This press release contains:
· Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Materials: Immunostimulatory nanoparticles for cancer therapy
Medicine: Oral vaccine reaches the gut mucosa
Photonics: Looking through walls and around corners
Methods: The Metatron: a system to study animal dispersal
· Geographical listing of authors
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[1] Materials: Immunostimulatory nanoparticles for cancer therapy
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3355
Nanoparticle gels that deliver an immunostimulatory molecule and an inhibitor of an immunosuppressive factor to tumours over a period of a few days are reported online this week in Nature Materials. When injected in melanoma tumours in mice, the nanoparticles facilitate sustained delivery of the molecules, delay tumour growth and significantly increase the survival time of the mice.
One of the mechanisms by which aggressive cancers such as melanomas evade the immune system is by the secretion, from tumours, of immunosuppressive factors such as TGF-beta. This protein inhibits the effects of Interleukin-2 (IL-2) — a signalling molecule used in conventional immunotherapy that mediates immune responses. Tarek Fahmy and colleagues designed a nanoparticle consisting of a protective lipid bilayer surrounding a degradable polymer gel encapsulating a lipid-soluble TGF-beta inhibitor and the water-soluble IL-2 immunostimulatory protein. The researchers show that the nanoparticles enhance the activity of innate and adaptive immune responses against subcutaneous and metastatic melanomas in tumour-bearing mice.
Author contact:
Tarek Fahmy (Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA)
Tel: +1 203 432 1043; E-mail: [email protected]
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[2] Medicine: Oral vaccine reaches the gut mucosa
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2866
An oral vaccine that protects both rectal and genital mucosas in mice from viral infections by specifically targeting the large intestine is published online this week in Nature Medicine.
Mucosal immunization induces adequate immune responses that protect against pathogens at mucosal sites. However, intracolorectal administration of a potential vaccine is not practical at the clinic and an oral route would likely destroy the vaccine because of the high pH in the stomach.
Jay Berzofsky and colleagues designed a nanoparticle releasing system to solve this problem. The nanoparticles contain peptide vaccine and immune adjuvants coated with a polymer that precludes premature uptake in the small intestine and release of contents before reaching the large intestine. In mice, the oral vaccine system induced immunity and protected against rectal and vaginal viral challenge similar to colorectal vaccination, and this was specific to targeting of the large intestine mucosa. Clinical studies in humans will be needed to optimize the formulation of the oral vaccine to the physical characteristics of the human gut.
Author contact:
Jay Berzofsky (National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD, USA)
Tel: +1 301 496 6874; E-mail: [email protected]
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[3] Photonics: Looking through walls and around corners
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.150
A technique that allows real-time imaging through opaque materials and around highly scattering optical diffusers is reported in Nature Photonics this week. The findings could prove valuable for applications such as Earth-based astronomy and deep tissue imaging, both of which are currently hindered by scattering and dense materials.
Yaron Silberberg and co-workers demonstrate a scheme which is based on wavefront shaping, and involves using a spatial light modulator to shape the phase of scattered light such that it refocuses at a desired location. Exploiting the angular range in which a single wavefront pattern inverts scattering allows wide-field real-time imaging to be achieved through a single process.
In contrast with previous wavefront-shaping approaches, this technique does not require a coherent source, interferometric detection, raster scanning or off-line computational reconstruction. Instead, it provides real-time imaging using white light, which is advantageous for realizing practical applications.
Author contact:
Yaron Silberberg (Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel)
Tel: +972 8 9344035; E-mail: [email protected]
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[4] Methods: The Metatron: a system to study animal dispersal
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.2104
A controlled experimental infrastructure for studies of animal dispersal at an unprecedented scale is described in a paper published this week in Nature Methods. This methodology will enable researchers in ecology and conservation biology to conduct experiments that were previously not feasible.
Animals disperse from their habitats for a variety of reasons, including environmental change and habitat fragmentation due to human activity. Studying the factors that affect this process is not easy: existing setups trade off between scale and environmental control. Small laboratory setups allow control of climatic variables, but they do not realistically mimic field conditions and can typically be used for only small organisms. Large-scale field experiments lack environmental control.
