NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
For papers that will be published online on 28 January 2007
This press release is copyrighted to the Nature journals mentioned below.
This press release contains:
· Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Gold standard for small masses – Nature Nanotechnology
Not losing sleep over the orexins – Nature Medicine
Potential new therapeutic target in breast cancer – Nature Genetics
The molecules behind Angelman syndrome – Nature Neuroscience
Sun worshipers – Nature Immunology
A mouse shows us how the brain works – Nature Methods
· 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.
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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 NANOTECHNOLOGY***********************
(http://www.nature.com/nnano)
[1] Gold standard for small masses
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2006.208
Many delicate pieces of scientific equipment only work under special conditions, such as a high vacuum or cryogenic temperatures. Now, a paper to be published in the February issue of Nature Nanotechnology reports how extremely small masses can be measured under everyday conditions.
The device built by Michael Roukes and colleagues relies on a mechanical cantilever that vibrates – just like an extremely small diving board. Moreover, when an object lands on the cantilever, the natural vibration frequency changes by an amount proportional to the mass of the object – enabling it to be weighed.
The cantilever is also coated with a thin layer of gold and has an electrical current passing through it. Gold is piezoresistive, which means that its resistance to electrical current changes when it is stretched or compressed. By measuring the changes in the current, it is possible to detect changes in the natural vibration frequency, which, in turn, allows extremely small masses to be detected. The authors report a mass resolution of better than 1 attogram – less than one millionth of one millionth of one millionth of a gram – at atmospheric pressure and room temperature, which is a new record under these conditions.
Author contact:
Michael Roukes (California Institute of Technology, CA, USA)
Tel: +1 626 395 2916; E-mail: [email protected]
Other papers from Nature Nanotechnology to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
[2] Cellular uptake of functionalized carbon nanotubes is independent of functional group and cell type
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2006.209
[3] A nanoscale probe for fluidic and ionic transport
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2006.211
*****************************Nature MEDICINE************************
(http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[4] Not losing sleep over the orexins
DOI: 10.1038/nm1544
A study to be published in the February issue of Nature Medicine reveals a new method of promoting sleep by blocking a certain type of protein receptor. The proteins – known as orexins – are found in the brain and are important to keep you awake.
Orexins gained notoriety after the discovery that the brains of people with narcolepsy — a condition in which patients suddenly and unexpectedly may fall sleep — lack these molecules. They were not considered to be good targets to promote sleep in insomniacs, as people with narcolepsy also experience other problems such as cataplexy — loss of muscle tone.
The new study, by François Jenck and colleagues, shows that blocking the orexin receptors encourages sleep without cataplexy in rats, dogs and humans. Their blocker is more efficient and has less secondary effects than other sleep-promoting agents, pointing to the orexin receptors as suitable targets for the development of new hypnotic compounds.
Author contact:
François Jenck (Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Allschwil, Switzerland)
Tel. +41 61 565 6479; E-mail: [email protected]
Other papers from Nature Medicine to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
[5] Liver cell death and anemia in Wilson disease involve acid sphingomyelinase and ceramide
DOI: 10.1038/nm1539
[6] Extracellular carbonic anhydrase mediates hemorrhagic retinal and cerebral vascular permeability through prekallikrein activation
DOI: 10.1038/nm1534
*********************************NATURE GENETICS *********************
(http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[7] Potential new therapeutic target in breast cancer
DOI: 10.1038/ng1963
Mice lacking a particular enzyme have a significant delay in developing mammary tumors, and less progression to secondary lung cancer, according to a study to be published in the March issue of Nature Genetics. These results have implications for the treatment of human breast cancer.
The gene ERBB2 is overexpressed in approximately 30% of early-stage breast cancers in women, and a drug designed to inhibit ERBB2 activity (Herceptin) has had a significant impact on treatment. Michel Tremblay and colleagues studied a strain of mice that typically develop metastatic mammary cancer as a consequence of hyperactive ErbB2. They found that deletion of PTP1B, an enzyme that is activated by ErbB2, resulted in a significant delay in the onset of mammary tumor development in these mice, and suppression of lung metastases. They went on to show that oral administration of an inhibitor of PTP1B resulted in a similar delay in the onset of cancer.
PTP1B is overexpressed in at least 70% of all breast tumors in women, although the significance of this has been unclear. The study by Tremblay and colleagues suggests that a therapy combining Herceptin with a PTP1B inhibitor in a sub group of women with breast cancer might be beneficial, although this will have to be tested in clinical trials.
