●Immune signalling in neural development, synaptic plasticity and disease. Boulanger, L. M. & Shatz, C. J. Nature Reviews Neuroscience July (2004) This article discusses how major histocompatibility complex class I molecules not only carry out an immune function, but are also important for normal brain development, neuronal differentiation, synaptic plasticity and even behaviour.

●Regulatory circuits and communication in Gram-negative bacteria. Lazdunski, A. M., Ventre, I. & Sturgis, J. N. Nature Reviews Microbiology July (2004)

●Cellulosomes: plant cell wall degrading enzyme complexes. Doi, R. H. & Kosugi, A. Nature Reviews Microbiology July (2004)

●Insulin-like growth factors and neoplasia. Pollak, M. N., Schernhammer, E. S. & Hankinson, S. E. Nature Reviews Cancer July (2004)

●The cutting-edge of mammalian development; how the embryo makes teeth. Tucker, A. & Sharpe, P. Nature Reviews Genetics July (2004)

●Hyaluronan: from extracellular glue to pericellular cue. Toole, B. P. Nature Reviews Cancer July (2004) Hyaluronan is well known for its physiological gel-like role, but it can also direct cell behaviour in various processes. Its role in malignancy is outlined.

●Tangled NUDELs? Holzbauer, E. Nature Cell Biology July (2004) This News and Views article highlights the recent findings that NUDEL has a new, unexpected function in assembling neurofilaments.

●The loader of the rings. Trakselis, M. A. & Bell, S. D. Nature 17 June (2004) In this News and Views piece, structural details of the interaction of the ring-shaped sliding clamp and the clamp loader, which are involved in DNA replication, are discussed.

●Focus issue on Toll-like receptor signallingNature Reviews Immunology July (2004)

●The road to Toll. Lemaitre, B. This Landmark article describes the thinking and experimental steps behind the identification of Toll as a crucial regulator of immune responses in Drosophila melanogaster.

●Toll-like receptor signalling. Akira, S. & Takeda, K. The molecular mechanisms that mediate Toll-like receptor signalling, which controls innate immunity and instructs the development of acquired immunity, are reviewed.