Germ granules contribute to the intergenerational transmission of small RNA-mediated silencing in germ cells. A study in Caenorhabditis elegans now investigates the function of the RNA helicase DDX-19 at the interface between the nuclear pore and the cytoplasmic germ granules.

We explain why we ask our authors to provide structural data prior to peer review.

Jerelle Joseph is an assistant professor at the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the Omenn–Darling Bioengineering Institute at Princeton University in New Jersey. We contacted Jerelle to learn about her research priorities, along with her thoughts about the biomolecular condensates field and how computational biology and molecular simulations can fuel discovery.

STING (stimulator of interferon genes) functions in innate immunity as an adaptor protein in a signaling cascade initiated upon detection of cytosolic DNA. STING is continuously transported to the lysosome, where it is degraded, to maintain homeostasis after activation, and STING signaling can induce lysosome biogenesis. Lysosome storage disorders (LSDs) can lead to pathogenic STING activation, where

The stability and function of many biological macromolecules are regulated by assembling several identical subunits into larger structures. So far, this phenomenon has been best studied in proteins. Now, in a study in Science, Wang et al. use single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to visualize several quaternary structures of RNA. The group selected four bacterial noncoding RNA families

Ubiquitination, a crucial post-translational modification in eukaryotic cells, has a pivotal role in the regulation of protein function, by either inducing protein degradation or altering protein activity. This system is subject to stringent regulation and is essential for maintaining cellular homeostasis and immune responses, particularly in identifying and eliminating pathogenic threats. However

The electron transport chain (ETC) is composed of several complexes, including complex I (CI), and is the base of oxidative phosphorylation in mitochondria. CI subunit genes are associated with diseases and CI impairments have been linked to longer and shorter lifespans in model organisms. Stefanatos et al. show that CI dysfunction differentially affects the lifespan of Drosophila depending on the