Author contact:
Michel Tremblay (McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada)
Tel: +1 514 398 7290; E-mail: [email protected]
Other papers from Nature Genetics to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
[8] Cross-talk and decision making in MAP kinase pathways
DOI: 10.1038/ng1957
[9] Fgf10 regulates hepatopancreatic ductal system patterning and differentiation
DOI: 10.1038/ng1961
[10] DGCR8 is essential for microRNA biogenesis and silencing of embryonic stem cell self-renewal
DOI: 10.1038/ng1969
*******************************NATURE NEUROSCIENCE *****************
(http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[11] The molecules behind Angelman syndrome
DOI: 10.1038/nn1845
The molecular dysfunction underlying the neurological symptoms of Angelman syndrome (AS) is revealed in a paper in the March issue of Nature Neuroscience. AS is a rare genetic disorder, characterized by movement problems, seizures and mental retardation.
The disorder is caused by the loss of a region of chromosome 15 containing a gene, Ube3a, which encodes a protein called ubiquitin protein ligase. The function of this protein is not known, but the gene has a different pattern of chemical modification in the paternal and maternal chromosomes, causing one gene copy to be silenced. In the hippocampus – a brain region important for formation of memory – the maternal copy is the one that is usually active. A deletion in the maternal copy of Ube3a therefore leads to a loss of Ube3a expression in this region. Mice with a maternally inherited Ube3a mutation show seizures and cognitive abnormalities similar to those seen in AS patients. These AS mice also show decreased activity of the protein CaMKII.
Ype Elgersma and colleagues crossed AS mice with mice expressing a CaMKII mutant that is unable to undergo phosphorylation – a chemical modification that is important for self-inhibition of the protein. This rescued all the main features of AS in these mice. The AS/CaMKII double mutants had fewer seizures than did AS mice, and also showed normal motor behavior. Cognitive deficits in AS mice, such as defects in spatial learning and fear conditioning, were also rescued by this CaMKII mutation, suggesting that abnormal CaMKII phosphorylation is entirely responsible for these defects.
Author contact:
Ype Elgersma (Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands)
Tel: +31 10 40 87337; E-mail: [email protected]
Other papers from Nature Neuroscience to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
[12] cAMP oscillations and retinal activity are permissive for ephrin signaling during the establishment of the retinotopic map
DOI: 10.1038/nn1842
[13] Direct activation of the ion channel TRPA1 by Ca2+
DOI: 10.1038/nn1843
*********************NATURE IMMUNOLOGY *****************
(http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[14] Sun worshipers
DOI: 10.1038/ni1433
Immune cells travel to protect the outer layers of the skin in response to sunlight-induced vitamin D, according to an article in the March issue of Nature Immunology.
The immune cells express enzymes that convert an inactive form of vitamin D – which is synthesized by skin cells upon sun exposure – to an active form that triggers expression of certain ‘homing receptors’ on the surface of effector T cells. These receptors, in turn, can draw T cells to the skin surface where they participate in immune surveillance and maintain barrier function. The new research suggests brief periods in the sun, to generate the precursor form of active vitamin D, may be beneficial by eliciting immune cells to skin tissues where they can ward off potential opportunistic pathogens and to help repair ultraviolet light-induced damage.
Author contact:
Eugene Butcher (Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA)
Tel: +1 650 852 3369; E-mail: [email protected]
Other papers from Nature Immunology to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
[15] Epithelial cells trigger frontline immunoglobulin class switching through a pathway regulated by the inhibitor SLPI
DOI: 10.1038/ni1434
[16] A T cell receptor flattens a bulged antigenic peptide presented by a major histocompatibility complex class I molecule
DOI: 10.1038/ni1432
*****************************NATURE METHODS**************************
(http://www.nature.com/nmeth)
[17] A mouse shows us how the brain works
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth1009
A sensor that allows researchers to see signalling events between individual neurons may bring us a step closer to unravelling the mystery of how the brain processes information, according to an article in the February issue of Nature Methods.
We know the main players in information processing in the mammalian brain – neurons that form networks and communicate in distinct patterns – but the trick is to detect individual signalling events in single cells within these large networks. Scientists have attempted to study the patterns of communication between individual neurons in live animals for many years.
Griesbeck and colleagues successfully expressed a fluorescent protein-based sensor in the neurons of mice and showed that it was sensitive enough to detect a very low signal, as few as two action potentials, in individual nerve cells. This mouse will be an invaluable tool for deciphering the workings of the mammalian brain as it reveals the detailed patterns of communication between individual brain cells.
