• Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Neuroscience: Potassium channel’s role in epilepsy
Medicine: A molecular switch for blood vessels in tumours
Genetics: Variants associated with prostate cancer in Japanese
Methods: Finer tools for cell mechanics
Geoscience: Short-lived pollutants
And finally…Chemistry: Single-molecule snapshot
• 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] Neuroscience: Potassium channel’s role in epilepsy
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2610
Diminishing the number or activation of a certain type of potassium channel in the hippocampus—an area important for memory—of mice induces hyperexcitability in some brain regions similar to that seen in epilepsy. The study, published this week in Nature Neuroscience, could explain the basis of the hyperexcitability seen in some types of epilepsy.
Timothy Jegla and colleagues knocked out the gene for the potassium channel Kv12.2 in pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus. These mice displayed signs of random pyramidal neuron excitability and spontaneous seizures, similar to symptoms seen during some types of epilepsy. They also found similar results in wild-type mice when these potassium channels were blocked using pharmacological drugs. Though these results are only preliminary, they could be useful to understand the mechanisms that underlie some forms of epilepsy in humans.
Author contact:
Timothy Jegla (The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA, USA)
Tel: +1 858 784 2506
E-mail: [email protected]
[2] Medicine: A molecular switch for blood vessels in tumours
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2186
A molecule cancer cells use to induce the growth of new blood vessels that are crucial in supporting tumour growth is reported in this week’s Nature Medicine. Targeting this molecule or its downstream targets could have therapeutic implications in reducing tumour size.
Working with human tumours and mice, David Cheresh and his colleagues found that miR-132—a microRNA—acts as an “angiogenic switch” to induce the formation of new blood vessels. The level of miR-132 was highly elevated in blood vessels of human tumours but was undetectable in normal vessels. Forced expression of miR-132 in blood vessel cells in vitro increased their proliferation, whereas reducing the expression of miR-132 in mice reduced blood vessel development. Similarly, reducing the expression of miR-132 in the tumours of mice suppressed blood vessel development and decreased tumour size.
Author contact:
David Cheresh (Moores UCSD Cancer Center, La Jolla, CA, USA)
Tel: +1 858 822 2232
E-mail: [email protected]
[3] Genetics: Variants associated with prostate cancer in Japanese
DOI: 10.1038/ng.635
Genetic variants associated with susceptibility to prostate cancer in a Japanese population are reported this week in Nature Genetics. This represents the first genome-wide association study for prostate cancer in an Asian population, and finds evidence for both shared and distinct susceptibility variants between European and Asian populations.
Prostate cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer deaths, and shows an increasing incidence in Asian populations. Hidewaki Nakagawa and colleagues report a genome-wide association and replication study for prostate cancer in a total of 4,584 Japanese men and 8,801 healthy controls. They identify five genomic regions associated with prostate cancer that have not previously been identified in similar studies in European populations.
Author contact:
Hidewaki Nakagawa (RIKEN Center of Genomic Medicine, Tokyo, Japan)
Tel: +81 3 5449 5786
E-mail: [email protected]
[4] Methods: Finer tools for cell mechanics
DOI 10.1038/nmeth.1487
A technique to control the rigidity of surfaces on which cells are grown is published this week in Nature Methods. This will allow for more controlled lab experiments on cellular mechanobiology which is important for understanding how cells sense and respond to mechanical forces from their environment.
In the body, cells do not exist in isolation but are in constant contact with other cells and with the extracellular matrix, which provides structural support as well as both molecular and mechanical signals. There is increasing evidence that for cells in culture as well, the mechanical properties of the surfaces on which they are grown affects cellular shape and function; the study of these effects may lead to an increased understanding of how cells sense the mechanical properties of their environment also in vivo. With current methods, it is not possible to change surface rigidity without also affecting other properties—such as the amount of active ligand molecules presented to cells—making it difficult to tease out the precise contributions of rigidity to cellular behaviour.
Christopher Chen and colleagues describe how, for cells grown on arrays of tiny posts one to a few microns high, the heights of the posts determine the rigidity of the growth surface without affecting other properties. Using these arrays, the researchers show that modulating rigidity alone affects several cellular behaviours, including the differentiation of stem cells.
