NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
For papers that will be published online on 15 July 2007
This press release is copyrighted to the Nature journals mentioned below.
This press release contains:
· Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Genetics: Potential type 1 diabetes gene found – Nature
Carbon and phosphorus meet up – Nature Chemical Biology
The shape of a Möbius strip – Nature Materials
Genetic risk factor for gallstone disease – Nature Genetics
· 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************************************************
(http://www.nature.com/nature)
[1] Genetics: Potential type 1 diabetes gene found
DOI: 10.1038/nature06010
The discovery of gene newly implicated in the pathogenesis of type 1 diabetes may boost the development of predictive tests. The findings are published online in Nature this week.
Hakon Hakonarson and colleagues performed a genome-wide association study on DNA from more than 500 patients with type 1 diabetes and more than 1,000 controls. As well as confirming associations with known type-1-diabetes-related genes, the team spotted a link between the condition and a gene called KIAA0350. It is thought that the gene encodes a sugar-binding C-type lectin, a multi-talented group of proteins whose functions include carbohydrate recognition and cell adhesion.
Type 1 diabetes is a highly debilitating autoimmune disease that primarily affects children. By the time of clinical diagnosis, most of the insulin-producing beta cells have been destroyed, which makes genetic prediction and prevention especially important.
Author contact:
Hakon Hakonarson (Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA, USA)
Tel: +1 267 455 4534; E-mail: [email protected]
Other papers from Nature to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
[2] Crystal structure of a human membrane protein involved in cysteinyl leukotriene biosynthesis
DOI: 10.1038/nature05936
[3] Structural basis for synthesis of inflammatory mediators by human leukotriene C4 synthase
DOI: 10.1038/nature06009
[4] Morphological evolution through multiple cis-regulatory mutations at a single gene
DOI: 10.1038/nature05988
[5] Electronic spin transport and spin precession in single graphene layers at room temperature
DOI: 10.1038/nature06037
*************************************NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY ***********************************
(http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[6] Carbon and phosphorus meet up
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.2007.9
Scientists have identified the enzymes that create the compound phosphinothricin, which is biologically unusual because it contains a carbon-phosphorus bond, according to a paper online this week in Nature Chemical Biology.
Natural products are typically constructed from biologically abundant building blocks, such as amino acids and functionalized acetyl groups. The extensive variation in their structure then arises from the action of various enzymes that remodel the compounds.
William Metcalf and colleagues now characterize the gene cluster responsible for making phosphinothricin. Some of the enzymes needed to make this compound were known, but the full biosynthetic pathway was not understood. The authors created a mutant Escherichia coli that contained the gene cluster, and then tested the bacteria using chemical, biochemical and genetic experiments to determine the role of each enzyme in the biosynthetic pathway. Their results allowed them to redefine this pathway, including the identification of two new chemical intermediates. As phosphinothricin is the prototypical phosphinic acid-containing natural product, these studies open the door to increased understanding of these interesting enzymatic transformations.
Author contact:
William Metcalf (University of Illinois, Urbana, IL, USA)
Tel: +1 217 244 1943; E-mail: [email protected]
Other papers from Nature Chemical Biology to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
[7] Identification and mechanistic characterization of low molecular weight inhibitors for HuR
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.2007.14
********************************************* NATURE MATERIALS ************************************** (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[8] The shape of a Möbius strip (N&V)
DOI: 10.1038/nmat1929
The classic problem of predicting the shape of a Möbius strip — the famous band that is closed with a half-twist, and which therefore has only one side — can be resolved using a set of equations, as suggested online this week in Nature Materials.
Gert van der Heijden and Eugene Starostin used a recently developed mathematical approach that enabled them to derive a numerically solvable set of equations that describe this problem. Thus they were able to confirm that the ratio of the width of the band to its length essentially determines its shape. Writing in an accompanying News & Views article, John H. Maddocks suggests that the mathematical approach developed by the researchers can be used for related problems such as the modelling of biological molecules, or to explain why a telephone handset cord frequently exhibits regions of both left- and right-handed helices.
Author contact:
Gert van der Heijden (University College London, UK)
Tel: +44 20 7679 2727; E-mail: [email protected]
John H. Maddocks (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Lausanne, Switzerland)
Tel: +41 21 693 2762; Email: [email protected] N&V author
***********************************************NATURE GENETICS **************************************
(http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[9] Genetic risk factor for gallstone disease
DOI: 10.1038/ng2101
A variant in a gene encoding a cholesterol transporter of the liver more than doubles the risk of gallstone disease, reports a paper online this week in Nature Genetics. With a prevalence of 10-20%, gallstones are one of the more common health problems in industrialized countries, causing potentially serious organ damage or infection.
Susceptibility to gallstone disease is known to be influenced by genetic factors, but little progress has been made in identifying them. Jochen Hampe and colleagues carried out a genome-wide association study of gallstone disease in two groups of Germans, as well as follow-up studies of affected individuals in Germany and Chile. They found a single variant that alters the sequence of ABCG8 – a liver cholesterol transporter – to be associated with the disease.
Gallstones occur when components of bile, such as cholesterol or bilirubin, are present in elevated levels and harden into stones. The association reported by the authors was strongest in individuals with cholesterol gallstones, suggesting that the ABCG8 risk variant may promote more efficient cholesterol transport into the bile. Bile is produced by the liver and stored in the gallbladder until it is needed to digest fat, and removal of the gallbladder is the most common treatment for gallstone disease.
