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MMP10 is highly expressed in keratinocytes at the wound edge and at the invasive front of tumors, but its function in tissue repair and carcinogenesis is unclear. In this paper researchers from the auf dem Keller group further characterized MMP10-dependent proteolysis and identified new substrates that are involved in cell adhesion, migration, proliferation and/or differentiation, indicating a contribution of MMP10 to local modulation of these processes during wound healing and cancer development.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are crucial regulators of myelination in the peripheral nervous system (PNS). However, the miRNAs species involved and the underlying mechanisms are largely unknown. In this paper researchers from the Suter group present data suggesting that the Lin28B/let-7 axis acts as a critical driver of PNS myelination, in particular by regulating myelination onset, identifying this pathway also as a potential therapeutic target in demyelinating diseases.

Development of dendritic cells (DCs) commences in the bone marrow, from where pre-DCs migrate to peripheral organs to differentiate into mature DCs in situ. However, the factors that regulate organ-specific differentiation to give rise to tissue-specific DC subsets remain unclear. Here researchers from the Kopf group identified PI3Kγ as an essential organ-specific regulator of lung DC development and discovered a signaling network regulating tissue-specific DC development mediated by FLT3.

Data from researchers of the Stoffel group support an essential role for miR-375 in the maintenance of β-cell mass and provide in vivo evidence for release of miRNAs from pancreatic β-cells. The small contribution of β-cells to total plasma miR-375 levels make this miRNA an unlikely biomarker for β-cell function but suggests a utility for the detection of acute β-cell death for autoimmune diabetes.