In this issue of Molecular Cell, Meng et al. identify a reader for pseudouridine (Ψ) in mRNA. Ψ increases binding of SMD2, a member of the SM protein ring surrounding spliceosomal U1 and U2 snRNAs, an...

Researchers from The Universities of Manchester and Birmingham have identified the exact nerve cells in the brain that drive important behavioural changes in female fruit flies after they mate.The dis...

The dynamic regulation of RNA metabolism plays a crucial part in cellular function, with emerging evidence suggesting an important role for RNA modifications in this process. This study explores th...

During organogenesis, precise pre-mRNA splicing is essential to assemble tissue architecture. Many developmentally essential exons bear weak 5'splice sites (5'SS) yet are spliced with high precision, ...

It is widely accepted that susceptibility to infection increases with age. The reason often invoked is the dysregulation of the immune system, which is both cause and consequence of ageing. However, w...

Mutually alternative splicing in Down Syndrome Cell Adhesion Molecule ( Dscam ) gene of arthropods generates extraordinary molecular diversity producing tens of thousands of isoforms. From three clust...

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ligand-gated ion channels and the main mediators of synaptic neurotransmission in the insect brain. In insects, nAChRs are pivotal for sensory processing...

This study identifies a new step in the evolutionary arms race between host and fungus in the Drosophila brain. The fungus B. bassiana exploits the Toll-1 host response to activate the MyD88 inhibitor...

This study identifies a new step in the evolutionary arms race between host and fungus in the Drosophila brain. The fungus B. bassiana exploits the Toll-1 host response to activate the MyD88 inhibitor...

Male-killing bacterial symbionts, prevalent in arthropods, skew population sex ratios by selectively killing male progeny, profoundly impacting ecology and evolution of their hosts. Male-killing is a ...

Zhao et al. present two cryo-EM structures of apo and substrate-bound U11 snRNP complexes, elucidating their architecture and the mechanism of the U12-type 5′ splice site recognition. The unique struc...

Organisms regulate their feeding behavior to prevent overconsumption of certain nutrients. Here, the authors identify the importance of gut hormones in suppressing protein overfeeding.

A novel molecular mechanism linking a neurotrophin with a Toll-family and kinase-less Trk-like receptors provides a direct link from molecules to structural circuit plasticity and modification of beha...