Decision Time

Our cells respond to thousands of signals from their surroundings every day – they must get this right or risk becoming diseased. Fatal conditions like cancer often begin with the faulty responses of a single cell. So how do cells cope when they receive signals marked 'top priority' but are already doing so much? These cancer cells might have the answer. Researchers found that a protein involved in cell division, E2F-1 (fluorescently-labelled green here), and a protein that responds to environmental signals, NF-kappaB (red), meet to 'decide' which process takes priority. This fleeting interaction may control how cells 'choose' to divide (like those rounding into balls here) or to respond to the outside world. Many cancers and autoimmune diseases are triggered by damage to E2F-1 or NF-kappaB. This microscopic meeting could explain how important processes are prioritised in healthy cells and how they might be influenced to avoid bad, cancerous decisions.

Written by John Ankers

John Ankers

Writer

A former researcher in systems biology, John is now an online biology tutor and professional coach supporting the wellbeing of scientists and NHS professionals. He's writing, too, of course.

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• Image from work by John Ankers, and colleagues
• Centre for Cell Imaging, Institute of Integrative Biology, Liverpool, UK and Systems Microscopy Centre, Faculty of Life Sciences, Manchester, UK
• Image copyright held by original authors
• Research published in eLife, May 2016