This press release contains:
· Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Genetics: Gene improves grain yield in rice
Geoscience: Methane from extinct herbivores
Geoscience: How will global warming affect El Niño?
Chemical Biology: Cutting to the core of protein splicing
Geoscience: Ancient warming caused increased wildfire risk
Structural & Molecular Biology: Integrating signals
And finally…Nature: Global warming and the rise of the ‘weedy’ mouse
· 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] & [2] Genetics: Gene improves grain yield in rice
DOI: 10.1038/ng.591
DOI: 10.1038/ng.592
Alleles at the OsSPL14 gene alter rice plant architecture and enhance grain yield in rice, according to two independent studies published online this week in Nature Genetics. In small numbers of test rice plots, favorably altered alleles of OsSPL14 led to approximately a 10% increase in grain yield.
It is thought that crop yields need to double by 2050 in order to adequately feed the world’s growing population. Identification of genetic variants that can enhance crop production is an important approach toward this problem.
The findings from two independent studies by Jiayang Li, Moto Ashikari and their respective colleagues suggest that OsSPL14 may be useful for increasing rice crop production.
Author contacts:
Jiayang Li (Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China)
Author paper [1]
Tel: +86 10 6485 2855
E-mail: [email protected]
Motoyuki Ashikari (Nagoya University, Japan)
Author paper [2]
Tel: +81 52 789 5202
E-mail: [email protected]
[3] Geoscience: Methane from extinct herbivores
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo877
The extinction of large plant-eaters such as mammoths and mastodons, which began about 13,000 years ago, led to a dramatic decline in the total amount of methane emitted to the atmosphere annually, suggests a paper online this week in Nature Geoscience. Over 114 species of large-bodied herbivores — megafauna — throughout North and South America vanished during the extinction.
Like modern plant-eaters, such as cattle, the extinct herbivores released methane as part of their digestive process. Felisa Smith and colleagues estimate that these megafauna released about 9.6 teragrams of methane annually—with the range of estimates between 2.3 and 25.5 teragrams—to the atmosphere. Intriguingly, the extinction coincides with a significant drop in atmospheric methane concentrations, as recorded in ice cores. The team suggests that the loss of methane emissions could account for between 12 and 100% of that decline.
Author contact:
Felisa Smith (University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, USA)
Tel: +1 505 277 6725
E-mail: [email protected]
[4] Geoscience: How will global warming affect El Niño?
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo868
Global warming will probably change the balance of the physical processes that determine the strength and frequency of El Niño and La Niña events, reports a review online this week in Nature Geoscience. Because amplifying and dampening effects are both expected to be affected, it is not yet possible to predict the overall evolution of this Pacific climate ‘see-saw’ in a warming world.
Mat Collins and co-authors reviewed projected changes in the tropical Pacific climate over the next century. They found that the effect of climate warming on individual components of the ocean–atmosphere system, such as the strength of upwelling in the eastern tropical Pacific, and the temperature of the sea surface and its interplay with that of the air is well understood. But not all of the expected changes will affect El Niño characteristics in the same way. The authors conclude that the climate variability associated with El Niño and La Niña events could intensify, weaken or even undergo little change depending on the balance of changes in the underlying processes.
Author Contact:
Mat Collins (Met Office/Hadley Centre, Exeter, UK)
Tel: +44 1392 884110
E-mail: [email protected]
[5] Chemical Biology: Cutting to the core of protein splicing
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.371
The rate-limiting step of protein splicing—a type of protein modification post translation—and the trigger that catalyzes this reaction are identified in a study published online this week in Nature Chemical Biology.
During protein splicing an intein—a short protein sequence—spontaneously extracts itself from the host protein. Previous studies have identified four steps in this process, but were also forced to use inactivated, mutant proteins to study the process.
Tom Muir and colleagues now use nuclear magnetic resonance as well as traditional enzyme assays to study tailor-made proteins that are still active. This allowed the researchers to pinpoint the rate-limiting step in protein splicing as the third step in the sequence. A particular arrangement of the protein structure is also found to jump-start this transformation. These discoveries help to clarify why protein splicing does not occur more often or by accident.
Author contact:
Tom Muir, (Rockefeller University, New York, NY, USA)
Tel: +1 212 327 7368
E-mail: [email protected]
[6] Geoscience: Ancient warming caused increased wildfire risk
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo871
Warming climate 200 million years ago caused increased wildfire activity in East Greenland, according to a paper published online this week in Nature Geoscience. This increased fire risk was linked not only to rising temperature, but also to a climate-driven shift to more flammable vegetation in the Jurassic forests.
