NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
For papers that will be published online on 07 May 2007
This press release is copyrighted to the Nature journals mentioned below.
This press release contains:
• Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Yeast that smell? – Nature Chemical Biology
Turning up autophagy – Nature Chemical Biology
Tuberculosis bacteria blunt immunity – Nature Immunology
Immune responses tailored to specific pathogens – 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.
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 CHEMICAL BIOLOGY *******************
(http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[1] Yeast that smell?
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio882
A yeast strain that ‘smells’ dinitrotoluene, or DNT, may be a valuable biosensor for detecting explosives, according to a paper in the June issue of Nature Chemical Biology.
Detection of DNT – a byproduct in the production of the explosive trinitrotoluene (TNT) – can be used to identify the location of explosives, such as those in land mines. The olfactory system in mammals is highly sensitive to even previously unknown smells, and it is believed that dogs can find land mines by smelling DNT.
Danny Dhanasekaran and colleagues have created a collection of yeast that each contain an olfactory receptor and signaling pathway, such that when a yeast encounters an odour that binds to its receptor, the yeast turns green. Using this ‘olfactory yeast’, the authors identified a yeast strain that turned green in response to DNT, which may be useful for creating a wide range of biosensors.
Author contact:
Danny Dhanasekaran (Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA, USA)
Tel: +1 215 707 1941; E-mail: [email protected]
[2] Turning up autophagy
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio883
Small molecules that act by increasing autophagy are potential drug leads for Huntington’s disease, suggests a report in the June issue of Nature Chemical Biology. Autophagy – a biological process in which cells ‘eat’ part of their own cytoplasm – is known to be important for removing aggregation-prone proteins that contribute to causing neurodegenerative disease. Thus, enhancing autophagy is one potential strategy for treating these diseases. However, rapamycin, the only known small molecule that increases autophagy, regulates a wide range of cellular processes and would therefore have too many side effects to be a useful therapeutic.
David Rubinsztein, Stuart Schreiber and colleagues have used a chemical screen in yeast to identify three new small molecules, called SMERs, that enhance autophagy. The authors show that these compounds inhibit disease progression in mammalian cell and Drosophila melanogaster models of Huntington’s disease, providing an important new therapeutic avenue.
Author contacts:
David Rubinsztein (University of Cambridge, UK)
Tel: +44 1223 762 608; E-mail: [email protected]
Stuart Schreiber (Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA, USA)
Tel: +1 617 495 5318; E-mail: [email protected]
************************NATURE IMMUNOLOGY ******************
(http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[3] Tuberculosis bacteria blunt immunity
DOI: 10.1038/ni1468
A protein secreted by Mycobacterium tuberculosis — the bacterium that causes tuberculosis —significantly dampens early immune responses, reports a study to be published in the June issue of Nature Immunology. Infecting at least one-third of the world’s population, this organism causes significant world-wide health problems, with new infections occurring at a rate of about one per second.
Joyoti Basu and colleagues evaluated the function of the secreted protein ESAT-6 — previously associated with inefficient immune responses to Mycobacterium tuberculosis — by showing that purified ESAT-6 blocks signaling from specialized immune receptor proteins known as Toll-like receptors. Key to that effect is the specific interaction of ESAT-6 with one of the Toll-like receptors, TLR2, on the surface of macrophages—important immune ‘sentry’ cells. The authors found that by binding to TLR2, ESTA-6 induces a signal that shuts down all other Toll-like receptor function.
Blockade of interactions between ESAT-6 and TLR2 might represent a therapeutic option for treating tuberculosis, while simulation of interactions between ESAT-6 and TLR2 may be useful in suppressing excessive inflammation.
Author contact:
Joyoti Basu (Bose Institute, Calcutta, India)
Tel: +91 332 350 6619; E-mail: [email protected]
[4] Immune responses tailored to specific pathogens
DOI: 10.1038/ni1467
Yeast infection can stimulate the development of a unique type of human immune cell, according a study to be published in the June issue of Nature Immunology.
Complementing earlier work published on mouse T lymphocytes in Nature Immunology (DOI:10.1038/ni1460, 22 April 2007), Federica Sallusto, Giorgio Napolitani and colleagues studied immune responses of human T lymphocytes to the yeast Candida albicans — a ubiquitous pathogen that can cause life-threatening infections in immuno-compromised individuals. The team reports that Candida albicans stimulates the development of T lymphocytes specialized in producing interleukin 17, an immuno-modulatory protein associated with both harmful autoimmunity and helpful immune responses to certain bacteria. Notably, this new study provides the first characterization of human interleukin 17-producing T lymphocytes.
The study broadens our understanding of the ways that T lymphocytes in humans can respond to pathogens, providing a key piece of the puzzle about T lymphocytes specialized in producing interleukin 17, which likely play important roles in many immune responses.
