Genome sequence of a Japanese individual

Summaries of newsworthy papers include: History of Haitian earthquakes; Rupture of an unmapped fault in Haiti; Genetics: Genetic variants associated with bladder cancer

This press release contains:

• Summaries of newsworthy papers:

Genetics: Genome sequence of a Japanese individual

Geoscience: History of Haitian earthquakes

Geoscience: Rupture of an unmapped fault in Haiti

Genetics: Genetic variants associated with bladder cancer

• 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 then 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: Genome sequence of a Japanese individual
DOI: 10.1038/ng.691

The genome sequence of a Japanese male is reported in the latest issue of Nature Genetics. This is the first whole genome sequence of a Japanese individual.

The sequence of the human genome was first reported in 2001. Recently, “next-generation” DNA sequencing technologies have enabled whole-genome sequencing of a handful of individuals.

Tatsuhiko Tsunoda and colleagues report the sequencing and analysis of an individual Japanese male. Comparison of this genome to six previously reported genomes, including those of Caucasian, Korean and Han Chinese individuals, identified a large amount of previously unknown genetic variation. The authors suggest that there is a considerable amount of genetic variation in humans that remains to be identified.

Author contact:
Tatsuhiko Tsunoda (Center for Genomic Medicine, RIKEN, Yokohama, Japan)
Tel: +81 45 503 9556
E-mail: [email protected]

[2] Geoscience: History of Haitian earthquakes
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo991

Unlike the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, an eighteenth-century precursor event ruptured the surface near the main fault system implicated in the earthquake, reports a study published online this week in Nature Geoscience. These observations suggest that the fault system may still pose a significant seismic risk to the region around Port-au-Prince. This paper is published as part of Nature Geoscience’s special issue on the Haiti earthquake.

Carol Prentice and colleagues used remote sensing and field investigations to map any offset of the land surface associated with the Haiti earthquake of 12 January 2010, or a precursor event. They
documented nine streams whose beds had been offset, probably by only one of the two large earthquakes that occurred on the same fault system in 1751 and 1770, respectively, implying that these events ruptured the land surface. However, the devastating 2010 quake did not leave a
surface trace.

The findings suggest that not all the strain accumulated over the past two-and-a-half centuries or so was released during the event in January.

Author contact:
Carol Prentice (U.S. Geological Survey, Menlo Park, CA, USA)
Tel: +1 650 329 5690
E-mail: [email protected]

[3] Geoscience: Rupture of an unmapped fault in Haiti
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo992

An as yet undescribed fault that runs close to the town of Léogâne was implicated in the earthquake that wreaked havoc in Haiti in January 2010, suggests a study published online this week in Nature
Geoscience. The movement caused the surface to bulge, but not to rupture. The paper is part of Nature Geoscience’s special issue on the Haiti earthquake.

Eric Calais and colleagues analysed data on ground motion from GPS systems and radar interferometry. From the observed patterns, they conclude that a previously unknown fault must have been active in the 12 January 2010 event.

The researchers conclude that the Haitian earthquake did not come entirely unexpectedly, given the seismic activity in the region. However, despite remaining uncertainties the detailed mechanics of the event will require revisions to conventional ideas of the fault system in the region.

Author contact:
Eric Calais (Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA)
Tel: +1 765 496 2915
E-mail: [email protected]

[4] Genetics: Genetic variants associated with bladder cancer
DOI: 10.1038/ng.687

Three genetic loci associated with risk of bladder cancer are identified in a study online this week in Nature Genetics.

There are approximately 350,000 new cases of bladder cancer reported worldwide each year. The greatest risk factor for bladder cancer is smoking, as well as occupational exposure to chemicals known as aromatic amines.

Montserrat Garcia-Closas and colleagues report a genome-wide analysis of approximately 12,000 individuals with bladder cancer. They identify three genetic loci that are associated with risk of bladder cancer. The study also confirmed previously identified genetic susceptibility loci
for bladder cancer.

