NATURE AND THE NATURE RESEARCH JOURNALS PRESS RELEASE
This press release is copyrighted to the Nature journals mentioned below.
This press release contains:
· Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Medicine: Dual protection against tuberculosis
Geoscience: Variable melting of Himalayan glaciers
Immunology: Antibody diversity linked to gut mucosal defense
Geoscience: Coal contribution to Permian extinction
Chemical Biology: An inhibitor sneaks in
And finally…Neuroscience: Strengthening memories during sleep
· 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] Medicine: Dual protection against tuberculosis
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2285
A new vaccine that can fight tuberculosis in mice before and after exposure to the infectious agent is reported online this week in Nature Medicine.
Tuberculosis vaccines currently in clinical trials have been designed to protect people before they are exposed to Mycobacterium, the pathogen responsible for the disease. However, many people experience what is called ‘latent infection’ in which the pathogen is in a resting, susceptible of being reactivated. This latent state is not targeted by existing tuberculosis vaccines.
Claus Aagaard and his colleagues developed a vaccination strategy that combines proteins that trigger an immune response to the active, as well as to the latent Mycobacterium. Their vaccine promotes an immune response against all protein components of the vaccine. The team found that the vaccine also confers protection against Mycobacterium in three different preexposure mouse models and it controls reactivation in two mouse models of latent tuberculosis.
Author contact:
Claus Aagaard (Statens Serum Institute, Copenhagen, Denmark)
Tel: +45 32688297; E-mail: [email protected]
[2] Geoscience: Variable melting of Himalayan glaciers
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1068
The response of Himalayan glaciers to climate change varies with climate, surface steepness and the degree of rock debris cover, according to a study online this week in Nature Geoscience. For example, half of the studied glaciers in the Karakoram region of the northwestern Himalaya are stable or advancing, whereas about two thirds are in retreat elsewhere.
Dirk Scherler and colleagues present remote-sensing data of changes at glacier fronts and in surface velocities, observed at glaciers in the greater Himalaya between 2000 and 2008. They find a high degree of variability between the glaciers’ response to global warming. The researchers particularly highlight the role of rock debris cover — common in the central Himalaya but rare on the Tibetan Plateau — in helping to stabilize glaciers.
Author contact:
Dirk Scherler (University of Potsdam, Germany)
Tel: +49 331 977 5844; E-mail: [email protected]
[3] Immunology: Antibody diversity linked to gut mucosal defense
DOI: 10.1038/ni.1991
The ability to fine-tune antibodies against resident bacteria in the gut is necessary to maintain normal gut immune function according to a report published in Nature Immunology.
A certain type of antibody, called IgA, occurs abundantly in secretions of mucosal tissues such as the gut. The enzyme AID is responsible for directing diversification of antibody genes, a process known as somatic hypermutation (SHM), which is crucial to ensure that the gut is well protected against the various different pathogens that may attack.
Tasuku Honjo and colleagues found that mice unable to perform SHM, due to expression of a mutant AID protein, display aberrant bacterial overgrowth and excessive gut immune cell activation. These mutant mice likewise have skewed microbial populations in their gut and are less-well equipped to handle disease-causing bacteria in the intestine and are more sensitive to gut tissue damage evoked by cholera toxin.
Author contact:
Tasuku Honjo (Kyoto University, Japan)
Tel: +81 75 753 4371; E-mail: [email protected]
[4] Geoscience: Coal contribution to Permian extinction
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1069
The explosive burning of coal seams in Siberia may have contributed to the mortality of marine organisms during the Permian mass extinction about 250 million years ago, suggests a paper online this week in Nature Geoscience. If coal fly ash – which is highly toxic – was propelled into the atmosphere in significant amounts, the subsequent fall-out into the oceans could have poisoned marine life.
Stephen Grasby and colleagues found a high concentration of charred particles in Permian-aged rocks from the Canadian High Arctic. The particles strongly resemble modern coal fly-ash — the lighter particles created during combustion — despite being located far from any source of coal. The researchers speculate that the coal came from Siberian coal seams. Siberia was subject to massive amounts of volcanism at the time of the Permian extinction, and it has been suggested that magma from the volcanism ignited the coal deposits in the surrounding area. The authors suggest that widespread coal explosions could have propelled fly-ash high into the atmosphere where it was dispersed globally.
Author contact:
Stephen Grasby (Geological Survey of Canada, Calgary, Canada)
Tel: +1 403 292 7111; E-mail: [email protected]
[5] Chemical Biology: An inhibitor sneaks in
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.520
An enzyme inhibitor is created from an inactive molecule by manipulating normal cellular machinery, in a study online in Nature Chemical Biology this week. This strategy could enable new exploration of the biological role of carbohydrate modifications, with relevance for diseases such as diabetes, inflammation, and cancer.
