OOIR: Observatory of International Research

Papers

(The TQCC of Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology is 50. The table below lists those papers that are above that threshold based on CrossRef citation counts [max. 250 papers]. The publications cover those that have been published in the past four years, i.e., from 2021-12-01 to 2025-12-01.)

Article	Citations
When senescence generates pluripotent stem cells	1651
The translation m(o)TOR that propels regeneration	1592
From trans-splicing discovery and onwards, trypanosomes lead the way	1291
A dynamic culture system that models the intricacy of the mammary gland	984
Transfection reflections: fit-for-purpose delivery of nucleic acids	962
DNA-repair-driven cell death compels us to rethink cancer therapies	915
Tightening the epithelium to control signalling	794
Histone H1 deamidation regulates DNA double-strand break repair	749
The secretory pathway gets a molecular framework	705
Pore-forming proteins as drivers of membrane permeabilization in cell death pathways	702
Mechanisms of substrate processing during ER-associated protein degradation	694
Sources, resolution and physiological relevance of R-loops and RNA–DNA hybrids	685
Understanding mechanisms of antioxidant action in health and disease	531
Modulation of cellular processes by histone and non-histone protein acetylation	526
Exploiting cell cycle-dependent dephosphorylation for mitosis-specific protein recruitment	516
Decoding the Ca2+ signal for salt tolerance	473
The double life of a transcription factor in the cytoplasm	440
Chemical reprogramming of human blood cells	427
Resilience through selective translation	417
How proteins sense their cellular environment	416
The phosphoinositide PI5P inhibits the Hippo pathway effector YAP	408
N-glycan-dependent protein maturation and quality control in the ER	402
The advent of confocal laser scanning microscopy in biological research	400
Mechanism and regulation of kinesin motors	382
The emerging mechanisms and functions of microautophagy	372

Establishment of H3K9-methylated heterochromatin and its functions in tissue differentiation and maintenance	358
Publisher Correction: Plant hormone regulation of abiotic stress responses	355
The healing role of gasdermin B in IBD	353
New insights into activation and function of the AMPK	353
C-degron mimicry confers E3 ligase selectivity	339
Nucleosomes as blueprints of genome architecture	337
Studying lysosomal function and dysfunction using LysoIP	336
Coordination of cardiogenesis in vivo and in vitro	330
Silencing centromeres with age	314
DNA looping regulates transcription	301
Rise and SINE: roles of transcription factors and retrotransposons in zygotic genome activation	292
The discovery of oncogene-induced senescence	290
Bookmarking pluripotency genes	284
CRISPR–Cas applications in agriculture and plant research	252
Regulation, functions and transmission of bivalent chromatin during mammalian development	250
ESCRT-III function in membrane fission and repair	247
Telomere function and regulation from mouse models to human ageing and disease	244
Mechanisms and roles of podosomes and invadopodia	242
Biology and therapeutic targeting of vascular endothelial growth factor A	233
Regulation of membrane protein structure and function by their lipid nano-environment	232
Curvature-mediated endocytosis	225
Molecular tools for analysing in vivo senescence	224
A quick guide to (transmembrane) planar cell polarity mouse strains	217
Snoozing APC/C for a sweet cell cycle entry	215
A histone variant that manages abiotic stress in plants	212
Improving chemical reprogramming strategies	210
Publisher Correction: Emerging roles and functional mechanisms of PIWI- interacting RNAs	208
Science Twitter — navigating change in science communication	207
The prospects and opportunities of protein structure prediction with AI	203
Why novel mRNA modifications are so challenging and what we can do about it	201
Context-dependent TGFβ family signalling in cell fate regulation	198
Migrasomes promote angiogenesis	192
The RNA world ‘hypothesis’	187
Revolutionizing DNA repair research and cancer therapy with CRISPR–Cas screens	182
Splicing regulation through biomolecular condensates and membraneless organelles	176
FOXO transcription factors as mediators of stress adaptation	174
Molecular mechanisms and consequences of mitochondrial permeability transition	171
A guide to the biogenesis and functions of endogenous small non-coding RNAs in animals	169
Circadian clock communication during homeostasis and ageing	166
Transposons: catch them if you can	163
RNA binding — a useful third wheel in transcription	158
New tool for MAPping microtubule dynamics	155
Energy-driven genome regulation by ATP-dependent chromatin remodellers	154
Mechanisms and regulation of the Hsp70 chaperone network	154
Like water on rock, the microenvironment bends stem cell fate	147
Activation of human endogenous retroviruses and its physiological consequences	145
Mechanisms of mitochondrial respiratory adaptation	144
Context-specific regulation and function of mRNA alternative polyadenylation	141
Does species-specific alternative splicing make us human?	140
Integrated biophysical imaging of cell interactions with 3D extracellular matrices	139

