NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
For papers that will be published online on 09 March 2008
This press release is copyrighted to the Nature journals mentioned below.
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This press release contains:
· Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Mediterranean tsunami destruction – Nature Geoscience
The tree rings have it – Nature Geoscience
Oncogenic microRNA – Nature Immunology
New resources to precisely map mutations in the fly – 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 GEOSCIENCE******************************************
[1] Mediterranean tsunami destruction
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo151
The recurrence time for events like the earthquake and tsunami that wreaked havoc in the eastern Mediterranean region in AD 365 could be as short as 800 years, suggests a report online in Nature Geoscience this week. The study presents a fresh analysis of the tectonics of the Mediterranean seafloor, and suggests that a previously overlooked fault could be the source of the large earthquake that destroyed Alexandria.
The recurrence time for a large tsunamis on the fault that slipped in AD 365 is estimated at 5,000 years, but if the set-up of faults close by in the Hellenic subduction zone is similar, the overall recurrence time of strong earthquakes could be closer to 800 years. The AD 365 earthquake was thought to have been caused by the subduction zone beneath Crete, but the authors now suggest that it may instead have originated from a fault in the overriding plate.
Beth Shaw and colleagues reconstruct the earthquake uplift from AD 365 and the propagation of the resulting tsunami from radiocarbon data, field observations and model simulations. They conclude that although the slip along the interface of the Aegean plate and the Mediterranean ocean floor does not normally generate earthquakes, a separate fault along the Hellenic Trench is capable of producing rare and very large earthquakes that can set off a tsunami.
Author contact:
Beth Shaw (University of Cambridge, UK)
Tel: +44 1223 337 059; E-mail: [email protected]
[2] The tree rings have it
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo128
Radiocarbon concentrations recorded in fossil tree rings suggest that the international calibration curve may be biased during the Younger Dryas cold event about 11,000 years ago, according to research published online in Nature Geoscience this week. The study indicates that atmospheric radiocarbon concentrations were highly variable at the time, making the conversion of radiocarbon ages to absolute dates difficult.
The Younger Dryas cold event was the last brief return to near-glacial conditions on the path from the Last Glacial Maximum to the current interglacial period. Raimond Muscheler and colleagues compared radiocarbon concentrations from tree rings to beryllium isotopes in Greenland ice cores, which are better dated. Both isotopes are produced by the same mechanism in the Earth’s atmosphere. They matched the records to assign an age model to the tree-ring record.
The resulting time series suggests that a reduction of North Atlantic Deep Water formation led to changes in the measured radiocarbon ages of oceanic material such as Atlantic corals and deep-sea sediments. These marine records were used in the latest international calibration curve, which may introduce an age bias during the Younger Dryas interval.
Author contact:
Raimond Muscheler (Lund University, Sweden)
Tel: +46 46 222 0454; E-mail: [email protected]
*******************************************NATURE IMMUNOLOGY ************************************
(http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[3] Oncogenic microRNA
DOI: 10.1038/ni1575
Scientists have discovered how a particular cluster of short strings of genetic material called microRNAs promotes lymphoma development, according to a paper published online this week in Nature Immunology. These findings will aid our understanding of the biological processes at work during the early stages of this cancer.
Klaus Rajewsky and colleagues set out to determine how the miR-17-92 microRNA cluster—frequently amplified in lymphoma cells—accelerates lymphoma development. The team studied mice with elevated amounts of miR-17-92 matching those seen in lymphoma cells. These mice displayed hyperproliferation of lymphocytes, suffered from autoimmune disease and then died prematurely.
The researchers identified miR-17-92–binding sites in RNA molecules encoding Bim and PTEN, proteins known to protect cells from cancer development. Supporting the notion that miR-17-92 promotes lymphoma development by diminishing expression of tumour suppressor proteins, mice expressing reduced Bim and PTEN displayed some features of mice overexpressing miR-17-92. These findings will direct future efforts to identify additional factors contributing to early lymphomagenesis.
Author contact:
Klaus Rajewsky (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA)
Tel: +1 617 278 3132; E-mail: [email protected]
Other papers from Nature Immunology to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
[4] Autotaxin, an ectoenzyme that produces lysophosphatidic acid, promotes the entry of lymphocytes into secondary lymphoid organs
DOI: 10.1038/ni1573
[5] Dual functions for the endoplasmic reticulum calcium sensors STIM1 and STIM2 in T cell activation and tolerance
DOI: 10.1038/ni1574
********************************************NATURE METHODS******************************************
[6] How to map mutations in flies
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1191
A study published online in Nature Methods this week brings valuable resources to the fly community which will allow researchers to map genetic mutations of flies to their precise position on chromosomes.
Finding physical defects in the appearance or behaviour of flies has excited many a fly researcher, but they have often been hindered by the lack of tools to identify the relevant gene and to map its position on a chromosome.
Barry Dickson and colleagues provide improved tools towards this goal. They developed a high density map of single nucleotide polymorphisms, so called SNPs (pronounced Snips) which provide a unique mark at every 6 genes and could be considered a HapMap for flies. To fine map the location of a mutation they combine this map with over 60 fly stocks with two closely spaced visible markers. A combination of these two tools will allow researchers to place a mutation within chromosomal regions that contains only a few genes.
The authors provide the experimental and computational resources to allow high-throughput mapping screens at low costs.
