This press release contains:
---Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Biotechnology: Improved wheat for the developing world
Nature: Nucleoside transport into cells
Genetics: Chlamydia genome sequencing
Nature: Friendly gut microbes increase blood vessel growth
And finally…Neuroscience: The constant in perception
---Mention of papers to be published at the same time with the same embargo
---Geographical listing of authors
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[1] Biotechnology: Improved wheat for the developing world
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2120
Tolerance to soil salinity has been bred into a variety of wheat, as described in a paper published online this week in Nature Biotechnology. This crop should be particularly useful in developing countries where wheat is commonly grown in arid or semi-arid areas with high-saline soil.
Matthew Gilliham and colleagues characterized a previously identified gene that is present in an ancestral salt-tolerant relative of wheat but not in modern commercial varieties. The researchers showed that the gene functions as a transporter that efficiently removes sodium from water that is transported from the roots to the leaves of plants, thereby improving plant tolerance to high-saline soil. A hybrid variety of the wheat was created by breeding the ancestral relative with a commercial variety; this was tested in field trials and showed increases in grain yield of up to 25% in high-saline soils without compromised productivity in low-saline soils.
This breeding line of wheat is not a transgenic, as it was created by conventional crossing, and highlights the potential of using biotechnology to harness genetic diversity found in undomesticated plants to improve modern crops without necessarily creating transgenic organisms.
Author contact:
Matthew Gilliham (University of Adelaide, Australia)
Tel: +61 8 8303 8145; E-mail: [email protected]
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[2] Nature: Nucleoside transport into cells
DOI: 10.1038/nature10882
The three-dimensional structure of a membrane protein from Vibrio cholerae, the bacterium that causes cholera, is described in Nature this week. The protein is a concentrative nucleoside transporter, a class of membrane transport protein that uses an ion gradient in the active transport of nucleosides and nucleoside-derived drugs across cellular membranes. Knowing the macromolecular structure of this membrane protein may facilitate the design of more effective anticancer and antiviral drugs.
Some drugs — for example, the anticancer drug gemcitabine and the antiviral drug zidovudine — use concentrative nucleoside transporters to cross cellular membranes so that they can reach their intracellular drug targets. Seok-Yong Lee and colleagues solved the X-ray crystal structure of one of these membrane proteins in complex with uridine, a nucleoside. The structure reveals how this protein recognizes nucleosides and nucleoside-based drugs, and it provides a framework for how this class of protein facilitates the transport of these molecules across cellular membranes.
Author contact:
Seok-Yong Lee (Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA)
Tel: +1 919 684 1005; E-mail: [email protected]
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[3] Genetics: Chlamydia genome sequencing
DOI: 10.1038/ng.2214
Whole genome sequencing of Chlamydia trachomatis is reported in a study this week in Nature Genetics. C. trachomatis is a human pathogen that causes of one of the most prevalent sexually transmitted infections worldwide, as well as infections of the eye that are a leading infectious cause of blindness.
Simon Harris and colleagues report a comparative genomic study of 53 C. trachomatis whole genome sequences. These strains were isolated from epidemics during 1959-2009, and were selected to represent the diversity of clinical strains. The authors used this sequence dataset to construct a more accurate whole genome phylogeny for the species. Their analysis allows for a reconstruction of the evolutionary history of C. trachomatis, and has implications for monitoring of epidemiological infections and characterizing population structure and strain diversity.
The authors also find that a traditionally used C. trachomatis single gene diagnostic, based on genotyping the ompA gene encoding the major outer membrane protein, has limited utility for strain typing and inferring genetic relatedness. They suggest the need for typing a larger number of loci across the genome for more accurate strain typing.
Author contact:
Simon Harris (Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, UK)
Tel: +44 1223 834244; E-mail: [email protected]
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[4] Nature: Friendly gut microbes increase blood vessel growth
DOI: 10.1038/nature10893
How microbes in the guts of mice encourage blood vessel growth in the small intestine is explained in Nature this week. Understanding the underlying mechanism to this process may provide new therapeutic targets for improving conditions characterized by restricted blood flow and for modifying the absorptive capacity of the gut.
Introducing microbiota to germ-free mice — bred in sterile environments to be free from gut flora — has been shown to promote vascular density in the small intestine. However, the factors and mechanisms that link the microbiota to blood vessel growth have remained unclear. Frederik Bäckhed and colleagues uncover processes by which gut bacteria influence vascular growth. They identify three factors that are involved in microbiota-induced vascular development: tissue factor, PAR1 and Ang-1. These factors make up a signalling pathway that the authors suggest could be modulated to influence vascular remodelling in the small intestine.
Author contact:
Frederik Bäckhed (Wallenberg Laboratory, Gothenburg, Sweden)
Tel: +46 31 342 7833; E-mail: [email protected]
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[5] And Finally…Neuroscience: The constant in perception
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3069
The activation of the visual cortex in response to a bright image is not based on the actual size of the image, but the perceived size of the “afterimage”. These findings, reported online this week in Nature Neuroscience, may help explain why objects are perceived to be the same size in real life, even when the image cast on the retina gets smaller as the distance becomes greater.
