| | Microbial oceanography: Viral strategies at sea
The finding that marine environments with high levels of host microbes have fewer viruses per host than when host abundance is low challenges a theory on the relative roles of lysogenic and lytic viral-survival strategies. | Cancer immunotherapy: Killers on sterols
Increasing cholesterol levels in the cell membranes of killer T cells boosts the cells' ability to mount an immune response against tumour cells in mice. Such a strategy might be valuable in anticancer immunotherapies. | Alzheimer's disease: Lost memories found
Enhancing synaptic connections between neurons in the brain's hippocampus that are normally activated during memory formation rescues memory deficits in a mouse model of early Alzheimer's disease. | Deletions linked to TP53 loss drive cancer through p53-independent mechanisms
The loss of the TP53 gene is often involved in the development of human cancer; here, the deletion of other genes in the vicinity is shown also to contribute to cancer progression in a mouse model. | Lytic to temperate switching of viral communities
An analysis of 24 coral reef viromes challenges the view that lytic phage are believed to predominate when the density of their hosts increase and shows instead that lysogeny is more important at high host densities; the authors also show that this model is consistent with predator–prey dynamics in a range of other ecosystems, such as animal-associated, sediment and soil systems. | Visualization of immediate immune responses to pioneer metastatic cells in the lung
Tracing the fate of circulating tumour cells by intravital two-photon lung imaging shows that tumours produce microparticles as they arrive and these migrate along the lung vasculature and are mostly taken up by interstitial myeloid cells, in a process that contributes to metastatic seeding; a minor subset of microparticles is engulfed by conventional dendritic cells, which are thought to contribute to the initiation of an anti-tumour immune response in lung-draining lymph nodes. | Modes of surface premelting in colloidal crystals composed of attractive particles
Incomplete premelting at the edges of monolayer colloidal crystals is triggered by a bulk solid–solid phase transition and truncated by a mechanical instability that induces homogeneous bulk melting of the crystal; these observations challenge existing theories of two-dimensional melting. | The ‘Tully monster’ is a vertebrate
The Tully monster (Tullimonstrum), a problematic fossil from the 309–307-million-year-old Mazon Creek biota of Illinois, is shown to be not only a vertebrate but also akin to lampreys, increasing the morphological disparity of that group. | Mycocerosic acid synthase exemplifies the architecture of reducing polyketide synthases
A hybrid crystal structure of Mycobacterium smegmatis mycocerosic acid synthase, a multienzyme involved in the biosynthesis of mycobacterial branched-chain fatty acids, exemplifies the organization of fully-reducing polyketide synthases. | Boreal and temperate trees show strong acclimation of respiration to warming
Acclimation of leaf respiration to a 3–5-year period of warming by 3.4 °C for 10 North American tree species in forest conditions eliminates 80% of the increase in leaf respiration expected of non-acclimatized trees; this suggests that the increase in respiration rates of terrestrial plants from climate warming, and the associated increase in atmospheric CO2 levels, may be less than anticipated. | Acceleration of petaelectronvolt protons in the Galactic Centre
Deep γ-ray observations of the Galactic Centre with arcminute angular resolution show traces of petaelectronvolt protons within the central ten parsecs of our Galaxy; the accelerator of these particles could have provided a substantial contribution to Galactic cosmic rays in the past. | Memory retrieval by activating engram cells in mouse models of early Alzheimer’s disease
Experiments in transgenic mouse models of early Alzheimer’s disease show that the amnesia seen at this stage of the disease is probably caused by a problem with memory retrieval from the hippocampus rather than an encoding defect. | PGC1α drives NAD biosynthesis linking oxidative metabolism to renal protection
PGC1α protects against kidney injury by upregulating enzymes that enhance nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) and driving local accumulation of the fatty acid breakdown product β-hydroxybutyrate, which leads to increased production of the renoprotective prostaglandin E2. | The amino acid sensor GCN2 controls gut inflammation by inhibiting inflammasome activation
