This press release contains:
---Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Materials: Synthetic mast-cell granules
Genetics: Variants associated with breast cancer
Geoscience: Earth warming steadily
Materials: Graphene’s other transparency
Geoscience: Arctic freshwater accumulation by winds
And finally…Nature: Mutations linked to hypertension
---Mention of papers to be published at the same time with the same embargo
---Geographical listing of authors
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], citing the specific example.
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[1] Materials: Synthetic mast-cell granules
The design and use of submicrometre polymer particles that replicate and enhance the functions of mast-cell granules are reported online this week in Nature Materials. When used with the haemagglutinin antigen from influenza during vaccination, the synthetic granules enhance adaptive immune responses and increase the survival of mice after injection of a lethal dose of the H1N1 flu virus.
Mast cells act to enhance immune responses through the release of insoluble granules that contain inflammatory mediators such as tumour necrosis factor (TNF). Inspired by mast-cell granules, Ashley St John and colleagues synthesized microparticles consisting of TNF entrapped in a matrix of the polysaccharide molecules, chitosan and heparin. When injected in mice, the particles travelled to draining lymph nodes, where they slowly released the encapsulated mediator and caused the activation of B-cell lymphocytes. The resulting enhanced adaptative immune responses were at levels comparable to or better than the standard vaccine adjuvant alum.
The researchers also demonstrate that these particles offer greater flexibility in vaccine design, such as the ability to direct the character of the immune response towards Th1 lymphocytes.
Author contact:
Ashley St John (Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA)
Tel: +1 919 684 6942; E-mail: [email protected]
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[2] Genetics: Variants associated with breast cancer
Genetic variants associated with breast cancer susceptibility are reported this week in Nature Genetics. Breast cancer is the most common cancer amongst women, with an estimated incidence of one million new cases annually.
Douglas Easton and colleagues report genome-wide association analyses on over 70,000 breast cancer cases and 68,000 controls, including women from over 40 worldwide studies. They identify three genomic regions newly associated with breast cancer susceptibility. Two of these showed association only with estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer. They note plausible candidate genes involved in mammary gland development and breast cancer cell growth, suggesting mechanisms likely to be involved in breast cancer pathogenesis.
Author contact:
Douglas Easton (University of Cambridge, UK)
Tel: +44 1223 740160; E-mail: [email protected]
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[3] Geoscience: Earth warming steadily
Between 2001 and 2010, the Earth has been accumulating heat continuously, with temperatures rising especially in the sub-surface ocean, reports a study published online this week in Nature Geoscience. The analysis suggests that the heat balance measured at the top of the atmosphere is consistent with observed ocean warming, implying that there is probably no ‘missing energy’ in the system as had been suspected.
Norman Loeb and co-authors determined the net radiation balance at the top of the Earth’s atmosphere from satellite data and estimated the heat content of the upper ocean from three independent sources. They conclude that the changes in upper-ocean heat content and in the top-of-the-atmosphere heat balance are in broad agreement, given the considerable uncertainty between the observational systems.
Author contact:
Norman Loeb (NASA Langley Research Centre, Hampton, VA, USA)
Tel: +1 757 864 5688; E-mail: [email protected]
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[4] Materials: Graphene’s other transparency
Graphene does not affect the wetting behaviour of several substrates, reports a study published online in Nature Materials this week. The ability to tune the electronic properties of surfaces without disrupting their wetting response should lead to superior conducting and superhydrophobic surface coatings.
Graphene's two-dimensional chicken-wire atomic structure is known to be transparent to electrons and visible light. Now Nikhil Koratkar and colleagues show that the extreme thinness of graphene also makes it transparent to the intrinsic wetting behaviour of surfaces for which the wettability is dominated by the long-range van der Waals forces between atoms. The researchers measured the contact angle of water droplets on graphene-coated copper, gold and silicon surfaces, and found that the angle hardly changed from that for the respective bare surfaces. This was not the case for graphene-coated glass, for which the wettability is dominated by the relatively short-range chemical bonds. The authors also found that the contact angle shifted towards that for graphite when the surfaces were coated with an increasing number of graphene layers.
The wetting transparency of conformal graphene coatings may enable novel applications in which electronic and wetting properties can be independently controlled.