Author contact:
Barry Dickson (Institute for Molecular Pathology, Vienna, Austria)
Tel: +43 1 797 30 3000; E-mail: [email protected]
Other papers from Nature Methods to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
[7] Identification of cross-linked peptides from large sequence databases
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1192
[8] Genetic control of neuronal activity in mice conditionally expressing TRPV1
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1190
***************************************************************************************************************
Items from other Nature journals to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
Nature (http://www.nature.com/nature)
[9] Following translation by single ribosomes one codon at a time
DOI: 10.1038/nature06716
NATURE PHOTONICS (http://www.nature.com/nphton)
[10] Nanoscale optical microscopy in the vectorial focusing regime
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2008.29
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[11] Identification of small molecules rescuing fragile X syndrome phenotypes in Drosophila
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.78
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[12] Gyro-resonant electron acceleration at Jupiter
DOI: 10.1038/nphys897
[13] Injection of harmonics generated in gas in a free-electron laser providing intense and coherent extreme-ultraviolet light
DOI: 10.1038/nphys889
[14] The one-dimensional Wigner crystal in carbon nanotubes
DOI: 10.1038/nphys895
[15] Keyhole coherent diffractive imaging
DOI: 10.1038/nphys896
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[16] Coordination-dependent surface atomic contraction in nanocrystals revealed by coherent diffraction
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2132
[17] Ledge-flow-controlled catalyst interface dynamics during Si nanowire growth
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2140
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[18] Subversion of Toll-like receptor signaling by a unique family of bacterial Toll/interleukin-1 receptor domain–containing proteins
DOI: 10.1038/nm1734
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[19] Hypomorphic mutations in syndromic encephalocele genes are associated with Bardet-Biedl syndrome
DOI: 10.1038/ng.97
[20] THM1 negatively modulates mouse Sonic hedgehog signal transduction and affects retrograde intraflagellar transport in cilia
DOI: 10.1038/ng.105
[21] SLC2A9 is a newly identified urate transporter influencing serum urate concentration, urate excretion and gout
DOI: 10.1038/ng.106
[22] SLC2A9 influences uric acid concentrations with pronounced sex-specific effects
DOI: 10.1038/ng.107
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[23] Plexin-A2 and its ligand, Sema6A, control nucleus-centrosome coupling in migrating granule cells
DOI: 10.1038/nn2064
[24] Neural correlates of perceptual learning in a sensory-motor, but not a sensory, cortical area
DOI: 10.1038/nn2070
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[25] The NHL-domain protein Wech is crucial for the integrin–cytoskeleton link
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1704
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[26] Basis of altered RNA binding specificity by PUF proteins revealed by crystal structures of yeast Puf4p
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1390
[27] ATAC is a double histone acetyltransferase complex that stimulates nucleosome sliding
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1397
***************************************************************************************************************
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
Bundoora: 15
Canberra: 4
Melbourne: 15
AUSTRIA
Innsbruck: 7, 22
Salzburg: 22
Vienna: 6
BRAZIL
Sao Paulo: 9
CHILE
Concepcion: 27
CROATIA
Split: 21
Zagreb: 21
DENMARK
Copenhagen: 2
Kongens Lyngby: 17
FRANCE
Gif-sur-Yvette: 13
Paris: 23
Saint-Bernard: 23
Strasbourg: 19
Valbonne: 1
GERMANY
Augsburg: 22
Bonn: 25
Dresden: 21
Greifswald: 22
Heidelberg: 2
Munich: 18, 22, 25
Neuherberg: 22
Stuttgart: 2
GREECE
Athens: 1
HUNGARY
Szeged: 6
IRELAND
Dublin: 23
ISRAEL
Jerusalem: 19
JAPAN
Hyogo: 13
Kyoto: 9
Mishima: 23
Nagoya: 23
Okazaki: 23
Osaka: 4
SAUDI ARABIA
Riyadh: 19
SWEDEN
Lund: 2, 18
Uppsala: 6
SWITZERLAND
Birmensdorf: 2
Zurich: 2, 7
UNITED KINGDOM
Cambridge: 1, 12, 17
Dundee: 21
Edinburgh: 10, 21
London: 1, 19, 21
Oxford: 1
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Alabama
Birmingham: 20
Arizona
Tempe: 17
Tucson: 11
California
Berkeley: 9
Irvine: 2
Los Angeles: 12
Orange: 4
Pasadena: 14
San Francisco: 4
Santa Cruz: 9
Georgia
Atlanta: 11
Illinois
Argonne: 15
Chicago: 5, 11
Urbana: 16
Iowa
Iowa City: 12
Maine
Bar Harbor: 23
Maryland
Baltimore: 19
Massachusetts
Boston: 3, 5, 20
Missouri
Kansas City: 27
New York
Albany: 20
New York: 5
Upton: 16
North Carolina
Durham: 4, 8
Research Triangle Park: 26
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 24
Texas
Houston: 19
Washington
Seattle: 7
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 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 Geoscience (London)
Heike Langenberg
Tel: +44 20 7843 4042; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Immunology (New York)
Laurie Dempsey
Tel: +1 212 726 9372; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Materials (London)
Alison Stoddart
Tel: +44 20 7843 4593; 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 Photonics (Tokyo)
Oliver Graydon
Tel: +81 3 3267 8776; 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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