NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
This press release contains:
• Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Neuroscience: Social networks in the amygdala
Genetics: One type of chocolate genome sequenced
Genetics: Strawberry genome sequenced
Structural & Molecular Biology: Taming RNA toxicity
And finally… Chemical Biology: Hydrogen peroxide does a stem cell good
• 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.
Warning: This document, and the Nature journal papers to which it refers, may contain information that is price sensitive (as legally defined, for example, in the UK Criminal Justice Act 1993 Part V) with respect to publicly quoted companies. Anyone dealing in securities using information contained in this document, or in advance copies of a Nature journal’s content, may be guilty of insider trading under the US Securities Exchange Act of 1934.
PICTURES: To obtain artwork from any of the journals, you must first
obtain permission from the copyright holder (if named) or author of the
research paper in question (if not).
NOTE: Once a paper is published, the digital object identifier (DOI)number can be used to retrieve the abstract and full text from the journal web site (abstracts are available to everyone, full text is available only to subscribers). To do this, add the DOI to the following URL: http://dx.doi.org/ (For example, http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ng730). For more information about DOIs and Advance Online Publication, see http://www.nature.com/ng/aop/.
HYPE: We take great care not to hype the papers mentioned on our press releases, but are sometimes accused of doing so. If you ever consider that a story has been hyped, please do not hesitate to contact us at [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>, citing the specific example.
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] Neuroscience: Social networks in the amygdala
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2724
The size of the amygdala in the brain correlates with the size and complexity of people’s social networks, reports a study published this week in Nature Neuroscience. These findings add to previous studies which suggest that the amygdala is important for social behaviour.
Lisa Feldman Barrett and colleagues asked participants to complete standard questionnaires which measured the total number of regular contacts that each participant maintained, as well the number of different social groups these contacts belonged to. These measures correspond to the size and the complexity of social networks. Participants also received a magnetic resonance imaging brain scan—which provides information about the structure of the brain—to measure the size of the amygdala. Factoring in the age of participants and the total size of the brain, the authors found significant differences in the size of the amygdala in participants with larger and more complex social networks. Feldman Barrett and colleagues found that there is no correlation between social network size and the size of another comparable brain structure, the hippocampus. These results suggest that the human amygdala may have evolved partially to deal with an increasingly complex social life.
Author contact:
Lisa Feldman Barrett (Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA)
Tel: +1 617 373 3076; Email: [email protected]
[2] Genetics: One type of chocolate genome sequenced
DOI: 10.1038/ng.736
The genome for the Criollo variety of the cacao plant, the source of
chocolate, is reported in this week’s issue of Nature Genetics. The genome sequence could assist in the genetic improvement of this crop.
Theobroma cacao, the tropical tree crop that is used to make chocolate, is native to Central and South America. The cocoa tree was first cultivated approximately 3000 years ago and today 3.7 million tons of cocoa are annually produced.
Xavier Argout and colleagues report the genome sequence of the Criollo variety of Theobroma cacao, which is used to produce fine-flavor chocolate.
Author contact:
Xavier Argout (CIRAD, Montpellier, France)
Tel: +33 4 67 61 54 45; E-mail: [email protected]
[3] Genetics: Strawberry genome sequenced
DOI: 10.1038/ng.740
The genome of the woodland strawberry is reported online in this week’s
issue of Nature Genetics.
The woodland strawberry (Fragraria vesca) is a native plant found throughout the Northern Hemisphere, with a long history of human consumption. The woodland strawberry plant produces small, strongly flavored fruit and was cultivated widely until about 250 years ago, when it was replaced by the garden strawberry (Fragaria Xannassa), which produces larger fruit.
The International Strawberry Sequencing Consortium reports
the genome sequence of woodland strawberry, which should serve as a reference genome for the Fragaria genus.
Author contact:
Kevin Folta (University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA)
Tel: +1 352 273 4812; E-mail: [email protected]
[4] Structural & Molecular Biology: Taming RNA toxicity
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1958
A method to specifically target disease-linked gene products is presented online this week in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology. The methodology used to target this disease could be used for gene silencing in other similarly caused disorders.
Myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1) is a multisystem disorder that affects skeletal and smooth muscle as well as other essential systems. DM1 is caused by expansion of a CTG repeat in the DM protein kinase (DMPK) gene that is present in the RNA message. It belongs to a group of disorders where the RNA, and not the protein, is responsible for the disease.
Mutant DMPK transcripts contain many expanded CUG repeats in the RNA and fold in such a way that they interact with proteins in the nucleus, to form stable RNA-protein aggregates. Strategies to treat the disease require repeated treatments with synthetic RNA molecules to counteract continuous expression of the toxic RNAs. To circumvent this limitation and trigger a long lasting effect, Denis Furling and colleagues have developed an optimized sequence to target the RNAs. These constructs cause specific degradation of pathogenic DMPK mRNAs without affecting wild type DMPK products.
Author contact:
Denis Furling (UPMC, Paris, France)
Tel: +33 1 42 16 57 07; E-mail: [email protected]
[5] And finally… Chemical Biology: Hydrogen peroxide does a stem cell good
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.497
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generally associated with pathological conditions such as seizures, stroke and neurodegeneration. In a study published in Nature Chemical Biology, researchers found a benefit from ROS production in brain stem cells of the adult hippocampus.
Christopher Chang and colleagues used a new fluorescent indicator to show that the ROS hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is generated in the brain stem cells through the action of the enzyme Nox2. The H2O2 regulates the signalling protein Akt which is involved in promoting normal cell proliferation.
Individuals lacking the Nox enzymes that generate ROS exhibit cognitive defects, as would be expected if ROS were deleterious. This study challenges the view that abundant brain ROS are exclusively deleterious.
Author contact:
Christopher Chang, (University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA)
Tel: +1 510 642 4704; E-mail: [email protected]
*****************************************************************************************************************
Items from other Nature journals to be published online at the same time and with the same embargo:
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[6] Biomimetic divalent ligands for the acute disruption of synaptic AMPAR stabilization
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.498
[7] Laboratory evolution of glutathione biosynthesis reveals natural compensatory pathways
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.499
[8] A mammalian functional genetic approach to characterizing cancer therapeutics
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.503
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[9] Drosophila Piwi functions in Hsp90-mediated suppression of phenotypic variation
DOI: 10.1038/ng.743
[10] Common variants near ATM are associated with glycemic response to metformin in type 2 diabetes
DOI: 10.1038/ng.735
[11] Non-genetic heterogeneity from random partitioning at cell division
DOI: 10.1038/ng.729
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[12] The splicing regulator PTBP2 interacts with the cytidine deaminase AID and promotes binding of AID to switch-region DNA
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1977
[13] Nuclear adaptor Ldb1 regulates a transcriptional program essential for the maintenance of hematopoietic stem cells
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1978
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[14] Receptor-mediated activation of ceramidase activity initiates the pleiotropic actions of adiponectin
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2277
[15] miR-499 regulates mitochondrial dynamics by targeting calcineurin and dynamin-related protein-1
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2282
NATURE METHODS (http://www.nature.com/nmeth)
[16] Efficient Modeling, Simulation and Coarse-graining of Biological Complexity with NFsim
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1546
[17] A microfluidic array for large-scale ordering and orientation of embryos
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1548
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[18] UNC-6 and UNC-40 promote dendritic growth through PAR-4 in C. elegans neurons
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2717
[19] Predictive remapping of attention across eye movements
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2711
[20] Autoregulatory and paracrine control of synaptic and behavioural plasticity by octopaminergic signaling
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2716