Author contact:
Christopher Chen (University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA)
Tel: +1 215 746 1754
E-mail: [email protected]
[5] Geoscience: Short-lived pollutants
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo932
Curbing emissions of short-lived pollutants such as methane and black carbon could help to refine projections of future climate change, suggests a Commentary published online this week in Nature Geoscience.
The precise contribution of short-lived pollutants to global warming is uncertain. Joyce Penner and colleagues argue that cutting emissions of these compounds in the next few decades could not only help to reduce global warming, but could help determine their contribution to warming, thereby improving projections of future climate change.
Author contact:
Joyce Penner
(University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA)
Tel: +1 734 936 0519
E-mail: [email protected]
[6] And finally…Chemistry: Single-molecule snapshot
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.765
Microscopy with atomic resolution could be useful in the determining the structure of some unknown organic compounds, such as medicinally important natural products, according to a study online in Nature Chemistry this week. This method could avoid the lengthy and expensive process of trying to synthesize the compound and then compare its structure with that of the natural one, which is necessary in some cases.
Nature produces a vast array of organic compounds, many of which have potential pharmaceutical applications. A first and important step in their use, however, is the determination of their molecular structure. Leo Gross and co-workers used a scanning probe microscopy technique to obtain an atomic-resolution image of a single molecule of an unknown compound. When combined with other traditional characterization techniques, this method enabled the determination of the molecular structure of the compound. The approach should be suitable for many of the compounds for which accurate structure determination is currently the most difficult.
Author contact:
Leo Gross (IBM Research, Zurich, Switzerland)
Tel: +41 44 724 8332
E-mail: [email protected]
***************************************************
Items from other Nature journals to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
NATURE
[7] A ribosome-associating factor chaperones tail-anchored membrane proteins
DOI: 10.1038/nature09296
[8] Structure of the torque ring of the flagellar motor and the molecular basis for rotational switching
DOI: 10.1038/nature09300
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY
[9] Heterochromatin formation in the mouse embryo requires critical residues of the histone variant H3.3
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2089
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
[10] Replication dependent instability at (CTG)•(CAG) repeat hairpins in human cells
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.416
[11] A copper-containing oxidase catalyzes C-nitrosation in nitrosobenzamide biosynthesis
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.418
NATURE CHEMISTRY
[12] Synthesis of a stable adduct of dialane(4) (Al2H4) via hydrogenation of a magnesium(I) dimer
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.762
[13] Reconstitution of a fungal meroterpenoid biosynthesis reveals the involvement of a novel family of terpene cyclases
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.764
[14] Synthesis of cortistatins A, J, K and L
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.794
NATURE GENETICS
[15] KLF1 regulates BCL11A expression and gamma- to beta-globin gene switching
DOI: 10.1038/ng.637
[16] Haploinsufficiency for the erythroid transcription factor KLF1 causes hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin
DOI: 10.1038/ng.630
[17] Genome-wide association study identifies 1p36.22 as a new susceptibility locus for hepatocellular carcinoma in chronic hepatitis B virus carriers
DOI: 10.1038/ng.638
NATURE GEOSCIENCE
[18] Phanerozoic concentrations of atmospheric oxygen reconstructed from sedimentary charcoal
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo923
[19] Preferential eruption of andesitic magmas through recharge filtering
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo924
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY
[20] The aryl hydrocarbon receptor interacts with c-Maf to promote the
differentiation of type 1 regulatory T cells induced by IL-27
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1912
[21] Activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor induces human type 1 regulatory T
cell–like and Foxp3+ regulatory T cells
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1915
[22] IgT, a primitive immunoglobulin class specialized in mucosal immunity