Author contact:
Montserrat Garcia-Closas (Institute for Cancer Research, Surrey, UK)
Tel: +44 7590 043 065
E-mail: [email protected]

********************************************************************

Items from other Nature journals to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:

NATURE

[5] Support for a synaptic chain model of neuronal sequence generation
DOI: 10.1038/nature09514

[6] Structure and mechanism of the S component of a bacterial ECF transporter
DOI: 10.1038/nature09488

NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY

[7] Cultured cambial meristematic cells as a source of plant natural products
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1693

[8] Spatially addressed combinatorial protein libraries for recombinant antibody discovery and optimization
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1694

NATURE CELL BIOLOGY

[9] Angiocrine factors from Akt-activated endothelial cells balance self-renewal and differentiation of haematopoietic stem cells
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2108

[10] /Rickettsia /Sca2 is a bacterial formin-like mediator of actin-based motility
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2109

[11] GAPDH mediates nitrosylation of nuclear proteins
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2114

[12] Primary cilia regulate mTORC1 activity and cell size through Lkb1
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2117

NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY

[13] Microscopic rotary mechanism of ion translocation in the F_o complex of ATP synthases
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.457

NATURE CHEMISTRY

[14] Storable, thermally activated, near-infrared chemiluminescent dyes and dye-stained microparticles for optical imaging
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.871

NATURE GENETICS

[15] Meta-analysis of three genome-wide association studies identifies susceptibility loci for colorectal cancer at 1q41, 3q26.2, 12q13.13 and 20q13.33
DOI: 10.1038/ng.670

[16] Genome-wide patterns of genetic variation among elite maize inbreds
DOI: 10.1038/ng.684

[17] Genome-wide association studies of 14 agronomic traits in rice landraces
DOI: 10.1038/ng.695

NATURE GEOSCIENCE

[18] Episodic swell growth inferred from variable uplift of the Cape Verde hotspot islands
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo982

[19] Southern Ocean source of ^14 C-depleted carbon in the North PacificOcean during the last deglaciation
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo987

NATURE IMMUNOLOGY

[20] Critical role for the chemokine receptor CXCR6 in NK cell–mediated antigen-specific memory of haptens and viruses
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1953/

NATURE MATERIALS

[21] Direct observation and mapping of spin waves emitted by spin-torque nano-oscillators
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2882

[22] The role of collagen in bone apatite formation in the presence of hydroxyapatite nucleation inhibitors
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2875

[23] An acoustic rectifier
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2881

NATURE MEDICINE

[24] Bitter taste receptors on airway smooth muscle bronchodilate by localized calcium signaling and reverse obstruction
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2237

[25] The TLX1 oncogene drives aneuploidy in T cell transformation
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2246

NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY

[26] Training a molecular automaton to play a game
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.194

[27] Rapid electronic detection of probe-specific microRNAs using thin nanopore sensors
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.202

[28] Geometrical confinement of gadolinium-based contrast agents in nanoporous particles enhances T_1 contrast
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.203

NATURE PHOTONICS

[29] Optical trapping of an ion
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.236

[30] Fast high-resolution spectroscopy of dynamic continuous-wave laser sources
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.228

[31] Real-space imaging of transient carrier dynamics by nanoscale ump–probe microscopy
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.235

NATURE PHYSICS

[32] Bright spatially-coherent synchrotron X-rays from a table-top source
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1789

[33] Heralded single photon absorption by a single atom
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1805

[34] High-power laser delocalization in plasmas leading to long-range beam merging
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1788

[35] Built-in and induced polarization across LaAlO_3 /SrTiO_3 heterojunctions
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1814

NATURE STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

[36] Cotranscriptional exon skipping in the genotoxic stress response
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1912

[37] Molecular architecture of the TRAPPII complex and implications for vesicle tethering
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1914

[38] Molecular organization of the COG vesicle tethering complex
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1917

[39] NES consensus redefined by structures of PKI-type and Rev-type nuclear export signals bound to CRM1
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1931

[40] Structural and mechanistic insights into cooperative assembly of dimeric Notch transcription complexes
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1938

[41] Analysis of replication profiles reveals key role of RFC-Ctf18 in yeast replication stress response
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1932

**********************************************************************

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.

