NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
For papers that will be published online on 10 May 2009
This press release is copyrighted to the Nature journals mentioned below.
This press release contains:
· Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Genetics: Genetic differences in blood pressure enough to affect heart risks
Nature: Non-blinking nanocrystals
Neuroscience: Coordinated memory
Nature: Follow the code
Neuroscience: Experience-dependent brain changes in Angelman syndrome
· 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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[1 & 2] Genetics: Genetic differences in blood pressure enough to affect heart risks
DOI: 10.1038/ng.384
DOI: 10.1038/ng.361
Small genetic differences between individuals contribute small differences in blood pressure that are sufficient to present different risks of heart attack and stroke, according to two large genome-wide scans published in this week’s issue of Nature Genetics.
The Global BPgen and the CHARGE consortium examined genetic markers across the genomes of 63,569 individuals of European descent and found in numerous regions that were associated with commonly-measured pumping heart and relaxing heart blood pressures or clinically-diagnosed high blood pressure.
The proportion of blood pressure variation explained by ten genetic variants in the new studies is small - about 1% after taking into account age, gender and body mass index. However, when acting together in combination, the variants were calculated to be sufficient to account for an increased blood pressure that is associated in epidemiological studies with a 34% increase in risk for stroke and a 21% increase in risk of coronary artery events such as heart attacks. High blood pressure can be lowered to a healthy range by losing weight, reducing salt intake, exercising, reducing alcohol consumption, or by antihypertensive medication.
Author Contacts
Daniel Levy (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, Framingham, MA, USA) Author paper [1]
Tel: +1 508 935 3458; E-mail: [email protected]
Chris Newton-Cheh (Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA) Author paper [2]
Tel: +1 617 643 3615; E-mail: [email protected]
[3] Nature: Non-blinking nanocrystals
DOI: 10.1038/nature08072
A new semiconducting nanocrystal that stays on without ‘blinking’ is unveiled in this week’s Nature. It is thought the device could find use in a variety of applications, including biological imaging, lasers and solar cells.
Semiconductor nanocrystals are severely limited by the fact that they turn on and off intermittently under continuous excitation, a poorly understood phenomenon thought to be due to charging of the nanocrystal. However, Todd Krauss and colleagues have now synthesized a continuously emitting colloidal semiconductor nanocrystal.
The molecule is made of a nanocrystalline CdZnSe core capped with a ZnSe semiconductor shell, with the transition between the two layers gradual rather than abrupt. This, it is thought, gives the crystal its unique property, despite being charged.
Author contact:
Todd Krauss (University of Rochester, NY, USA)
Tel: +1 585 275 5093; E-mail: [email protected]
[4] Neuroscience: Coordinated memory
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2305
Brain areas known to be involved in emotions and learning are more coordinated with each other during learning, suggests a paper published on line this week in Nature Neuroscience. This increased coupling could strengthen the neuronal connections underlying memory.
Denis Pare and colleagues measured the signals from a number of brain areas known to be active while learning about rewards. They focused on the amygdala, a brain structure that mediates emotions, and the striatum, a brain region that is involved in learning. They found that when a tone and a reward were presented independently, rhythmic neural activity in the two brain regions at the time of the tone was uncoordinated. However, as the animals learned that the offset of the tone predicted an upcoming reward, the timing of activity in the amygdala and the striatum became more correlated. The increase in coordination was unique to these two areas, and was not found for any of the other brain areas where the scientists were recording.
Previous work suggests that connections are strengthened between neurons that fire at the same time, so this increased coordination could be a mechanism for enhancing memory.
Author contact:
Denis Pare (Rutgers University, Newark, NJ, USA)
Tel: +1 973 353 1080, ext. 3251; E-mail: [email protected]
[5] Nature: Follow the code
DOI: 10.1038/nature08036
A paper in this week’s Nature indicates that certain forms of acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) can result from misinterpretation of chromatin modifications — the chemical ‘marks’ that modify histone proteins and influence gene expression. These histone modifications are recognised and interpreted by proteins that specifically bind them and ‘read’ the mark.