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1913
[23] The transmembrane activator TACI triggers immunoglobulin class switching by
activating B cells through the adaptor MyD88
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1914
NATURE MATERIALS
[24] Quantitative prediction of solute strengthening in aluminum alloys
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2813
[25] Photon enhanced thermionic emission for solar concentrator systems
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2814
NATURE MEDICINE
[26] Reciprocal coupling of coagulation and innate immunity via neutrophil serine proteases
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2184
NATURE METHODS
[27] Automated imaging with ScanLag reveals previously undetectable bacterial growth phenotypes
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1485
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY
[28] Bioorthogonal chemistry amplifies nanoparticle binding and enhances the sensitivity of cell detection
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.148
[29] Making flexible magnetic aerogels and stiff magnetic nanopaper using cellulose nanofibrils as templates
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.155
[30] Beam pen lithography
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.161
NATURE NEUROSCIENCE
[31] Regulation of fast-spiking basket cell synapses by the chloride channel ClC-2
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2609
[32] Calcium action potentials in hair cells pattern auditory neuron activity before hearing onset
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2604
NATURE PHOTONICS
[33] First lasing and operation of an angstrom-wavelength free-electron laser
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.176
[34] High-speed ultracompact buried heterostructure photonic-crystal laser with 13 fJ of energy consumed per bit transmitted
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.177
NATURE PHYSICS
[35] Selective darkening of degenerate transitions demonstrated with two superconducting quantum bits
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1733
[36] Quasi-particle lifetimes in metallic quantum well nanostructures
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1735
[37] Tripartite interactions between two phase qubits and a resonant cavity
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1731
[38] Universality and self-similarity in pinch-off of rods by bulk diffusion
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1737
NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
[39] Hybrid molecular structure of the giant protease tripeptidyl peptidase II
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1870
[40] Novel insights into K+ selectivity from high-resolution structures of an open K+ channel pore
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1865
***************************************************
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
Darlinghurst: 8
Melbourne: 12
Sydney: 8
AUSTRIA
Laxenburg: 5
CANADA:
Halifax: 23
Waterloo: 35
CHINA
Beijing: 7, 17
Guangdong: 17
Guangxi: 17
Jiangzu: 17
Shanghai: 17, 30, 40
Zhejiang: 40
CYPRUS
Nicosia: 16
DENMARK
Roskilde: 38
EGYPT
Assiut: 6
FINLAND
Aalto: 37
Espoo: 29
FRANCE
Illkirch: 9
Paris: 23
GERMANY
Berlin: 26
Berlin-Dahlem: 36
Duisburg: 36
Giessen: 26
Karlsruhe: 35
Marburg: 12
Martinsried: 39
Munich: 26
GREECE
Patras: 16
HUNGARY
Debrecen: 23
ISRAEL
Jerusalem: 27
ITALY
Brescia: 23
Genoa: 21
JAPAN
Iwate: 13
Kanagawa: 13, 34
Kyoto: 3
Morioka: 3
Saitama: 35
Tokyo: 3, 11, 13
Toyama: 11
Yokohama: 3
MALTA
Msida: 16
MOROCCO
Tanalt Alhouda: 29
NETHERLANDS
Delft: 35
Rotterdam: 16, 32
NORWAY
Oslo: 5
PORTUGAL
Porto: 23
SINGAPORE
Singapore: 30
SPAIN
Bellaterra: 29
Bilbao: 36
San Sebastian: 36
SWEDEN
Stockholm: 29
SWITZERLAND
Ruschlikon: 6
Villigen: 38
Zurich: 23, 38
TAIWAN
Tainan: 4
UNITED KINGDOM
Aberdeen: 6
Cambridge: 8, 9, 23
Edinburgh: 5
Egham: 18
London: 23
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Alabama
Birmingham: 15
California
Berkeley: 39
Davis: 19
Irvine: 5, 31
La Jolla: 1
Livermore: 33
Menlo Park: 25
Palo Alto: 31
San Diego: 1, 2
Stanford: 25, 33, 36
Colorado
Boulder: 37
Connecticut
New Haven: 23
Florida
Melbourne: 10
Idaho
Buhl: 22
Illinois
Argonne: 33
Chicago: 7, 18
Evanston: 30, 38
Maryland
Baltimore: 32
Bethesda: 7
Massachusetts
Boston: 20, 21, 23, 28, 32
Cambridge: 14
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 2, 4, 5, 35
Warren: 24
New York
New York: 23, 32
Ohio
Cincinnati: 10
Cleveland: 23
Dayton: 10
Wright Patterson Air Force Base: 24
Oregon
Corvallis: 19, 22
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 4, 22
University Park: 1
Rhode Island
Providence: 24
Tennessee
Nashville: 23
Texas
Dallas: 40
Houston: 1
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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