This week’s articles describe a mechanism by which starvation primes a cellular nutrient-sensing system for activation upon refeeding; microRNAs that control pain sensitivity; and the lasting effects of early life stress on the likelihood of developing depression.
CELLULAR METABOLISM
Preparing for the feast during the fast
Di Malta et al. report on a transcriptional regulatory mechanism that enables cellular adaptation to nutrient availability and supports cancer metabolism.
NEUROSCIENCE
MicroRNAs in functional and dysfunctional pain
Peng et al. describe a cluster of microRNAs that regulate both normal pain sensitivity and the pathological responses of chronic pain (see also Cassels and Barde).
Early life stress in depression susceptibility
Peña et al. identify an early window of stress susceptibility that defines a mouse’s response to stress in adulthood.