Emergence of cancer stem cells in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Liver cancer represents the second most deadly human malignancy. The major histological subtype called hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) arises by chronic inflammation-triggered regenerative responses of normally quiescent hepatocytes and progenitors, respectively. Such regenerative stress accelerates the accumulation of genetic and epigenetic changes (Yamashita & Wang, 2013), while detailed mechanisms remain uncertain.

The centriolar satellite protein SSX2IP promotes centrosome maturation.

Meiotic maturation in vertebrate oocytes is an excellent model system for microtubule reorganization during M-phase spindle assembly. Here, we surveyed changes in the pattern of microtubule-interacting proteins upon Xenopus laevis oocyte maturation by quantitative proteomics. We identified the synovial sarcoma X breakpoint protein (SSX2IP) as a novel spindle protein.

The Arabidopsis calmodulin-like proteins AtCML30 and AtCML3 are targeted to mitochondria and peroxisomes, respectively.

Calmodulin (CaM) is a ubiquitous sensor/transducer of calcium signals in eukaryotic organisms. While CaM mediated calcium regulation of cytosolic processes is well established, there is growing evidence for the inclusion of organelles such as chloroplasts, mitochondria and peroxisomes into the calcium/calmodulin regulation network. A number of CaM-binding proteins have been identified in these organelles and processes such as protein import into chloroplasts and mitochondria have been shown to be governed by CaM regulation.