How ancient RNA survives and what we can learn from it	135
Revisiting small RNA movement in plants	135
Regulation and function of insulin and insulin-like growth factor receptor signalling	132
Molecular machineries and pathways of mitochondrial protein transport	129
Apical–basal polarity and the control of epithelial form and function	126
Transcriptional control of energy metabolism by nuclear receptors	122
Mechanisms of autophagy–lysosome dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases	121
Targeted protein degradation: from mechanisms to clinic	119
A guide to cell death pathways	119
Myosin VI assists in fork protection	115
New frontiers in quality control: the case of GPI-anchored proteins	113
Author Correction: All the sites we cannot see: Sources and mitigation of false negatives in RNA modification studies	107
The centromere as a tag of self-DNA	107
Genomic regulation of transcription and RNA processing by the multitasking Integrator complex	106
Cold-induced longevity through proteasome boosting	106
Redox-driven cell death by disulfidptosis and its therapeutic potential	105
Resolution in super-resolution microscopy — definition, trade-offs and perspectives	103
Decoding ubiquitin signals inside cells	103
The technological landscape and applications of single-cell multi-omics	101
The molecular basis for cellular function of intrinsically disordered protein regions	99
Polarized endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane contacts in cell migration	97
Fat cells have long-lasting (epigenetic) memory	97
DEI conversations: more than a box-ticking exercise	97
Author Correction: Regulation of membrane protein structure and function by their lipid nano-environment	92
Genome characteristics at the borders	92
Anticancer effects of zotatifin are mediated by RNA structure remodelling	89
ATP and ROS signal cell extrusion	86
Author Correction: Fibroblast and myofibroblast activation in normal tissue repair and fibrosis	82
Mechanisms of microtubule organization in differentiated animal cells	80
Deep learning shapes single-cell data analysis	78
Roles of RIPK1 as a stress sentinel coordinating cell survival and immunogenic cell death	76
Regulation of phospholipid distribution in the lipid bilayer by flippases and scramblases	75
The role and regulation of integrins in cell migration and invasion	70
Microenvironmental determinants of endothelial cell heterogeneity	69
Interplay between mechanics and signalling in regulating cell fate	68
Ethylene — the lifeguard hormone	64
Author Correction: Mechanisms of lncRNA biogenesis as revealed by nascent transcriptomics	63
Unravelling oocyte ultrastructure	62
Voices of the new generation: importance of emotional ‘match’ in mentoring relationships	61
From shortening telomeres to replicative crisis	61
Transcription factors crossing the cell membrane	60
Profiling the disordered proteome in cells using a chemical tag	59
The contribution of databases towards understanding the universe of long non-coding RNAs	57
The hunter becomes the hunted in target-directed microRNA degradation	57
How green is your science? The race to make laboratories sustainable	56
Karyopherin-mediated nucleocytoplasmic transport	55
Reassessing the relationship between mRNA levels and protein abundance in exercised skeletal muscles	54
All the sites we cannot see: Sources and mitigation of false negatives in RNA modification studies	54
Fibroblast and myofibroblast activation in normal tissue repair and fibrosis	53
Mechanisms and regulation of substrate degradation by the 26S proteasome	50