Mutations in the chromatin-remodeling protein ATRX cause alpha thalassaemia and mental retardation, but the severity of the disorder is independent of the specific mutation. In this issue of Cell, Law et al. (2010) demonstrate that ATRX alters gene expression by binding to G-rich tandem repeats, and the degree of transcriptional silencing caused by ATRX mutations correlates with the number of r...

Cristae in crisis ristae, the complex involutions of the mitochondrial inner membrane, vastly increase the surface area across which ATP synthase can generate a proton gradient. Now, new findings from Jean Velours (Université Victor Ségalen, Bordeaux, France) and colleagues suggest that ATP synthase may be important in forming cristae in the first place. Velours' theory is that oligomerization ...