NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
For papers that will be published online on 28 September 2008
This press release is copyrighted to the Nature journals mentioned below.
Wire services’ stories must always carry the embargo time at the head of each item, and may not be sent out more than 24 hours before that time.
Solely for the purpose of soliciting informed comment on Nature journal papers, you may show relevant parts of this document, and the papers to which it refers, to independent specialists – but you must ensure in advance that they understand and accept Nature’s embargo conditions.
This press release contains:
· Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Genetics: Risk factor for narcolepsy
Cell Biology: Thwarting tumour invasion
Geoscience: Glacier acceleration through subsurface ocean warming
Immunology: Complement enhances tumour evasion
Geoscience: Groundwater levels determine land response to climate
And finally… A century of artificial nitrogen fertiliser
· 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.
[1] Genetics: Risk factor for narcolepsy
DOI: 10.1038/ng.231
A genetic variant that predisposes to narcolepsy has been identified, according to a study published online this week in Nature Genetics. Narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, impaired vision, and muscle weakness that may lead to collapse. It occurs in approximately 1 in 2,500 individuals in the United States and Europe, but is at least 4 times more frequent in Japanese.
Katsushi Tokunaga and colleagues carried out a genome-wide association of Japanese individuals, and found one variant to be significantly associated with risk of narcolepsy. They also found support for the association in Koreans, but not in individuals of European or African descent, probably because the frequency of the risk variant is much lower in the latter two populations.
The risk variant is located between the genes CPT1B and CHKB, each of which is a reasonable candidate to have a role in the disorder. The gene CPT1B encodes an enzyme involved in fatty acid oxidation, which has been implicated in sleep regulation. CHKB encodes an enzyme that catalyzes the production of one of the major components of cellular membranes, which is a precursor to a molecule that has been linked to the sleep-wake cycle.
Author contact:
Katsushi Tokunaga (University of Tokyo, Japan)
Tel: +81 3 5841 3692; E-mail: [email protected]
[2] Cell Biology: Thwarting tumour invasion
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1794
A mechanism used by metastasising tumour cells to invade lung tissue and establish secondary tumours is reported online this week in Nature Cell Biology. The research identifies a promising drug target to prevent the spread of cancer.
Primary tumours prepare the lung for invasion by inducing chemokines – chemical factors normally used to recruit immune cells during infection – which guide migration of tumour cells to the secondary site. Hiratsuka and colleagues show that primary tumours also induce lung cells to produce an additional factor, serum amyloid A3 (SAA3). SAA3 accelerates the recruitment of primary tumour cells by switching on genes involved in inflammation and boosting the production of chemokines. Importantly, the team show that blocking SAA3 or its receptor strikingly reduces lung metastasis in mice.
Metastasis is difficult to predict and even harder to treat. The new findings offer researchers vital clues for understanding how cancer cells can establish new tumours at sites quite distant from the original tumour.
Author contact:
Yoshiro Maru (Tokyo Women's Medical University School of Medicine, Japan)
Tel: +81 3 5269 7417; E-mail: [email protected]
[3] Geoscience: Glacier acceleration through subsurface ocean warming
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo316
The sudden acceleration in 1997 of Jakobshavn Isbræ, one of Greenland’s largest outlet glaciers, was caused by subsurface ocean warming, according to research published online in Nature Geoscience. The study suggests that ocean temperatures may be more important for glacier flow than previously thought. The prediction of future rapid dynamic responses of other outlet glaciers to climate change may therefore require detailed knowledge of regional ocean dynamics.
David Holland and colleagues present hydrographic data that show a sudden increase in subsurface ocean temperature in 1997 along the entire west coast of Greenland. The arrival of relatively warm water that originated from the Irminger Sea near Iceland could therefore have triggered the increase in the glacier speed. The authors trace these oceanic changes back to changes in the atmospheric circulation in the North Atlantic region.
Author contact:
David Holland (New York University, NY, USA)
Tel: +1 212 998 3245; E-mail: [email protected]
[4] Immunology: Complement enhances tumour evasion
DOI:10.1038/ni.1655
A seemingly illogical link between activation of immune sensors and the ability of tumours to escape the immune system is reported online this week in Nature Immunology. The unexpected result reveals a new drug target for cancer treatment.
The complement system comprises a cascade of proteins that act as a fire alarm to alert the immune system to the presence of infection. In a bizarre twist, Lambris and colleagues show that tumour activation of one of the complement proteins – C5 – in fact leads to suppression of the anti-tumour immune response.
The surprising outcome is explained by the observation that the activated protein recruits ‘suppressor’ cells to the site. These act to disarm other immune cells and stop them from killing the tumour. Importantly, the authors show that blocking the activity of C5 slows tumour growth in mice and this treatment is as effective as taxol, a commonly used anti-cancer drug.