Creating enzyme inhibitors that can cross the cell membrane and act in cells remains a significant challenge, especially for the highly-charged inhibitors typical of carbohydrate-modifying enzymes. The cellular enzymes that control carbohydrate metabolism are known to permit some non-natural molecules into normal metabolic pathways; indeed, this pathway has famously been used as a research tool to insert sugars into cell surfaces for fluorescent labeling. In addition, medicinal chemists are familiar with the idea of ‘pro-drugs’, or molecules that are disguised in some way and then altered once inside the body or a cell to become active.
David Vocadlo and colleagues combine these ideas to create a sugar analogue that is disguised to allow cell permeability, but can then transform into an activated molecule inside mammalian cell lines. This active compound is an effective inhibitor of one of the most important carbohydrate processing enzymes, but surprisingly, inhibiting this enzyme has little impact on the growth of the cells.
Author contact:
David Vocadlo (Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada)
Tel: +1 778 782 3530; E-mail: [email protected]
[6] And finally…Neuroscience: Strengthening memories during sleep
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2744
Reactivating newly learned memories during sleep can strengthen the memory trace, reports a study published online this week in Nature Neuroscience. These findings could have clinical implications for treating disorders such as post-traumatic stress syndromes.
Previous studies have shown that reactivating newly formed memories during a wakeful period soon after learning can actually destabilize the memory trace, making such memories less robust.
Björn Rasch and colleagues trained subjects in a spatial memory task, where they had to learn an object location in a grid, while an odor was concurrently presented. After participants formed a memory of this odor-object association, one group of subjects slept while another group stayed awake for a comparable time period. During this period of wakefulness or slow-wave sleep, the odor from the learning task was presented again to the subjects, which presumably triggered a reactivation of the memory. The authors found that reactivation during sleep improved memory retention later on, whereas reactivation when awake impaired it. The scientists also performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to show that memory reactivation via odor presentation during wakeful periods involved different patterns of brain activity than that seen during sleep.
This finding suggests that memory reactivation can have opposing effects on memory presentation depending on whether the reactivation was done during sleep or when awake.
Author contact:
Björn Rasch (University of Basel, Switzerland)
Tel: +41 612670240; 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)
[7] Cell-type-specific replication initiation programs set fragility of the FRA3B fragile site
DOI: 10.1038/nature09745
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology)
[8] Chemoproteomics profiling of HDAC inhibitors reveals selective targeting of HDAC complexes
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1759
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[9] PP2A activates brassinosteroid-responsive gene expression and plant growth by dephosphorylating BZR1
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2151
[10] AMPK and mTOR regulate autophagy through direct phosphorylation of ULK1
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2152
[11] Deubiquitylase HAUSP stabilizes REST and promotes maintenance of neural progenitor cells
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2153
[12] Oct4 kinetics predict cell lineage patterning in the early mammalian embryo
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2154
[13] Interpretation of the FGF8 morphogen gradient is regulated by endocytic trafficking
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2155
[14] Spatially restricted activation of RhoA signalling at epithelial junctions by p114RhoGEF drives junction formation and morphogenesis
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2156
[15] Crosstalk between Arg 1175 methylation and Tyr 1173 phosphorylation negatively modulates EGFR-mediated ERK activation
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2158
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[16] NMR Analysis Demonstrates Immunoglobulin G N-glycans are Accessible and Dynamic
DOI:10.1038/nchembio.511
NATURE CHEMISTRY (http://www.nature.com/nchem)
[17] Single cells and intracellular processes studied by a plasmonic-based electrochemical impedance microscopy
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.961
[18] Multiphoton photoresists giving nanoscale resolution that is inversely dependent on exposure time
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.965
[19] Diverting non-haem iron catalysed aliphatic C–H hydroxylations towards desaturations
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.967
[20] Controlled folding of synthetic polymer chains through the formation of positionable covalent bridges
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.964
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[21] TTC21B contributes both causal and modifying alleles across the ciliopathy spectrum
DOI: 10.1038/ng.756
[22] Mutations in lectin complement pathway genes COLEC11 and MASP1 cause 3MC syndrome
DOI: 10.1038/ng.757
[23] miRNA regulation of sdf1 chemokine signaling provides genetic robustness to germ cell migration
DOI: 10.1038/ng.758
[24] Chromatin accessibility pre-determines induced glucocorticoid receptor binding patterns
DOI: 10.1038/ng.759
NATURE GEOSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/ngeo)
[25] Magmatic-hydrothermal origin of Nevada’s Carlin-type gold deposits
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1064