David Allis and colleagues show that a chromosomal translocation found in certain AML patients results in the aberrant activity of a protein that recognises histone modifications. This leads to inappropriate expression of developmentally important genes, and the induction of leukaemia.
Therefore, inappropriate interpretation of histone modifications can induce oncogenesis, and the authors propose a new category of diseases arising from misinterpreting the histone code.
Author contact:
David Allis (Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA)
Tel: +1 212 327 7839; E-mail: [email protected]
[6] Neuroscience: Experience-dependent brain changes in Angelman syndrome
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2327
Sensory-experience dependent modification of visual areas in the brain are disrupted in a mouse model of Angelman syndrome (AS), reports a paper published online this week in Nature Neuroscience.
Angelman syndrome (AS) is a hereditary mental retardation, caused by mutations or deletions in the maternally inherited allele of the UBE3A gene. Normally, visual experience guides the development of brain circuitry in the visual cortex of the brain. Benjamin Philpot and colleagues report that AS mice deficient in UBE3A do not show this sensory-experience dependent maturation process. This experience-dependent plasticity however was restored by sensory deprivation (rearing the mice in a dark environment).
This work points to potential mechanisms that may underlie abnormalities in brain development in human AS, as well as other forms of mental retardation, such as Rett syndrome and Fragile X syndrome.
Author contacts:
Benjamin Philpot (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, USA)
Tel: +1 919 966 0025; E-mail: [email protected]
Michael Ehlers (Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA)
Tel: +1 919 684 1828; E-mail: [email protected]
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Items from other Nature journals to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[7] Live-imaging of single stem cells within their niche reveals that a U3snoRNP component segregates asymmetrically and is required for self-renewal in Drosophila
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1874
[8] The mitotic kinesin‑14 Ncd drives directional microtubule–microtubule sliding
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1877
[9] The kinesin-14 Klp2 organizes microtubules into parallel bundles by an ATP-dependent sorting mechanism
DOI: 10.1038/ncb1878
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[10] Brownian search-and-catch mechanism for myosin-VI steps
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.171
[11] Cytosine-5-methyltransferases add aldehydes to DNA
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.172
[12] Persistent signaling induced by FTY720-phosphate is mediated by internalized S1P1 receptors
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.173
NATURE CHEMISTRY (http://www.nature.com/nchem)
[13] Force-activated reactivity switch in a bimolecular chemical reaction
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.207
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[14] Multiple loci associated with indices of renal function and chronic kidney disease
DOI: 10.1038/ng.377
[15] Genome-wide association study and meta-analysis find that over 40 loci affect risk of type 1 diabetes
DOI: 10.1038/ng.381
[16] A common allele in RPGRIP1L is a modifier of retinal degeneration in ciliopathies
DOI: 10.1038/ng.366
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[17] Bacterial recognition by TLR7 in the lysosomes of conventional dendritic cells
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1733
[18] Localized diacylglycerol drives the polarization of microtubule-organizing centers in T cells
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1734
[19] Intraclonal competition limits the fate determination of regulatory T cells in the thymus
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1739
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[20] Stretchable active-matrix organic light-emitting diode display using printable elastic conductors
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2459