Author contact:
Jochen Hampe (University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany)
Tel: +49 0431 597 1246; E-mail: [email protected]
Other papers from Nature Genetics to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
[10] Osteoclast-poor human osteopetrosis due to mutations in the gene encoding RANKL
DOI: 10.1038/ng2076
[11] Mutations in LRP2, which encode the multiligand receptor megalin, cause Donnai-Barrow and facio-oculo-acousticorenal syndromes
DOI: 10.1038/ng2063
[12] Mutations in RNF135, a gene within the NF1 microdeletion region, cause phenotypic abnormalities including overgrowth
DOI: 10.1038/ng2083
[13] Genetic variation in Mon1a affects protein trafficking and modifies macrophage iron loading in mice
DOI: 10.1038/ng2059
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Items from other Nature journals to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[14] Electrical spin-injection into silicon from a ferromagnetic metal/tunnel barrier contact
DOI: 10.1038/nphys673
[15] Measurement of Rashba and Dresselhaus spin–orbit magnetic fields
DOI: 10.1038/nphys675
[16] Observation of the optical spin Hall effect
DOI: 10.1038/nphys676
[17] Tunable scaling behaviour observed in Barkhausen criticality of a ferromagnetic film
DOI: 10.1038/nphys659
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[18] Essential role of stromally induced hedgehog signaling in B-cell malignancies
DOI: 10.1038/nm1614
[19] Extracellular ATP triggers and maintains asthmatic airway inflammation by activating dendritic cells
DOI: 10.1038/nm1617
[20] Periostin induces proliferation of differentiated cardiomyocytes and promotes cardiac repair
DOI: 10.1038/nm1619
[21] DNase Sda1 provides selection pressure for a switch to invasive group A streptococcal infection
DOI: 10.1038/nm1612
Nature BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology)
[22] Molecular breeding of polymerases for amplification of ancient DNA
DOI: 10.1038/nbt1321
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[23] Hierarchy of cortical responses underlying binocular rivalry
DOI: 10.1038/nn1939
[24] A tarantula peptide against pain via ASIC1a channels and opioid mechanisms
DOI: 10.1038/nn1940
[25] A hippocampal Cdk5 pathway regulates extinction of contextual fear
DOI: 10.1038/nn1943
Nature IMMUNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[26] Peptide-MHC potency governs dynamic interactions between T cells and dendritic cells in lymph nodes
DOI:10.1038/ni1490
[27] P-selectin primes leukocyte integrin activation during inflammation
DOI:10.1038/ni1491
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[28] Genetic control of single lumen formation in the zebrafish gut
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1621
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[29] A novel tripartite motif involved in aquaporin topogenesis, monomer folding and tetramerization
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1275
[30] The positions of TFIIF and TFIIE in the RNA polymerase II transcription preinitiation complex
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1272
[31] Telomere protection by mammalian POT1 requires interaction with TPP1
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1270
[32] The multifunctional human p100 protein ‘hooks’ methylated ligands
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb1269
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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
Wollongong: 21
AUSTRIA
Vienna: 7
BELGIUM
Leuven: 11
CANADA:
Markham: 1
Montreal: 1
Ottawa: 1
Winnipeg: 1
CHILE
Santiago: 9
CHINA
Beijing: 32
Shanghai: 6, 27
Tianjin: 32
EGYPT
Cairo: 21
FINLAND
Tampere: 32
FRANCE
Aubiere: 16
Bordeaux: 11, 12
Clermont-Ferrand: 24
Grenoble: 3, 22
Paris: 4, 12, 16
Toulouse: 4
Valbonne: 24
GERMANY
Berlin: 9
Bonn: 9, 24
Braunschweig: 21
Cologne: 4, 9
Freiburg: 18, 19
Goettingen: 25
Greifswald: 9
Kiel: 9
Leipzig: 22
Rostock: 19
ISRAEL
Rehovot: 26
ITALY
Ferrara: 19
L’Aquila: 10
Milan: 10
Padua: 10
Rozzano: 10
Segrate: 10
JAPAN
Hyogo: 2
Ibaraki: 17
KOREA
Daejeon: 17
Seoul: 23
NETHERLANDS
Groningen: 5
Leiden: 10
Rotterdam: 10, 19
QATAR
Doha: 11
RUSSIA
St Petersburg: 16
SWEDEN
Stockholm: 3
SWITZERLAND
Basel: 7
Ruschlikon: 15
Zurich: 15
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
Al Ain: 11
UNITED KINGDOM
Aberdeen: 10
Birmingham: 12
Cambridge: 4, 12, 22
London: 8, 12
Manchester: 11, 12
Margate: 12
Newcastle: 10, 12
Oxford: 31
Sheffield: 10
Southampton: 16
Sutton: 12
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
California
La Jolla: 18, 21
San Diego: 18
San Francisco: 28
Santa Rosa: 31
District of Columbia
Washington: 14
Georgia
Athens: 32
Illinois
Chicago: 25
Urbana: 6
Maryland
Bethesda: 22
Massachusetts
Belmont: 25
Boston: 2, 11, 13, 20
Cambridge: 13, 18, 25
Charlestown: 20
Worcester: 13
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 31
Minnesota
Minneapolis: 27
New Jersey
Princeton: 4
New York
New York: 20, 23, 26, 31
Oregon
Portland: 29
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 1
Pittsburgh: 29
Tennessee
Memphis: 21
Nashville: 23
Utah
Salt Lake City: 13
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)
Fabio Pulizzi
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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