[21] The Cavb subunit prevents RFP2-mediated ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of L-type channels
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2712
[22] EphA4 signaling mediates APCCdh1-dependent down-regulation of AMPAR in homeostatic plasticity
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2715
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[23] On the structural basis of modal gating behavior in K^+ channels
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1968
[24] Substrate binding on the APC/C occurs between the coactivator Cdh1 and the processivity factor Doc1
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1979
*****************************************************************************************************************
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
Queensland: 10
Subiaco: 10
AUSTRIA
Vienna: 24
BRAZIL
Itabuna Bahia: 2
CANADA:
Calgary: 21
Ottawa: 9
CHILE
Santiago: 3
CHINA
Beijing: 15
COTE D’IVOIRE
Divo: 2
DENMARK
Copenhagen: 14
FRANCE
Bordeaux: 5
Clermont-Ferrand: 2
Evry: 2
Gif-sur-Yvette: 2
Montpellier: 2
Paris: 4, 19
Perpignan: 2
Tain l’Hermitage: 2
Tolosan: 2
Villenave d’Ornon: 3
GERMANY
Goettingen: 24
Munich: 3, 19
HONG KONG
Hong Kong: 22
INDIA
Hyderabad: 23
IRELAND
Dublin: 10
ISRAEL
Rehovot: 3
ITALY
Trento: 3
KOREA
Gwangju: 2
NEW ZEALAND
Auckland: 3
NORWAY
Stjordal: 3
SINGAPORE
Singapore: 14
SPAIN
Barcelona: 3
SOUTH AFRICA
Bellville: 3
SWITZERLAND
Zurich: 24
UNITED KINGDOM
Cardiff: 10
Cambridge: 10
Dundee: 10
Exeter: 10
Leicester: 10
London: 10
Kent: 3
Oxford: 10
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Arizona
Tucson: 2
California
Berkeley: 5
San Francisco: 23
Stanford: 18
Colorado
Fort Collins: 14
Connecticut
New Haven: 9, 16
Florida
Gainesville: 3
Georgia
Atlanta: 3, 17
Illinois
Champaign: 3
Chicago: 23
Urbana: 3
Indiana
Bloomington: 3
Indianapolis: 3, 14
Maryland
Beltsville: 3
Bethesda: 13
College Park: 3
Massachusetts
Boston: 1, 6, 11
Cambridge: 5, 7, 11
Charlestown: 1
Worcester: 20
New Hampshire
Durham: 3
New Jersey
New Brunswick: 3
Princeton: 17
Rahway: 14
New York
Cold Spring Harbor: 2
New York: 12, 19, 23
Syracuse: 13
North Carolina
Durham: 14
Research Triangle Park: 13
Ohio
Athens: 3
Cleveland: 23
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City:
Oregon
Corvallis: 3
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 14
Pittsburgh: 3, 16
University Park: 2
Tennessee
Memphis: 7
Texas
Austin: 6
Dallas: 14
Denton: 3
Lubbock: 23
Virginia
Blacksburg: 3
Danville: 3
Wisconsin
Madison: 13
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 Chemical Biology (Boston)
Carrie Meggs
Tel: +1 617 475 9241, E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Genetics (New York)
Myles Axton
Tel: +1 212 726 9324; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Immunology (New York)
Laurie Dempsey
Tel: +1 212 726 9372; 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 Structural & Molecular Biology (New York)
Sabbi Lall
Tel: +1 212 726 9326; E-mail: [email protected]
About Nature Publishing Group (NPG):
Nature Publishing Group (NPG) is a publisher of high impact scientific and medical information in print and online. NPG publishes journals, online databases and services across the life, physical, chemical and applied sciences and clinical medicine.
Focusing on the needs of scientists, Nature (founded in 1869) is the leading weekly, international scientific journal. In addition, for this audience, NPG publishes a range of Nature research journals and Nature Reviews journals, plus a range of prestigious academic journals including society-owned publications. Online, nature.com provides over 5 million visitors per month with access to NPG publications and online databases and services, including Nature News and NatureJobs plus access to Nature Network and Nature Education’s Scitable.com.
Scientific American is at the heart of NPG’s newly-formed consumer media division, meeting the needs of the general public. Founded in 1845, Scientific American is the oldest continuously published magazine in the US and the leading authoritative publication for science in the general media. Together with scientificamerican.com and 15 local language editions around the world it reaches over 3 million consumers and scientists. Other titles include Scientific American Mind and Spektrum der Wissenschaft in Germany.
Throughout all its businesses NPG is dedicated to serving the scientific and medical communities and the wider scientifically interested general public. Part of Macmillan Publishers Limited, NPG is a global company with principal offices in London, New York and Tokyo, and offices in cities worldwide including Boston, Buenos Aires, Delhi, Hong Kong, Madrid, Barcelona, Munich, Heidelberg, Basingstoke, Melbourne, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul and Washington DC. For more information, please go to www.nature.com.