Claire Belcher and colleagues studied charcoal and the remains of plants preserved in fossil-rich deposits in East Greenland. They found evidence for warming climate at the boundary between the Triassic and Jurassic periods, along with charcoal evidence of increased wildfire activity. They also noticed a change in the vegetation, with broad-leaved plants prevalent in the Triassic and narrow-leaved and needled plants dominating the Jurassic. Laboratory experiments confirmed that the Jurassic-type leaves were more prone to igniting and spreading fire.
The team concludes that, at least in East Greenland, the vegetation shift, along with warm temperatures and more frequent storms, led to increased fire risk early in the Jurassic period.
Author contact:
Claire Belcher (University College Dublin, Ireland)
Tel: +353 851143724
E-mail: [email protected]
[7], [8] & [9] Structural & Molecular Biology: Integrating signals
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1842
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1844
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1843
How cells muster a coordinated response to their environment is discussed in a series of review articles published online this week in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. The special issue examines the cellular mechanisms for coordinating responses to signaling and how understanding these pathways is important in developing therapies for some diseases.
Cells must simultaneously integrate multiple signal pathways to regulate complex cellular responses to their environmental changes. Dysfunction of these pathways is often associated with diseases such as cancer, and thus these pathways form a major target for therapies.
Ivan Dikic and colleague examine how factors that respond to signals are altered by specific modifications. Meanwhile John Kuriyan covers how the context of signaling—on the cell’s membrane boundary—affects activation of these pathways. Finally John Scott considers how some factors are scaffolded within the cell to give a coordinated response.
Together these pieces form a powerful argument for considering signal networks as a whole if we want to fully understand the pathways or develop therapies for diseases where such pathways are disrupted.
Author contacts:
Ivan Dikic (Goethe University Medical School, Frankfurt, Germany)
Author paper [7]
Tel: +49 69 6301 83647
E-mail: [email protected]
John Kuriyan (University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA)
Author paper [8]
Tel: +1 510 643 1710
E-mail: [email protected]
John Scott (University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA)
Author paper [9]
Tel: +1 206 221 0517
E-mail: [email protected]
[10] And finally…Nature: Global warming and the rise of the ‘weedy’ mouse
DOI: 10.1038/nature09077
Small mammals suffered an unexpected response to the onset of global warming some 11,700 years ago, a Nature paper suggests. Fossil finds hint at a diversity decline and community restructuring, with implications for the future of today’s small mammals.
It’s known that around one-third of North America’s largest mammals became extinct as the Pleistocene gave way to the Holocene and the world’s last ‘natural’ warming event began. But the fate of small mammals has been unclear. Jessica Blois and colleagues studied small mammal fossil remains from northern California and found that, rather than becoming extinct, small mammals suffered declines in the evenness and richness of their communities. Less abundant species became rarer, and more adaptable, generalist ‘weedy’ species, such as deer mice (Peromyscus spp.), became more common.
A similar fate may await today’s small mammals as they face rapid climate change, and future effects may be even more pronounced than those seen in the past. Changes to community structure and function may therefore act as important harbingers of imperilled ecosystems.
Author contact:
Jessica Blois (Stanford University, CA, USA)
Tel: +1 650 804 2934
E-mail: [email protected]
*************************************************
Items from other Nature journals to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
NATURE
[11] The folding cooperativity of a protein is controlled by its chain topology
DOI: 10.1038/nature09021
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
[12] Comparative assessment of methods for aligning multiple genome sequences
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1637
[13] Assessing therapeutic responses in Kras mutant cancers using genetically engineered mouse models
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1640
[14] Single-molecule enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detects serum proteins at subfemtomolar concentrations
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1641
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
[15] AMPK controls the speed of microtubule polymerization and directional cell migration through CLIP‑170 phosphorylation
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2060
[16] RhoL controls invasion and Rap1 localization during immune cell transmigration in Drosophila
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2063
NATURE CHEMISTRY
[17] Convergent and stereospecific synthesis of complex skipped polyenes and polyunsaturated fatty acids
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.665
[18] Chiral-auxiliary-mediated 1,2-cis-glycosylations for the solid-supported synthesis of a biologically important branched a-glucan
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.663
[19] Cleave and capture chemistry illustrated through bimetallic-induced fragmentation of tetrahydrofuran
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.667
[20] Synthesis of a metal oxide with a room-temperature photoreversible phase transition
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.670
