This press release contains:
---Summaries of newsworthy papers:
Immunology: Enhancing T cell function to malaria
Genetics: Variants associated with pancreatic cancer
Geoscience: Asteroid impact on Mercury’s spin
Genetics: Variants associated with diabetes
Chemical biology: Reversible sulfenylation of the EGFR active site
Geoscience: Long-term calving activity at Helheim Glacier, Greenland
And finally…Nanotechnology: A single proton switch
---Mention of papers to be published at the same time with the same embargo
---Geographical listing of authors
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[1] Immunology: Enhancing T cell function to malaria
DOI:10.1038/ni.2180
A means to boost immune responses to malaria-causing parasites is reported this week in Nature Immunology.
CD4+ T immune cell function is essential for developing immune responses to blood-borne Plasmodia, the parasites that cause malaria, however the potency of these immune cells decreases during chronic infections.
John Harty and colleagues show children endemically infected by the P. falciparum species possess T cells that express the T cell inhibitory receptor PD-1, which suppress T cell function. Similarly CD4+ T cells in mice experimentally infected with another similar
species, P. yoelii, have higher expression of PD-1 and related LAG-3 inhibitory molecules. Treating infected mice with monoclonal antibodies designed to block LAG-3 and the PD-1 ligand led to a restoration of T cell function and a rapid decrease in parasitemia. The results suggest that blockade of T cell inhibitory receptors might likewise prove
beneficial to human malaria patients.
Author contact:
John Harty (University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA)
Tel: +1 319 335 9720; E-mail: [email protected]
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[2] Genetics: Variants associated with pancreatic cancer
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1020
Genetic variants associated with pancreatic cancer in Chinese populations are reported this week in Nature Genetics. Pancreatic cancer has amongst the lowest survival rates.
Dongxin Lin and colleagues report a genome-wide association study for pancreatic cancer in 981 cases and 1,991 controls of Han Chinese ancestry, with replication in an additional 2,603 cases and 2,877 controls from hospitals across China. They identify five genomic regions newly associated with pancreatic cancer risk. This suggests new pathways and potential targets for pancreatic cancer treatment.
Author contact:
Dongxin Lin (Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, Beijing, China)
Tel: +86 10 8778 8491; E-mail: [email protected]
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[3] Geoscience: Asteroid impact on Mercury’s spin
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1350
Mercury could have once orbited the Sun in a synchronous rotation, reports a study published online this week in Nature Geoscience. The work suggests that collision with a large asteroid could have knocked Mercury out of this stable set-up, causing the planet to slow into its present unusual rotation.
Mark Wieczorek and colleagues examined different scenarios for Mercury’s rotational evolution using a numerical model. They show that, with a 68% probability, if Mercury initially spun in the opposite direction to its orbit, the planet would have been captured into a synchronous rotation with one side experiencing perpetual sunshine. Their calculations show that a large asteroid impact could have disrupted this pattern, causing
Mercury to eventually evolve into its current state of rotating one and a half times for each orbit of the Sun.
Author contact:
Mark Wieczorek (Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, France)
Tel: +33 1 45 11 41 26; E-mail: [email protected]
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[4] Genetics: Variants associated with diabetes
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1019
Genetic variants associated with type 2 diabetes in East Asian populations are reported this week in Nature Genetics.
Yoon Shin Cho and colleagues report a meta-analysis of eight genome-wide association studies for type 2 diabetes including 6,952 cases and 11,865 controls from East Asian populations, with two further stages of replication including over 18,000 cases. They identify eight genomic regions newly associated with susceptibility to type 2 diabetes. This provides comparisons to previous studies in European ancestry populations, and suggests both shared and distinct genetic pathways are involved in susceptibility to T2D in East Asians populations.
