Cell biology is the study of life at its most fundamental unit: the cell. This field explores how these microscopic building blocks function, communicate, and replicate to sustain living organisms, from the simplest bacteria to complex human tissues. By understanding the machinery inside a cell, scientists unlock secrets about growth, disease, and the very nature of existence itself.

At Gist.Science, we track every new preprint uploaded to bioRxiv within this dynamic category. Our team processes each submission to provide both accessible plain-language explanations and detailed technical summaries, ensuring you can grasp complex discoveries without getting lost in dense jargon. Below are the latest papers in cell biology, offering a fresh look at the inner workings of life as they are shared with the world.

📄 cell biology

The Uvrag-containing PI3K complex promotes Hsc70-4 dependent endosomal clathrin removal and lysosomal maturation in Drosophila nephrocytes

This study demonstrates that in Drosophila nephrocytes, the Uvrag-containing PI3K complex generates PI(3)P to facilitate Hsc70-4-mediated removal of clathrin from endosomal membranes, a process essential for Rab7 compartment organization, HOPS recruitment, and successful lysosomal maturation.

Nagy, A., Balogh, V., Hargitai, D., Boda, A., Horvath, E., Simon-Vecsei, Z., Juhasz, G., Lörincz, P.2026-05-14
📄 cell biology

High Accuracy Fluorescence Guided Focused Ion Beam Milling

This paper presents advanced fluorescence-guided cryo-FIB milling workflows that utilize distinct targeting strategies for different object sizes to overcome registration errors and enable the routine, high-precision capture of both large and small cellular structures for cryo-electron tomography.

Perez, D., Betzler, S., Cleeve, P., Villegas, C., Antolini, C., Klumpe, S., Schwartz, J., Sheu, S.-H., Dahlberg, P. D. (…)2026-05-13
📄 cell biology

Stage-aware transcriptomics reveals selective haplotype persistence in short-term ex vivo cultured Plasmodium vivax

This study demonstrates that while short-term ex vivo culture of *Plasmodium vivax* reliably preserves global transcriptional profiles and enriches late asexual stages, it introduces a clonal bottleneck that selectively filters specific haplotypes, necessitating explicit modeling of developmental composition and infection complexity when interpreting transcriptomic data.

Abagero, B. R., Dumetz, F., Ford, C. T., Tolosa, T., Tesefay, D., Lukas, B., Shenkutie, T., Popovici, J., Yewhalaw, D. (…)2026-05-13
📄 cell biology

Optimizing Primary Human Salivary Stem/Progenitor Cells for Tissue Engineering Applications

This study establishes a xeno-free, serum-free culture protocol for the isolation, expansion, and purification of primary human salivary stem/progenitor cells, demonstrating their stability, epithelial purity, and low senescence as a viable platform for future GMP-compliant autologous regenerative therapies for hyposalivation.

Geremias, T. C., da Costa, F. H. B., Mohyuddin, N. G., Lombaert, I., Farach-Carson, M. C., Wu, D.2026-05-13
📄 cell biology

The Spectraplakin Short Stop (Shot) Organizes an Acentrosomal Microtubule Network in Early Oogenesis, Essential for Nuclear Positioning.

This study identifies a posterior non-centrosomal Microtubule-Organizing Center (ncMTOC) in *Drosophila* oocytes, defined by the spectraplakin Short Stop and Patronin, which organizes an acentrosomal microtubule network essential for generating pushing forces that maintain nuclear centering prior to asymmetric migration.

Roland-Gosselin, F., Peroche, M., Sahayan Nevil Fernando, S., Yagoubat, A., Conduit, P. T., Guichet, A., BERNARD, F.2026-05-13