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Recent advances in RNA interference (RNAi)-mediated gene-knockdown technologies have opened up the possibility of large-scale functional discovery in mammalian systems. RNAi screening could help us to delineate the architecture of signalling pathways much faster than by using traditional approaches.
Tissue engineering has opened up the possibility of studying physiological and pathophysiological processesin vitro. The foundation of this technology is a set of design principles for building three-dimensional tissues that are based on the quantitative analyses of cell and tissue behaviour.
Cycles of mechanosensing, mechanotransduction and mechanoresponse regulate cell behaviour and other important cellular responses, such as growth, differentiation and cell death. Nanofabrication and other new technologies have enabled systematic analysis of the mechanisms of mechanosensing and the downstream cellular responses.
Cryo-electron tomography is an emerging imaging technique that will allow us to map molecular landscapes inside cells. This 'visual proteomics' will complement and extend mass-spectrometry-based inventories, and will provide a quantitative description of the macromolecular interactions that underlie cellular functions.
Spatial and temporal dynamics of signalling networks control the specificity of cellular responses to receptor stimulation. Computational models now provide insights into the mechanisms that are responsible for signal amplification, as well as the timing, amplitude, duration and spatial distribution of signalling responses.
Prokaryotic mechanosensitive channels function as molecular switches that transduce bilayer deformations into protein motion. These structural rearrangements generate large non-selective pores that result in fast solute and solvent exchange and function as a prokaryotic 'last line of defence' to sudden osmotic challenges.
Epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) is an essential process during morphogenesis. Dissecting the signalling strategies that orchestrate EMT have shown that a complex signalling network, which controls adhesion, motility, survival and differentiation, also regulates the initiation and execution of EMT during embryonic development.
The concept of 'critical nodes' has been used to define the main junctions in physiologically important, complex signalling networks. Several critical nodes of the insulin network have been identified and shown to have important roles in normal physiology and disease states.
Self-regulation is one of the most intriguing properties of early embryos. In 1924, Spemann and Mangold carried out the most famous experiment in experimental embryology, which led to the identification of the first self-organizing centre — the Spemann's organizer.
Apoptosis is integral to the development of the simple nematode, during which it claims >10% of the somatic cells that are generated. Recent insights into the regulation and execution of apoptosis in this organism will increase our understanding of developmental apoptosis in more complex species.
The MAPK-activated protein kinase (MK) subfamily consists of three structurally related enzymes that function downstream of MAPKs. These kinases are involved in the regulation of actin architecture, cell migration, development, cell-cycle progression and chromatin remodelling as well as mRNA stability and translation.