[26] Tracing two orogenic cycles in one eclogite sample by Lu–Hf garnet chronometry
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1060
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[27] A highly parallel method for synthesizing DNA repeats enables the discovery of ‘smart’ protein
polymers
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2942
[28] A heteroepitaxial perovskite metal-base transistor
DOI: 10.1038/nmat2946
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[29] Hyperglycemia-induced cerebral hematoma expansion is mediated by plasma kallikrein
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2295
[30] Brown adipose tissue activity controls triglyceride clearance
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2297
NATURE METHODS (http://www.nature.com/nmeth)
[31] Micropilot: automation of fluorescence microscopy-based imaging for systems biology
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1558
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nnano)
[32] Label-free single-molecule detection of DNA hybridization kinetics with a carbon nanotube field-effect transistor
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.275
[33] Designed ultrafast optical nonlinearity in a plasmonic nanorod metamaterial enhanced by nonlocality
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.278
[34] A recyclable supramolecular membrane for size-selective separation of nanoparticles
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.274
[35] Statistical analysis of nanoparticle dosing in a dynamic cellular system
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.277
[36] Plasmonic Luneburg and Eaton lenses
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2010.282
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[37] Calmodulin as a direct detector of Ca2+ signals
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2746
[38] Temporary disruption of fear potentiated startle following PKMzeta inhibition in the amygdala
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2745
NATURE PHOTONICS (http://www.nature.com/nphoton)
[39] Making optical atomic clocks more stable with 10^16-level laser stabilization
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.313
[40] High-resolution broad-bandwidth Fourier transform absorption spectroscopy in the VUV range down to 40
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2010.314
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[41] Long-range Kondo signature of a single magnetic impurity
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1876
[42] Universality beyond power laws and the average avalanche shape
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1884
[43] Direct observation of imprinted antiferromagnetic vortex states in CoO/Fe/Ag(001) discs
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1891
[44] Gate-dependent spin–orbit coupling in multielectron carbon nanotubes
DOI: 10.1038/nphys1880
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[45] Genome-wide identification of Ago2 binding sites from mouse embryonic stem cells with and without mature microRNAs
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1991
[46] Dynamic local unfolding in the serpin alpha-1 antitrypsin provides a mechanism for loop insertion and polymerization
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1976
[47] Transcriptome-wide sequencing reveals numerous APOBEC1 mRNA-editing targets in transcript 3′ UTRs
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1975
[48] Crystal structure of XMRV protease differs from the structures of other retropepsins
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.1964
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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.
AUSTRIA
Klosterneuburg: 12
Vienna: 22
BELGIUM
Leuven: 22, 30
BRAZIL
Natal: 42
Recife: 22
Rio de Janeiro: 42
CANADA:
Burnaby: 5
Calgary: 4
Vancouver: 45
CHINA
Beijing: 43
Changchun: 3
Hebei: 9
Shanghai: 11, 39
Tianjin: 9
DENMARK
Copenhagen: 1, 44
EGYPT
Cairo: 21
FRANCE
Evry: 21
Gif-sur-Yvette: 40
Palaiseau: 40
Paris: 7, 10, 21
Strasbourg: 20, 21
GERMANY
Aachen: 21
Berlin: 20
Bonn: 26
Cologne: 26
Dresden: 13, 30
Eggenstein-Leopoldshafen: 31
Goettingen: 41
Hamburg: 6, 30
Heidelberg: 8, 21, 31
Ingelheim: 21
Lubeck: 6
Mannheim: 31
Muenster: 26
Potsdam: 2, 20
Tubingen: 6
IRELAND
Dublin: 1
ISRAEL
Rehovot: 34
ITALY
Bari: 22
Milan: 42
Rome: 22
Turin: 42
JAPAN
Atsugi: 44
Chiba: 28
Kyoto: 3
Nagahama: 3
Saitama: 28
Tokyo: 44
Yokohama: 3
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam: 22
NORWAY
Stavanger: 9
SAUDI ARABIA
Riyadh: 22
SOUTH KOREA
Daejeon: 43
SPAIN
Barcelona: 1
SWITZERLAND
Basel: 6
Geneva: 21
Zurich: 21
TAIWAN
Taichung: 15
TURKEY
Istanbul: 21
UNITED KINGDOM
Belfast: 33
Birmingham: 21
Cambridge: 8
Cardiff: 35
Leeds: 21
London: 14, 21, 22, 33
Swansea: 35
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Arizona
Tempe: 17
California
Berkeley: 29, 36, 43
La Jolla: 10, 21, 45
Los Angeles: 37
Pasadena: 12
San Francisco: 9, 31
Santa Barbara: 2
Stanford: 1, 9, 28, 45
Colorado
Boulder: 39
Fort Collins: 1
Connecticut
New Haven: 23
Florida
Jacksonville: 33
Georgia
Athens: 16
Atlanta: 38
Hawaii
Honolulu: 21
Illinois
Argonne: 33
Urbana: 19
Indiana
Indianapolis: 11
Kentucky
Lexington: 40
Maryland
Baltimore: 21
Bethesda: 21, 24
College Park: 18
Frederick: 48
Massachusetts
Amherst: 46
Boston: 12, 29
Cambridge: 45
Lowell: 33
Waltham: 37
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 21
Nevada
Las Vegas: 25
Reno: 25
New York
Ithaca: 42
New York: 23, 32, 47
North Carolina
Durham: 21, 27, 37
Ohio
Cleveland: 11
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 21
Rhode Island
Providence: 9
Tennessee
Memphis: 10
Nashville: 36
Oak Ridge:
Texas
Houston: 15, 21
Smithville: 15
Utah
Salt Lake City: 21
Washington
Seattle: 7, 24, 48
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)
Carrie Meggs
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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