This press release contains:
---Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Methods: A light-switch to turn off pain
Geoscience: Recently active lunar landscapes
Nature: Regulating energy balance
Geoscience: Fuelling glaciers
And finally…Nanotechnology: The smallest ever transistor
--- Mention of papers to be published at the same time with the same embargo
---Geographical listing of authors
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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] Methods: A light-switch to turn off pain
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1897
A molecule that can be turned on or off to block the activity of pain-sensing neurons in rats is reported online this week in Nature Methods. These findings have potential value as both scientific and clinical tools for controlling pain sensation.
Local anesthetics suppress pain sensation by blocking the activity of pain-sensing neurons, but most of these compounds act nonselectively on all nervous-system cells. Some compounds act preferentially on pain-sensing neurons, but their actions persist for many hours.
To develop a molecule that can block the activity of pain-sensing neurons in a controlled and reversible manner, Richard H. Kramer and Dirk Trauner synthesized a molecule, named QAQ, that is structurally similar to a previously used lidocaine derivate. It uses the same mechanism to selectively enter pain-sensing neurons, but its activity can be controlled by light. QAQ switches between two conformations in response to different colors of light, and only one of them has a pain-suppressing effect—ultraviolet light turns it on and green light turns it off. The authors show the capacity of QAQ as a light-sensitive analgesic in the retina of living rats.
Author contacts:
Richard H. Kramer (University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA)
Tel: +1 510 643 2406; E-mail: [email protected]
Dirk Trauner (University of Munich, Germany)
Tel: +49 89 2180 77800; E-mail: [email protected]
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[2] Geoscience: Recently active lunar landscapes
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1387
The Moon could have experienced very recent tectonic activity, within the last 50 million years, reports a study published online this week in Nature Geoscience. Previously, the youngest tectonic features, much less than a billion years old, were thought to be formed by recent shrinking of the Moon as its interior cooled.
Thomas Watters and colleagues analysed images obtained by the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera. They identified narrow trough-like features in the lunar highlands and mare basalts that are thought to have formed as the lunar crust was stretched and extended. The features appear pristine and are rarely cross-cut by impact craters implying they formed relatively recently.
Thermal models of lunar evolution suggest that the surface of the Moon should currently be under compression. However, the faults identified here are indications of the extension of the Moon’s surface, and imply that the Moon may not have totally melted after its formation.
Author contact:
Thomas Watters (Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA)
Tel: +1 202 633 2483; E-mail: [email protected]
-------------------------------------------
[3] Nature: Regulating energy balance
DOI: 10.1038/nature10798
Insights into the molecular mechanisms by which a high-fat diet may contribute to early-onset obesity are presented in Nature this week. A role of the lipid-sensing protein GPR120 in controlling energy balance in humans and mice is uncovered.
GPR120 is a receptor for free fatty acids and is involved in homeostasis mechanisms such as fat-cell generation and the regulation of appetite or food preference. Gozoh Tsujimoto and colleagues show that mice lacking GPR120 develop obesity, glucose intolerance and fatty liver when fed a high-fat diet. These findings indicate that GPR120 dysfunction in mice could be the underlying mechanism for diet-associated obesity and obesity-related metabolic disorders.
In humans, the authors show that expression of GPR120 is elevated in the fat tissues of obese individuals. GPR120 exon sequencing revealed a mutation that inhibits GPR120 signalling activity and is associated with an increased risk for obesity in Europeans.
Author contact:
Gozoh Tsujimoto (Kyoto University Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Japan)
Tel: +81 75 753 452; E-mail: [email protected]
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[4] Geoscience: Fuelling glaciers
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1403
Aerosols derived from the combustion of fossil fuels supply organic matter to Alaskan glaciers, reports a study published online in Nature Geoscience this week. The findings suggest that human activities may affect organic matter in glaciers.
During periods of ice melt, glacier meltwaters run into rivers and coastal waters, where they fuel biological activity. Aron Stubbins and colleagues examined the age and composition of organic matter in glacier surface waters and glacier outflow in Alaska. They detected large quantities of old, yet biologically available organic matter, and show that aerosols, rich in fossil fuel combustion products, are the most likely source of this material. As such, the researchers suggest that human activities have amplified the export of organic matter from glaciers.
Author contact:
Aron Stubbins (Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, Savannah, GA, USA)
Tel: +1 912 598 2320; E-mail: [email protected]
--------------------------------------------
[5] And finally…Nanotechnology: The smallest ever transistor
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2012.21
A single-atom transistor created by very accurately positioning a phosphorus atom on a silicon surface is reported in a paper published online this week in Nature Nanotechnology. The work represents the smallest transistor created to date.
The phosphorus atom sits between source and drain electrodes, which are less than 20 nanometres apart, and also between two gate electrodes, which are just over 100 nanometres apart. Michelle Simmons and co-workers applied a voltage across the source and drain electrodes, and another voltage across the gate electrodes, and measured the current through the phosphorous atom. They found that the current depends on the voltages in a way that is characteristic of a field-effect transistor.