Author contacts:
Federica Sallusto (Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Bellinzona, Switzerland)
Tel: +41 91 820 0315; E-mail: [email protected]
Giorgio Napolitani (Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Bellinzona, Switzerland)
Tel: +41 91 820 0341; E-mail: [email protected]
Additional contact for comment on paper:
Ruslan Medzhitov (Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA)
Tel: +1 203 785 7541; E-mail: [email protected]
Other papers from Nature Immunology to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
[5] The adaptor protein CARD9 is essential for the activation of myeloid cells through ITAM-associated and Toll-like receptors
DOI: 10.1038/ni1466
********************************************************************
Items from other Nature journals to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
Nature (http://www.nature.com/nature)
[6] SUMOylation regulates kainate-receptor-mediated synaptic transmission
DOI: 10.1038/nature05736 (N&V)
[7] Energy-dependent regulation of cell structure by AMP-activated protein kinase
DOI: 10.1038/nature05828
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[8] Visible continuous emission from a silica microphotonic device by third-harmonic generation
DOI: 10.1038/nphys601
[9] Acute enhancement of the upper critical field for superconductivity approaching a quantum critical point in URhGe
DOI: 10.1038/nphys608
[10] Shaped angular dependence of the spin-transfer torque and microwave generation without magnetic field
DOI: 10.1038/nphys618
[11] Magnetic vortex oscillator driven by d.c. spin-polarized current
DOI: 10/1038/nphys619
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[12] Tuneable elastomeric nanochannels for nanofluidic manipulation
DOI: 10.1038/nmat1907
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[13] Hydrogen acts as a therapeutic antioxidant by selectively reducing cytotoxic oxygen radicals
DOI: 10.1038/nm1577
[14] An immunological epitope selective for pathological monomer-misfolded SOD1 in ALS
DOI: 10.1038/nm1559
[15] Telomere dysfunction induces environmental alterations limiting hematopoietic stem cell function and engraftment
DOI: 10.1038/nm1578
Nature BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology)
[16] Genome-scale analysis of in vivo spatiotemporal promoter activity in Caenorhabditis elegans
DOI: 10.1038/nbt1305
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[17] Mutation of RRM2B, encoding p53-controlled ribonucleotide reductase (p53R2), causes severe mitochondrial DNA depletion
DOI: 10.1038/ng2040
[18] Regulation of LANCEOLATE by miR319 is required for compound-leaf development in tomato
DOI: 10.1038/ng2036
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[19] Identification of a lectin causing the degeneration of neuronal processes using engineered embryonic stem cells
DOI: 10.1038/nn1897
[20] Only some spatial patterns of fMRI response are read out in task performance
DOI: 10.1038/nn1900
[21] Experience-dependent rescaling of entorhinal grids
DOI: 10.1038/nn1905
[22] Synapse formation on neurons born in the adult hippocampus
DOI: 10.1038/nn1908
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[23] STIM1 heteromultimerizes TRPC channels to determine their function as store-operated channels
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1590
[24] Positional stability of single double-strand breaks in mammalian cells
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1591
[25] The lymphocyte function-associated antigen-1 receptor costimulates plasma membrane Ras via phospholipase D2
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1592
[26] Gamma-Tubulin complex-mediated anchoring of spindle microtubules to spindle-pole bodies requires Msd1 in fission yeast
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1593
[27] Phospholipase D2-generated phosphatidic acid couples EGFR stimulation to Ras activation by Sos
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1594
[28] Small peptide regulators of actin-based cell morphogenesis encoded by a polycistronic mRNA
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1595
[29] Exosome-mediated transfer of mRNAs and microRNAs is a novel mechanism of genetic exchange between cells
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1596
[30] Roles of ATM and NBS1 in chromatin structure modulation and DNA double-strand break repair
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1599
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[31] Opposing classes of prp8 alleles modulate the transition between the catalytic steps of pre-mRNA splicing
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1240
[32] Competitive binding of AUF1 and TIAR to MYC mRNA controls its translation
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1249
NATURE METHODS (http://www.nature.com/nmeth)
[33] High-pressure treatment of polytene chromosomes improves structural resolution
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth1049
[34] A semi-synthetic epitope for kinase substrates
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth1048
[35] Generation of functional hemangioblasts from human embryonic stem cells
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth1041
*********************************************************************
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
Fisherman’s Bend: 34
Sydney: 20
AUSTRIA
Vienna: 5
BRAZIL
Porto Alegre: 10
CANADA:
Burnaby: 16
Toronto: 14
Vancouver: 14
FRANCE
Gif-sur-Yvette: 7
Grenoble: 9
Marcoussis: 10
Montpellier: 16
Nice: 17
Palaiseau: 10
Paris: 17, 19
GERMANY
Berlin: 4
Hannover: 15
Heidelberg: 26
INDIA
Calcutta: 3
ISRAEL
Rehovot: 18
ITALY
Genoa: 4
JAPAN
Aichi: 28
Ibaraki: 5
Kanagawa: 3, 5
Kawasaki City: 13
Kobe: 26, 28
Miyagi: 5
Nara: 28
Saga: 5
Saitama: 28
Shizuoka: 26
Tokushima: 28
Tokyo: 5, 13, 17, 26
KOREA
Taejon: 7
POLAND
Poznan: 10
RUSSIA
Moscow: 33
SWEDEN
Gothenburg: 29
SWITZERLAND
Basel: 19
Bellinzona: 4
Lausanne: 15
UNITED KINGDOM
Bristol: 6
Cambridge: 2
Edinburgh: 9
London: 21, 26
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Arizona
Scottsdale: 29
California
Emeryville: 34
Irvine: 11
La Jolla: 14, 22, 24
Pasadena: 8
San Francisco: 34
Connecticut
Farmington: 16
Florida
Gainesville: 35
Illinois
Urbana: 33
Indiana
Notre Dame: 16
Maryland
Baltimore: 23
Bethesda: 24
Massachusetts
Boston: 16
Cambridge: 2, 20
Charlestown: 20
Holliston: 16
Worcester: 34, 35
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 12
New Jersey
Piscataway: 32
New York
Bronx: 31
Ithaca: 11
New York: 24, 25, 27, 31, 35
Stony Brook: 27
Oregon
Portland: 34
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 1
Tennessee
Memphis: 5, 30
Texas
Dallas: 23
Virginia
Charlottesville: 3
Washington
Seattle: 30
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 Cell Biology (London)
Bernd Pulverer
Tel: +44 20 7843 4892; 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 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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