NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
For papers that will be published online on 31 January 2010
This press release is copyrighted to the Nature journals mentioned below.
This press release contains:
· Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Genetics: Searching for antimalarial drug resistance variants
Geoscience: Volcanoes implicated in ancient ocean oxygen depletion
· 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.
[1] Genetics: Searching for antimalarial drug resistance variants
DOI: 10.1038/ng.528
Genetic variants in Plasmodium falciparum, a malaria-causing parasite, that are associated with antimalarial drug resistance are reported online in this week’s Nature Genetics. This study provides important genetic tools for studying the P. falciparum genome and mechanisms of antimalarial drug resistance.
Every year, malaria affects 300 to 500 million people worldwide and leads to nearly one million deaths. It is caused by Plasmodium parasites, which are transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. Of the four types of Plasmodium, P. falciparum is the most deadly. Antimalarial drug resistance in P. falciparum parasites has led to the loss of effective drugs in most endemic areas, with some reports of P. falciparum strains that are resistant to all known antimalarial drugs.
Genome-wide studies to find genetic variants associated with antimalarial drugs have been hampered by technical challenges. Here, Xin-zhuan Su and colleagues measured parasite response to seven antimalarial drugs in 185 different P. falciparum isolates from Asia, Africa, America and Papua New Guinea. The authors identify several candidate genes that are associated with antimalarial drug resistance, although further studies are required to learn how these genes contribute to drug resistance.
Author contact:
Xin-zhuan Su (National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA)
Tel: +1 301 402 0876; E-mail: [email protected]
[2] Geoscience: Volcanoes implicated in ancient ocean oxygen depletion
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo743
The onset of a widespread absence of oxygen in the world’s deep oceans 94.5 million years ago may have been triggered by sulphur emitted from volcanoes, according to a report published online this week in Nature Geoscience.
Using marine sediments deposited during this event — known as Ocean Anoxic Event 2 — Matthew Hurtgen and colleagues found that unusually low background sulphate levels increased dramatically at the start of the event. Sulphate is a key ingredient for the recycling of organic matter, allowing the bodies of sinking plankton to decompose. The team suggests that once more sulphate was available, it triggered a chain reaction: the nutrients released by the decomposing organisms allowed more and more organisms to grow at the surface. As their bodies sank, they too were decomposed — a process that rapidly consumes oxygen. The chain only stopped once widespread oxygen depletion allowed the sulphur mineral pyrite to develop, consuming the excess sulphate.
The sulphate was most likely supplied by the heightened volcanic activity that is reported to have occurred at this time.
Author contact:
Matthew Hurtgen (Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA)
Tel: +1 847 491 7539; 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 (http://www.nature.com/nature)
[3] Ancient animal microRNAs and the evolution of tissue identity
DOI: 10.1038/nature08744
[4] Non-random decay of chordate characters causes bias in fossil interpretation
DOI: 10.1038/nature08745
[5] Retroviral intasome assembly and inhibition of DNA strand transfer
DOI: 10.1038/nature08784
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology)
[6] Rational association of genes with traits using a genome-scale gene network for Arabidopsis thaliana
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1603
[7] Real-time imaging of hepatitis C virus infection using a fluorescent cell-based reporter system
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1604
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[8] Identification and characterization of a non-satellite cell muscle resident progenitor during postnatal development
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2025
[9] Membrane contacts between endosomes and ER provide sites for PTP1B–epidermal growth factor receptor interaction
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2026
[10] Nemo-like kinase suppresses Notch signalling by interfering with formation of the Notch active transcriptional complex
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2028
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[11] Inhibition of eukaryotic translation elongation by cycloheximide and lactimidomycin
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.304
[12] The 2'-OH group at the group II intron terminus acts as a proton shuttle to permit reverse-splicing
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.312
NATURE CHEMISTRY (http://www.nature.com/nchem)
[13] A palladium-catalysed enolate alkylation cascade for the formation of adjacent quaternary and tertiary stereocentres
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.518
[14] A facile route to ketene-functionalized polymers for general materials applications
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.538
[15] Formation of mixed-phase particles during the freezing of polar stratospheric ice clouds
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.540
[16] Watching conformational and photodynamics of single fluorescent proteins in solution
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.545
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[17] Genome-wide association mapping identifies multiple loci for a canine SLE-related disease complex
DOI: 10.1038/ng.525
[18] Mutations in PNKP cause microcephaly, seizures and defects in DNA repair
DOI: 10.1038/ng.526
[19] A map of open chromatin in human pancreatic islets
DOI: 10.1038/ng.530
NATURE GEOSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/ngeo)