After staring fixedly at a bright image for a little while, people see an ‘after-image’, the size of which varies. The degree of the corresponding visual cortex activation depends on the perceived size of this after-image, not its actual size projected on the retina.
If you stare at a dim light-bulb without moving your eyes for about ten seconds, and then look at a blank wall or ceiling, you will likely see an afterimage of the light. The size of this afterimage will depend on how far away the wall or ceiling is: the further away the wall, the larger the afterimage. This happens even though the size of the light-bulb itself does not change, and correspondingly, neither does the size of the bulb’s image projected on the retina.
Mel Goodale and colleagues used functional magnetic resonance imaging to track observers’ brain activation as they saw afterimages of varying sizes on a screen positioned at varying distances. They found that the size of the primary visual cortex activation (V1) corresponding to the afterimage was larger when the afterimages were perceived as larger, even though the size of image cast on the retina did not change.
Author contact:
Melvyn Goodale (The University of Western Ontario, London, Canada)
Tel: +1 519 661 2070; 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)
[6] MEGF10 andMEGF11mediate homotypic interactions required for mosaic spacing of retinal neurons
DOI: 10.1038/nature10877
[7] Identification and characterization of a bacterial hydrosulphide ion channel
DOI: 10.1038/nature10881
[8] Structure and mechanism of a glutamate–GABA antiporter
DOI: 10.1038/nature10917
[9] The Shigella flexneri effector OspI deamidates UBC13 to dampen the inflammatory response
DOI: 10.1038/nature10894
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[10] Direct sensing of systemic and nutritional signals by haematopoietic progenitors in Drosophila
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2453
[11] Whacked and Rab35 polarize dynein-motor-complex-dependent seamless tube growth
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2454
[12] RAC1 activation mediates Twist1-induced cancer cell migration
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2455
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[13] A fungal ketoreductase domain that displays substrate-dependent stereospecificity
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.912
[14] A diversity-oriented synthesis approach to macrocycles via oxidative ring expansion
DOI: 10.1038/ nchembio.911
NATURE CHEMISTRY (http://www.nature.com/nchem)
[15] An M18L24 stellated cuboctahedron through post-stellation of an M12L24 core
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1285
[16] Two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy reveals the complex behaviour of an amyloid fibril inhibitor
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1293
[17] Evidence that a ‘dynamic knockout’ in Escherichia coli dihydrofolate reductase does not affect the chemical step of catalysis
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1296
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE (http://www.nature.com/nclimate)
[18] Biodiversity under threat in glacier-fed river systems
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1435
[19] Emerging migration flows in a changing climate in dryland Africa
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1447
[20] Biotic carbon feedbacks in a materially closed soil–vegetation–atmosphere system
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1448
[21] Multistability and critical thresholds of the Greenland ice sheet
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1449
[22] Decomposing the 2010 global carbon dioxide emissions rebound
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1450
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[23] Common genetic variants at the 11q13.3 renal cancer susceptibility locus influence binding of HIF to an enhancer of cyclin D1 expression
DOI: 10.1038/ng.2204
[24] Generation of functional insulin-producing cells in the gut by Foxo1 ablation
DOI: 10.1038/ng.2215
[25] Reverse breeding in Arabidopsis thaliana generates homozygous parental lines from a heterozygous plant
DOI: 10.1038/ng.2203
[26] KLHL3 mutations cause familial hyperkalemic hypertension by impairing ion transport in the distal nephron
DOI: 10.1038/ng.2218
NATURE GEOSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/ngeo)
[27] Shallow axial magma chamber at the slow-spreading Erta Ale Ridge
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1414
[28] Trends and seasonal cycles in the isotopic composition of nitrous oxide since 1940
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1421
[29] Links between iron input and opal deposition in the Pleistocene equatorial Pacific Ocean
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1422
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[30] Molecular mechanisms that control the expression and activity of Bcl-6 in TH1 cells to regulate flexibility with a TFH-like gene profile
DOI:10.1038/ni.2242
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[31] Copper ion liquid-like thermoelectrics
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3273
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[32] Inhibition of the LSD1 (KDM1A) demethylase reactivates the all-trans-retinoic acid differentiation pathway in acute myeloid leukemia
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2661
[33] A systems approach identifies HIPK2 as a key regulator of kidney fibrosis
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2685
[34] Functional engraftment of colon epithelium expanded in vitro from a single adult Lgr5+ stem cell
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2695
NATURE METHODS (http://www.nature.com/nmeth)
[35] Single-molecule mechanical identification and sequencing
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1925
[36] Synchronization of secretory protein traffic in populations of cells
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1928
[37] Controlling gene expression with the Q repressible binary expression system in Caenorhabditis elegans
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1929
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nnano)
[38] Stochastic sensing of proteins with receptor-modified solid-state nanopores
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2012.24
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[39] Dense representation of natural odorants in the mouse olfactory bulb
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3057
[40] Decorrelation and efficient coding by retinal ganglion cells
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3064
[41] VAMP4 directs synaptic vesicles to a pool that selectively maintains asynchronous neurotransmission
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3067
[42] Mapping value based planning and extensively trained choice in the human brain
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3068
[43] NgR1 and NgR3 are receptors for chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3070
NATURE PHOTONICS (http://www.nature.com/nphoton)
[44] Organic light-emitting diodes employing efficient reverse intersystem crossing for triplet-to-singlet state conversion
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.31
[45] Microfluidic directional emission control of an azimuthally polarized radial fibre laser
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.24
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[46] The organization of strong links in complex networks
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2257
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[47] Diverse HIV viruses are targeted by a conformationally dynamic antiviral
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2253
[48] A conserved proline switch on the ribosome facilitates the recruitment and binding of trGTPases
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2254
[49] A telomere-dependent DNA damage checkpoint induced by prolonged mitotic arrest
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2245
[50] Structure of N-terminal domain of ZAP indicates how a zinc-finger protein recognizes complex RNA
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2243
[51] Insights into dynein motor domain function from a 3.3 Å crystal structure
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2272
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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.