Jean Clobert and colleagues fill this gap with the Metatron: an infrastructure of 48 habitat patches on four hectares of land in southern France. Temperature, humidity and light in the individual patches of the Metatron can be experimentally controlled. The patches are connected by flexible corridors presenting varying degrees of difficulty to a dispersing animal. In pilot experiments, the researchers used the Metatron to study lizard and butterfly dispersal. The setup will be useful to study the dispersal of many organisms and to determine how dispersal is affected by changing environmental conditions.
Author contact:
Jean Clobert (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Moulis, France)
Tel: +33 561 04 03 69; E-mail: [email protected]
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Nature
[5] HVEM signalling at mucosal barriers provides host defence against pathogenic bacteria
DOI: 10.1038/nature11242
[6] The dynamic disulphide relay of quiescin sulphydryl oxidase
DOI: 10.1038/nature11267
[7] Programmed elimination of cells by caspase-independent cell extrusion in C. elegans
DOI: 10.1038/nature11240
[8] Mutations in the profilin 1 gene cause familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
DOI: 10.1038/nature11280
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NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY
[9] Genome mapping on nanochannel arrays for structural variation analysis and sequence assembly
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2303
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NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[10] Rap2A links intestinal cell polarity to brush border formation
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2537
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NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY
[11] Caspase-1 activity is required to bypass macrophage apoptosis upon Salmonella infection
DOI:10.1038/nchembio.1023
[12] Architectural and thermodynamic principles underlying intramembrane protease function
DOI:10.1038/nchembio.1021
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NATURE CHEMISTRY
[13] Spontaneous reduction and C–H borylation of arenes mediated by uranium(III) disproportionation
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1392
[14] Catalytic asymmetric carbon–carbon bond formation using alkenes as alkylmetal equivalents
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1394
[15] Designed, synthetically accessible bryostatin analogues potently induce activation of latent HIV reservoirs in vitro
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1395
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NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
[16] The hydrology of the humid tropics
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1556
[17] Different glacier status with atmospheric circulations in Tibetan Plateau and surroundings
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1580
[18] Climate–society feedbacks and the avoidance of dangerous climate change
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1586
[19] Eco-evolutionary responses of biodiversity to climate change
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1588
[20] Radar backscatter is not a ‘direct measure’ of forest biomass
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1601
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NATURE GENETICS
[21] Association analyses identify multiple new lung cancer susceptibility loci and their interactions with smoking in the Chinese population
DOI: 10.1038/ng.2351
[22] A genome-wide association study identifies two new susceptibility loci for lung adenocarcinoma in the Japanese population
DOI: 10.1038/ng.2353
[23] The Blk pathway functions as a tumor suppressor in chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells
DOI: 10.1038/ng.2350
[24] Meta-analysis identifies multiple loci associated with kidney function–related traits in east Asian populations
DOI: 10.1038/ng.2352
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NATURE IMMUNOLOGY
[25] Deciphering the transcriptional network of the dendritic cell lineage
DOI: 10.1038/ni.2370
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NATURE MATERIALS
[26] Tuning the autophagy-inducing activity of lanthanide-based nanocrystals through specific surface-coating peptides
DOI: 10.1038/nmat.3363
[27] Long-range transfer of electron–phonon coupling in oxide superlattices
DOI: 10.1038/nmat.3378
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Nature MEDICINE
[28] Simultaneous functional photoacoustic and ultrasonic endoscopy of internal organs in vivo
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2823
[29] Pathological neoangiogenesis depends on oxidative stress regulation by ATM
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2846
[30] GABAergic excitation after febrile seizures induces ectopic granule cells and adult epilepsy