Author contact:
Yoon Shin Cho (Korea National Institute of Health, Osong, Korea)
Tel: +82 43 719 8871; E-mail: [email protected]
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[5] Chemical Biology: Reversible sulfenylation of the EGFR active site
DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.736
A tool for the detection of a protein modification, called sulfenylation, in cells is reported this week in Nature Chemical Biology.
EGFR, a receptor tyrosine kinase, activates growth-promoting pathways in response to extracellular signals; inappropriate activation of EGFR has been associated with multiple cancers. Activation of this kinase depends on a modification, called phosphorylation. Chemical modifications, in addition to phosphorylation, can also impact protein activity. One such modification, sulfenylation, has been challenging to monitor in cells.
Kate Carroll and colleagues report a sensitive probe, called DYn-2, for detecting protein sulfenylation. They apply this probe to show that sulfenylation of EGFR enhances activity of this kinase. Because the site where this modification occurs is the target for potential cancer drugs that irreversibly inhibit EGFR, this discovery could have implications for the success of these drugs and for the interpretation of experiments employing these inhibitors as chemical probes.
Author contact:
Kate Carroll (The Scripps Research Institute, Jupiter, FL, USA)
Tel +1 561 228 2460; E-mail [email protected]
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[6] Geoscience: Long-term calving activity at Helheim Glacier, Greenland
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1349
Iceberg calving rates at Helheim Glacier, Greenland, have reached present levels only once since about ad1890, suggests a study published online this week in Nature Geoscience. The findings suggest that despite large fluctuations in ice-release rates through iceberg calving, the currently observed activity is unusually high.
Camilla Andresen and colleagues reconstructed iceberg calving rates from Helheim Glacier into Sermilik Fjord using sediment cores from the fjord. They find strong variability in the annual deposition of sand grains, indicative of large fluctuations in iceberg calving. Nevertheless, the present high rates stand out in the record, with similar activity reached only once before, during the 1930s.
The researchers suggest that calving activity is high when the water masses on the shelf off Greenland are influenced more by Atlantic and less by polar waters, and when summers in the region are warm.
Author contact:
Camilla Andresen (Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland,
Copenhagen, Denmark)
Tel: +45 2624 4497; E-mail: [email protected]
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[7] And finally…Nanotechnology: A single proton switch
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.211
A molecular device that contains the smallest possible atomistic switching unit is reported online in Nature Nanotechnology this week. The switch is based on the transfer of a single proton and could be useful in the development of molecular electronics.
Molecular electronics use molecules as components in electrical circuitry, and the fabrication of switches is a key requirement. Willi Auwärter and colleagues built a molecular switch using a porphyrin molecule that was anchored to a silver surface. Porphyrins are flat organic molecules that have a central cavity that can incorporate two
hydrogen atoms. These hydrogen atoms can be flipped between two states using electrons from the tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope (STM). Moreover, by removing one of the hydrogen atoms with the STM tip, a four-level conductance switch can be created in which the remaining proton hops between four different positions within the cavity of the porphyrin molecule.
The authors report that the overall size of the porphyrin molecule is unaffected by the switching action and the molecule could be connected to other species or components without altering the performance of the switch. This should allow more intricate electronic devices to be developed.
