Plastic Recycle

They're Plastic, but They Recycle

Dendritic spines form and grow during hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP). In this issue of Neuron, a new study by Park et al. uses both serial reconstruction electron microscopy and time-lapse imaging to show that plasma membrane for such spine expansion is trafficked from recycling endosomes that reside locally at the spines themselves.

RE: REempower and REcycle

This paper briefl y presents two concepts of “RE” (1) re-empowering individuals using personal mobile technology reconstructed as measurement instruments and (2) re-cycle as a design constraint for extending a product’s usable lifetime. In the fi rst example we demonstrate the integration of simple low-cost, low-power air quality sensors attached to a mobile phone. In the re-cycle case, we demo...

First remodel, then recycle

M ultivesicular bodies (MVBs) are specialized endosomes that promote the degradation of membrane proteins by delivering them to lysosomes. This process is regulated by a series of endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRTs) (1). The ESCRT-0,-I, and-II complexes sequester ubiquitinated membrane proteins and recruit the ESCRT-III complex to drive the invagination and release of ca...

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse

Why endosomes recycle GPCRs

Bowman et al. provide a novel explanation for why activated G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) migrate from the cell surface to the endosomes (1). The study indicates that GPCRs that have moved to certain locations on endosomes activate specifi c genes—and thus presumably induce different cellular responses. GPCRs help us perceive our surroundings, control our blood pressure, mobilize our immu...