[20] No signature of abyssal carbon in intermediate waters off Chile during deglaciation
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo745
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[21] Signaling by intrathymic cytokines, not T cell antigen receptors, specifies CD8 lineage choice and promotes the differentiation of cytotoxic-lineage T cells
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1840
[22] TRPV2 has a pivotal role in macrophage particle binding and phagocytosis
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1842
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[23] Chemically fixed p–n heterojunctions for polymer electronics by means of covalent B–F bond formation
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2623
[24] Generality of shear thickening in dense suspensions
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2627
NATURE METHODS (http://www.nature.com/nmeth)
[25] In-cell recordings by extracellular microelectrodes
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1420
[26] Detecting the conformation of individual proteins in live cells
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1421
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nnano)
[27] Reported nanosafety practices in research laboratories worldwide
DOI:10.1038/nnano.2010.1
[28] Ultralow nanoscale wear through atom-by-atom attrition in silicon-containing diamond-like carbon
DOI:10.1038/nnano.2010.3
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[29] Dichotomy of functional organization in the mouse auditory cortex
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2490
[30] Functional organization and population dynamics in the mouse primary auditory cortex
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2484
[31] An NGF-responsive element targets Myo-Inositol Monophosphatase 1 mRNA to sympathetic neuron axons
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2486
[32] A neuronal role for SNAP-23 in postsynaptic glutamate receptor trafficking
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2488
NATURE PHOTONICS (http://www.nature.com/nphoton)
[33] Ultraviolet enhancement cavity for ultrafast nonlinear optics and high-rate multiphoton entanglement experiments
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2009.286
[34] A highly efficient single-photon source based on a quantum dot in a photonic nanowire
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2009.287
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[35] Strength and directionality of surface Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida interaction mapped on the atomic scale
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1514
[36] Correlation-induced single-flux-quantum penetration in quantum rings
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1517
[37] Static control logic for microfluidic devices using pressure-gain valves
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1513
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[38] Human PRP4 kinase is required for stable tri-snRNP association during spliceosomal B complex formation
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1718
[39] Crystal structure of an intramolecular chaperone mediating triple–beta-helix folding
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1746
[40] Molecular determinants of coupling between the domain III voltage sensor and pore of a sodium channel
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1749
[41] Schizosaccharomyces pombe genome-wide nucleosome mapping reveals positioning mechanisms distinct from those of Saccharomyces cerevisiae
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1741
[42] Nonsense-mediated mRNA decapping occurs on polyribosomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1734
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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
Brisbane: 5
AUSTRIA
Innsbruck: 15
Vienna: 3, 33
CAMBODIA
Phnom Penh: 1
CANADA:
Calgary: 1
Hamilton: 1
Montreal: 1
CHINA
Changchun: 23
Guangzhou: 1
Xiaman: 1
DENMARK
Kongens Lyngby: 34
FINLAND
Helsinki: 15, 17
FRANCE
Grenoble: 34
Palaiseau: 34
Paris: 8
Rennes: 38
GERMANY
Bielefeld: 23
Bremen: 20
Dortmund: 12
Frankfurt: 3
Garching: 33
Goettingen: 38, 39
Hamburg: 35
Hannover: 5, 39
Heidelberg: 3
Juelich: 35
Munich: 33, 41
ISRAEL
Jerusalem: 25, 30
ITALY
Milano: 19
Pisa: 36
Trieste: 36
JAPAN
Chiba: 10
Fukuoka: 10
Kanazawa: 21
Nagoya: 10
JORDAN
Amman: 18
KOREA
Seoul: 6, 14
NETHERLANDS
Bochum: 36
Nijmegen: 36
SPAIN
Barcelona: 19
Zaragoza: 27
SAUDI ARABIA
King Abdul Aziz Medical City: 18
SWEDEN
Huddinge: 41
Uppsala: 17
SWITZERLAND
Geneva: 19
Zurich: 28
THAILAND
Bangkok: 1
Muang Khone Kean: 28
TURKEY
Ankara: 18
Istanbul: 21
UNITED KINGDOM
Falmer: 18
Leicester: 4
London: 5, 9, 31
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
California
Davis: 17
Irvine: 20
La Jolla: 15
Pasadena: 13
Sacramento: 18
San Diego: 7
San Francisco: 18
Santa Barbara: 14, 23
San Juan Capistrano: 18
Stanford: 6, 16, 37
Connecticut
New Haven: 12, 28
Illinois
Evanston: 2
Chicago: 24
Maryland
Baltimore: 11, 22, 40
Bethesda: 1, 21, 32
College Park: 29
Fort Detrick:
Frederick: 21
Massachusetts
Boston: 5, 7, 18, 41
Cambridge: 7, 17, 18
Medford: 7
Woods Hole: 20
New York
Cold Spring Harbor: 3
New York: 7
North Carolina
Chapel Hill: 19, 24
Raleigh: 1, 26
Ohio
Cleveland: 11, 42
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 28
University Park: 1
Texas
Austin: 6
West Virginia
Morgantown: 28
Wisconsin
Madison: 11, 28, 40
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)
Michael Francisco
Tel: +1 212 726 9288; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Cell Biology (London)
Sowmya Swaminathan
Tel: +44 20 7843 4656; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Chemical Biology (Boston)
Sarah Daniels
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)
Myles Axton
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 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)
Sabbi Lall
Tel: +1 212 726 9326; E-mail: [email protected]
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