Nature Cell Biology

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01958-0 Single-cell transplantations of long-term haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), in-depth phenotyping and mathematical modelling identify reconstitution kinetics as a unifying metric of HSC potency and extrinsic regulation as a driver of HSC lineage bias.

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 25 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01987-9 During embryogenesis, morphogen signalling is known to pattern tissues as they remodel. Using genetic and optogenetic perturbations, together with theoretical frameworks of phase transitions and biochemical networks, we uncovered an autoregulatory feedback loop between morphogen gradients and the tissue material st…

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 22 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01950-8 A major obstacle in treating glioblastoma is the remarkable resistance of glioblastoma stem cells to standard-of-care therapies such as temozolomide and irradiation. A new study now reveals that dismantling protective structures called stress granules can make these cells more susceptible to these treatment regimen…

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 22 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01953-5 Ge, Wang, Zhao, Guo et al. report a role for stress granules in suppressing ferroptosis by sequestering ferritin upon irradiation and temozolomide treatment in glioblastoma stem cells, which may potentially be targeted for improved efficacy.

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 20 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01964-2 Downes et al. use in situ cryo-electron tomography and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy to define ER exit site architecture in unperturbed human cells. They visualize ribosome-exclusion zones enriched with COPII- and COPI-coated vesicles.

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 15 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01968-y Fuelling basement membrane invasion

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 15 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01969-x Alu RNAs organize transcription at speckles

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 15 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01967-z Tracking the fates of cystine in tumours

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 15 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01940-w This Review presents the formation of large extracellular vesicle (L-EV) subsets, highlighting that their contents and physiological relevance, for example, in intercellular communication, are driven by the different mechanisms underlying their biogenesis.

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 14 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01954-4 Autorino et al. report a feedback loop between Nodal signalling and tissue phase transitions in zebrafish embryos. Nodal alters adhesion, triggering tissue rigidification and reduced porosity, which limits its diffusion and speeds up Lefty expression.

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 13 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01957-1 Zhao et al. develop a microwell cell-chip-based culture platform that enables high-throughput generation of micro-tumourspheres and enrichment of functional cancer stem cells from biopsies obtained from patients with breast cancer, facilitating personalized drug testing.

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 12 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01946-4 This Perspective highlights the failures of an ageing cell in properly maintaining mRNA health at the various steps of the mRNA life cycle that result in vulnerability to disease, pointing to RNA imbalance as an emerging hallmark of cellular ageing.

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 11 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01976-y Author Correction: Ultrasensitive Ribo-seq reveals translational landscapes during mammalian oocyte-to-embryo transition and pre-implantation development

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 11 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01933-9 When cells sense amino acids, they activate a kinase complex known as mTORC1 in a process that can regulate cancer metabolism and growth. Work now shows that in nutrient-limiting conditions, inflammatory cytokines aberrantly activate mTORC1 in cancer cells, thereby depriving cancer-screening CD8+ T cells of amino a…

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 07 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01956-2 The authors provide a spatial transcriptomic atlas of cynomolgus monkey embryos at Carnegie stages 9 and 10 and further do comparative analyses using public human and mouse data to dissect conserved and species-specific transcriptional programs.

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 06 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01947-3 EGFR amplification is common in glioblastoma and represents a therapeutic challenge, conferring resistance to targeted treatment. A new study reveals that the same locus hides the HELDR lncRNA, which epigenetically activates KAT7 to drive growth independently of EGFR. Targeting HELDR or KAT7 may improve anti-EGFR t…

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 04 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01949-1 Li, Huo, Zhang, Liu and colleagues report that the transcripts of genes involved in haematopoietic stem cell function share a protective mechanism against RNA decay through a non-canonical function of NAT10, independent of its N4-acetylcytidine catalytic activity.

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 01 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01952-6 We introduce lipid-trap mass spectrometry (LTMS), a technique to systematically identify lipid–protein interactions directly captured from live mammalian cells. By applying LTMS to proteins associated with the cell membrane during cytokinesis, we revealed that proteins bind specific lipid species, which suggests th…

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 01 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01929-5 We developed a rapid endoplasmic reticulum (ER) immunoprecipitation strategy to isolate ER fractions and, by using it, identified SLC33A1 as an ER transporter that exports oxidized glutathione. This finding provides insight into how the ER sets redox balance and provides a framework to define how ER metabolism is c…

Nature Cell Biology, Published online: 30 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41556-026-01936-6 Douglas et al. study the E3 ligase HOIL-1, mutated in patients with a type of myopathy. Mutant HOIL-1 influences the sensitivity to disulfidptosis initiated by ZAKα–ATF4 in glucose starvation and interferes with the cytoprotective roles of PABPC1 and MKRN1.