Shmoos, Rafts, and Uropods— The Many Facets of Cell Polarity

The recent Juan March Foundation meeting on “Regulation and functional insights in cellular polarity” focused on cellular polarity in yeasts, Dictyostelium, epithelial cells, fibroblasts, and immune cells. The molecular systems covered included membrane rafts, actin and tubulin cytoskeleton, polarized transcription, signaling, and cell-cell adhesion. Across these diverse biological and molecular systems, important general concepts emerged, including new ideas for establishing and maintaining polarity that are likely to be applicable across models and experimental systems.