To make the smallest ever transistor the team developed a technique that allowed them to replace one silicon atom in a group of six with a phosphorous atom. This corresponds to an accuracy of better than half a nanometre. Despite the advances noted in this study, a number of challenges need to be overcome before single-atom transistors are ready to feature as everyday devices.
Author contact:
Michelle Simmons (University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia)
Tel: +61 2 9385 6313; 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] The role of Drosophila Piezo in mechanical nociception
DOI: 10.1038/nature10801
[7] Piezo proteins are pore-forming subunits of mechanically activated channels
DOI: 10.1038/nature10812
[8] Stability criteria for complex ecosystems
DOI: 10.1038/nature10832
[9] Opposite effects of fear conditioning and extinction on dendritic spine remodelling
DOI: 10.1038/nature10792
[10] Repetitive motor learning induces coordinated formation of clustered dendritic spines in vivo
DOI: 10.1038/nature10844
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology)
[11] Family-wide chemical profiling and structural analysis of PARP and tankyrase inhibitors
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2121
NATURE CELL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturecellbiology)
[12] A genome-wide homologous recombination screen identifies the RNA-binding protein RBMX as a component of the DNA-damage response
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2426
[13] Phosphoinositide-mediated clathrin adaptor progression at the trans-Golgi network
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2427
[14] Stromal control of cystine metabolism promotes cancer cell survival in chronic lymphocytic leukaemia
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2432
[15] Inferring rules of lineage commitment in haematopoiesis
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2442
[16] Flippase-mediated phospholipid asymmetry promotes fast Cdc42 recycling in dynamic maintenance of cell polarity
DOI: 10.1038/ncb2444
NATURE CHEMICAL BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nchembio)
[17] Inhibition of mycolic acid transport across the mycobacterium tuberculosis plasma membrane
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.794
[18] Structure basis of transfer between lipoproteins by cholesteryl ester transfer protein
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.796
[19] Highly specific, bi-substrate-competitive Src inhibitors from DNA-templated macrocycles
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.792
NATURE CHEMISTRY (http://www.nature.com/nchem)
[20] Chemically homogeneous and thermally reversible oxidation of epitaxial graphene
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1269
[21] Imparting functionality to a metal–organic framework material by controlled nanoparticle encapsulation
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1272
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE (http://www.nature.com/nclimate)
[22] Vulnerability of coastal aquifers to groundwater use and climate change
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1413
[23] Climate-induced range contraction drives genetic erosion in an alpine mammal
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1415
[24] The Alberta oil sands and climate
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1421
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[25] Common variants at CDKAL1 and KLF9 are associated with body mass index in east Asian populations
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1086
[26] Meta-analysis identifies common variants associated with body mass index in east Asians
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1087
[27] Periodic stripe formation by a Turing mechanism operating at growth zones in the mammalian palate
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1090
[28] Estimating the proportion of variation in susceptibility to schizophrenia captured by common SNPs
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1108
NATURE GEOSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/ngeo)
[29] Neutral buoyancy of titanium-rich melts in the deep lunar interior
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1402
[30] Geomagnetic field variability during the Cretaceous normal superchron
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1404
NATURE IMMUNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natureimmunology)
[31] The earliest thymic T cell progenitors sustain B cell and myeloid lineage potential
DOI: 10.1038/ni.2255
NATURE MATERIALS (http://www.nature.com/naturematerials)
[32] New magnetic phase diagram of (Sr,Ca)2RuO4
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3236
[33] Controlling the Curie temperature in (Ga,Mn)As through location of the Fermi level within the impurity band
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3250
[34] Josephson supercurrent through a topological insulator surface state
DOI: 10.1038/nmat3255
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[35] Activation of fast skeletal muscle troponin as a potential therapeutic approach for treating neuromuscular diseases
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2618
[36] USP15 stabilizes TGF-beta receptor I and promotes oncogenesis through the activation of TGF-beta signaling in glioblastoma
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2619
[37] Blockade of PDGFR-beta activation eliminates morphine analgesic tolerance
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2633
[38] A quantitative basis for antiretroviral therapy for HIV-1 infection
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2649
[39] Wnt5a-Ror2 signaling between osteoblast-lineage cells and osteoclast precursors enhances osteoclastogenesis