Author contact:
Oliver Griesbeck (Max Planck Institute for Neurobiology, Martinsried, Germany)
Tel: +49 89 8578 3270; E-mail: [email protected]
*******************************************************
Items from other Nature journals to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
Nature (http://www.nature.com/nature)
[18] Dll4 signalling through Notch1 regulates formation of tip cells during angiogenesis
DOI: 10.1038/nature05571
[19] Quantum nature of a strongly coupled single quantum dot–cavity system
DOI: 10.1038/nature05586
[20] Notch signalling limits angiogenic cell behaviour in developing zebrafish arteries
DOI: 10.1038/nature05577
[21] Organ size is limited by the number of embryonic progenitor cells in the pancreas but not the liver
DOI: 10.1038/nature05537
[22] APOBEC3 inhibits mouse mammary tumour virus replication in vivo
DOI: 10.1038/nature05540
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[23] A clickable inhibitor reveals context-dependent autoactivation of p90 RSK
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio859
[24] Activating gene expression in mammalian cells with promoter targeted duplex RNAs
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio860
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[25] Observation of Faraday rotation from a single confined spin
DOI: 10.1038/nphys521
[26] Finite-temperature phase diagram of a polarized Fermi condensate
DOI: 10.1038/nphys520
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[27] A flexible interpenetrating coordination framework with a bimodal porous functionality
DOI: 10.1038/nmat1827
Nature BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnolgy)
[28] Artificial reporter gene providing MRI contrast based on proton exchange
DOI: 10.1038/nbt1277
[29] Genome sequencing and analysis of the versatile cell factory Aspergillus niger CBS 513.88
DOI: 10.1038/nbt1282
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[30] Asymmetric deceleration of ClpB or Hsp104 ATPase activity unleashes protein-remodeling activity
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1198
[31] RNA polymerase I in yeast transcribes dynamic nucleosomal rDNA
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1199
*************************************************************
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
Brisbane: 16
Clayton: 16
Parkville: 16
AUSTRIA
Vienna: 29
BELGIUM
Gent: 29
CANADA:
Montreal: 7
Pointe-Claire: 7
Toronto: 18
CHINA
Shanghai: 4
DENMARK
Aarhus: 29
Lyngby: 29
FRANCE
Angers: 29
Marseille: 29
Paris: 12, 29
Strasbourg: 2
GERMANY
Berlin: 13
Braunschweig: 29
Dusseldorf: 5
Essen: 5
Heidelberg: 9
Hilden: 29
Martinsried: 17, 29
Munich: 17
Neuherberg: 9
Tubingen: 5
HUNGARY
Szeged: 29
INDIA
Bangalore: 27
ITALY
Trieste: 2
JAPAN
Fukuoka: 27
Kyoto: 27
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam: 29
Delft: 29
Groningen: 29
Haren: 29
Leiden: 4, 29
Nijmegen: 28, 29
Rotterdam: 11
Utrecht: 7, 29
Wageningen: 29
SINGAPORE
Singapore: 9
SLOVENIA
Ljubljana: 22
SWEDEN
Gothenburg: 18
Lund: 18
Sodertalje: 18
Stockhom: 18
SWITZERLAND
Allschwil: 4
Zurich: 19, 25
UNITED KINGDOM
Cambridge: 26
Cardiff: 31
London: 2, 9, 18, 31
Manchester: 29
Nottingham: 29
Oxford: 26, 31
Sheffield: 29
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
California
Los Angeles: 18
Palo Alto: 14
Pasadena: 1, 3
San Francisco: 9, 10, 22, 23
Santa Barbara: 6, 19
Stanford: 14
Connecticut
New Haven: 1
Kansas
Manhattan: 30
Maryland
Baltimore: 18, 28
Bethesda: 30
Massachusetts
Boston: 6, 21
Cambridge: 3, 6, 8, 10, 14, 21, 30
Worcester: 20
New Jersey
Murray Hill: 8
Princeton: 8
New York
New York: 15, 23
Ohio
Cincinnati: 9
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 21, 22
Tennessee
Nashville: 11
Texas
Dallas: 12, 24
Houston: 11
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)
Peter Hare
Tel: +1 212 726 9284; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Chemical Biology (Boston)
Andrea Garvey
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 Methods (New York)
Allison Doerr
Tel: +1 212 726 9393; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Nanotechnology (London)
Peter Rodgers
Tel: +44 20 7014 4019; Email: [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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