Cell signaling mechanisms often transmit information via protein modifications, most importantly the reversible attachment of phosphate, the so-called protein phosphorylation. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Martinsried have now developed a technology to identify and quantify the specific sites in proteins that get phosphorylated in answer to certain stimuli in living cells. Under the lead of Matthias Mann, the scientists found 6,600 phosphorylation sites - 90 percent of which were unknown - in 2,244 proteins and observed their temporal dynamics. All these phosphorylation sites are now listed in the newly created Phosida database to make them available for efficient use by scientists working in different areas, among them tumour researchers: Defects in cellular signaling often occur in many types of cancer (Cell, November 2, 2006).

Researchers at Johns Hopkins have figured out how one particular protein contributes to long-term memory and helps the brain remember things longer than an hour or two. The findings are reported in two papers in the Nov. 9 issue of Neuron.

Researchers at the University of Rochester may have answered one of neuroscience's most vexing questions--how can it be that our neurons, which are responsible for our crystal-clear thoughts, seem to fire in utterly random ways?