NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
For papers that will be published online on 11 June 2006
This press release is copyrighted to the Nature journals mentioned below.
This press release contains:
* Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Stem cells: Secret to self-renewal – Nature
Lifeline for aging cells – Nature Chemical Biology
Tumor homing device – Nature Chemical Biology
How B cells mature – Nature Immunology
* Mention of papers to be published at the same time with the same embargo
* Geographical listing of authors
PDFs of all the papers mentioned on this release can be found in the relevant journal’s section of http://press.nature.com. Press contacts for the Nature journals are listed at the end of this release.
Warning: This document, and the Nature journal papers to which it refers, may contain information that is price sensitive (as legally defined, for example, in the UK Criminal Justice Act 1993 Part V) with respect to publicly quoted companies. Anyone dealing in securities using information contained in this document, or in advance copies of a Nature journal’s content, may be guilty of insider trading under the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
PICTURES: To obtain artwork from any of the journals, you must first obtain permission from the copyright holder (if named) or author of the research paper in question (if not).
NOTE: Once a paper is published, the digital object identifier (DOI) number can be used to retrieve the abstract and full text from the journal web site (abstracts are available to everyone, full text is available only to subscribers). To do this, add the DOI to the following URL: http://dx.doi.org/ (For example, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng730). For more information about DOIs and Advance Online Publication, see http://www.nature.com/ng/aop/.
PLEASE CITE THE SPECIFIC NATURE JOURNAL AND WEBSITE AS THE SOURCE OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS. IF PUBLISHING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A HYPERLINK TO THE APPROPRIATE JOURNAL’S WEBSITE.
********************* NATURE ***********************
(http://www.nature.com/nature)
[1] Stem cells: Secret to self-renewal
DOI: 10.1038/nature04915
In a paper to be published online by Nature this week, Ihor Lemischka and colleagues use a global approach to analyse the contribution of a large number of candidate genes important for regulating cell differentiation.
They use short hairpin RNAs to block candidate genes in embryonic stem (ES) cells, and identify seven genes important for self-renewal. They show how the products of these genes interact, and use gene expression analyses to show that blocking each one makes the ES cells differentiate into particular tissue types.
These molecules may be important in endowing ES cells with their revered properties the ability to self-renew and the potential to make many other cell types.
CONTACT
Ihor Lemischka (Princeton University, NJ, USA)
Tel: +1 609 258 2838; E-mail: [email protected]
************ NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY ****************
(http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[2] Lifeline for aging cells
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio800
Scientists have found a small molecule that can be used to extend the lifespan of mammalian cells. The research reported in the July issue of Nature Chemical Biology showed that the synthetic organic molecule CGK733 blocks the machinery that senses DNA damage.
All cells face an inevitable death as they age. On this path, cells may become senescent, where they stay alive but stop dividing. In looking for chemicals that can help cells beat senescence, Tae Kook Kim and colleagues screened a library of synthetic compounds for those that could stimulate growth and other visual signs they could help cells overcome this state. They found that CGK733 could extend the lifetime of cultured cells by about 20 doublings and could actually rescue cells that were already senescent. To do this, CGK733 blocks the checkpoint involved in sensing and slowing down cells in response to DNA damage.
By blocking a natural event that leads to senescence, CGK733 confers life-saving and life-extending properties on mammalian cells.
Author contact:
Tae Kook Kim, (Kusung-dong, Daejeon, Korea)
Tel: +82 42 869 2634, E-mail: [email protected]
[3] Tumor homing device
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio798
Scientists have developed a tool that can be used for diagnostic imaging and targeted therapy of tumors. The research, reported in the July issue of Nature Chemical Biology, shows that a small protein can bind to the surface of leukemia cells and home in on the tumors. The researchers also suggest that the protein could potentially help to deliver drugs to treat the tumor.
