This press release contains:
• Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Neuroscience: Making cocaine less palatable
Climate Change: When to move species
Climate Change: Pollutants from the past
And finally…Geoscience: Rare lunar volcanism
• Mention of papers to be published at the same time
• 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] Neuroscience: Making cocaine less palatable
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2874
Drugs that stimulate a specific cannabinoid receptor in the brain can counteract the behavioral and rewarding effects of cocaine in mice, reports a study online this week in Nature Neuroscience. This work suggests that the brain cannabinoid receptor may be a suitable target to mitigate drug abuse and addiction.
Cannabinoids are psychoactive compounds, found for example in marijuana, and their behavioural effects are mediated by the cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2. While drugs that activate the CB1 receptor are known to stimulate the brain’s reward system and provoke relapse to drug seeking after prolonged withdrawal, the role of brain CB2 receptors in modulating the effects of drug-of-abuse is not known.
Zheng-Xiong Xi and colleagues found two classes of drugs that selectively activate the CB2 receptors. When these drugs were given to mice just before they were allowed to self-administer cocaine, the team discovered that CB2 activation reduced the bouts and amount of drug intake, as well as the subsequent cocaine-induced locomotor-stimulating effects seen in the mice.
Author contact:
Zheng-Xiong Xi (National Institute on Drug Abuse, Baltimore, MD, USA)
Tel: +1 443 740 2517; E-mail: [email protected]
[2] Climate Change: When to move species
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1170
A novel, quantitative, decision framework to evaluate the best timing for managed species relocation is published online this week in Nature Climate Change. Managed relocation — where species are moved to a more suitable habitat — has been proposed as a means of combating negative climate change impacts on biodiversity. Though hotly debated within the conservation community, species are already being relocated to areas outside of their current range.
Eve McDonald-Madden and co-authors found that optimal timing depends partly on population size and that when a small population would benefit from time to grow before risking translocation losses, haste is ill-advised. They also found that active adaptive management — where continued information on the source and destination habitats and populations is available — facilitates better management decisions, and is especially valuable when the effect of climate change on source habitat is uncertain.
Author contact:
Eve McDonald-Madden (University of Queensland & CSIRO Ecosystem Sciences, Clayton, Australia)
Tel: +61 7 3365 2454; E-mail: [email protected]
[3] Climate Change: Pollutants from the past
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1167
Climate change is remobilizing toxic pollutants from long-term sinks such as ice and sea water in the Arctic reports a paper published online in Nature Climate Change this week. The finding suggests that this could potentially undermine efforts to reduce exposure to these toxic compounds.
The abundance of many persistent organic pollutants (POPs) has decreased in the Arctic atmosphere over recent years owing to regulation of their production and use. However, many POPs remain stored in reservoirs such as sea water and ice because they are resistant to degradation.
Climate change could remobilize POPs from these stores, but observational evidence for this effect is limited. Based on 20-year-long records of POP concentrations in the Arctic atmosphere and modelling evidence, Ma and colleagues conclude that warming and sea-ice retreat have enhanced the release of several POPs from sinks such as ice and sea water over the past decade.
The abundance of POPs in the environment is likely to continue to decline in future, but remobilization of the compounds that the team studied—and potentially others like them—from long-term stores will make them available for atmospheric transport once again.
Author contacts:
Jianmin Ma (Environment Canada, Toronto, Canada)
Tel: +1 416 739 4857; E-mail: [email protected]
Jordi Dachs (Institute of Environmental Assessment and Water Research, Barcelona, Spain)
E-mail: [email protected] N&V Author
[4] And finally…Geoscience: Rare lunar volcanism
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1212
Rare, non-basaltic volcanism has been identified on the farside of the Moon, reports a paper published online this week in Nature Geoscience. These findings indicate that non-basaltic volcanism, which has previously been discovered on the lunar nearside, occurred in several locations across the entire Moon.
Bradley Jolliff and colleagues use images from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter cameras and compositional spectral data from the Diviner lunar radiometer to assess the composition of the unusual Compton–Belkovich region on the lunar farside. The surface is made up of numerous domes with steeply sloping sides, which the team interpret as volcanic domes formed from viscous lava flows. The rocks are rich in thorium, silica and alkali-feldspar minerals, indicating that the lavas are compositionally evolved, and hence very different from the black basalts that make up the abundant lunar maria observed elsewhere on the Moon.
