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This press release is copyright Nature.
VOL.455 NO.7214 DATED 09 OCTOBER 2008
This press release contains:
· Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Genomes: Malaria double whammy
Stem cells: Pluripotent cells from human testis
Glaciology: Stabilizing the roof of the world
Astrophysics: Insight into an early star-forming galaxy
Immunology: Protein linked to antibody production
Applied physics: Opening the door to thermo-spintronics
And finally… The key to sound distortion
· Mention of papers to be published at the same time with the same embargo
· Geographical listing of authors
Editorial contacts: While the best contacts for stories will always be the authors themselves, in some cases the Nature editor who handled the paper will be available for comment if an author is unobtainable. Editors are contactable via Ruth Francis on +44 20 7843 4562. Feel free to get in touch with Nature's press contacts in London, Washington and Tokyo (as listed at the end of this release) with any general editorial inquiry.
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[1], [2] & [3] Genomes: Malaria double whammy (pp 799-803; 757-763; 751-756)
Six years after completion of the Plasmodium falciparum genome, the sequences of two other human malaria parasites are presented this week in Nature. The findings reveal how differences in the genetic make-up may shape the specific biology of each species.
Only some of the many species of Plasmodium infect humans, and different species cause malaria of varying degrees of severity. Arnab Pain and colleagues report the genome sequence of Plasmodium knowlesi — a monkey parasite that is increasingly recognized as a significant cause of human malaria. The team found that one family of parasite genes shares common sequences with a host protein. The authors suggest that this could represent a form of mimicry, whereby the parasite impersonates the host to evade detection.
Also in this issue, Jane Carlton and colleagues report the genome sequence of Plasmodium vivax — the most widespread of all the malaria parasites and the most common cause of benign but recurring malaria. By comparing the P. vivax sequence with all the other sequenced Plasmodium genomes, the research offers insight as to why some species are more dangerous than others.
In a supporting review article, Elizabeth Winzeler discusses the impact that this genome information will have on the hunt for much-needed vaccines and treatments.
CONTACT
Arnab Pain (The Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK) Author paper [1]
Tel: +44 1223 494954; E-mail: [email protected]
Jane Carlton (New York University Medical Center, NY, USA) Author paper [2]
Tel: +1 212 263 4377; E-mail: [email protected]
Elizabeth Winzeler (The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA) Author review article [3]
Tel: +1 858 812 1558; E-mail: [email protected]
[4] Stem cells: Pluripotent cells from human testis (AOP)
DOI: 10.1038/nature07404
***This paper will be published electronically on Nature's website on 08 October at 1800 London time / 1300 US Eastern time (which is also when the embargo lifts) as part of our AOP (ahead of print) programme. Although we have included it on this release to avoid multiple mailings it will not appear in print on 09 October, but at a later date. ***
Pluripotent adult stem cells have been derived from cells in adult human testis for the first time. The research, published online in Nature this week, follows a similar result in mice last year and brings the potential of cell generation for individual therapy a step closer.
Previous research has demonstrated that mouse neonatal and adult germline stem cells (GSCs) are pluripotent and possess properties of embryonic stem cells. Thomas Skutella and colleagues establish pluripotent adult GSCs from spermatogonial cells of adult human testis. They propose that it may be possible to derive human adult GSCs from testicular biopsies in order to generate cells for individual cell-based therapies.
CONTACT
Thomas Skutella (University of Tübingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany)
Tel: +49 7071 29 73429; E-mail: [email protected]
[5] Glaciology: Stabilizing the roof of the world (pp 786-789; N&V)
Glacier dynamics and glacier-controlled bedrock erosion may have helped preserve the high topography of the Tibetan plateau, suggests a paper in Nature this week. The process, whereby glacial dams have repeatedly blocked rapid downstream erosion, may have helped stabilize the southeastern plateau margin and prevent rivers from driving a wave of incision back upstream.
The Tibetan plateau is the highest and biggest plateau in the world, with an average elevation of 5,000 metres. A considerable amount of research has gone into finding out how and when the plateau formed. But less inquiry had addressed the controls of river incision into the plateau edge itself. Despite the existence of one of the world’s deepest gorges, the edge of the plateau is still well defined and has not been susceptible to aggressive fluvial erosion.
Oliver Korup and David Montgomery studied the Yarlung Tsangpo river and its tributaries which drain the southeastern margin of the Tibetan plateau down towards the Ganges basin. The team used satellite data to map 260 moraine dams — piles of accumulated soil and rock debris formed by glaciers that block the major rivers. They found that glaciers advanced enough during the last 10,000 years to stall aggressive river downcutting along the plateau margin. The damming has substantially impeded river incision into the southeastern edge of the Tibetan plateau.
