In the Limelight: July 2020

Centrosomes back in the limelight.

Centrosomes and centrioles were ‘born’ towards the end of the nineteenth century when they were first spotted and studied by astute cell and developmental biologists, including Edouard Van Beneden, as well as Theodor Boveri and Walther Fleming, who coined the terms ‘centrosome’ and ‘centriole’, respectively, that still designate these structures today. There was much initial excitement about ce...

Coronaviruses in the limelight.

Lysophospholipids in the limelight

Lysophosphatidic acid (LPA) is a serum phospholipid that evokes growth factor-like responses in many cell types through the activation of its G protein-coupled receptors. Although much is known about LPA signaling, it has remained unclear where and how bioactive LPA is produced. Umezu-Goto et al. (2002)(this issue, page 227) have purified a serum lysophospholipase D that generates LPA from lyso...

Dendritic Cells Bask in the Limelight

Ralph Steinman is to receive the 2007 Albert Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research for his discovery of dendritic cells and his path-breaking work demonstrating their central role as the principal antigen-presenting cells of the immune system and key activators of T cell responses.

In the Limelight: Photoreceptors in Cyanobacteria

Certain cyanobacteria look green if grown in red light and vice versa. This dramatic color change, called complementary chromatic adaptation (CCA), is caused by alterations of the major colored light-harvesting proteins. A major controller of CCA is the cyanobacteriochrome (CBCR) RcaE, a red-green reversible photoreceptor that triggers a complex signal transduction pathway. Now, a new study dem...