PAPERS TO WATCH

I.J. Macrae et al., "Structural basis for double-stranded RNA processing by Dicer," Science, 311:195-8, Jan 13, 2006.

This structural study demonstrates that the length of small RNAs produced by Dicer is determined largely by the length of the positively charged platform domain and connector helix between the PAZ and RNase III domains.

Daniel Gallie
University of California, Riverside, USA

T.J. Aitman et al., "Copy number polymorphism in Fcgr3 predisposes to glomerulonephritis in rats and humans," Nature, 439:851-5, Feb. 16, 2006.

The authors show that copy number variation of the FCGR3B gene in human and the Fcgr3-rs gene in rat predispose to systemic lupus erythematosus and glomerulonephritis, respectively.

Ian Dunham
The Sanger Institute, United Kingdom

M. Veldhoen et al., "TGFß in the context of an inflammatory cytokine milieu supports de novo differentiation of IL-17-producing T cells," Immunity, 24:179-89, February 2006.

This study reports the novel and surprising finding that, in the presence of IL-6 (and amplified by IL-1ß and TNF-a), TGF-ß directs naive T-cell differentiation towards the inflammation-promoting Th17 pathway. These data offer an explanation for apparently conflicting observations that TGF-ß can play both anti- and pro-inflammatory roles.

Rachel Caspi
National Eye Institute, NIH, USA

These papers were selected from multiple disciplines from the Faculty of 1000, a web-based literature awareness tool ( www.f1000biology.com ).