CONTACT
Oliver Korup (WSL Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research, Davos, Switzerland)
Tel: +41 81 417 0250; E-mail: [email protected]
David Montgomery (University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA)
Tel: +1 206 685 2560; E-mail: [email protected]
Lewis Owen (University of Cincinnati, OH, USA) N&V author
Tel: +1 513 410 2339; E-mail: [email protected]
[6] Astrophysics: Insight into an early star-forming galaxy (pp 775-777)
Although adaptive optics instruments on large ground-based telescopes are starting to deliver valuable information about the structure of galaxies in the early Universe, they can’t overcome some fundamental limits — other tricks are needed to study very distant galaxies in detail. A paper in this week’s Nature reports the resolution of detailed features of young stars and gases during the formation and assembly of such a galaxy.
Daniel Stark and colleagues study a gravitationally lensed galaxy, where another massive galaxy along the line of sight bent the light from the more distant one in just the way that a magnifying glass allows us to discern finer features. They were able to study the distribution and motion of stars and gases in the system. Combined with other data, their observations help to build up a dynamic picture of how the galaxy was built up and evolved.
The galaxy is a well-ordered compact source in which molecular gas is being efficiently converted into stars. The team’s findings support the idea that gas accretion, rather than mergers with other galaxies, drove the growth of this particular galaxy, and that it will eventually look like the spherical bulges of present-day spiral galaxies.
CONTACT
Daniel Stark (California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA)
Tel: +1 626 395 4121; E-mail: [email protected]
[7] Immunology: Protein linked to antibody production (pp 764-769; N&V)
A key protein has been implicated in the formation of germinal centers, the areas within lymph nodes where antibody-producing cells mature and proliferate.
Germinal centers form an important part of the immune response, and various immune cells need to make contact and ‘communicate’ with each other for them to be formed. In this week’s Nature, Ronald Germain and colleagues show that the lymphocyte activation molecule-associated protein SAP is critical to this process. Without SAP, T and B lymphocytes cannot interact as normal and germinal centers are not formed. The research explains why people with mutations in SAP have difficulties in producing antibodies.
CONTACT
Ronald Germain (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Bethesda, MD, USA)
Tel: +1 301 496 1904; E-mail: [email protected]
Stuart Tangye (Garvan Institute of Medical Research, Sydney, Australia) N&V author
Tel: +61 2 9295 8455; E-mail: [email protected]
[8] Applied physics: Opening the door to thermo-spintronics (pp 778-781; N&V)
T. J. Seebeck discovered almost 200 years ago that electric power could be generated from heat — the so-called thermoelectric effect. A paper in this week’s Nature describes how heat can also be used to generate 'spin power', which can drive a pure electron spin current.
Eiji Saitoh and colleagues found evidence for the generation of a spin voltage from a temperature gradient in a metallic magnet, which effectively acts like a thermocouple. This ‘spin Seebeck effect’ enables the application of a spin current — a flow of spins without electric currents — over relatively long distances (on the order of millimetres).
The authors suggest that the effect could accelerate the development of practical spintronics applications and may also lead to the construction of novel thermoelectric generators and temperature-gradient sensors.
CONTACT
Eiji Saitoh (Keio University, Yokohama, Japan)
Tel: +81 45 566 1821; E-mail: [email protected]
N. Phuan Ong (Princeton University, NJ, USA) N&V author
Tel: +1 609 258 4347; E-mail: [email protected]
[9] And finally… The key to sound distortion (AOP)
DOI: 10.1038/nature07380
***This paper will be published electronically on Nature's website on 08 October at 1800 London time / 1300 US Eastern time (which is also when the embargo lifts) as part of our AOP (ahead of print) programme. Although we have included it on this release to avoid multiple mailings it will not appear in print on 09 October, but at a later date. ***
Researchers have identified a protein that enables the inner ear to distort sounds, a feature that helps us to understand speech.
The cochlea is the part of the inner ear that detects sounds, and it contains two types of sensory cell: inner and outer hair cells. In this week’s Nature, Elisabeth Verpy and colleagues use a genetically modified mouse model to show that the protein stereocilin, found in the fine hair-like projections of outer hair cells, is essential for sound distortion.
When sound waves are distorted, one tone can mask another, helping to make speech more intelligible, or tones can combine to produce new sounds. These so-called otoacoustic emissions form the basis of a clinically widespread, non-invasive test for hearing defects in newborn babies.