The GCN2 kinase is shown to have a protective role in the regulation of intestinal inflammation during amino acid starvation in a mouse model of colitis. | Nuclear DNA sequences from the Middle Pleistocene Sima de los Huesos hominins
Nuclear DNA sequences from Middle Pleistocene Sima de los Huesos hominins show they were more closely related to Neanderthals than to Denisovans, and indicate a population divergence between Neanderthals and Denisovans that predates 430,000 years ago. | Derivation and differentiation of haploid human embryonic stem cells
Haploid human embryonic stem cells have been derived from haploid oocytes, the cells maintain a normal haploid karyotype as pluripotent cells and, unexpectedly, as differentiated cells — loss-of-function genetic screens previously performed with haploid embryonic stem cells in mice can now be performed in humans. | Potentiating the antitumour response of CD8+ T cells by modulating cholesterol metabolism
Modulating cholesterol metabolism can improve CD8+ T-cell-mediated immunity against tumours; genetic or pharmacological inhibition of the cholesterol esterification enzyme ACAT1 led to higher plasma membrane cholesterol levels, better T-cell receptor clustering and signalling, improved immunological synapse maturation, and enhanced antitumour activity in mice. | | Erratum: Epithelial tricellular junctions act as interphase cell shape sensors to orient mitosis | | Corrigendum: CEACAM1 regulates TIM-3-mediated tolerance and exhaustion | | | Brief Communications Arising | | | | Observing cellulose biosynthesis and membrane translocation in crystallo
Here the authors use in crystallo enzymology to obtain structural snapshots of a complete cellulose biosynthesis cycle and reveal the mechanism by which the bacterial cellulose synthase BcsA–BcsB translocates the nascent cellulose polymer.
Jacob L. W. Morgan, Joshua T. McNamara, Michael Fischer et al. | Crystal structures of the M1 and M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors
X-ray crystal structures of the M1 and M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptors, revealing differences in the orthosteric and allosteric binding sites that help to explain the subtype selectivity of drugs targeting this family of receptors.
David M. Thal, Bingfa Sun, Dan Feng et al. | Interface dynamics and crystal phase switching in GaAs nanowires
Crystal phase switching between zinc-blende and wurtzite phases during the growth of gallium arsenide nanowires is observed experimentally, and explained via changes in the geometry of the catalytic droplet sitting on top of the growing nanowire.
Daniel Jacobsson, Federico Panciera, Jerry Tersoff et al. | Lens regeneration using endogenous stem cells with gain of visual function
A new procedure for cataract removal that preserves lens epithelial progenitor cells in mammals, which require Pax6 and Bmi1 for their self-renewal, achieves lens regeneration in rabbits, macaques and in infants with cataracts.
Haotian Lin, Hong Ouyang, Jie Zhu et al. | | Vast assembly of vocal marine mammals from diverse species on fish spawning ground
Vocalizations were recorded for over eight distinct whale species as they converged on a shoal of herring to feed; the predators divided the shoal into overlapping but species-specific foraging sectors and the activities of the whales changed between day and night.
Delin Wang, Heriberto Garcia, Wei Huang et al. | Three-dimensional control of the helical axis of a chiral nematic liquid crystal by light
Chiral nematic liquid crystals are self-organized helical superstructures in which the helices can stand or lie, and lie in either a uniform or a random way; here, the helices are reversibly driven from a standing arrangement to a uniform lying arrangement and then rotated in-plane—solely by light.
Zhi-gang Zheng, Yannian Li, Hari Krishna Bisoyi et al. | Late Tharsis formation and implications for early Mars
By calculating the rotational figure of Mars and its surface topography before the Tharsis volcanic region caused true polar wander, it is shown that Tharsis formed during the Noachian and Hesperian periods at about the same time as the valley networks; early Mars climate simulations suggest icy precipitation in a latitudinal band in the southern hemisphere.
