Cells drastically alter their structure at the onset of mitosis. Gavet and Pines reveal that the mitotic kinase CyclinB1-Cdk1 triggers its own nuclear import in prophase to ensure reorganization of the nucleus and cytoplasm is synchronized. This biosights episode presents the paper by Gavet and Pines from the April 19, 2010 issue of The Journal of Cell Biology, and includes an interview with senior author Jonathon Pines. Produced by Justin Paul and Ben Short. See the full article online...

Simon Prochnik spoke about the Naegleria gruberi genome project at the DOE JGI on February 3, 2010.

Victor Markowitz, head of the Biological Data Management and Technology Center at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, talks about the Integrated Microbial Genomes system housed at the DOE JGI at the "Sequencing, Finishing, Analysis in the Future" meeting in Santa Fe, NM on May 29, 2009.

Unicellular eukaryotes are responsible for a massive amount of photosynthetic carbon fixation in marine systems. The smallest among these fall within the “pico” size fraction (<2 micrometers in diameter), are broadly distributed – from coastal to open-ocean environments – and are highly diverse. Picoeukaryotes contribute a significant proportion of the biomass and primary production within this size fraction, often rivaling their cyanobacterial counterparts Prochlorococcus and...

There are more than 5000 species of single-celled eukaryotes in the biological phylum known as the Apicomplexa, including the parasites responsible for malaria, neurological birth defects, and opportunistic infections associated with HIV/AIDS. These ancient protozoa provide a unique window into the evolution of subcellular organelles that have long fascinated cell biologists. Familiar features help to elucidate the origins, functions and design parameters for the secretory pathway,...

An overview of the biology of algae and microorganisms.