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2653
[40] Insulin regulates liver metabolism in vivo in the absence of hepatic Akt and Foxo1
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2686
NATURE METHODS (http://www.nature.com/nmeth)
[41] A bioinformatics method identifies prominent off-targeted transcripts in RNAi screens
DOI: 10.1038/nmeth.1898
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nnano)
[42] Quantitative super-resolution imaging uncovers reactivity patterns on single nanocatalysts
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2012.18
[43] Controllable bidirectional molecular motors made from myosin
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2012.19
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[44] Probing the relaxation towards equilibrium in an isolated strongly correlated one-dimensional
Bose gas
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2232
[45] Emergent electrodynamics of skyrmions in a chiral magnet
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2231
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[46] The Elongator subcomplex Elp456 is a hexameric RecA-like ATPase
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2234
[47] Structural basis for the assembly and nucleic acid binding of the TREX-2 transcription-export complex
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2235
[48] Balanced interactions of calcineurin with AKAP79 regulate Ca2+–calcineurin–NFAT signaling
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2238
[49] The structural basis of transferrin sequestration by transferrin-binding protein B
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2251
[50] Methylation of H4 lysines 5, 8 and 12 by yeast Set5 calibrates chromatin stress responses
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2252
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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: 28, 44
Fitzroy: 39
Melbourne: 18, 26, 28
Parkville: 5
Sydney: 5, 18
Wollongong: 34
BELGIUM
Antwerp: 3
CANADA:
Calgary: 47
Chalk River: 32
Edmonton: 23
Hamilton: 3
Montreal: 20, 22
Saskatchewan: 22
Toronto: 11, 47
Vancouver: 32, 33
Victoria: 24
CHINA
Beijing: 26
Jiangxi: 14
Nanning: 26
Shanghai: 26
Xi’an: 18
Xuzhou: 26
FINLAND
Oulu: 3
FRANCE
Bordeaux: 1
Dijon: 3
Grenoble: 29
Illkirch: 46
Lille: 3
Orsay: 3, 31
Paris: 3, 29, 30
Strasbourg: 46
Toulouse: 3
Villejuif: 3, 31
Villeurbanne: 29
GERMANY
Berlin: 44
Cologne: 45
Garching: 44, 45
Heidelberg: 46, 49
Julich: 44
Leipzig: 3
Mainz: 44
Munich: 1, 44
Potsdam: 44
GREECE
Thessaloniki: 3
ISRAEL
Beer-Sheva: 30
ITALY
Monterotondo: 31
Perugia: 11
Rome: 3
Verona: 3
JAPAN
Chiba: 20, 32
Fukuoka: 26
Hyogo: 39
Ibaraki: 32
Kiryu-City: 20
Kyoto: 3, 32
Nagano: 39
Nagoya: 26
Osaka: 32
Suita: 26, 27
Tochigi: 3
Tokyo: 25, 26, 39, 40
Toon: 26
Wako: 20
Yokohama: 25, 26
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam: 29, 36
Enschede: 34
Leiden: 34
Nijmegen: 34
SINGAPORE
Singapore: 21, 25, 26
SLOVAKIA
Bratislava: 17
SOUTH KOREA
Cheongwon-gun: 26
Chuncheon: 26
Chungcheonuk-do: 25
Daejeon: 5
SPAIN
Barcelona: 36
Cerdanyola del Valles: 36
SWEDEN
Gothenburg: 27
Lund: 15, 31
Stockholm: 11
Uppsala: 11
SWITZERLAND
Bern: 3
TAIWAN
Taichung: 25, 26
Taipei: 25, 26
THAILAND
Pathum-thani: 14
UNITED KINGDOM
Cambridge: 49
Edinburgh: 29, 31
London: 3, 15, 25, 26, 27, 31
Oxford: 15, 31
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Alaska
Juneau: 4
Arizona
Tempe: 2
California
Berkeley: 1, 18, 23, 33
Davis: 4, 17
Foster City: 41
La Jolla: 6, 7, 48
Los Angeles: 13, 26
San Diego: 6
San Francisco: 26, 35
Santa Cruz: 10
Stanford: 43, 50
Colorado
Aurora: 48
Boulder: 4, 28
Fort Collins: 17
Connecticut
Groton: 18
New Haven: 4
District of Columbia
Washington: 2
Florida
Gainesville: 21
Georgia
Savannah: 4
Hawaii
Honolulu: 26
Illinois
Chicago: 8
Evanston: 20, 21
Indiana
Bloomington: 20
Notre Dame: 33
West Lafayette: 5
Louisiana
New Orleans: 26
Maryland
Baltimore: 38
Laurel: 2
Massachusetts
Boston: 12, 25, 26, 28, 36, 40, 41, 48
Cambridge: 19
Falmouth: 4
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 35
Missouri
Kansas City: 16
New Hampshire
Hanover: 41
New Jersey
Princeton: 50
New York
Ithaca: 42
New York: 9, 12, 19, 32
North Carolina
Chapel Hill: 28, 36
Durham: 7
Winston-Salem: 26
Ohio
Columbus: 14
Pennsylvania
Philadelphia: 40
Tennessee
Memphis: 17
Nashville: 25, 26
Oak Ridge: 20
Texas
Houston: 14, 18, 37
Virginia
Norfolk: 4
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Tel: +44 20 7843 4658; E-mail: [email protected]
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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:
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Nature Chemical Biology (Boston)
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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)
Rory Howlett
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Nature Genetics (New York)
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Nature Geoscience (London)
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Tel: +44 20 7843 4042; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Immunology (New York)
Laurie Dempsey
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Nature Materials (London)
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Nature Medicine (New York)
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Tel: +1 212 726 9325; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Methods (New York)
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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)
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Tel: +1 212 726 9319; E-mail: [email protected]
Nature Photonics (Tokyo)
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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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