Sylvain Bouley, David Baratoux, Isamu Matsuyama et al. | Therapeutic efficacy of the small molecule GS-5734 against Ebola virus in rhesus monkeys
The discovery is reported of a small molecule drug, GS-5734, which has antiviral activity against Ebola virus and other filoviruses, and is capable of providing post-exposure therapeutic protection against lethal disease in 100% of drug-treated nonhuman primates infected with Ebola virus; the drug targets viral RNA polymerase and can distribute to sanctuary sites (such as testes, eyes and brain), suggesting that it may be able to clear persistent virus infection.
Travis K. Warren, Robert Jordan, Michael K. Lo et al. | Reversal of ocean acidification enhances net coral reef calcification
A manipulative experiment in which a reef is alkalinized in situ shows that calcification rates are likely to be lower already than they were in pre-industrial times because of acidification.
Rebecca Albright, Lilian Caldeira, Jessica Hosfelt et al. | Enhancing coherence in molecular spin qubits via atomic clock transitions
Magnetic molecules are candidates for solid-state spin qubits from which a quantum computer might be constructed, but the magnetic interactions between such molecules typically lead to unwanted decoherence; now magnetic molecules have been designed in such a way that their spin dynamics are energetically protected against the decoherence-inducing interactions.
Muhandis Shiddiq, Dorsa Komijani, Yan Duan et al. | Sensory experience regulates cortical inhibition by inducing IGF1 in VIP neurons
Igf1 is identified in mice as an experience-induced gene that functions cell-autonomously to increase inhibitory input onto a disinhibitory subtype of GABAergic neurons in the cortex, affecting the downstream excitation–inhibition balance within circuits that regulate visual acuity, and providing a novel example of experience modulating neural plasticity.
A. R. Mardinly, I. Spiegel, A. Patrizi et al. | Co-ordinated ocular development from human iPS cells and recovery of corneal function
A protocol has been developed to use human induced pluripotent stem cells to obtain a self-formed ectodermal autonomous multizone, which includes distinct cell lineages of the eye, including the ocular surface ectoderm, lens, neuro-retina, and retinal pigment epithelium that can be expanded to form a functional corneal epithelium when transplanted to an animal model of corneal visual impairment.
Ryuhei Hayashi, Yuki Ishikawa, Yuzuru Sasamoto et al. | The contribution of China’s emissions to global climate forcing
Using a global coupled biogeochemistry–climate model and a chemistry and transport model reveals that China’s present-day global radiative forcing is about ten per cent of the current global total, made up of both warming and cooling contributions; if in the future China reduces the cooling forcings, global warming could accelerate.
Bengang Li, Thomas Gasser, Philippe Ciais et al. | Crystal structure of a substrate-engaged SecY protein-translocation channel
The crystal structure of a substrate-engaged SecY channel and the SecA ATPase, which provides molecular insight into the process of protein translocation across membranes.
Long Li, Eunyong Park, JingJing Ling et al. | Sequence-dependent but not sequence-specific piRNA adhesion traps mRNAs to the germ plasm
Maternal mRNAs are tethered within the Drosophila germ plasm via base-pairing interactions between mRNAs and piRNPs containing the Aub Piwi protein; the preference for certain mRNAs to be tethered appears to be related to their longer length, which provides more potential piRNP-binding sites, and the results suggest a new role for piRNAs in germ-cell specification independent of their role in transposon silencing.
Anastassios Vourekas, Panagiotis Alexiou, Nicholas Vrettos et al. | Positron annihilation signatures associated with the outburst of the microquasar V404 Cygni
Observations of γ-ray emission from the microquasar V404 Cygni during a recent period of strong flaring activity show spectral features at around 511 kiloelectronvolts, which are clear signatures of variable positron annihilation, implying a high rate of positron production.
Thomas Siegert, Roland Diehl, Jochen Greiner et al. | Hepatitis B virus X protein identifies the Smc5/6 complex as a host restriction factor
Hepatitis B virus X protein stimulates transcription from the viral DNA episome by hijacking the host ubiquitin machinery to target the Smc5/6 complex for degradation.
Adrien Decorsière, Henrik Mueller, Pieter C. van Breugel et al. | | | | |
