NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
For papers that will be published online on 12 October 2008
This press release is copyrighted to the Nature journals mentioned below.
This press release contains:
· Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Genetics: Hair follicle stem cells identified
Genetics: Susceptibility to male-pattern baldness
Geoscience: Peatland carbon loss
Chemical Biology: Seeking promiscuity
Genetics: New risk factors for basal cell carcinoma
· 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: Hair follicle stem cells identified
DOI: 10.1038/ng.239
Scientists have discovered a group of stem cells in mice that can repopulate and maintain all cell types of the hair follicle, reports a study online this week in Nature Genetics. This work reverses previously held assumptions about the identity of hair follicle stem cells.
Mouse hair follicle stem cells have been thought to reside in the ‘bulge’ region of the hair follicle, and a group of non-dividing cells known as ‘label retaining cells’ have been proposed as the key contributors to hair follicle growth.
Rune Toftgård and colleagues previously showed that a group of cells in the intestine and colon that express the protein Lgr5 have stem cell properties in those tissues. They now report that Lgr5-expressing cells exist in mouse hair follicles, and that such cells proliferate during hair follicle growth. Isolated Lgr5-expressing cells can then regenerate complete hair follicles when transplanted onto the backs of nude mice.
The authors suggest that the label retaining cells may serve as a reserve stem cell population activated after there has been tissue damage. During normal conditions, however, a dividing cell population expressing Lgr5 maintains the hair follicle through its normal cycle of growth and death.
Author contact:
Rune Toftgård (Karolinska Institute, Huddinge, Sweden)
Tel: +46 8608 9152; E-mail: [email protected]
[2] & [3] Genetics: Susceptibility to male-pattern baldness
DOI: 10.1038/ng.228
DOI: 10.1038/ng.255
New genetic risk factors for male-pattern baldness have been identified in two studies published online this week in Nature Genetics.
Male-pattern baldness, also known as androgenic alopecia, affects 40% of adult men and women. It not only has social implications, but has been linked to coronary heart disease as well. Previous work identified variation in the gene which encodes the androgen receptor as contributing to susceptibility, but additional genetic risk factors had not yet been discovered.
Two groups led by Axel Hillmer and Tim Spector independently report closely linked variants on chromosome 20 as predisposing to male-pattern baldness. The increased risk is substantial, with Spector and colleagues reporting that the 14% of men carrying one chromosome 20 variant and one androgen receptor variant have an increased risk of more than 7 times. Hillmer and colleagues show that the frequency of the chromosome 20 risk variant varies worldwide, and could explain part of the population-specific differences in androgenic alopecia. These variants are near two genes, PAX1 and FOXA2, although their role in hair loss, if any, has not yet been defined.
Author contacts:
Axel Hillmer (University of Bonn, Germany) Author paper [2]
Tel: +49 228 6885 444; E-mail: [email protected]
Tim Spector (King’s College London, UK) Author paper [3]
Tel: +44 20 7188 6765; E-mail: [email protected]
Media contact:
Edward Farmer (deCODE, New York, NY, USA) Media contact paper [3]
Tel: +1 646 417 4555; E-mail: [email protected]
[4] Geoscience: Peatland carbon loss
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo331
Water loss will exacerbate peatland degradation, resulting in more soil carbon being released as carbon dioxide as surface temperatures rise, suggests a study online this week in Nature Geoscience.
Peatlands store large amounts of carbon owing to the low rates of carbon breakdown in cold, waterlogged soils. Takeshi Ise and colleagues use a soil physical–biogeochemical-coupled model to examine the effect of water table height on peatland decomposition. Lowering the water table increases peat loss, which further enhances water loss, setting in motion a positive feedback that significantly increases decomposition of soil organic carbon under climate change. In a long-term simulation, an experimental warming of 4 degrees Celsius causes soil organic carbon loss of 40% from shallow peat and 86% from deep peat, when these feedbacks are included.