The migration or metastasis of tumor cells requires adhesive connections between receptors on the surface of cells and components of the matrix that makes up the extracellular environment. Kit Lam and colleagues used a unique strategy to find peptides based on sequences involved in these connections. One of the lead compounds, 2A could bind to the surface of leukemia cells that express a specific cell surface receptor involved in migration, integrin alpha4beta1. 2A could also mark tumor cells within mice, but ignored normal surrounding cells. The remarkable specificity of 2A for tumor cells that express alpha4beta1 makes it useful for imaging tumors.
2A was designed to be highly stable and so can also be used to deliver a toxic compound to tumors.
Author contact:
Kit Lam, (University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, USA)
Tel: +1 916 734 8012, E-mail: [email protected]
**************** NATURE IMMUNOLOGY ****************
(http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[4] How B cells mature
DOI: 10.1038/ni1357
Researchers have identified an essential protein for B cell maturation, a process required for this immune cell to become functional, according to a paper in the July issue of Nature Immunology.
B lymphocytes produce antibodies, which are molecules that ‘tag’ invading pathogens for destruction by the immune system. B lymphocytes can switch the type of antibody they produce to suit the pathogen they encounter.
Riccardo Dalla-Favera and colleagues demonstrate that B lymphocytes lacking a molecule called IRF4 fail to mature and cannot switch antibody types. These results suggest that IRF4 is required for B lymphocytes to fight infection. In addition, because some B cell cancers contain excessive amounts of IRF4, these results may help researchers understand how certain types of cancers develop.
Author contact:
Riccardo Dalla-Favera (Columbia University, New York, NY USA)
Tel: +1 212 851 5273; E-mail: [email protected]
Other papers from Nature Immunology to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
[5] PGRP-LC and PGRP-LE have essential yet distinct functions in the drosophila immune response to monomeric DAP-type peptidoglycan
DOI: 10.1038/ni1356
******************************************************
Items from other Nature journals to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[6] Three-dimensional reconstruction of a solid-oxide fuel-cell anode
DOI: 10.1038/nmat1668
[7] Large enhancement of the thermopower in NaxCoO2 at high Na doping
DOI: 10.1038/nmat1669
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[8] Hypomorphic promoter mutation in PIGM causes inherited glycosylphosphatidylinositol deficiency
DOI: 10.1038/nm1410
[9] Vav3 proto-oncogene deficiency leads to sympathetic hyperactivity and cardiovascular dysfunction
DOI: 10.1038/nm1426
[10] Altered neuregulin 1–erbB4 signaling contributes to NMDA receptor hypofunction in schizophrenia
DOI: 10.1038/nm1418
[11] Cyclohexanehexol inhibitors of A-beta aggregation prevent and reverse Alzheimer phenotype in a mouse model
DOI: 10.1038/nm1423
Nature BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnolgy)
[12] A consensus epitope prediction approach identifies the breadth of murine TCD8+-cell responses to vaccinia virus
DOI: 10.1038/nbt1215
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[13] Parallel adaptive origins of digestive RNases in Asian and African leaf monkeys
DOI: 10.1038/ng1812
[14] Epigenetic characterization of the early embryo with a chromatin immunoprecipitation protocol applicable to small cell populations
DOI: 10.1038/ng1820
[15] A genome-wide scan identifies mutations in the gene encoding phosphodiesterase 11A4 (PDE11A) in individuals with adrenocortical hyperplasia
DOI: 10.1038/ng1809
[16] Mutations in sodium-borate cotransporter SLC4A11 cause recessive congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy (CHED2)
DOI: 10.1038/ng1824
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[17] Cortico-basal ganglia circuit mechanism for a decision threshold in reaction time tasks
DOI: 10.1038/nn1722
[18] Activity-dependent synaptic capture of transiting peptidergic vesicles
DOI: 10.1038/nn1719
[19] Knowledge of visual attributes in the right hemisphere
DOI: 10.1038/nn1721
[20] Contingent aftereffects distinguish conscious and preconscious color processing
DOI: 10.1038/nn1723
[21] The neural bases of momentary lapses in attention
DOI: 10.1038/nn1727
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[22] Linear chromosome maintenance in the absence of essential telomere-capping proteins
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1428
[23] Telomerase- and capping-independent yeast survivors with alternate telomere states
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1429
[24] Chromosome end protection plasticity revealed by Stn1p and Ten1p bypass of Cdc13p
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1430
[25] Regulation of RNA-polymerase-II-dependent transcription by N-WASP and its nuclear-binding partners
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1433
[26] The retroviral oncoprotein Tax targets the coiled-coil centrosomal protein TAX1BP2 to induce centrosome overduplication
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1432
[27] Myc-binding site recognition in the human genome is determined by chromatin context
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1434
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[28] Crystal structure of yeast mitochondrial outer membrane translocon member Tom70p
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1106
*******************************************************
GEOGRAPHICAL LISTING OF AUTHORS
The following list of places refers to the whereabouts of authors on the papers numbered in this release. The listing may be for an author's main affiliation, or for a place where they are working temporarily. Please see the PDF of the paper for full details.