NATURE GENETICS
[21] Human T cell epitopes of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are evolutionarily hyperconserved
DOI: 10.1038/ng.590
NATURE GEOSCIENCE
[22] Effect of nutrient availability on marine origination rates throughout the Phanerozoic eon
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo869
[23] Extracellular electron transfer through microbial reduction of solid-phase humic substances
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo870
[24] Broad bounds on Earth's accretion and core formation constrained by geochemical models
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo872
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY
[25] The T helper type 2 response to cysteine proteases requires dendritic cell–basophil cooperation via ROS-mediated signaling
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1883
NATURE MEDICINE
[26] Transcriptional regulation of endochondral ossification by HIF2A during skeletal growth and osteoarthritis development
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2146
[27] Hypoxia-inducible factor-2a is a catabolic regulator of osteoarthritic cartilage destruction
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2153
[28] In vivo tracking of ‘color-coded’ effector, natural and induced regulatory T cells in the allograft response
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2155
[29] A genome-wide RNA interference screen reveals an essential CREB3L2-ATF5-MCL1 survival pathway in malignant glioma with therapeutic implications
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2158
[30] Missing pieces in the Parkinson’s disease puzzle
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2165
NATURE METHODS
[31] A paired-end sequencing strategy to map the complex landscape of transcription initiation
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1464
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY
[32] Direct imaging of single metal atoms and clusters in the pores of dealuminated HY zeolite
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.92
[33] Spectroscopy of few-electron single-crystal silicon quantum dots
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.95
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
[34] Cortical DNA methylation maintains remote memory
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2560
[35] A neuronal migratory pathway crossing brain boundaries populates amygdala nuclei
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2556
[36] A genetically targeted optical sensor to monitor calcium signals in astrocyte processes
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2557
NATURE PHOTONICS
[37] Mid-Infrared Wavelength Conversion in Silicon Waveguides using ultracompact Telecom-Band-Derived Pump Source
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.117
[38] Mid-infrared optical parametric amplifier using silicon nanophotonic waveguides
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.119
[39] Temporal cavity solitons in 1D Kerr media as bits in an all-optical buffer
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.120
NATURE PHYSICS
[40] Coupling and proximity effects in the superfluid transition in 4He dots
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1671
[41] Persistent currents and quantized vortices in a polariton superfluid
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1668
[42] Many-body exciton states in self-assembled quantum dots coupled to a Fermi sea
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1673
[43] Macroscopic effects of the spectral structure in turbulent flows
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1674
*************************************************
The following paper is for immediate release on Nature Immunology’s website. The rest of the above articles on this release remain under embargo until 23 May at 1800 London time / 1300 US Eastern time.
[44] Foxos cooperatively control Foxp3+regulatory T cells differentiation
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1884
*************************************************
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
Aspendale: 4
Sydney: 30, 33
Victoria: 4
AUSTRIA
Vienna: 16
BELGIUM
Brussels: 39
CANADA:
London: 30
Toronto: 7
CHINA
Beijing: 1
Hangzhou: 1
FRANCE
Marcoussis: 41
Marseille: 25
Paris: 4, 30
Talence: 43
GERMANY
Berlin: 23
Borstel: 21
Frankfurt: 7
Munster: 24
Tuebingen: 23
INDIA
Goa: 4
IRELAND
Dublin: 6
ITALY
Naples: 35
Napoli: 41
JAPAN
Nagoya: 2, 15
Osaka: 15
Tokyo: 20, 26
KOREA
Gwangju: 27
Iksan: 27
Seoul: 4
Suwon: 27
NETHERLANDS
Bilthoven: 21
NEW ZEALAND
Auckland: 39
SPAIN
Barcelona: 30
Madrid: 30, 35, 41
Pamplona: 30
Tenerife: 30
SWITZERLAND
Basel: 21
Zurich: 24
UNITED KINGDOM
Birmingham: 34
Cambridge: 21, 24
Coventry: 41
Edinburgh: 6
Exeter: 4
Glasgow: 19
London: 21, 41
Newcastle: 19
Oxford: 6
Reading: 4
Sheffield: 41
Southampton: 41
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
California
Berkeley: 8, 10, 11
Davis: 32
La Jolla: 37
Livermore: 32
Los Angeles: 36
Richmond: 31
San Francisco: 13
Stanford: 10
Colorado
Boulder: 4
District of Columbia
Washington: 3
Florida
Jacksonville: 30
Jupiter: 17, 34
Orlando: 37
Tampa: 22
Georgia
Athens: 18, 42
Atlanta: 25
Hawaii
Honolulu: 4
Illinois
Chicago: 6
Urbana: 43
Kansas
Pittsburgh: 43
Maryland
Bethesda: 31
Massachusetts
Boston: 11, 28, 44
Cambridge: 14
Medford: 14, 28
Worcester: 29
New Jersey
Princeton: 4
New Mexico
Albuquerque: 3
Los Alamos: 3
New York
Buffalo: 40
New York: 5, 16, 21, 38, 44
Yorktown
Heights: 38
North Carolina
Durham: 25, 31
Washington
Seattle: 9, 12, 21
Wisconsin
Madison: 10, 23, 33
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 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)
Sabbi Lall
Tel: +1 212 726 9326
E-mail: [email protected]
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