What is this collection about?

The editors at Communications Biology now invite papers on non-classical post-translational modifications (PTMs). PTM are fundamental to cellular regulation, enabling rapid and context dependent control of protein function. Beyond classical modifications, recent advances have uncovered a growing set of newly validated PTMs that directly shape core cell biological processes, including chromatin regulation, transcription, proteostasis, stress adaptation, and protein turnover.

In recent years, metabolite derived acylations, redox based cysteine modifications, monoaminylations, and non canonical ubiquitin and ubiquitin like modifications have moved from detection to clear mechanistic and physiological relevance. These discoveries highlight PTMs as active determinants of cell state, integrating metabolic, environmental, and signaling inputs into cellular organization and function.

We invite submissions that examine the mechanistic role and relevance of emerging or recently functionalized PTMs in the context of mammalian cell biology or disease. We will mainly consider original research Articles but Reviews and Perspectives are also welcome.

Why submit to a collection?

Collections like this one help promote high-quality science. They are led by Guest Editors and In-House Editors who are experts in their fields and supported by a dedicated team of Commissioning Editors and Managing Editors at Springer Nature. Collection manuscripts typically see higher citations, downloads, and Altmetric scores, and provide a one-stop-shop on a cutting-edge topic of interest.

This Collection welcomes submissions from all authors – and not by invitation only – on the condition that the manuscripts fall within the scope of the Collection and of Communications Biology more generally. See our editorial process page for more details. All manuscripts published in the collection are hosted on a dedicated nature portfolio portal, giving articles high visibility beyond the journal they are published in.

Who is involved?

Communications Biology is edited by both in-house professional editors and Editorial Board Members. Our editors work closely together to ensure the quality of our published papers and consistency in author experience.

How can I submit my paper?

Visit the Collection page to find out more about this collection and submit your article.