In an accompanying News & Views, Noah Petro writes: “It has been more than 40 years since the Apollo samples provided the first hint that compositionally evolved magmas might be distributed across the lunar surface. Yet, thanks to a suite of data from numerous recent missions, the Moon continues to surprise us.”
Author contacts:
Bradley Jolliff (Washington University in St Louis, MI, USA)
Tel: +1 314 935 5622; E-mail: [email protected]
Noah Petro (NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD, USA) N&V author
Tel: +1 301 614 6498; E-mail: [email protected]
Items from other Nature journals to be published online at the same time
Nature (http://www.nature.com/nature)
[5] A Polycomb-based switch underlying quantitative epigenetic memory
DOI: 10.1038/nature10241
[6] Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 2 structure determined by NMR molecular fragment searching
DOI: 10.1038/nature10257
[7] Using the Acropora digitifera genome to understand coral responses to environmental change
DOI 10.1038/nature10249
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology)
[8] Structural variation in two human genomes mapped at single nucleotide–resolution by whole genome de novo assembly
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.1904
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[9] esBAF facilitates pluripotency by conditioning the genome for LIF/STAT3 signalling and by regulating polycomb function
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2285
[10] N-WASP regulates the epithelial junctional actin cytoskeleton through a non-canonical post-nucleation pathway
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2290
[11] Cytoskeletal polarity mediates localized induction of the heart progenitor lineage
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2291
[12] Lpd depletion reveals that SRF specifies radial versus tangential migration of pyramidal neurons
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2292
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[13] The second Phytophthora mating hormone defines interspecies biosynthetic crosstalk
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.617
[14] Contributions of counter-charge in a potassium channel voltage-sensor domain
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.622
[15] CODA-RET reveals functional selectivity as a result of GPCR heteromerization
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.623
NATURE CHEMISTRY (http://www.nature.com/nchem)
[16] Using personal glucose meters and functional DNA sensors to quantify a variety of analytical targets
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1092
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE (http://www.nature.com/nclimate)
[17] An energetic perspective on the regional response of precipitation to climate change
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1169
[18] Low-carbon electricity for 2030
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1188
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[19] Analyses of X-linked and autosomal genetic variation in population-scale whole genome sequencing
DOI: 10.1038/ng.877
[20] Comparing strategies to fine-map the association of common SNPs at chromosome 9p21 with type 2 diabetes and myocardial infarction
DOI: 10.1038/ng.871
NATURE GEOSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/ngeo)
[21] Glacial to Holocene swings of the Australian–Indonesian monsoon
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1209
[22] Stability of the West Antarctic ice sheet in a warming world
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1194
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[23] The microRNA miR-29 controls innate and adaptive immune responses to intracellular bacterial infection by targeting interferon-gamma
DOI: 10.1038/ni.2073
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[24] Sediments of soft spheres arranged by effective density
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3068
[25] Epitaxial growth of three-dimensionally architectured optoelectronic devices
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3071
[26] Bifurcation-based acoustic switching and rectification
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3072
[27] Seebeck effect in magnetic tunnel junctions
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3076
[28] Nucleation mechanism for the direct graphite-to-diamond phase transition
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3078
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[29] FoxP3+ follicular regulatory T cells control T follicular helper cells and the germinal center response
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2425
[30] Variants at 6q21 implicate PRDM1 in the etiology of therapy-induced second malignancies after Hodgkin lymphoma
