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| |  | | | A*STAR Research - Highlighting the best of research at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore's premier research organization Immunology: Fishing for new therapeutics | Image processing: Focusing on what's relevant | Biophysics: Stapling together cancer therapy | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | | Contrasting forms of cocaine-evoked plasticity control components of relapse | | Addictive drugs hijack the neural circuits in integrative brain centres, such as the nucleus accumbens, that send signals to various brain regions to control behavioural responses. Drug-associated cues can then become powerful triggers of drug-seeking behaviour, increasing the chance of relapse after the cessation of drug-taking. This study identifies the plasticity mechanisms underlying information integration at the nucleus accumbens and shows how drugs like cocaine can alter this plasticity to permit relapse. | | | | | | | | | | | | | Practical quantum key distribution protocol without monitoring signal disturbance | | Quantum cryptography allows two parties to exchange information encoded in quantum states privately because any attempt to listen-in causes a detectable disturbance that correlates with the amount of information that is intercepted. Part of the exchanged information is sacrificed however, and used to estimate any possible eavesdropping. This compromise limits the efficiency with which information can be exchanged. But now Masato Koashi and colleagues demonstrate an alternative approach that dispenses with this last step. The new system uses use of conventional lasers and this, combined with the elimination of security monitoring costs, could make it a highly practical proposition. | | | | | | | | | | | | | Uplift and seismicity driven by groundwater depletion in central California | | Small earthquakes on the San Andreas Fault may be affected by human-induced groundwater depletion. Through pumping, irrigation and evapotranspiration across the past 150 years, California's Central Valley has lost vast amounts of of groundwater. GPS measurements of ground deformation now show that a broad zone of rock uplift surrounds the San Joaquin Valley, on the southern part of the Central Valley basin. The observed uplift closely matches that predicted by a simple elastic model driven by current rates of water-storage loss within the valley. This activity may reduce the effective normal stress resolved on the adjacent San Andreas Fault, which may explain some of the annual modulation of seismicity observed in this area. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | In this week's podcast: Antibiotic resistance lurking in soil, the complex nervous system of the supposedly simple comb jelly, and making a baby with DNA from three people. | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Still much to learn about mice ▶ | | | | A project that aims to mutate every gene in the mouse genome to improve our knowledge of mouse biology should help to avoid irreproducible results and costly failures in drug development. | | | | | | | | | | | | Not on the label ▶ | | | | A US push to flag foods as genetically engineered is hard to swallow. | | | | | | | | | | | | Out with a bang ▶ | | | | The discovery of a Wolf-Rayet supernova rebuts the idea that the biggest stars go quietly. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Seven days: 16–22 May 2014 ▶ | | | | The week in science: Chinese research agencies announce open-access policies; Russia severs space-science ties with the United States; and the Colorado River flows to the sea for the first time in 20 years. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Submersible loss hits research ▶ | | | | But scientists remain positive about the future of deep-sea exploration despite disintegration of unique US Nereus craft. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Jelly genome mystery ▶ | | | | Publication of the draft genetic sequence of a comb jelly reveals a nervous system like no other. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| |  | | | Join the most influential at EuroScience Open Forum (ESOF) 2014 Copenhagen - June 21-26, 2014. Official opening by President José Manuel Barroso, European Commission. ESOF 2014 makes the voice of researchers audible to society at large.
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Crystal structure of the human glucose transporter GLUT1 ▶ | | | | Dong Deng, Chao Xu, Pengcheng Sun et al. | | | | The structure of human GLUT1 in an inward-open conformation is reported; access to the structure of the human protein, instead of just a bacterial homologue, made it possible to map (inactivating) mutations associated with GLUT1 deficiency syndrome onto the structure. | | | | | | | | | | | | The ctenophore genome and the evolutionary origins of neural systems OPEN ▶ | | | | Leonid L. Moroz, Kevin M. Kocot, Mathew R. Citarella et al. | | | | The draft genome of the ctenophore Pleurobrachia bachei (Pacific sea gooseberry) is presented, together with ten other ctenophore transcriptomes — these genomes have a very different neurogenic, immune and developmental gene content when compared with other animal genomes, and it is proposed that ctenophore neural systems, and possibly muscle specification, evolved independently from those in other animals. | | | | | | | | | | | | Decoding the regulatory landscape of medulloblastoma using DNA methylation sequencing ▶ | | | | Volker Hovestadt, David T. W. Jones, Simone Picelli et al. | | | | Medulloblastoma is a malignant childhood brain tumour presenting major clinical challenges; here, a comprehensive genome-wide DNA methylation data set from human and mouse tumours, coupled with analysis of histone modifications, RNA transcripts and genome sequencing, uncovers a wealth of alterations that provide insights into the epigenetic regulation of transcription and genome organization in medulloblastoma pathogenesis. | | | | | | | | | | | | Structure of a lipid-bound extended synaptotagmin indicates a role in lipid transfer ▶ | | | | Curtis M. Schauder, Xudong Wu, Yasunori Saheki et al. | | | | Several proteins localized at membrane contact sites contain an SMP domain, which has been proposed to act as a lipid-binding module; here, the crystal structure of a fragment of the extended synaptotagmin 2 protein, including its SMP, is presented, and indicates that this protein may have a direct role in lipid transport. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SMYD3 links lysine methylation of MAP3K2 to Ras-driven cancer ▶ | | | | Pawel K. Mazur, Nicolas Reynoird, Purvesh Khatri et al. | | | | SMYD3 is a methyltransferase overexpressed in several human tumours; here methylation of the MAP3K2 kinase by SMYD3 is shown to be critical for Ras-induced tumour development in mouse models and human tumour cells, showing an unexpected role for methylation in a kinase signalling pathway and revealing a candidate therapeutic target. | | | | | | | | | | | | Bacterial phylogeny structures soil resistomes across habitats ▶ | | | | Kevin J. Forsberg, Sanket Patel, Molly K. Gibson et al. | | | | Functional metagenomic selections for resistance to 18 antibiotics in 18 different soils reveal that bacterial community composition is the primary determinant of soil antibiotic resistance gene content. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Genome-defence small RNAs exapted for epigenetic mating-type inheritance ▶ | | | | Deepankar Pratap Singh, Baptiste Saudemont, Gérard Guglielmi et al. | | | | The molecular basis for mating-type determination in the ciliate Paramecium has been elucidated, revealing a novel function for a class of small RNAs — these scnRNAs are typically involved in reprogramming the Paramecium genome during sexual reproduction by recognizing and excising transposable elements, but they are now found to be co-opted to switch off expression of the newly identified mating-type gene mtA by excising its promoter, and to mediate epigenetic inheritance of mating types across sexual generations. | | | | | | | | | | | | Amygdala interneuron subtypes control fear learning through disinhibition ▶ | | | | Steffen B. E. Wolff, Jan Gründemann, Philip Tovote et al. | | | | Plasticity within neuronal microcircuits is believed to be the substrate of learning, and this study identifies two distinct disinhibitory mechanisms involving interactions between PV+ and SOM+ interneurons that dynamically regulate principal neuron activity in the amygdala and thereby control auditory fear learning. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cell competition is a tumour suppressor mechanism in the thymus ▶ | | | | Vera C. Martins, Katrin Busch, Dilafruz Juraeva et al. | | | | T cells develop from thymic precursor cells that are constantly replaced with newly arriving bone marrow progenitor cells, and the ‘old’ and ‘new’ cells are shown here to compete; in the absence of cell competition, when the influx of new bone marrow progenitor cells is blocked, the old cells acquire the ability to self-renew and eventually become transformed, leading to the development of a form of leukaemia. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Copper is required for oncogenic BRAF signalling and tumorigenesis ▶ | | | | Donita C. Brady, Matthew S. Crowe, Michelle L. Turski et al. | | | | Tumorigenesis driven by the oncogene BRAFV600E is shown both to depend on the BRAF substrates MEK1/2 associating with copper, and to be sensitive to copper-chelating drugs, suggesting merit in testing such drugs for the treatment of BRAF mutation-positive cancers. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Mfsd2a is a transporter for the essential omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid ▶ | | | | Long N. Nguyen, Dongliang Ma, Guanghou Shui et al. | | | | Mfsd2a is the major transporter of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) into brain, with Mfsd2a-knockout mice showing reduced DHA in brain, neuronal cell loss in hippocampus and cerebellum, behavioural disorders and reduced brain size; DHA is transported in a sodium-dependent manner, in the form of lysophosphatidylcholines (LPCs) carrying long-chain fatty acids. | | | | | | | | | | | | Mfsd2a is critical for the formation and function of the blood–brain barrier ▶ | | | | Ayal Ben-Zvi, Baptiste Lacoste, Esther Kur et al. | | | | Mfsd2a is a key regulator of blood–brain barrier (BBB) formation and function in mice: Mfsd2a is selectively expressed in BBB-containing blood vessels in the CNS; Mfsd2a−/− mice have a leaky BBB and increased vesicular transcytosis in CNS endothelial cells; and Mfsd2a endothelial expression is regulated by pericytes to facilitate BBB integrity. | | | | | | | | | | | | Structure of the AcrAB–TolC multidrug efflux pump ▶ | | | | Dijun Du, Zhao Wang, Nathan R. James et al. | | | | Many bacteria are able to survive in the presence of antibiotics in part because they possess pumps that can remove a broad range of small molecules; here, the structure of one such pump, AcrAB–TolC, is determined using X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy. | | | | | | | | | | | | Structural basis of Sec-independent membrane protein insertion by YidC ▶ | | | | Kaoru Kumazaki, Shinobu Chiba, Mizuki Takemoto et al. | | | | The crystal structure of the bacterial protein YidC is reported, together with a structure-based functional analysis, providing insight into the role of YidC in inserting single-spanning membrane proteins into the membrane. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | The role of senescent cells in ageing ▶ | | | | Jan M. van Deursen | | | | Cellular senescence has recently been shown to have roles in complex biological processes other than protection against cancer, and to represent a series of progressive and diverse cellular states after initial growth arrest; better understanding of mechanisms underlying its progression and of acute and chronic senescent cells may lead to new therapeutic strategies for age-related pathologies. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | Nature Immunology & Arkitek Scientific
ANIMATION: IMMUNOLOGY IN THE SKIN Nature Immunology and Arkitek Scientific presents an exciting animated video that describes the environmental and cellular participants in the regulation of barrier function in the healthy and psoriatic skin. Produced with support from | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Crystal structure of the human glucose transporter GLUT1 ▶ | | | | Dong Deng, Chao Xu, Pengcheng Sun et al. | | | | The structure of human GLUT1 in an inward-open conformation is reported; access to the structure of the human protein, instead of just a bacterial homologue, made it possible to map (inactivating) mutations associated with GLUT1 deficiency syndrome onto the structure. | | | | | | | | | | | | Decoding the regulatory landscape of medulloblastoma using DNA methylation sequencing ▶ | | | | Volker Hovestadt, David T. W. Jones, Simone Picelli et al. | | | | Medulloblastoma is a malignant childhood brain tumour presenting major clinical challenges; here, a comprehensive genome-wide DNA methylation data set from human and mouse tumours, coupled with analysis of histone modifications, RNA transcripts and genome sequencing, uncovers a wealth of alterations that provide insights into the epigenetic regulation of transcription and genome organization in medulloblastoma pathogenesis. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | SMYD3 links lysine methylation of MAP3K2 to Ras-driven cancer ▶ | | | | Pawel K. Mazur, Nicolas Reynoird, Purvesh Khatri et al. | | | | SMYD3 is a methyltransferase overexpressed in several human tumours; here methylation of the MAP3K2 kinase by SMYD3 is shown to be critical for Ras-induced tumour development in mouse models and human tumour cells, showing an unexpected role for methylation in a kinase signalling pathway and revealing a candidate therapeutic target. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Cell competition is a tumour suppressor mechanism in the thymus ▶ | | | | Vera C. Martins, Katrin Busch, Dilafruz Juraeva et al. | | | | T cells develop from thymic precursor cells that are constantly replaced with newly arriving bone marrow progenitor cells, and the ‘old’ and ‘new’ cells are shown here to compete; in the absence of cell competition, when the influx of new bone marrow progenitor cells is blocked, the old cells acquire the ability to self-renew and eventually become transformed, leading to the development of a form of leukaemia. | | | | | | | | | | | | Copper is required for oncogenic BRAF signalling and tumorigenesis ▶ | | | | Donita C. Brady, Matthew S. Crowe, Michelle L. Turski et al. | | | | Tumorigenesis driven by the oncogene BRAFV600E is shown both to depend on the BRAF substrates MEK1/2 associating with copper, and to be sensitive to copper-chelating drugs, suggesting merit in testing such drugs for the treatment of BRAF mutation-positive cancers. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Practical quantum key distribution protocol without monitoring signal disturbance ▶ | | | | Toshihiko Sasaki, Yoshihisa Yamamoto, Masato Koashi | | | | Conventional quantum cryptography relies on monitoring signal disturbance to make sure that information leakage is negligible; here a new quantum method of achieving security is described, in which little information is leaked to the eavesdropper regardless of the signal disturbance. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Bacterial phylogeny structures soil resistomes across habitats ▶ | | | | Kevin J. Forsberg, Sanket Patel, Molly K. Gibson et al. | | | | Functional metagenomic selections for resistance to 18 antibiotics in 18 different soils reveal that bacterial community composition is the primary determinant of soil antibiotic resistance gene content. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | An open access online-only multidisciplinary journal publishing high-quality research in all areas of primary care management of respiratory and respiratory-related allergic diseases. This title is part of the Nature Partner Journals portfolio - a new series of online open access journals published in collaboration with world-renowned international partners. | | | | | |
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| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Time wasted ▶ | | | | Administrative tasks gobble scientists' time, says report | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Postdoc prizes ▶ | | | | Prize winners invest their money in postdoc endowment | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Converging futures ▶ | | | | Scientists will soon need to understand the language of many disciplines and sectors | | | | | | | | | | | | Careers related news & comment | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 
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