Author contacts:
Nikhil Koratkar (Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, NY, USA)
Tel: +1 518 276 6351; E-mail: [email protected]
Pulickel Ajayan (Rice University, Houston, TX, USA)
Tel: +1 713 348 5904; E-mail: [email protected]
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[5] Geoscience: Arctic freshwater accumulation by winds
The observed increase of freshwater storage in the western Arctic Ocean over the past few decades has coincided with favourable changes in wind patterns, reports a study published online this week in Nature Geoscience. If the accumulation of freshwater has been wind-driven, a reversal of the wind patterns could release the freshwater, with potential implications for the regional ocean circulation.
Katherine Giles and co-authors found an increasingly steep dome of water in the western Arctic in satellite measurements of sea surface height between 1995 and 2010, and a corresponding change in wind patterns. The dome is associated with the Beaufort Gyre, a circular current in the western Arctic Ocean, and its steepening suggests an acceleration of the gyre. The researchers estimate that about 8,000 cubic kilometres of freshwater is stored in the Beaufort Gyre through this acceleration, in agreement with hydrographic measurements.
Author contact:
Katharine Giles (University College London, UK)
Tel: +44 20 7679 4450; E-mail: [email protected]
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[6] And finally…Nature: Mutations linked to hypertension
The discovery of two novel mutations in genes associated with a rare genetic disease whose symptoms include hypertension (a reversible risk factor for cardiovascular disease) is reported in Nature this week. Mechanisms by which these mutations affect the pathogenesis of pseudohypoaldosteronism type II (PHAII), are suggested, uncovering previously unrecognized roles for the two proteins coded for by these genes.
A small number of mutations causing Mendelian forms of hypertension have been identified that reveal the role of increased renal salt reabsorption in disease pathogenesis. By performing exome sequencing in families with PHAII-affected members, Richard Lifton and colleagues identify mutations in two new genes, KLHL3 and CUL3. Mutations in these genes are associated with increased salt reabsorption and disease pathogenesis. The authors infer that the proteins KLHL3 and CUL3 have a role in maintaining salt and electrolyte homeostasis in the kidney, and thus regulate blood pressure.
This study also demonstrates the value of exome sequencing ― a cheaper alternative to whole genome sequencing ― in the identification of disease-associated genes, the authors note.
Author contact:
Richard Lifton (Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA)
Tel: +1 203 737 4420; 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] Adenylylation control by intra- or intermolecular active-site obstruction in Fic proteins
DOI: 10.1038/nature10729
[8] Maternal and paternal genomes contribute equally to the transcriptome of early plant embryos
DOI: 10.1038/nature10756
[9] Structures of cytochrome P450 17A1 with prostate cancer drugs abiraterone and TOK-001
DOI: 10.1038/nature10743
[10] Crystal structure of the channelrhodopsin light-gated cation channel
DOI: 10.1038/nature10818
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology)
[11] Genome sequencing reveals agronomically important loci in rice using MutMap
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2095
[12] Conjugation site modulates the in vivo stability and therapeutic activity of antibody-drug conjugates
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2108
[13] Increased Diels-Alderase activity through backbone remodeling guided by Foldit players
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2109
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[14] Endocytosis by Numb breaks Notch symmetry at cytokinesis
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2419
[15] Mitochondrial outer-membrane protein FUNDC1 mediates hypoxia-induced mitophagy in mammalian cells
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2422
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[16] Metabolomics implicates altered sphingolipids in chronic pain of neuropathic origin
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.767
[17] Dynamic O-GlcNAc modification regulates CREB-mediated gene expression and memory formation
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.770
[18] Regulation of CK2 by phosphorylation and O-GlcNAcylation revealed by semisynthesis
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.771