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2407
[31] Follicular regulatory T (Tfr) cells with dual Foxp3 and Bcl6 expression suppress germinal center reactions
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2426
[32] HDAC6 inhibitors reverse axonal loss in a mouse model of mutant HSPB1-induced Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2396
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nnano)
[33] Electrically tuned spin–orbit interaction in an InAs self-assembled quantum dot
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.103
[34] Deconfinement leads to changes in the nanoscale plasticity of silicon
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.118
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[35] Acute destruction of the synaptic ribbon reveals a role for the ribbon in vesicle priming
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2870
[36] Selective optical drive of thalamic reticular nucleus generates thalamic bursts & cortical spindles
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2880
NATURE PHOTONICS (http://www.nature.com/nphoton)
[37] High-energy pulse synthesis with sub-cycle waveform control for strong-field physics
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2011.140
[38] Mid-infrared HgTe colloidal quantum dot photodetectors
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2011.142
[39] Plasmonically tailored micropotentials for ultracold atoms
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2011.159
[40] Optical pulling force
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2011.153
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[41] Dirac cones reshaped by interaction effects in suspended graphene
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2049
[42] Experimental investigation of the entanglement-assisted entropic uncertainty principle
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2047
[43] Experimental investigation of the uncertainty principle in the presence of quantum memory and its application to witnessing entanglement
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2048
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[44] Complexin cross-links prefusion SNAREs into a zigzag array: a structure-based model for complexin clamping
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2101
[45] Complexin activates and clamps SNAREpins by a common mechanism involving an intermediate energetic state
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2102
[46] A conformational switch in complexin is required for synaptotagmin to trigger synaptic fusion
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2103
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
Brisbane: 10
Canberra: 29
Dutton Park: 2
Parkville: 2, 29
St Lucia: 2
Sydney: 37
Townsville: 7
BELGIUM
Antwerp: 32
Brussels: 15
Leuven: 29, 32
CANADA:
Edmonton: 30
Toronto: 3
Vancouver: 14
Waterloo: 42
CHILE
Concepcion: 21
CHINA
Beijing: 1, 23
Guangzhou: 8
Hangzhou: 13, 23
Hefei: 43
Hong Kong: 8, 40
Shanghai: 23, 31, 40
Shenzen: 8
Yantai: 3
DENMARK
Aarhus: 8
Copenhagen: 8
FINLAND
Aalto: 34
FRANCE
Paris: 44, 45, 46
Toulouse: 15
GERMANY
Berlin: 4
Bielefeld: 27
Bochum: 28
Bremen: 21
Giessen: 27
Goettingen: 27
Hamburg: 27, 37
Hannover: 21
Mainz: 28
Muenster: 4
Tubingen: 39
ITALY
Milan: 37
JAPAN
Bunkyo-ku: 33
Kanagawa: 33
Kyoto: 25
Nagoya: 13
Niigata: 34
Okinawa: 7
Saitama: 33
Shizuoka: 7
Tokyo: 13, 33
Yokohama: 29
NETHERLANDS
Texel: 21
Utrecht: 10
NORWAY
Ås: 3
Kjeller: 3
POLAND
Katowice: 34
RUSSIA
Chernogolovka: 41
SINGAPORE
Singapore: 43
SPAIN
Madrid: 41
SWEDEN
Malmo: 20
SWITZERLAND
Lugano: 28
UNITED KINGDOM
Cambridge: 29
London: 8
Manchester: 41
Norwich: 5
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Arizona
Tempe: 4
Tucson: 11
California
Duarte: 30
Irvine: 21
Los Angeles: 4, 30
Pasadena: 4, 11, 26
Santa Barbara: 25
Stanford: 9
Connecticut
New Haven: 35, 44, 45, 46
Georgia
Augusta: 15
Hawaii
Honolulu: 4
Illinois
Chicago: 30, 32, 38
Urbana: 16, 25
Maryland
Baltimore: 1
Laurel: 2
Massachusetts
Boston: 6, 12, 20, 36
Cambridge: 12, 17, 20, 27, 36, 37
Woods Hole: 21
Minnesota
Minneapolis: 34
Missouri
St Louis: 4
Nebraska
Omaha: 35
New Jersey
Princeton: 17
New York
Ithaca: 19
New York: 12, 15, 30, 44, 46
Stony Brook: 4, 35
North Carolina
Research Triangle: 9
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 30
University Park: 22, 24
Rhode Island
Providence: 4, 36
Tennessee
Memphis: 30
Texas
Houston: 30, 31
Washington
Seattle: 22
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)
Elissa Bolt
Tel: +1 617 475 9241, E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Chemistry (London)
Stuart Cantrill
Tel: +44 20 7014 4018; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Climate Change (London)
Olive Heffernan
Tel: +44 20 7014 4009; 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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