CONTACT
Elisabeth Verpy (Institut Pasteur, Paris, France)
Tel: +33 1 40 61 36 52; E-mail: [email protected]
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE…
[10] High-temperature interface superconductivity between metallic and insulating copper oxides (pp 782-785)
[11] Central role of detachment faults in accretion of slow-spreading oceanic lithosphere (pp 790-794)
ADVANCE ONLINE PUBLICATION
***This paper will be published electronically on Nature's website on 08 October at 1800 London time / 1300 US Eastern time (which is also when the embargo lifts) as part of our AOP (ahead of print) programme. Although we have included it on this release to avoid multiple mailings it will not appear in print on 09 October, but at a later date. ***
[12] The ion pathway through the opened Na1,K1-ATPase pump
DOI: 10.1038nature07350
GEOGRAPHICAL LISTING OF AUTHORS…
The following list of places refers to the whereabouts of authors on the papers numbered in this release. For example, London: 4 - this means that on paper number four, there will be at least one author affiliated to an institute or company in London. 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: 2
Melbourne: 1, 2
Sydney: 2
BRAZIL
Sao Paulo: 2
CANADA:
Vancouver: 1
DENMARK
Copenhagen: 1
FRANCE
Clermont-Ferrand: 9
Paris: 9, 11
GERMANY
Cologne: 4
Heidelberg: 2
Tubingen: 4
JAPAN
Saitama: 8
Sendai: 8
Tokyo: 8
NETHERLANDS
Rijswijk: 1
SPAIN
Barcelona: 2
SWITZERLAND
Davos: 5
UNITED KINGDOM
Brighton: 9
Cambridge: 1
Cardiff: 6
Durham: 6
Glasgow: 1
Hinxton: 1, 2
Leeds: 11
Liverpool: 1
London: 4
Oxford: 1
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
California
La Jolla: 3
Pasadena: 6
Florida
Tampa: 2
Georgia
Atlanta: 1, 2
Maryland
Baltimore: 2
Bethesda: 7
College Park: 2
Frederick: 2
Rockville: 2
Massachusetts
Boston: 1
Cambridge: 11
Woods Hole: 11
New York
Ithaca: 10
New York: 2, 12
Upton: 10
Oregon
Hillsboro: 10
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 2
Washington
Seattle: 2, 5
PRESS CONTACTS…
From North America and Canada
Katherine Anderson, Nature New York
Tel: +1 212 726 9231; E-mail: [email protected]
Katie McGoldrick, Nature Washington
Tel: +1 202 737 2355; E-mail: [email protected]
From Japan, Korea, China, Singapore and Taiwan
Mika Nakano, Nature Tokyo
Tel: +81 3 3267 8751; E-mail: [email protected]
From the UK/Europe/other countries not listed above
Jen Middleton, Nature London
Tel: +44 20 7843 4502; E-mail [email protected]
About Nature Publishing Group (NPG):
Nature Publishing Group is a division of Macmillan Publishers Ltd, dedicated to serving the academic and 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 Nature News. Scientific career information and free job postings are offered on Naturejobs.
NPG is a global company with principal offices in London and New York and offices in Basingstoke, Boston, Buenos Aires, Delhi, Hong Kong, Madrid, Melbourne, Munich, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington DC. For more information, please go to www.nature.com.
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PRESS RELEASE FROM KIDNEY INTERNATIONAL
(www.nature.com/ki/)
This press release is copyrighted to Kidney International. Its use is granted only for journalists and news media receiving it directly from the Nature Publishing Group.
A PDF of the paper 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 NPG Academic Journals paper 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 advanced copies of Nature’s content may be guilty of insider trading under the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
PLEASE CITE KIDNEY INTERNATIONAL AND THE KIDNEY INTERNATIONAL WEBSITE AS THE SOURCE OF THE FOLLOWING ITEM. IF PUBLISHING ONLINE, PLEASE CARRY A HYPERLINK TO www.nature.com/ki/
Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A safer contrast agent for kidney disease
DOI: 10.1038/ki.2008.496
Safer magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for patients with severe kidney disease is now in sight, according to research published online this week in Kidney International. MRI scans provide important clinical information and can influence patient management.
Some gadolinium-based contrast agents – compounds used to improve the visibility of internal bodily structures during MRI –may cause life-threatening complications in patients with severe kidney disease. Edward Neuwelt and colleagues report that an iron oxide nanoparticle known as ferumoxytol is an effective compliment to gadolinium-based contrast agents, but does not have the same risk of developing nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF). The development of this condition is a rare, but potentially fatal complication in patients with severe kidney disease.
Ferumoxytol was originally developed as an intravenous iron-replacement therapy for anemic patients with chronic kidney disease. The new research validates ferumoxytol as a complement to other contrast agents, for a variety of different MRI techniques. However, in the case of patients with severe renal disease, ferumoxytol appears to be an effective alternative to avoid the risk of NSF.
Author contact:
Edward A. Neuwelt (Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA)
Tel: +1 503 494 5626; [email protected]
Media contacts:
Jen Middleton (Press Officer, Nature London)
Tel: +44 20 7843 4502; E-mail: [email protected]
Katherine Anderson (Press Officer, Nature New York)
Tel: +1 212 726 9231; E-mail: [email protected]
About Nature Publishing Group (NPG):
Nature Publishing Group is a division of Macmillan Publishers Ltd, dedicated to serving the academic and 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 Nature News. Scientific career information and free job postings are offered on Naturejobs.
NPG is a global company with principal offices in London and New York and offices in Basingstoke, Boston, Buenos Aires, Delhi, Hong Kong, Madrid, Melbourne, Munich, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo and Washington DC. For more information, please go to www.nature.com.
