http://jbiol.com/ The latest research articles published by Journal of Biology 2010-02-05T00:00:00Z This is an RSS newsfeed from BioMed Central It is intended to be used with an RSS reader. For more information about RSS newsfeeds from BioMed Central, visit http://www.biomedcentral.com/info/about/rss/ A recent global analysis of gene expression during the differentiation of neuronal stem cells to neurons and oligodendrocytes indicates a complex pattern of changes in the expression of both protein-coding transcripts and long non-protein-coding RNAs.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2202/11/14. http://jbiol.com/content/9/1/5 Journal of Biology 2010, 9:5 2010-02-05T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol197 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 5 2010-02-05T00:00:00Z XML The THO complex is a key component in the co-transcriptional formation of messenger ribonucleoparticles that are competent to be exported from the nucleus, yet its precise function is unknown. A recent study in BMC Biology on the role of the THOC5 subunit in cell physiology and mouse development provides new clues to the role of the THO complex in cell differentiation.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/1. http://jbiol.com/content/9/1/6 Journal of Biology 2010, 9:6 2010-01-28T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol217 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 6 2010-01-28T00:00:00Z XML Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are among the most evolutionarily ancient classes of small RNA. Two experimental screens published in BMC Genomics expand the eukaryotic snoRNA catalog, but many more snoRNAs remain to be found.See research articles http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/10/515 and http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/11/61. http://jbiol.com/content/9/1/4 Journal of Biology 2010, 9:4 2010-01-25T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol211 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 4 2010-01-25T00:00:00Z XML How much functional specialization can one component histone confer on a single nucleosome? The histone variant H2A.Z seems to be an extreme example. Genome-wide distribution maps show non-random (and evolutionarily conserved) patterns, with localized enrichment or depletion giving a tantalizing suggestion of function. Multiple post-translational modifications on the protein indicate further regulation. An additional layer of complexity has now been uncovered: the vertebrate form is actually encoded by two non-allelic genes that differ by expression pattern and three amino acids.See research articles http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/7/86 and http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/9/31. http://jbiol.com/content/9/1/3 Journal of Biology 2010, 9:3 2010-01-21T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol214 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 3 2010-01-21T00:00:00Z XML Delineation of the mechanisms that establish and maintain the polarity of epithelial tissues is essential to understanding morphogenesis, tissue specificity and cancer. Three-dimensional culture assays provide a useful platform for dissecting these processes but, as discussed in a recent study in BMC Biology on the culture of mammary gland epithelial cells, multiple parameters that influence the model must be taken into account.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/7/77. http://jbiol.com/content/9/1/2 Journal of Biology 2010, 9:2 2010-01-21T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol213 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 2 2010-01-21T00:00:00Z XML No description available http://jbiol.com/content/8/12/102 Journal of Biology 2009, 8:102 2009-12-31T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol210 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 8 102 2009-12-31T00:00:00Z XML A recent paper in BMC Biology reports the first large-scale insertional mutagenesis screen in a non-drosophilid insect, the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum. This screen marks the beginning of a non-biased, 'forward genetics' approach to the study of genetic mechanisms operating in Tribolium.See research article http://biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/7/73 http://jbiol.com/content/8/12/106 Journal of Biology 2009, 8:106 2009-12-30T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol208 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 8 106 2009-12-30T00:00:00Z XML A major challenge in bacterial pathogenesis is understanding the molecular basis of the switch from saprophytism to virulence. Following a recent whole-genome transcriptomic analysis using tiling arrays, an article published in BMC Genomics reports the first use of RNA-seq in Listeria monocytogenes in order to identify genes controlled by sigma B, a transcriptional regulator with a critical role in virulence.See research article http://biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/10/641 http://jbiol.com/content/8/12/107 Journal of Biology 2009, 8:107 2009-12-30T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol202 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 8 107 2009-12-30T00:00:00Z XML The use of cultivation-independent approaches to map microbial diversity, including recent work published in BMC Biology, has now shown that protists, like bacteria/archaea, are much more diverse than had been realized. Uncovering eukaryotic diversity may now be limited not by access to samples or cost but rather by the availability of full-length reference sequence data.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/7/72 http://jbiol.com/content/8/12/105 Journal of Biology 2009, 8:105 2009-12-29T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol201 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 8 105 2009-12-29T00:00:00Z XML Zallen and colleagues explain in Q&A format the complex process by which the cells of a tissue establish planar polarity, in which their spatial properties are coordinated, and how failures may be reflected in human developmental defects. http://jbiol.com/content/8/12/103 Journal of Biology 2009, 8:103 2009-12-29T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol191 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 8 103 2009-12-29T00:00:00Z XML