| | Systems neuroscience: A modern map of the human cerebral cortex
An authoritative map of the modules that make up the cerebral cortex of the human brain promises to act as a springboard for greater understanding of brain function and disease. | Synthetic biology: Bacteria synchronized for drug delivery
A synthetic genetic circuit that mimics the quorum-sensing systems used by bacterial populations to coordinate gene expression enables bacteria to deliver drugs to mouse tumours in repeated and synchronized cycles. | Heart disease: Death-defying plaque cells
Dead cells are usually removed through their ingestion and destruction by other cells. A study of plaque deposits in arteries shows that dying cells in plaques display a 'don't-eat-me' signal that blocks their removal. | A multi-modal parcellation of human cerebral cortex
A detailed parcellation (map) of the human cerebral cortex has been obtained by integrating multi-modal imaging data, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and the resulting freely available resources will enable detailed comparative studies of the human brain in health, ageing and disease. | Structural basis of Smoothened regulation by its extracellular domains
Structural studies show that the activity of the G-protein-coupled receptor Smoothened is modulated by ligand-regulated interactions between its extracellular and transmembrane domains. | Structural organization of the inactive X chromosome in the mouse
An in-depth analysis of the structure, chromatin accessibility and expression status of the mouse inactive X (Xi) chromosome provides insights into the regulation of Xi chromosome structure, its dependence on the macrosatellite DXZ4 region, the Xist non-coding RNA, as well as the basis for topologically associating domain (TAD) formation on the Xi. | An early geodynamo driven by exsolution of mantle components from Earth’s core
Experiments show that magnesium oxide can dissolve in core-forming metallic melts at very high temperatures; core formation models suggest that a giant impact during Earth’s accretion could have contributed large amounts of magnesium to the early core, the subsequent exsolution of which would have generated enough gravitational energy to power an early geodynamo and produce an ancient magnetic field. | | A combined transmission spectrum of the Earth-sized exoplanets TRAPPIST-1 b and c | Sliding sleeves of XRCC4–XLF bridge DNA and connect fragments of broken DNA
A combination of single-molecule techniques shows that the repair proteins XRCC4 and XLF form heteromeric mobile sleeve-like complexes that can bridge and hold together fragments of broken DNA. | | Dynamics of ribosome scanning and recycling revealed by translation complex profiling | Synchronized cycles of bacterial lysis for in vivo delivery
Clinically relevant bacteria have been engineered to lyse synchronously at a threshold population density and release genetically encoded therapeutics; treatment of mice with these bacteria slowed the growth of tumours. | CD47-blocking antibodies restore phagocytosis and prevent atherosclerosis
Atherosclerotic lesions in mice and humans switch on a ‘don’t eat me’ signal—expression of CD47—that prevents effective removal of diseased tissue; anti-CD47 antibody therapy can normalize this defective efferocytosis, with beneficial results in several mouse models of atherosclerosis. | Extending the lifetime of a quantum bit with error correction in superconducting circuits
A quantum-error-correction system is demonstrated in which natural errors due to energy loss are suppressed by encoding a logical state as a superposition of Schrödinger-cat states, which results in the system reaching the ‘break-even’ point, at which the lifetime of a qubit exceeds the lifetime of the constituents of the system. | A somitic contribution to the apical ectodermal ridge is essential for fin formation
Invasion of a somite-derived cell population into the apical ectodermal ridge in zebrafish regulates apical fold induction during fin formation; ablation of these cells inhibits formation of the apical fold and increases the size of the underlying fin bud mesenchyme, suggesting that somite-derived cells play a key part in the evolutionary transition from fins to limbs. | Abrupt plate accelerations shape rifted continental margins
By applying a new geotectonic analysis technique to revised global plate reconstructions, rifted margins are shown to feature an initial slow rift phase followed by an abrupt increase of plate divergence prior to breakup. | | Corrigendum: A large light-mass component of cosmic rays at 1017–1017.5 electronvolts from radio observations | | Corrigendum: Distinct bone marrow blood vessels differentially regulate haematopoiesis | | | | Nature Outlook: Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Irritable bowel syndrome is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders. As research slowly progresses, there is increased hope for treating, or perhaps preventing, this always unpleasant and in some cases severe condition.
Access the Outlook free online for six months.
Produced with support from Allergan plc | | | | | | | | | A comprehensive transcriptional map of primate brain development
A high-resolution gene expression atlas of prenatal and postnatal brain development of rhesus monkey charts global transcriptional dynamics in relation to brain maturation, while comparative analysis reveals human-specific gene trajectories; candidate risk genes associated with human neurodevelopmental disorders tend to be co-expressed in disease-specific patterns in the developing monkey neocortex.
Trygve E. Bakken, Jeremy A. Miller, Song-Lin Ding et al. | Human gut microbes impact host serum metabolome and insulin sensitivity
Increased potential for branched-chain amino acid and lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis in the gut microbiome of insulin-resistant individuals suggests that changes in the serum metabolome induced by dysbiosis, and driven by only a handful of species, contribute to the development of diabetes.
Helle Krogh Pedersen, Valborg Gudmundsdottir, Henrik Bjørn Nielsen et al. | Replication fork stability confers chemoresistance in BRCA-deficient cells
Protection of nascent DNA from degradation provides a mechanism that can promote synthetic viability and drug resistance in Brca-deficient cells without restoring homologous recombination at double-strand breaks.