BELGIUM
Ghent: 25
Leuven: 25

CHINA
Beijing: 6, 16, 17, 23
Hangzhou: 17
Nanjing: 17, 23
Shanghai: 17
Wuhan: 17
Yunnan: 26

DENMARK
Copenhagen: 4, 16

FINLAND
Helsinki: 4, 15

FRANCE
Brest: 36
Corte: 36
Lyon: 4, 36
Montpellier: 41
Palaiseau: 32, 34
Paris: 4, 25
Talence: 34
Toulouse: 25
Villejuif: 4

GERMANY
Dortmund: 4
Frankfurt: 13
Freiburg: 12
Garching: 29, 39
Goettingen: 39
Heidelberg: 4
Munster: 21
Neuherberg: 39
Saarbrucken: 33

HAIT
Port-au-Prince: 2, 3

HUNGARY
Budapest: 4

ICELAND
Reykjavik: 4

ISRAEL
Haifa: 25

ITALY
Brescia: 4
Catanzaro: 28
Naples: 4
Rome: 34
Torino: 4

JAPAN
Chiba: 35
Kawaguchi: 35
Osaka: 34
Tokyo: 1, 18
Tsukuba: 31

KOREA
Chuncheon-si: 8
Jeonju: 7

NETHERLANDS
Bilthoven: 4
Eindhoven: 22
Nijmegen: 4
Rotterdam: 25

POLAND
Krakow: 20

PORTUGAL
Lisbon: 32

QATAR
Doha: 15

ROMANIA
Cluj: 4

SLOVAKIA
Banska Bystrica: 4

SPAIN
Barcelona: 4, 25
Burgos: 18
Castelldefels: 33
Granada: 25
Huesca: 4
La Laguna: 4
Madrid: 4
Murcia: 4
Zaragoza: 4

SAUDI ARABIA
Thuwal: 3

SWEDEN
Umea: 4

SWITZERLAND
Geneva: 15
Lausanne: 20, 28

UNITED KINGDOM
Birmingham: 15
Bristol: 18
Cardiff: 15
Cambridge: 15
Edinburgh: 7, 15
Harrow: 15
Leeds: 4
London: 4, 32
Manchester: 15
Oxford: 4, 15
Southampton: 15
Sutton: 15

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Alaska
Fairbanks: 2

Arkansas
Fayetteville: 3

California
Berkeley: 10, 35
La Jolla: 8, 41
Los Angeles: 4
Menlo Park: 2
Pasadena: 2

Colorado
Boulder: 19, 30
Denver: 2, 18
Wheat Ridge: 28

Connecticut
New Haven: 20

Florida
Gainesville: 19, 35
Jupiter: 25
Miami: 3

Georgia
Athens: 4
Atlanta: 4, 20

Illinois
Chicago: 10, 22, 25

Indiana
Bloomington: 3
Notre Dame: 14

Iowa
Ames: 16

Maine
Augusta: 4

Maryland
Baltimore: 11, 24
Bethesda: 4, 25
Frederick: 4

Massachusetts
Boston: 4, 9, 20, 25, 37, 38, 40
Cambridge: 5
Charlestown: 20
Ipswich: 27
Worcester: 25

Michigan
Ann Arbor: 32
East Lansing: 17

Minnesota
Minneapolis: 4
St Paul: 16

Missouri
St Louis: 4, 40

New Hampshire
Durham: 11
Hanover: 4

New Jersey
Princeton: 6, 38

New Mexico
Albuquerque: 26

New York
Bronx: 25
Ithaca: 17
New York: 4, 5, 9, 25, 26

North Carolina
Research Triangle Park: 4

Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 25, 27, 34
University Park: 5

Tennessee
Memphis: 25

Texas
Arlington: 3
Austin: 2
Dallas: 12
Houston: 4, 28
Lubbock: 20

Vermont
Burlington: 4

West Virginia
Morgantown: 21

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For media inquiries relating to embargo policy for all the Nature research Journals:

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Tel: +1 617 475 9241
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Nature Chemistry (London)
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Nature Genetics (New York)
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Laurie Dempsey
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Published: 24 Oct 2010

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