Author contact:
Willi Auwärter (Technische Universität München, Germany)
Tel: +49 89 289 12399; 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)
[8] Acquisition of a multifunctional IgA+ plasma cell phenotype in the gut
DOI: 10.1038/nature10698
[9] DCC constrains tumour progression via its dependence receptor activity
DOI: 10.1038/nature10708
[10] Cysteine methylation disrupts ubiquitin-chain sensing in NF-kB
activation
DOI: 10.1038/nature10690
[11] An unanticipated architecture of the 750-kDa a6b6 holoenzyme of
3-methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase
DOI: 10.1038/nature10691
NATURE BIOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/naturebiotechnology)
[12] Resequencing 50 accessions of cultivated and wild rice yields
markers for identifying agronomically important genes
DOI: 10.1038/nbt.2050
NATURE CHEMISTRY (http://www.nature.com/nchem)
[13] Poly(zwitterionic)protein conjugates offer increased stability
without sacrificing binding affinity or bioactivity
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1213
[14] The promoting effect of adsorbed carbon monoxide on the oxidation
of alcohols on a gold catalyst
DOI: 10.1038/nchem.1221
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE (http://www.nature.com/nclimate)
[15] Reduced early life growth and survival in a fish in direct response
to increased carbon dioxide
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1291
[16] Severe tissue damage in Atlantic cod larvae under increasing ocean
acidification
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1324
[17] Increased estimates of air-pollution emissions from Brazilian
sugar-cane ethanol
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1325
The final carbon frontier
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1340
Valuing temporary carbon storage
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1335
Accounting for carbon removals
DOI: 10.1038/nclimate1333
NATURE GENETICS (http://www.nature.com/naturegenetics)
[18] GATA6 haploinsufficiency causes pancreatic agenesis in humans
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1035
[19] Mutations at a single codon in Mad homology 2 domain of SMAD4 cause
Myhre syndrome
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1016
[20] Exome sequencing identifies recurrent mutations of the splicing
factor SF3B1 gene in chronic lymphocytic leukemia
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1032
[21] Recurrent mutations in the U2AF1 splicing factor in myelodysplastic
syndromes
DOI: 10.1038/ng.1031
NATURE GEOSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/ngeo)
[22] Resilience of persistent Arctic mixed-phase clouds
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1332
[23] Anisotropic uppermost mantle in young subducted slab underplating
Central Mexico
DOI: 10.1038/ngeo1342
Nature MEDICINE (http://www.nature.com/naturemedicine)
[24] Reciprocal repression between p53 and TCTP
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2546
[25] Focal adhesion kinase links mechanical force to skin fibrosis via
inflammatory signaling
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2574
[26] Successful prenatal mannose treatment for congenital disorder of
glycosylation-Ia in mice
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2548
[27] EGFR and MET receptor tyrosine kinase-altered microRNA expression
induces tumorigenesis and gefitinib resistance in lung cancers.
DOI: 10.1038/nm.2577
NATURE NANOTECHNOLOGY (http://www.nature.com/nnano)
[28] Enhanced and switchable nanoscale thermal conduction due to van der
Waals interfaces
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.216
[29] Local electrical potential detection of DNA by nanowire–nanopore
sensors
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.217
[30] Synthetically programmable nanoparticle superlattices using a
hollow three-dimensional spacer approach
DOI: 10.1038/nnano.2011.222
Nature NEUROSCIENCE (http://www.nature.com/natureneuroscience)
[31] GABAergic circuits mediate the reinforcement-related signals of
striatal cholinergic interneurons
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2984
[32] Coactivation of thalamic and cortical pathways induces input
timing-dependent plasticity in amygdala
DOI: 10.1038/nn.2993
[33] TRPA1 channels regulate astrocyte resting calcium levels and
inhibitory synapse efficacy via GAT-3
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3000
[34] Neuregulin 1 represses limbic epileptogenesis through ErbB4 in
parvalbumin-expressing interneurons
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3005
[35] Neuregulin 1 regulates excitability of fast-spiking neurons through
Kv1.1 and acts in epilepsy
DOI: 10.1038/nn.3006
NATURE PHOTONICS (http://www.nature.com/nphoton)
[36] Generating, manipulating and measuring entanglement and mixture
with a reconfigurable photonic circuit
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2011.283
[37] Strong coupling between distant photonic nanocavities and its
dynamic control
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2011.286
[38] Macroscopic non-classical states and terahertz quantum processing
in room-temperature diamond
DOI: 10.1038/nphoton.2011.296
Nature PHYSICS (http://www.nature.com/naturephysics)
[39] Doppler velocimetry of spin propagation in a two-dimensional
electron gas
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2157
[40] Realization of a micrometre-sized stochastic heat engine
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2163
[41] Non-local quantum superpositions of topological defects
DOI: 10.1038/nphys2156
Nature STRUCTURAL & MOLECULAR BIOLOGY
(http://www.nature.com/natstructmolbiol)
[42] Structural basis of pre-let-7 miRNA recognition by the zinc
knuckles of pluripotency factor Lin28
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2202
[43] Single-molecule studies reveal the function of a third polymerase
in the replisome
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2179
[44] Fluorescent fusion protein knockout mediated by anti-GFP nanobody
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2180
[45] Intrinsic tethering activity of endosomal Rab proteins
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2162
[46] An ankyrin-repeat ubiquitin-binding domain determines TRABID’s
specificity for atypical ubiquitin chains
DOI: 10.1038/nsmb.2169
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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.