ARGENTINA
Buenos Aires: 41
AUSTRALIA
Aspendale: 28
Canberra: 1, 22
Crawley: 1
Glen Osmond: 1
Hobart: 28
Kingston: 28
Tamworth: 1
CANADA:
Edmonton: 13
Halifax: 26
London: 5
Quebec: 41
Toronto: 32
Vancouver: 3
CHINA
Beijing: 8, 31, 48, 50
Hefei: 48
Shanghai: 31, 33
DENMARK
Copenhagen: 4
Hillerød: 18
Maalov: 4
ECUADOR
Quito: 18
ETHIOPIA
Addis Ababa: 27
FRANCE
Aubervilliers: 45
Bordeaux: 3
Dijon: 26
Gif-sur-Yvette: 18
Grenoble: 26
Lille: 26
Nantes: 26
Nice: 26
Orsay: 18
Paris: 26, 35, 36
Rouen: 26
Suresnes: 26
GERMANY
Berlin: 48
Frankfurt am Main: 38
Garching: 38
Mainz: 4
Munster: 26, 32
Potsdam: 21
JAPAN
Fukuoka: 44
Hyogo: 9
Maebashi: 24
Tokyo: 9, 15, 34
LEBANON
Beirut: 26
MALAYSIA
Selangor: 25
MEXICO
Mexico City:
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam: 3
Fijnaart: 25
Maastricht: 3
Utrecht: 34
Wageningen: 25
NEW ZEALAND
Wellington: 28
SOUTH AFRICA
Johannesburg: 3
SOUTH KOREA
Seoul: 28
SPAIN
Barcelona: 26, 35
Madrid: 21
SWEDEN
Gothenburg: 4
Malmo: 3
Orebro: 3
SWITZERLAND
Geneva: 26, 39
TAIWAN
New Taipei City: 12
Taichung: 12
Taipei: 12
THAILAND
Bangkok: 24
UNITED KINGDOM
Ascot: 20
Belfast: 32
Birmingham: 18
Brighton: 19
Cambridge: 27, 41, 47, 51
Cardiff: 17, 32
Glasgow: 47
Hinxton: 3
Leeds: 18, 27
London: 3, 26, 42, 47
Newcastle: 20
Oxford: 23
Reading: 20
Southampton: 3
Stirling: 20
Sutton: 32
York: 20
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Alaska
Fairbanks: 18
California
Berkeley: 28
Davis: 25
La Jolla: 4, 43, 49
Los Angeles: 10, 13, 35
Palo Alto: 32
Pasadena: 27, 31
Stanford: 37
Connecticut
Groton: 43
Florida
Fort Pierce: 29
Maryland
Baltimore: 26, 32, 37
Bethesda: 43, 46
Massachusetts
Billerica: 28
Boston: 29, 43
Cambridge: 6, 14, 40, 45
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 31, 43
New York
New York: 7, 14, 24, 33
Rochester: 27, 40, 43
Stony Brook: 16
Upton: 31
North Carolina
Durham: 2
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 11
University Park: 35
Rhode Island
Narragansett: 29
South Carolina
Charlestown: 32
Texas
Dallas: 41
Houston: 12, 24
Washington
Seattle: 30
Wisconsin
Madison: 16
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Tel: +44 20 7843 4658; E-mail: [email protected]
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Nature Chemical Biology (Boston)
Elissa Bolt
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Nature Chemistry (London)
Stuart Cantrill
Tel: +44 20 7014 4018; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Climate Change (London)
Rory Howlett
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Myles Axton
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Laurie Dempsey
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Nature Materials (London)
Vincent Dusastre
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Juan Carlos Lopez
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Nature Methods (New York)
Hugh Ash
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Peter Rodgers
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Tel: +81 3 3267 8776; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Physics (London)
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Tel: +44 20 7843 4555; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Structural & Molecular Biology (New York)
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Tel: +1 212 726 9326; E-mail: [email protected]
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