**Glucose participates in epidermis cell differentiation.** [Glucose dissociates DDX21 dimers to regulate mRNA splicing and tissue differentiation](https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)01517-3?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0092867422015173%3Fshowall%3Dtrue) Glucose is an important source of energy for cells, but researchers have recently discovered that it also plays a role in controlling how proteins interact with each other. Specifically, scientists used a special chemical method to find that glucose binds to a group of proteins called RNA binding proteins, one of which is a protein called DDX21. When glucose binds to DDX21, it changes the shape of the protein and stops it from doing its normal job, which is breaking apart RNA molecules. As cells differentiate, or change into different types, the level of glucose in the cell increases, which leads to DDX21 moving from the center of the cell to the outer part of the nucleus. Here, DDX21 interacts with other proteins to control the way certain genes are expressed, which is important for proper tissue differentiation. These findings show a new way that glucose can control cellular processes and how it can play a role in tissue development.