BELGIUM
Charleroi: 19
Leuven: 24
CANADA:
Montreal: 8, 45
Ottawa: 38
Quebec: 8
St John’s: 8
Toronto: 8
CHILE
Santiago: 17
CHINA
Beijing: 2, 10, 12, 29
Changchun: 2
Fuzhou: 2
Guangdong: 12
Huhehot: 2
Kunming: 12
Nanjing: 2, 28
Shanghai: 2, 34
Shenyang: 2
Shenzhen: 12
Shijiazhuang: 2
Suzhou: 2
Wuhan: 2
Zhenjiang: 35
DENMARK
Copenhagen: 6, 12
FRANCE
Cachan: 24
Lyon: 9
Nantes: 3
Paris: 3, 19
Strasbourg: 24
GERMANY
Garching: 7
Geesthacht: 16
Goettingen: 26
Heidelberg: 26
Helgoland: 16
Kiel: 16
Stuttgart: 40
HONG KONG
Hong Kong: 2
ITALY
Catania: 27
Genoa: 19
Milan: 24
Naples: 27
JAPAN
Fukuoka: 27
Kyoto: 37
Sakai: 37
Yokohama: 23
KOREA
Seoul: 27
NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam: 46
Leiden: 14
Rotterdam: 19
NORWAY
Bergen: 16
POLAND
Krakow: 41
PORTUGAL
Aveiro: 3
Oeiras: 31
SINGAPORE
Singapore: 29, 38
SPAIN
Barcelona: 18, 20
Madrid: 20
Oviedo: 20
Salamanca: 20
SWITZERLAND
Basel: 44
Bern: 8
Lausanne: 12, 19
Zurich: 42
UNITED KINGDOM
Bristol: 36
Cambridge: 46
Dundee: 46
Exeter: 18
Glasgow: 19
London: 21
Oxford: 38
Plymouth: 16
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
Arizona
Tempe: 28
Tucson: 12
California
Berkeley: 12, 22, 39
Los Angeles: 11, 33
Merced: 17
Palo Alto: 28
Pasadena: 23
Stanford: 25, 31
Colorado
Boulder: 22
District of Columbia
Washington: 28
Florida
Jupiter: 5
Georgia
Augusta: 34
Illinois
Evanston: 30
Indiana
Bloomington: 27
Iowa
Iowa City: 17
Maryland
Bethesda: 8
Massachusetts
Belmont: 32
Boston: 27, 33
Cambridge: 29
Woods Hole: 6
Michigan
Ann Arbor: 5
Missouri
St Louis: 21
New Jersey
Newark: 31
New Mexico
Albuquerque: 39
Los Alamos: 41
New York
Ithaca: 12
New York: 8, 11, 19, 43
Stony Brook: 15
North Carolina
Charlotte: 28
Ohio
Columbus: 27
Oregon
Corvallis: 41
Portland: 25
Tennessee
Memphis: 32
Nashville: 28
Virginia
Ashburn: 45
Washington
Seattle: 13, 45
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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]
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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)
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]
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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)
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Tel: +81 3 3267 8776; E-mail: [email protected]
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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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