AUSTRALIA
Herston: 12
BELGIUM
Leuven: 19
CANADA
Alberta: 16
Quebec: 23
Toronto: 7, 11
CHINA
Hong Kong: 26
FRANCE
Paris: 15
INDIA
Madurai: 16
ITALY
Milan: 27
Rome: 27
JAPAN
Nagasaki: 5
Osaka: 8
Saitama: 8
Sendai: 5
Yamanashi: 7
KOREA
Daejon: 2
Kyungbuk: 5
MYANMAR
Yangon: 16
SINGAPORE
Singapore: 16
SPAIN
Salamanca: 9
SWITZERLAND
Lausanne: 15
UNITED KINGDOM
Birmingham: 14
Dundee: 8
Edinburgh: 8
Leeds: 8, 16
London: 8, 16
Newcastle: 22
Surrey: 8
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Alabama
Birmingham: 28
California
Berkeley: 7
La Jolla: 20, 26
Riverside: 24
Sacramento: 3
San Diego: 12
Illinois
Argonne: 6
Evanston: 6
Maryland
Bethesda: 15, 26
Massachusetts
Boston: 4
Cambridge: 20
Waltham: 17, 21
Worcester: 5
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 6, 13
Minnesota
Rochester: 15
Missouri
St Louis: 5
New Jersey
Princeton: 7
New York
Albany: 25
Ithaca: 25
New York: 4, 10
North Carolina
Durham: 21
Ohio
Columbus: 15
Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh: 18
Philadelphia: 10
West Chester: 10
York: 15
Texas
Austin: 25
Washington
Seattle: 6
PRESS CONTACTS…
For media inquiries relating to embargo policy for all the Nature Research Journals:
Katherine Anderson (Nature, London)
Tel: +44 20 7843 4502; E-mail: [email protected]
Ruth Francis (Senior Press Officer, Nature, London)
Tel: +44 20 7843 4562; E-mail: [email protected]
For media inquiries relating to editorial content/policy for the Nature Research Journals, please contact the journals individually:
Nature Biotechnology (New York)
Kathy Aschheim
Tel: +1 212 726 9346; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Cell Biology (London)
Bernd Pulverer
Tel: +44 20 7843 4892; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Chemical Biology (Boston)
Beatrice Chrystall
Tel: +1 617 475 9241, E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Genetics (New York)
Orli Bahcall
Tel: +1 212 726 9311; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Immunology (New York)
Laurie Dempsey
Tel: +1 212 726 9372; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Materials (London)
Maria Bellantone
Tel: +44 20 7843 4556; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Medicine (New York)
Juan Carlos Lopez
Tel: +1 212 726 9325; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Neuroscience (New York)
Sandra Aamodt (based in California)
Tel: +1 530 795 3256; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Physics (London)
Alison Wright
Tel: +44 20 7843 4555; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (New York)
Michelle Montoya
Tel: +1 212 726 9326; E-mail: [email protected]
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