NATURE CHEMISTRY (http://www.nature.com/nchem)
[19] Optimizing the specificity of nucleic acid hybridization
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1246
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE (http://www.nature.com/nclimate)
[20] Pathways of human development and carbon emissions embodied in trade
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1371
[21] Crop yields in a geoengineered climate
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1373
[22] Detecting regional anthropogenic trends in ocean acidification against natural variability
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1372
[23] Constructed wetlands as biofuel production systems
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1370
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[24] Discovery of common variants associated with low TSH levels and thyroid cancer risk
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1046
[25] Meta-analyses identify 13 loci associated with age at menopause and highlight DNA repair and immune pathways
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1051
[26] Epigenetic repression of cardiac progenitor gene expression by Ezh2 is required for postnatal cardiac homeostasis
10.1038/ng.1068
[27] Mutations in CTC1, encoding conserved telomere maintenance component 1, cause Coats plus
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1084
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[28] Transcription factor RORalpha is critical for nuocyte development
DOI:10.1038/ni.2208
[29] A self-reinforcing regulatory network triggered by limiting IL-7 activates pre-BCR signaling and differentiation
DOI:10.1038/ni.2210
[30] Dectin-1 is an extracellular pathogen sensor for the induction and processing of IL-1beta via a noncanonical caspase-8 inflammasome
DOI:10.1038/ni.2222
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[31] Exchange bias in LaNiO3–LaMnO3 superlattices
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3224
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[32] Prostaglandin E2 promotes intestinal tumor growth via DNA methylation
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2608
[33] Identification of a mutation in the extracellular domain of the Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor conferring cetuximab resistance in colorectal cancer
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2609
[34] Magnetic resonance imaging of glutamate
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2615
[35] cGMP-Prkg1 signaling and Pde5 inhibition shelter cochlear hair cells and hearing function
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2634
NATURE METHODS (http://www.nature.com/nmeth)
[36] Chronic in vivo imaging in the mouse spinal cord using an implanted chamber
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1856
[37] An artery-specific fluorescent dye for studying neurovascular coupling
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1857
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nnano)
[38] A local optical probe for measuring motion and stress in a nanoelectromechanical system
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.250
[39] Transport spectroscopy of symmetry-broken insulating states in bilayer graphene
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.251
[40] A DNA-based molecular motor that can navigate a network of tracks
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.253
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[41] The impact of orbitofrontal dysfunction on cocaine addiction
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3014
[42] Transcriptional code and disease map for adult retinal cell types
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3032
[43] Disrupted Homer scaffolds mediate abnormal mGluR5 function in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3033
[44] Thalamic control of cortical states
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3035
[45] Activity recall in visual cortical ensemble
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3036
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[46] Optical cavity cooling of mechanical modes of a semiconductor nanomembrane
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2196
[47] Observation of spontaneous Brillouin cooling
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2206
[48] Chiral superconductivity from repulsive interactions in doped graphene
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2208
