and biochemical features of a receptor that may aid in developing drugs that specifically target the receptor.
AUTOPHAGY
PolyQ promotes autophagy
Ashkenazi et al. found that the polyglutamine tract of ataxin 3 promotes autophagy by binding to and preventing degradation of beclin 1 (see also Martin and Hayden).
MECHANOTRANSDUCTION
Stretching promotes junction sensitivity
Pinheiro et al. showed that the pulling forces of cytokinesis stretch epithelial cell junctions, which causes a local reduction in E-cadherin and a subsequent increase in the mechanosensitivity of the junctions.
CANCER
Interfering with tumor vasculature
Kammertoens et al. demonstrated that interferon-γ promotes tumor cell necrosis by causing tumor-associated blood vessels to regress.
NEUROSCIENCE
Big leap for minibrains
Quadrato et al. and Birey et al. describe new methods for generating complex human brain organoids that replicate key features of neural development and even respond to sensory input (see also Camp and Treutlein).
STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
Toward a selective PAR2 antagonist
Cheng et al. report on the structural and functional characteristics of agonist- and antagonist-bound forms of protease-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) that may help in developing drugs that target this receptor.