Author contact:
John Lambris (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA)
Tel: +1 215 746 5765; E-mail: [email protected]
[5] Geoscience: Groundwater levels determine land response to climate
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo315
Groundwater depth determines the relative susceptibility of land regions to changes in temperature and precipitation, finds a modelling study published online in Nature Geoscience. According to the simulations, groundwater levels critically control groundwater recharge and drought in a changing climate.
Reed Maxwell and Stefan Kollet used a groundwater flow model with integrated overland flow to examine the interplay between water and energy flows in a changing climate. They compared three scenario simulations with modified climate with a present-day simulation for a case study of the southern Great Plains, USA, an important agricultural region that is susceptible to drought.
Changes in groundwater level result mainly from lateral water flow at the surface and subsurface, and have not fully been taken into account in earlier models.
Author contacts:
Reed Maxwell (Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO, USA)
Tel: +1 925 422 7426; E-mail: [email protected]
Stefan Kollet (Bonn University, Bonn, Germany)
Tel. +49 228 73 5186; E-mail: [email protected]
[6] And finally… A century of artificial nitrogen fertiliser
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo325
As a result of the Haber–Bosch process for the synthesis of ammonia, billions of people have been fed, millions have died in armed conflict and a cascade of environmental changes has been set in motion, suggests a feature article published online in Nature Geoscience. Fritz Haber filed his patent for the process 100 years ago, on 13 October 1908, and received the 1918 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work.
Jan Willem Erisman and colleagues reflect on the influence that Haber’s invention has had on society over the past century, both the benefits and unintended consequences, such as the increase in water and air pollution, the perturbation of greenhouse-gas levels, and the loss of biodiversity that was to result from the colossal increase in ammonia production and use. They argue that today’s society is dependent on a nitrogen-based economy and discuss some of the challenges we are likely to face in the next 100 years.
Author contact:
Jan Willem Erisman (Energy Research Centre of the Netherlands, Petten, Netherlands)
Tel: +31 224 56 4155; 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)
[7] The ectodomain of Toll-like receptor 9 is cleaved to generate a functional receptor
DOI: 10.1038/nature07405
[8] The CRAC channel consists of a tetramer formed by Stim-induced dimerization of Orai dimers
DOI: 10.1038/nature07338
[9] Stepwise chromatin remodelling by a cascade of transcription initiation of non-coding RNAs
DOI: 10.1038/nature07348
[10] Comprehensive mass-spectrometry-based proteome quantification of haploid versus diploid yeast
DOI: 10.1038/nature07341
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology)
[11] Notch signaling respecifies the hemangioblast to a cardiac fate
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1497
[12] Genome sequencing and analysis of the filamentous fungus Penicillium chrysogenum
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1498
[13] Systems-level metabolic flux profiling identifies fatty acid synthesis as a target for antiviral therapy
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1500
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[14] Anchored plasticity opens doors for selective inhibitor design in nitric oxide synthase
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.115
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[15] Control of a key transition from prostrate to erect growth in rice domestication
DOI: 10.1038/ng.197
[16] Genetic control of rice plant architecture under domestication
DOI: 10.1038/ng.247
[17] Control of rice grain-filling and yield by a gene with a potential signature of domestication
DOI: 10.1038/ng.220
NATURE GEOSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/ngeo)
[18] Seismic evidence for distinct anisotropy in the innermost inner core
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo314
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[19] Priming for T helper type 2 differentiation by interleukin 2–mediated induction of interleukin 4 receptor alpha-chain expression
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1656
[20] Triggering the succinate receptor GPR91 on dendritic cells enhances immunity
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1657
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[21] Chemical control of protein stability and function in living mice
DOI: 10.1038/nm.1754
[22] Glutaminyl cyclase inhibition attenuates pyroglutamate A-beta and Alzheimer’s disease–like pathology
DOI: 10.1038/nm.1872
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nnano)
[23] A thixotropic nanocomposite gel for three-dimensional cell culture
DOI:10.1038/nnano.2008.270
[24] Nanopatterning self-assembled nanoparticle superlattices by moulding microdroplets
DOI:10.1038/nnano.2008.279
[25] Free-standing graphene at atomic resolution
DOI:10.1038/nnano.2008.280
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[26] Origin of correlated activity between parasol retinal ganglion cells
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2199
[27] Forebrain steroid levels fluctuate rapidly during social interactions
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2200
[28] Beta-catenin is required for memory consolidation
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2198
[29] Specialized neuronal adaptation for preserving input sensitivity
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2201
[30] Questioning the role of rebound firing in the cerebellum
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2195
[31] Mirror-image representation of action in the anterior parietal cortex
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2196
NATURE PHOTONICS (http://www.nature.com/nphoton)
[32] Ultralow-dissipation optomechanical resonators on a chip
DOI:10.1038/nphoton.2008.199
[33] Organic plasmon-emitting diode
DOI:10.1038/nphoton.2008.200
[34] Optically mediated particle clearing using Airy wavepackets
DOI:10.1038/nphoton.2008.201
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[35] Control of speed and efficiency of ultrafast demagnetization by direct transfer of spin angular momentum
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1092
[36] A giant electro-optic effect using polarizable dark states
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1091
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[37] Plasticity of the PAS domain and a potential role for signal transduction in the histidine kinase DcuS
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1493
[38] Hypermutation by intersegmental transfer of APOBEC3G cytidine deaminase
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1495
***************************************************************************************************************
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.