Arnab Ray Chaudhuri, Elsa Callen, Xia Ding et al. | | Relativistic reverberation in the accretion flow of a tidal disruption event
Observations of reverberation arising from gravitationally redshifted iron Kα photons reflected off the inner accretion flow in a tidal disruption event demonstrate that X-rays originate from a region very close to the central black hole and not from a relativistic jet, as previously thought.
Erin Kara, Jon M. Miller, Chris Reynolds et al. | Origin and implications of non-radial Imbrium Sculpture on the Moon
The widespread rimmed grooves, lineations and elongate craters extending from the Imbrium impact basin on the Moon, termed the Imbrium Sculpture, includes a non-radial component that is used to infer that the Imbrium impactor was the size of a proto-planet—about half the diameter of Vesta.
Peter H. Schultz, David A. Crawford | Electron attraction mediated by Coulomb repulsion
Experimental demonstration of excitonic attraction between two electrons is achieved in quantum devices made from carbon nanotubes, where the interaction between two electrons is reversed from repulsive to attractive owing to their strong Coulomb interaction with another electronic system.
A. Hamo, A. Benyamini, I. Shapir et al. | Engineering and mapping nanocavity emission via precision placement of DNA origami
The incorporation of large numbers of chemically diverse functional components into microfabricated structures at precise locations is challenging; now the precision placement of DNA origami by directed self-assembly is shown to overcome this problem for the purpose of reliably and controllably coupling molecular emitters to photonic crystal cavities.
Ashwin Gopinath, Evan Miyazono, Andrei Faraon et al. | Cooperative electrocatalytic alcohol oxidation with electron-proton-transfer mediators
A co-catalyst system for electrochemical alcohol oxidation composed of a bipyridine copper catalyst and an electron-proton-transfer mediator called TEMPO operates at much lower potential and is faster than TEMPO alone.
Artavazd Badalyan, Shannon S. Stahl | Absence of 21st century warming on Antarctic Peninsula consistent with natural variability
Here it is shown that the late twentieth century warming trends in the Antarctic Peninsula have ceased, with the Peninsula having instead been cooling for most of the twenty-first century, underscoring the considerable internal variability within the Antarctic climate system.
John Turner, Hua Lu, Ian White et al. | Bright spots among the world’s coral reefs
Data from over 2,500 reefs worldwide is used to identify 15 bright spots—sites where reef biomass is significantly higher than expected—and surveys of local experts in these areas suggest that strong sociocultural institutions and high levels of local engagement are among the factors supporting higher fish biomass.
Joshua E. Cinner, Cindy Huchery, M. Aaron MacNeil et al. | Prefrontal neuronal assemblies temporally control fear behaviour
In the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex, expression of conditioned fear is causally related to the organization of neurons into functional assemblies, defining tight temporal control of this behaviour.
Cyril Dejean, Julien Courtin, Nikolaos Karalis et al. | Unexpected role of interferon-γ in regulating neuronal connectivity and social behaviour
Adaptive immune dysfunction, in particular interferon-γ, is implicated in disorders characterized by social dysfunction and suggests interferon-γ signalling may provide a co-evolutionary link between social behaviour and an anti-pathogen immune response.
Anthony J. Filiano, Yang Xu, Nicholas J. Tustison et al. | Identification of proliferative and mature β-cells in the islets of Langerhans
Mature pancreatic β-cells can be distinguished from proliferating ones by expression of the Fltp reporter gene, which is triggered by Wnt signalling and β-cell polarization and islet compaction.
Erik Bader, Adriana Migliorini, Moritz Gegg et al. | Mobile genes in the human microbiome are structured from global to individual scales
Mobile genes, which can be transferred between bacterial species in the microbiome to impart properties such as antibiotic resistance, are reflective of human activity and local diets.
I. L. Brito, S. Yilmaz, K. Huang et al. | Glial-cell-derived neuroregulators control type 3 innate lymphoid cells and gut defence
Neurotrophic factors produced by enteric glia in response to microbiota and alarmin cues regulate IL-22 production by group 3 innate lymphoid cells in the gut; disruption of this pathway leads to impaired clearance of Citrobacter rodentium and defects in epithelial integrity in a model of intestinal inflammation.
Sales Ibiza, Bethania García-Cassani, Hélder Ribeiro et al. | The mechanism of RNA 5′ capping with NAD+, NADH and desphospho-CoA
RNA caps other than the 7-methylguanylate modification are generated by a distinct mechanism in which caps are added during, not after, transcription initiation through the use of non-canonical initiating nucleotides by RNA polymerases, a finding which has functional consequences.
Jeremy G. Bird, Yu Zhang, Yuan Tian et al. | Allosteric nanobodies reveal the dynamic range and diverse mechanisms of G-protein-coupled receptor activation
Stabilization of an active and inactive conformation of the β2-adrenergic receptor by allosteric nanobodies reveals differential ligand-dependent regulation of receptor states to control G-protein-coupled receptor activation.
Dean P. Staus, Ryan T. Strachan, Aashish Manglik et al. | | | | |