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2850
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NATURE METHODS
[31] A culture system to study oligodendrocyte myelination-processes using engineered nanofibers
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.2105
[32] Wisdom of crowds for robust gene network inference
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.2016
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NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY
[33] Shift registers based on magnetic domain wall ratchets with perpendicular anisotropy
DOI:10.1038/nnano.2012.111
[34] Piezoelectric nanoribbons for monitoring cellular deformations
DOI:10.1038/nnano.2012.112
[35] Deformation mechanisms in nanotwinned metal nanopillars
DOI:10.1038/nnano.2012.116
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Nature NEUROSCIENCE
[36] Dissecting spatial knowledge from spatial choice by hippocampal NMDA receptor deletion
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3166
[37] HMGA regulates the global chromatin state and neurogenic potential in neocortical precursor cells
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3165
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NATURE PHOTONICS
[38] Quantum-limited frequency fluctuations in a terahertz laser
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.145
[39] All-optical wavelength shifting in a semiconductor laser using resonant nonlinearities
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.157
[40] Broadband dye-sensitized upconversion of near-infrared light
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.158
[41] Regenerative oscillation and four-wave mixing in graphene optoelectronics
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2012.147
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Nature PHYSICS
[42] Chimera and phase-cluster states in populations of coupled chemical oscillators
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2371
[43] Experimental observation of chimeras in coupled-map lattices
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2372
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Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
[44] The mechanism of patellamide macrocyclization revealed by the characterization of the PatG macrocyclase domain
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2340
[45] DGCR8 HITS-CLIP reveals novel functions for the Microprocessor
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2344
[46] Phosphorylation of histone H3 Ser10 establishes a hierarchy for subsequent intramolecular modification events
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2310
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GEOGRAPHICAL LISTING OF AUTHORS
AUSTRALIA
Kirrawee: 27
Melbourne: 24
Mount Lawley: 23
Sydney: 27
CANADA:
Guelph: 8
Sherbrooke: 19
CHINA
Beijing: 2, 17, 21, 24
Guangzhou: 21
Hefei: 26
Lanzhou: 17
Nanjing: 21
Shanghai: 21
Shenyang: 21
Tianjin: 21
Wuhan: 21
Zhenjiang: 26
DENMARK
Copenhagen: 45
EGYPT
Cairo: 27
FRANCE
Moulis: 4
Orsay: 4
Paris: 4, 8, 19, 39
St-Pierre-les-Nemours: 4
Toulouse: 4, 13
GERMANY
Berlin: 43, 46
Bochum: 39
Dortmund: 27
Goettingen: 46
Heidelberg: 36
Leipzig: 27
Munich: 32
Stuttgart: 27
Tuebingen: 46
ISRAEL
Rehovot: 3, 6
Tel-Aviv: 8
ITALY
Milan: 8
Pisa: 8, 38
Rome: 20
Sesto Fiorentino: 38
JAPAN
Chiba: 22
Kanagawa: 22
Osaka: 29
Shiga: 22
Tokyo: 22, 24, 29, 30, 37
Yokohama: 24
KOREA
Chungcheongbuk-do: 24
NETHERLANDS
Eindhoven: 33
Groningen: 40
Utrecht: 8, 10
SINGAPORE
Singapore: 9, 24, 26, 41
SPAIN
Barcelona: 45
SWEDEN
Stockholm: 19
Uppsala: 4
TAIWAN
Taichung: 24
Taipei: 24
UNITED KINGDOM
Aberdeen: 44
Cambridge: 39, 46
Durham: 8
Edinburgh: 13, 20, 45
Lancaster: 16, 18
London: 29
Oxford: 14, 20, 36
St Andrews: 44
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
California
La Jolla: 5
Los Angeles: 15, 28
Pasadena: 34, 35
San Diego: 9
San Francisco: 9, 24, 31
Stanford: 10, 11, 15, 25
Storrs: 19
Colorado
Fort Collins: 16
Connecticut
New Haven: 1
Delaware
Newark: 6
Florida
Alachua: 2
Georgia
Atlanta: 8
Hawaii
Hilo: 16
Honolulu: 16
Kansas
Lawrence: 16
Maine
Orono: 23
Maryland
Baltimore: 12
Bethesda: 2
College Park: 20, 43
Frederick: 2
Massachusetts
Boston: 23, 25, 32
Cambridge: 7, 8, 25, 32
Falmouth: 16
Worcester: 8, 23
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 2, 24, 31
Hickory Corners: 19
Missouri
St Louis: 25, 28
New Hampshire
Durham: 24
New Jersey
Princeton: 34
New Mexico
Socorro: 16
New York
Bronx: 25
New York: 25, 32, 41, 44, 46
North Carolina
Chapel Hill: 2, 25
Durham: 16
Research Triangle Park: 16
Ohio
Columbus: 17
Oregon
Corvallis: 16
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 9, 34
Villanova: 16
Rhode Island
Providence: 35
Texas
Houston: 21
Vermont
Burlington: 11
Washington
Seattle: 6
West Virginia
Morgantown: 42
Wyoming
Laramie: 16
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.
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