The HFSP Journal publishes high quality, innovative research at the frontier of biology with an emphasis on interdisciplinary research at the interface between the life sciences and the more quantitative sciences.
The goal of the HFSP Journal is to further the mission of the Human Frontier Science Program. It should be stressed, however, that the HFSP Journal is independent from the Human Frontier Science Program Organization and that submission to the HFSP Journal is open to all and that it is not restricted to awardees of HFSP grants and fellowships.
A truly interdisciplinary reviewing process: 'the reviewers' comments were unusually insightful and useful - spanning from mistakes in equations and other typos, to interesting suggestions for discussion. As an author I can say that this is really a very encouraging start for a new journal', Prof. Dan S. Tawfik from the Weizmann Institute of Science's department of Biological Chemistry in Rehovot, Israel explains.
Qubits: Qubits fast-track free open access publication of short reports on arising matters.
Advance Online Publication Articles | Current Issue Table of Contents
COMMENTARIES
This Commentary discusses recent biophysical experiments that reveal micromechanical regulations of synaptic vesicle accumulations and neurotransmitter release.
pp. 367-372
Full Text: [ Abstract HTML Sectioned HTML PDF (325 KB) GZipped PS ]
In this Commentary, a model is proposed to explain in quantitative terms how transcription elongation affects nucleosome structure at a distance, as a result of the positive torque the polymerases create as they translocate along DNA templates.
pp. 373-378
Full Text: [ Abstract HTML Sectioned HTML PDF (622 KB) GZipped PS ]
This Commentary discusses a recently published algorithm that allows the automatic analysis of large-scale calcium imaging data simultaneously recorded from many neurons.
Full Text: [ Abstract HTML Sectioned HTML PDF (246 KB) GZipped PS ]
Systems genetics is an emerging discipline that combines dense data on genotypes, gene expression and outcome phenotypes to answer fundamental questions about causal pathways from genotype to phenotype, paving the way to personalized medicine. This Commentary discusses a recent article that shows that data on genetic markers and on gene expression can be combined to predict the growth of a yeast strain in the presence of a drug.
Full Text: [ Abstract HTML Sectioned HTML PDF (93 KB) GZipped PS ]
PERSPECTIVES
This interesting review combines a description of stochastic events in biology with a view of evolutionary biology. It offers to add a “noise” component to the variations between organisms that are due to environmental and genetic variations.
pp. 379-385
Full Text: [ Abstract HTML Sectioned HTML PDF (321 KB) GZipped PS ]
Quantum physics was originally centered on microscopic phenomena with photons, electrons, and atoms. But objects of increasing complexity have attracted growing scientific interest, and since the size scales of both physics and the life sciences have approached each other, this Perspectives asks the question: what is the role of quantum physics in and for biology?
pp. 386-400
Full Text: [ Abstract HTML Sectioned HTML PDF (1017 KB) GZipped PS ]
This Perspective investigates the mechanisms of activation of T cells, the role of mechanical cues and insight provided by biophysical approaches, in particular by the most recent advances in fluorescence super-resolution imaging coupled with the new classes of genetic fluorescent probes.
pp. 401-411
Full Text: [ Abstract HTML Sectioned HTML PDF (419 KB) GZipped PS ]
This article reviews bottom-up materiomics studies focused on the mechanical behavior of protein materials at multiple scales, from nano- to macrocroscopic levels and concludes with a discussion of the implications for the science of multi-scale interactions in biology, and how this knowledge can be utilized for the design of de novo bioinspired nanomaterials.
Full Text: [ Abstract HTML Sectioned HTML PDF (441 KB) GZipped PS ]
ARTICLES
In this article, the authors monitor the dynamics of actin waves on the planar substrate-attached cell surface by total internal reflection microscopy and suggest that wave propagation is accompanied by a transition between two states of actin supramolecular structures.
pp. 412-427
Full Text: [ Abstract HTML Sectioned HTML PDF (3395 KB) GZipped PS ]
The MAPK (Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase) pathway is a paradigm of cellular signal transmission through a cascade phosphorylation events which plays a crucial role in many cellular events, most notable upon fertilization of vertebrate oocytes. This article combines experimental and theoretical approaches to study the dynamics of the network of kinases involved in this pathway.
pp. 428-440
Full Text: [ Abstract HTML Sectioned HTML PDF (1134 KB) GZipped PS ]
This article describes a second generation mathematical model to investigate the forces that account for the dynamics of dorsal closure, a stage of Drosophila development which is a model system for sheet morphogenesis and wound healing.
pp. 441-460
Full Text: [ Abstract HTML Sectioned HTML PDF (1119 KB) GZipped PS ]
 Vol. 3 Iss. 3 June 2009 |
 Vol. 3 Iss. 4 August 2009 |
 Vol. 3 Iss. 5 October 2009 |
Goals of the HFSP Journal
- to serve as a forum for communication between scientists from different disciplines who are focusing on problems in the life sciences
- to ensure a system of efficient peer review that does justice to all aspects of an interdisciplinary article (the usual time between submission and first decision is about a month)
- to place studies from different disciplines in a context accessible to scientists from different fields
- to ensure rapid online publication of original articles; the usual time between acceptance and online publication is one month
- to further the scientific mission of the Human Frontier Science Program
Scope of the HFSP Journal
Types of articles
- primary research articles
- commentaries on articles published in the HFSP Journal and other publications
- perspectives articles on important trends in interdisciplinary research