[
Genetics,
2011]
The structure of the meiosis-specific synaptonemal complex, which is perhaps the central visible characteristic of meiotic prophase, has been a matter of intense interest for decades. Although a general picture of the interactions between the transverse filament proteins that create this structure has emerged from studies in a variety of organisms, a recent analysis of synaptonemal complex structure in Caenorhabditis elegans by Schild-Prufert et al. (2011) has provided the clearest picture of the structure of the architecture of a synaptonemal complex to date. Although the transverse filaments of the worm synaptonemal complex are assembled differently then those observed in yeast, mammalian, and Drosophila synaptonemal complexes, a comparison of the four assemblies shows that achieving the overall basic structure of the synaptonemal complex is far more crucial than conserving the structures of the individual transverse filaments.
[
Nature,
1994]
One of the most satisfying moments in science is when different lines of investigation converge to yield a beautiful picture that opens up new perspectives. This happened last year when expression cloning of an epithelial sodium channel subunit revealed that the DNA encoding it was significantly similar in sequence to that of certain nematode genes, mutations in which lead to insensitivity to touch, neurodegeneration or both. Three reports on pages 463, 467 and 470 of this issue now suggest that at least three distinct subunits are used to build channel complexes in both mammals and the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Further, the new work provides insights into the relationship between subunit structure and function, and demonstrates a remarkable degree of functional conservation between vertebrates and invertebrates.
[
Science,
2000]
A powerful, top-down, holistic approach in biological research is to identify all of the components of a particular cellular process, so that one can define the global picture first and then use it as a framework to understand how the individual components of the process fit together. On page 116 of this issue, Wahout et al. report that they have started to compile a global map of interactions between all of the proteins in the worm Caenorhabditis elegans (1). These investigators commandeered a small number of well-studied proteins to establish the technical and conceptual framework for this mammoth protein-binding project. Their ultimate goal is to illuminate all of the protein-protein interactions in this animal, and to combine this information with that from other functional genomics approaches to work out what each worm gene does.