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[21] Cyclophilin A enhances vascular oxidative stress and the development of angiotensin II–induced aortic aneurysms
DOI: 10.1038/nm.1958
NATURE METHODS (http://www.nature.com/nmeth)
[22] TU-tagging: cell type-specific RNA isolation from intact complex tissues
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1329
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[23] Intracellular zinc inhibits KCC2 transporter activity
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2316
[24] A resting pool of vesicles is responsible for spontaneous vesicle fusion at the synapse
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2317
[25] Sparse temporal coding of elementary tactile features during active whisker sensation
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2328
[26] Serotonergic modulation of odor input to the mammalian olfactory bulb
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2335
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[27] Observation of a large-gap topological-insulator class with a single Dirac cone on the surface
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1274
[28] Topological insulators in Bi2Se3, Bi2Te3 and Sb2Te3 with a single Dirac cone on the surface
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1270
[29] Breakdown of the nuclear-spin-temperature approach in quantum-dot demagnetization experiments
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1273
[30] Collective excitations of composite fermions across multiple ∧ levels
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1275
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[31] Decapping is preceded by 3’ uridylation in a novel pathway of bulk mRNA turnover
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1601
[32] Antidepressant specificity of serotonin transporter suggested by three LeuT–SSRI structures
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1602
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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
Perth: 15
CANADA:
Montreal: 16
CHILE
Santiago: 2
CHINA
Beijing: 28
Shanghai: 27
DENMARK
Gentofte: 15
ESTONIA
Tartu: 2
FINLAND
Helsinki: 2
Kuopio: 2
Oulu: 2
Seinajoki: 2
FRANCE
Bobigny: 2
Evry: 2, 15
Paris: 2, 7, 16
GERMANY
Aachen: 16
Berlin: 26
Dresden: 8
Greifswald: 2
Groningen: 2
Munich: 2
Neuherberg: 2
ICELAND
Kopavogur: 1, 14
Reykjavik: 1, 14
INDIA
Kolkata: 30
ISRAEL
Beer-Sheva: 23
ITALY
Cagliari: 2
Florence: 2
Messina: 17
Naples: 2
Rome: 2
Santa Maria Imbaro: 2
Troina: 2
Turin: 2
JAPAN
Aoba-ku: 21
Chiba: 18, 20
Osaka: 10
Saitama: 20
Suita: 17
Tokyo: 20
Tsukuba: 20
LITHUANIA
Vilnius: 11
NETHERLANDS
Groningen: 2
Nijmegen: 16
Rotterdam: 1, 14
Utrecht: 2
POLAND
Lodz: 8
Warsaw: 8
SPAIN
Barcelona: 2
SWEDEN
Malmo: 2
Stockholm: 2
Uppsala: 2
SWITZERLAND
Basel: 12
Geneva: 1, 14
Lausanne: 2, 11
Zurich: 29
UNITED KINGDOM
Aberdeen: 2
Bristol: 2
Cambridge: 2, 11, 15
Glasgow: 2
Leeds: 16
Leicester: 2
London: 2, 7, 16, 24
Oxford: 2, 31
Surrey: 9
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
California
Berkeley: 25
La Jolla: 25
Merced: 22
Pleasanton: 15
San Francisco: 10, 14
Stanford: 28
District of Columbia
Washington: 3
Florida
Jupiter: 5
Maryland
Baltimore: 1, 2, 14, 16
Bethesda: 1, 2, 14, 15, 16
Massachusetts
Boston: 1, 2, 14, 27
Cambridge: 2, 26, 31
Framingham: 1, 2, 14
Norwood: 1
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 2, 16
Minnesota
Rochester: 21
Missouri
St Louis: 19
New Jersey
Newark: 4
Princeton: 27
New York
Ithaca: 3
New York: 5, 13, 15, 18, 19, 32
Rochester: 3
North Carolina
Chapel Hill: 1, 2, 6
Durham: 6
Oregon
Eugene: 22
Pennsylvania
Indiana: 23
King of Prussia: 2
Philadelphia: 16
Pittsburgh: 23
University Park: 30
Texas
Galveston: 19
Houston: 1, 2, 14, 16
Virginia
Charlottesville: 15
Washington
Seattle: 1, 2, 14, 19
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]
Neda Afsarmanesh (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)
Craig Mak
Tel: +1 212 726 9384; 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 Chemistry (London)
Stuart Cantrill
Tel: +44 20 7014 4018; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Genetics (New York)
Lily Khidr
Tel: +1 212 726 9324; 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)
Vincent Dusastre
Tel: +44 20 7843 4531; 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]
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