Author contact:
Takeshi Ise (Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology, Japan)
Tel: +81 45 778 5595; E-mail: [email protected]
[5] Chemical Biology: Seeking promiscuity
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.117
Scientists have designed a small molecule that simultaneously inhibits multiple enzymes and their research is described online this week in Nature Chemical Biology. The ability to identify chemical compounds that target multiple pathways involved in cellular growth offers potential for more targeted anticancer therapies.
Previously scientists looking for new drugs try to find a small molecule that will selectively block the action of one protein within cells. However, recent studies have shown that certain successful drugs thought to be highly selective for their target proteins actually work by interacting with other proteins as well.
Kevan Shokat and colleagues use this strategy to identify PP121, a molecule that interferes with cancer cell growth by inhibiting two types of enzymes, known as tyrosine kinases and lipid kinases. The discovery offers a lead compound for therapeutic approaches, but also reveals design principles that will aid researchers in finding new multi-target inhibitors.
Author contact:
Kevan Shokat (University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA)
Tel: +1 415 514 0472, E-mail: [email protected]
[6] Genetics: New risk factors for basal cell carcinoma
DOI: 10.1038/ng.234
Two genetic variants associated with basal cell carcinoma (BCC) are identified online this week in Nature Genetics. BCC is the most common cancer among individuals of European ancestry and can be disfiguring, although it is less lethal than other forms of skin cancer.
Unnur Thorsteinsdottir, Kari Stefansson and colleagues carried out a genome-wide association study of Icelanders with and without BCC, and followed up with replication studies of additional populations of affected individuals in Iceland and Eastern Europe. They identify two variants in different regions of chromosome 1 as predisposing to BCC. Previously identified BCC-associated risk variants were also associated with fair skin, but the chromosome 1 variants were not, suggesting that they increase risk of the disease through a distinct pathway.
Taking into account all such genetic risk factors found to date, the authors show that those individuals with two copies of all known risk variants have an increased risk of more than 12 times compared to those individuals who have two copies of each of the non-risk versions.
Author contacts:
Unnur Thorsteinsdottir (deCODE Genetics, Reykjavik, Iceland)
Tel: +354 570 1992; E-mail: [email protected]
Kari Stefansson (deCODE, Reykjavik, Iceland)
Tel: +354 570 1900; E-mail: [email protected]
Media contact:
Edward Farmer (deCODE, New York, NY, USA)
Tel: +1 646 417 4555; 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] Crystal structure of the anti-viral APOBEC3G catalytic domain and functional implications
DOI: 10.1038/nature07357
[8] DNA double-strand breaks activate a multi-functional genetic program in developing lymphocytes
DOI: 10.1038/nature07392
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology)
[9] Induction of pluripotent stem cells from primary human fibroblasts with only Oct4 and Sox2
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1502
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[10] Planar polarization in embryonic epidermis orchestrates global asymmetric morphogenesis of hair follicles
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1784
[11] KIF1Bb- and KIF1A-mediated axonal transport of presynaptic regulator Rab3 occurs in a GTP-dependent manner through DENN/MADD
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1785
[12] Ubiquitylation of the COMPASS component Swd2 links H2B ubiquitylation to H3K4 trimethylation
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1796
[13] Loss of nucleoplasmic LAP2a–lamin A complexes causes erythroid and epidermal progenitor hyperproliferation
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1793
NATURE GEOSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/ngeo)
[14] Intense polar temperature inversion in the middle atmosphere on Mars
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo332
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[15] Differential MHC class II synthesis and ubiquitination confers distinct antigen-presenting properties on conventional and plasmacytoid dendritic cells
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1665
[16] Interactions among the transcription factors Runx1, RORgt and Foxp3 regulate the differentiation of interleukin 17–producing T cells
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1663
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[17] Electric-field-induced superconductivity in an insulator
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2298
[18] Metal hydrides for lithium-ion batteries