AUSTRIA
Graz: 22, 33
Laxenburg: 6
Vienna: 6, 20
Weiz: 33
CANADA:
St Johns: 3
Toronto: 11
CHILE
Santiago: 30
CHINA
Beijing: 15, 18
Guangzhou: 17
Hangzhou: 17
Shanghai: 16, 17
DENMARK
Copenhagen: 3
GERMANY
Berlin: 12
Bonn: 5
Frankfurt: 14
Garching: 32
Goettingen: 37
Halle: 22
Kaiserslautern: 26
Leipzig: 22
Magdeburg: 22
Mainz: 37
Martinsried: 10, 12
Neuherberg:
Stuttgart: 36
GREENLAND
Nuuk: 3
ISRAEL
Jerusalem: 31, 38
JAPAN
Ishehara: 1
Kyoto: 9
Osaka: 2
Saitama: 9
Tokyo: 1, 2, 9
KOREA
Suwon: 1
NETHERLANDS
Delft: 12
Eindhoven: 35
Haren: 12
Petten: 6
Utrecht: 37
SINGAPORE
Nanos: 23
SPAIN
Leon: 12
SWEDEN
Kista: 14
SWITZERLAND
Basel: 20
Lausanne: 32
UNITED KINGDOM
Dundee: 37
Durham: 36
Loughborough: 14
Manchester: 25
Midlothian: 6
St. Andrews: 34
Warrington: 25
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
California
Berkeley: 7
Irvine: 8
La Jolla: 14
Livermore: 5
Los Angeles: 27
Palo Alto: 1
San Diego: 14
San Francisco: 7, 11
Stanford: 21
Colorado
Golden: 5
District of Columbia
Washington: 12
Georgia
Atlanta: 28
Maryland
Bethesda: 19
Rockville: 12
Massachusetts
Boston: 4, 7
Cambridge: 20
Missouri
St Louis: 29
New Jersey
Princeton: 13
New York
Bronx: 30
Ithaca: 14, 24
New York: 3, 11, 31
Rochester: 13
Ohio
Athens: 4
Cleveland: 14
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 4, 30
Pittsburgh: 21
University Park: 17
Texas
Houston: 18
Virginia
Charlottesville: 6
Wallops Flight Facility: 3
Washington
Seattle: 26
PRESS CONTACTS…
For media inquiries relating to embargo policy for all the Nature Research Journals:
Rachel Twinn (Nature London)
Tel: +44 20 7843 4658; E-mail: [email protected]
Katherine Anderson (Nature New York)
Tel: +1 212 726 9231; E-mail: [email protected]
Ruth Francis (Head of Press, 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 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 Medicine (New York)
Juan Carlos Lopez
Tel: +1 212 726 9325; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Methods (New York)
Hugh Ash
Tel: +1 212 726 9627; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Nanotechnology (London)
Peter Rodgers
Tel: +44 20 7014 4019; Email: [email protected]
Nature Neuroscience (New York)
Kalyani Narasimhan
Tel: +1 212 726 9319; 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]
About Nature Publishing Group
Nature Publishing Group (NPG) is a division of Macmillan Publishers Ltd, dedicated to serving the academic, professional scientific and medical communities. NPG's flagship title, Nature, was first published in 1869. Other publications include Nature research journals, Nature Reviews, Nature Clinical Practice and a range of prestigious academic journals including society-owned publications. NPG also provides news content through [email protected]. Scientific career information and free job postings are offered on Naturejobs.
NPG is a global company with headquarters in London and offices in New York, San Francisco, Washington DC, Boston, Tokyo, Paris, Madrid, Munich, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Delhi, Mexico City, and Basingstoke. For more information, please go to www.nature.com.
