Nature Cell Biology

It is an exciting time for lipid metabolism and membrane cell biologists as technological progress has increased our ability to study lipids in cells. We asked leaders studying lipid cell biology from different perspectives to share what questions they are most interested in and what tools they believe the field is currently lacking. Viewpoint Top of page ⤴ In each cell division during early embryogenesis, daughter cells acquire half the size of the mother cell.

Here we discuss approaches to refine our editorial processes. Editorial Top of page ⤴ Ahna Skop is a geneticist and artist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, USA. Ahna’s lab studies the assembly and function of mammalian midbody and midbody remnant, which are assembled at the end of mitosis. Ahna also leans into her passion for scientific art to engage the public.

Mitochondrial fission and fusion are crucial for neurons. The RNA-binding protein FMRP regulates mitochondrial dynamics, including fusion and trafficking in neurons. A study now identifies a mechanism by which FMRP regulates mitochondrial fission. News & Views A study shows that senescence induced in the liver can spread systemically to precipitate multi-organ dysfunction.

After being activated, T lymphocytes must consume fuel for energy and biomaterials to sustain rapid proliferation and differentiation. As a consequence, waste is generated that must be managed. A new study now explores how activated CD8+ effector T cells handle ammonia, and how this impacts the survival and function of these cells.

This issue presents a Focus of specially commissioned articles that discuss cell death in its multiple forms, implications for homeostatic physiology and disease and outstanding questions in this expanding field. Editorial Top of page ⤴ Ferroptosis is mediated by toxic accumulation of lipid peroxides. A new study reports that the transcription factor ZEB1 drives ferroptosis sensitivity by regulating the synthesis of highly oxidizable poly-unsaturated fatty acids.

The tumour microenvironment propagates stress responses in resident cells. In tumour-infiltrating natural killer (NK) cells, the HSF1 transcription factor binds to mediators of effector function, negatively regulating NK cytotoxicity. These findings provide important mechanistic insights that may enhance NK cell cancer therapy. News & Views Circulating tumour cells from primary carcinomas may reach the brain and establish metastases.

The role of RNA in preserving the integrity and dynamics of membrane-bound organelles remains largely unexplored. A study now identifies the Golgi-resident protein GM130 as an RNA-binding protein that scaffolds the Golgi ribbon in a polyadenylated-RNA-dependent manner. News & Views Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases can promote or suppress cancer progression by regulating codon-dependent translation.

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Sensing stress within the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), the ER transmembrane protein IRE1α initiates a signal transduction pathway to restore homeostasis. A study finds that this process requires an ER membrane-bound phase separation event that leads to the local assembly of stress granules (SGs) and delivery of signalling components.

Our understanding of the basic mechanisms of autophagy is growing, but many questions remain about the types of autophagy cells use, when they use them, and how they function in different contexts. We asked emerging and established leaders in the field to discuss the questions and areas that they are most excited about to deepen our understanding of autophagy.