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2288
[19] Pressure-dependent structures of amorphous red phosphorus and the origin of the first sharp diffraction peaks
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2290
[20] Electron-trapping polycrystalline materials with negative electron affinity
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2289
[21] Universal link between the boson peak and transverse phonons in glass
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2293
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[22] HIT: a versatile proteomics platform for multianalyte phenotyping of cytokines, intracellular proteins and surface molecules
DOI: 10.1038/nm.1755
NATURE METHODS (http://www.nature.com/nmeth)
[23] A nano-positioning system for macromolecular structural analysis
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1259
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nnano)
[24] Nanomechanical detection of antibiotic–mucopeptide binding in a model for superbug drug resistance
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2008.275
[25] New leverage against superbugs (N&Vs linked to nnano.2008.275)
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2008.294
[26] Flying plasmonic lens in the near field for high-speed nanolithography
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2008.303
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[27] Millisecond-scale differences in neural activity in auditory cortex can drive decision
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2211
[28] Memory reconsolidation mediates the strengthening of memories by additional learning
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2205
[29] Functional organization of the transcriptome in human brain
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2207
[30] A central role for Islet1 in sensory neuron development linking sensory and spinal gene regulatory programs
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2209
NATURE PHOTONICS (http://www.nature.com/nphoton)
[31] A chirped photonic-crystal fibre
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2008.203
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[32] Strong interaction between light and a single trapped atom without the need for a cavity
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1096
[33] Quantum-inspired interferometry with chirped laser pulses
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1093
[34] Reliable neuronal logic devices from patterned hippocampal cultures
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1099
[35] Entanglement theory and the second law of thermodynamics
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1100
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[36] A quantitative model of transcription factor–activated gene expression
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1500
[37] The ‘glutamate switch’ provides a link between ATPase activity and ligand binding in AAA+ proteins
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1501
[38] Structural elucidation of a PRP8 core domain from the heart of the spliceosome
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1505
***************************************************************************************************************
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
Brisbane: 2, 24
Parkville: 15
AUSTRIA
Vienna: 13
CANADA:
Edmonton: 38
Montreal: 3
Waterloo: 33
ESTONIA
Tartu: 1
FRANCE
Amiens: 18
Marseille: 12
Paris: 12
GERMANY
Berlin: 31
Bonn: 2
Düsseldorf: 2
Essen: 2
Garching: 32
Heidelberg: 6, 15
Jena: 31
Martinsried: 15
Munich: 23
HUNGARY
Budapest: 6
ICELAND
Reykjavik: 3, 6
ISRAEL
Rehovot: 34
JAPAN
Kanagawa: 15
Saitama: 29
Sendai: 17
Tokyo: 9, 11, 17, 21
Yokohama: 4
KENYA
Nairobi: 24
NETHERLANDS
Utrecht: 1, 9, 15
ROMANIA
Napoca: 6
RUSSIA
Saratov: 31
SINGAPORE
Immunos: 13
Singapore: 32
SLOVAKIA
Banska Bystrica: 6
SPAIN
Madrid: 5
Valencia: 6
Zaragoza: 6
SWEDEN
Huddinge: 1
Huesca: 6
Stockholm: 6
SWITZERLAND
Basel: 25
Lausanne: 3
UNITED KINGDOM
Birmingham: 24, 28
Cambridge: 3, 5, 24
Didcot: 19
Hertfordshire: 37
Leeds: 24
London: 3, 20, 24, 35, 37
Milton Keynes: 14
Oxford: 14
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
California
Berkeley: 5, 19, 26, 27
La Jolla: 7, 30
Livermore: 19
Los Angeles: 7, 14, 29
Pasadena: 14
San Diego: 30
San Francisco: 5, 15
Stanford: 22
Maryland
Bethesda: 13, 16
Massachusetts
Cambridge: 4, 9, 36
Worcester: 4
Michigan
Warren: 18
New York
Cold Spring Harbor: 27
Ithaca: 14
New York: 5, 10, 34
Stony Brook: 27
North Carolina
Research Triangle: 8
Pennsylvania
King of Prussia: 3
Philadelphia: 8
Washington
Seattle: 14
Wisconsin
Madison: 5
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 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)
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 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.
