Analysis of diverse signal transduction pathways using the genetic model system Caenorhabditis elegans

Annual Review of Cell and Developmental Biology mRNA-Scaffolded Cytoplasmic Compartments

Nucleocytoplasmic trafficking of immune signals in plants.

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) was initially viewed as a passive gateway for molecular transport, but it is now recognized as an active and highly selective signaling hub that orchestrates nucleocytoplasmic communication. In plants, dissection of the NPC's intricate architecture has revealed its critical role in innate...

Putative gatekeepers of incoming DNA: 3' exonucleases in natural transformation and bacterial evolution.

Natural transformation is a key mechanism of bacterial adaptation in which exogenous DNA (eDNA) is taken up, processed into single-stranded DNA (ssDNA), and integrated into the genome. While earlier studies primarily focused on uptake mechanisms, transport proteins, and recombination processes, exonucleases were long r...

An F2A sequence permits correct localization of a secreted and a nuclear localized reporter in C. elegans

Multicistronic expression systems enable production of multiple proteins from a single transcript, with internal ribosome entry sites (IRES), SL2 trans-splicing, and 2A peptides as common tools. Because 2A peptides rely on a single translation event, we tested whether nuclear-localized mStayGold (mSG::H2B) and secreted...

Noncanonical Functions of DICER-Mediated Pathways.

This review delineates the classical, RNAse III-dependent small RNA processing activities from an expanding set of noncanonical functions in which Dicer operates independently of RNAi outputs, and proposes an integrated conceptual framework in which Dicer acts as a multifunctional regulator of chromatin architecture an...

A Cajal body assembly factor regulates cell fate transitions in Arabidopsis

Ribonucleoprotein (RNP) condensates are emerging as key regulators of cell fate transitions, yet their functions have been largely linked to mRNA storage and translational control. Here, we uncover a role for Cajal body (CB)-mediated pre-mRNA splicing in coordinating the transition from stem cell divisions to different...