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[49] The E3 ligase RNF8 regulates KU80 removal and NHEJ repair
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2211
[50] Regulation of Rev1 by the Fanconi anemia core complex
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2222
[51] HIV-1 reverse transcriptase complex with DNA and nevirapine reveals non-nucleoside inhibition mechanism
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2223
[52] Structural basis for autoinhibition and phosphorylation-dependent activation of c-Cbl
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2231
[53] Crystal structure of quinol-dependent nitric oxide reductase from Geobacillus stearothermophilus
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2213
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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.
AUSTRALIA
Brisbane: 2, 6, 25
Melbourne: 2, 6
AUSTRIA
Klagenfurt: 20
BELARUS
Minsk: 2
BELGIUM
Braine-L’Alleud: 16
Brussels: 27
Leuven: 2
Liege: 22
Strombeek-Bever: 42
BRAZIL
Sao Paulo: 27
CANADA:
Calgary: 27
Edmonton: 6
Hamilton: 25
Montreal: 23
Newfoundland and Labrador: 25
Quebec: 6
Toronto: 2, 27
CHINA
Beijing: 15
Hangzhou: 23
Hohhot: 23
Qingdao: 23
Shanghai: 45
Tianjin: 15
Yangling: 23
CROATIA
Split: 25
Zagreb: 25
DENMARK
Copenhagen: 2, 46
Lyngby: 46
EGYPT
Cairo: 27
ESTONIA
Tartu: 25, 27
FINLAND
Helsinki: 6, 25
Kuopio: 2
Oulu: 2
Vasa: 25
FRANCE
Aix-en-Provence: 6
Evry: 2
Grenoble: 38
Lyon: 44
Nancy: 25
Paris: 2, 14
Villejuif: 2
GERMANY
Berlin: 10
Berlin-Buch: 44
Bochum: 2
Bonn: 2
Cologne: 2
Düsseldorf: 27
Erlangen: 2, 47
Griefswald: 25
Hamburg: 2, 22
Hannover: 2
Heidelberg: 2
Homberg: 27
Mainz: 27
Munich: 2, 25
Neuherberg: 2, 25
Regensburg: 35
Saarbrucken: 2
Stuttgart: 2
Tubingen: 2, 35
Ulm: 2, 42
Wuppertal: 35
GREECE
Athens: 25
ICELAND
Kopavogur: 25
Reykjavik: 24, 25
IRELAND
Dublin: 28
Galway: 2
ITALY
Bologna: 27
Cagliari: 25
Florence: 25
Merate: 6
Milan: 2, 6, 25
Pavia: 25
Trieste: 25
JAPAN
Fukuoka: 53
Hayama: 11
Hyogo: 10, 53
Kitakami: 11
Kyoto: 10, 40
Morioka: 11
Niigata: 10
Tokyo: 10, 18, 40
Tottori: 53
Ueda: 11
Wako: 53
Yokohama: 22
LEBANON
Beirut: 6
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam: 2, 25, 27, 30
Eindhoven: 25
Groningen: 25
Helmond: 25
Leiden: 2
Nijmegen: 6, 24
Rotterdam: 2, 25
Tilburg: 25
Utrecht: 25, 30
Veldhoven: 25
NORWAY
Bergen: 27
Oslo: 2, 20
POLAND
Szczecin: 2
Warsaw: 2
PORTUGAL
Lisbon: 27
RUSSIA
Ufa: 2
SINGAPORE
Singapore: 1, 2, 25
SOUTH KOREA
Seoul: 2
SPAIN
Barcelona: 33
Bellaterra: 31
Coria: 24
Gran Canaria: 22
Madrid: 2
Santander: 24
Taragona: 16
Zaragoza: 24
SWEDEN
Stockholm: 2, 25
Uppsala: 27
SWITZERLAND
Basel: 7, 42
Bern: 27
Geneva: 27, 31
Lausanne: 25, 27, 28, 44
TAIWAN
Taipei: 2
THAILAND
Bangkok: 2
Ongkharak: 2
UNITED KINGDOM
Bedford: 27
Birmingham: 6
Bristol: 25
Cambridge: 2, 6, 28
Edinburgh: 25, 27
Exeter: 25
Glasgow: 27, 52
Harrow: 27
Hinxton: 25
Kent: 16
Leeds: 20, 27
Leicester: 28
Liverpool: 27
London: 2, 5, 6, 25, 27
Manchester: 6, 27
Norwich: 11, 20
Oxford: 2, 25, 27, 40
Reading: 3, 27
Roslin: 25
Sheffield: 2, 27, 35
Southampton: 2, 5, 27
Sutton: 2
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Arizona
Tempe: 23
California
Berkeley: 45
Duarte: 2
Fremont: 2
Irvine: 2
La Jolla: 16, 42
Los Angeles: 6, 25, 27
Pasadena: 3, 17
Riverside: 39
San Diego: 17
San Francisco: 12, 26, 29, 33
Stanford: 2, 10, 21
Connecticut
Hartford: 6
New Haven: 6, 7
District of Columbia
Washington: 6
Florida
Miami: 3, 22
Tallahassee: 39
Georgia
Atlanta: 25
Hawaii
Honolulu: 3, 22
Illinois
Chicago: 29
McGaw Park: 6
Indiana
Indianapolis: 25
Iowa
Iowa City: 6
Kansas
Lawrence: 9
Maryland
Baltimore: 6, 18, 25, 27, 41, 43
Bethesda: 18, 25
Rockville: 2
Massachusetts
Boston: 2, 6, 19, 25, 26, 50
Cambridge: 8, 17, 25, 26, 42, 48
Framingham: 25
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 25, 47
Minnesota
Minneapolis: 25
Rochester: 2
Missouri
St Louis: 6, 16, 25, 27
Montana
Bozeman: 22
New Jersey
Newark: 6
Piscataway: 51
Princeton: 41
Rahway: 25
New York
Bronx: 6
Ithaca: 36
New Hyde Park: 6
New York: 6, 26, 27
Troy: 4
North Carolina
Chapel Hill: 25
Durham: 1, 6
Ohio
Columbus: 24
Oklahoma
Oklahoma City: 42
Pennsylvania
King of Prussia: 25
Philadelphia: 34
Pittsburgh: 6, 25, 27
Rhode Island
Providence: 6, 20
South Carolina
Charleston: 37
Tennessee
Johnson City: 18
Nashville: 6
Texas
Austin: 39
Dallas: 27, 43
Houston: 4, 25, 32, 49
San Antonio: 6
Utah
Salt Lake City: 6
Virginia
Blacksburg: 18
Hampton: 3
Washington
Seattle: 3, 13, 19, 25
Wisconsin
Madison: 48
Milwaukee: 6
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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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