Nature Communications - 17 July 2013

Weekly Content Alert 17 July 2013  Featured image: Khodagholy et al. fabricate a mechanically flexible organic transistor with high performance for biosensing applications. Latest content: Articles Corrigendum Journal homepage Recommend to library Web feed   Advertisement Nature Medicine and Helmholtz Zentrum München present: 1st Annual Helmholtz-Nature Medicine Diabetes Conference September 22-24, 2013 Residenz München Munich, Germany  Click here for more information or to register for this conference today!       Latest Articles View all Articles     Brown fat in a protoendothermic mammal fuels eutherian evolution OPEN Rebecca Oelkrug, Nadja Goetze, Cornelia Exner, Yang Lee, Goutham K. Ganjam, Maria Kutschke, Saskia Müller, Sigrid Stöhr, Matthias H. Tschöp, Paul G. Crichton, Gerhard Heldmaier, Martin Jastroch and Carola W. Meyer Endothermy facilitated mammalian species radiation, but the events leading to sustained thermogenesis are not clear. Here, the authors report functional brown adipose tissue in a protoendothermic mammal, linking nonshivering thermogenesis directly to the roots of eutherian endothermic evolution. 16 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3140 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Zoology  Structural modulation of gut microbiota in life-long calorie-restricted mice OPEN Chenhong Zhang, Shoufeng Li, Liu Yang, Ping Huang, Wenjun Li, Shengyue Wang, Guoping Zhao, Menghui Zhang, Xiaoyan Pang, Zhen Yan, Yong Liu and Liping Zhao Calorie restriction has been shown to extend lifespan in diverse model systems, however, the mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. Zhang et al. show that calorie restriction changes the structure of the gut microbiota in mice, enriching for phylotypes positively correlated with lifespan. 16 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3163 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Microbiology  Autonomous vascular networks synchronize GABA neuron migration in the embryonic forebrain Chungkil Won, Zhicheng Lin, Peeyush Kumar T., Suyan Li, Lai Ding, Abdallah Elkhal, Gábor Szabó and Anju Vasudevan The simultaneous activity of chemorepulsive and chemoattractive gradients is implicated in gamma-aminobutyric acid neuron migration during embryonic development. Won et al. show that preformed vascular networks provide these repulsive and attractive gradients to GABAergic neurons as they migrate through the telencephalon. 16 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3149 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Neuroscience  A hybrid high-speed atomic force–optical microscope for visualizing single membrane proteins on eukaryotic cells Adai Colom, Ignacio Casuso, Felix Rico and Simon Scheuring Scanning probe microscopy techniques are hard to apply to live cell membrane imaging at high resolution as the temporal and force sensitivity are insufficient to monitor the fast processes. Colom et al. present a solution to this problem by combining high-speed atomic force microscopy with optical microscopy. 16 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3155 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Optical physics  Visualization of caspase-3-like activity in cells using a genetically encoded fluorescent biosensor activated by protein cleavage Jiao Zhang, Xin Wang, Wenjing Cui, Wenwen Wang, Huamei Zhang, Lu Liu, Zicheng Zhang, Zheng Li, Guoguang Ying, Ning Zhang and Binghui Li Proteases of the caspase family are important regulators of apoptosis. Here, Zhang et al. present a genetically encoded protein biosensor that fluoresces if cleaved by caspase-3-like proteases, allowing real-time measurements of apoptosis in cells. 16 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3157 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  A stabilizing factor for mitochondrial respiratory supercomplex assembly regulates energy metabolism in muscle Kazuhiro Ikeda, Sachiko Shiba, Kuniko Horie-Inoue, Kunitoshi Shimokata and Satoshi Inoue Interactions between mitochondrial respiratory chain complexes control electron transfer and oxidative phosphorylation. Here, the authors find that COX7RP regulates supercomplex assembly, and show that decreasing or increasing COX7RP expression, respectively, reduces and enhances muscular performance in mice. 16 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3147 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cell biology  Medical research  Improving palm oil quality through identification and mapping of the lipase gene causing oil deterioration OPEN F. Morcillo, D. Cros, N. Billotte, G.-F. Ngando-Ebongue, H. Domonhédo, M. Pizot, T. Cuéllar, S. Espéout, R. Dhouib, F. Bourgis, S. Claverol, T. J. Tranbarger, B. Nouy and V. Arondel Lipase in the mesocarp of oil palm fruits reduces the quality of oil and leads to decreased yield. In this study, the authors identify the gene encoding the mesocarp lipase, raising the possibility of breeding palm genotypes that produce better quality oil. 16 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3160 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Plant sciences  Flow velocities of Alaskan glaciers Evan W. Burgess, Richard R. Forster and Christopher F. Larsen Alaskan mountain glaciers are losing ice and contribute to sea level rise, but contributions from specific ice-loss mechanisms are not known. Here, calving losses in Central Alaska are found to equal 36% of the net regional mass change each year and regional flux is dictated largely by snow accumulation rates. 16 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3146 Earth Sciences  Climate science  Crystal structure of the yeast TSC1 core domain and implications for tuberous sclerosis pathological mutations Wei Sun, Ye Julia Zhu, Zhizhi Wang, Qiang Zhong, Feng Gao, Jizhong Lou, Weimin Gong and Wenqing Xu Tuberous sclerosis is a disease characterized by tumour-like growths in multiple organs and is caused by mutations in TSC1 or TSC2. Here, the authors solve the crystal structure of yeast TSC1 and find that most mutations are found inside the folded N-terminal domain. 16 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3135 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Cancer  Turbulence drives microscale patches of motile phytoplankton William M. Durham, Eric Climent, Michael Barry, Filippo De Lillo, Guido Boffetta, Massimo Cencini and Roman Stocker Patchiness in the distribution of phytoplankton promotes many of the ecological interactions that underpin the marine food web. This study shows that turbulence, ubiquitous in the ocean, counter-intuitively 'unmixes' a population of motile phytoplankton, generating intense, small-scale patchiness in its distribution. 15 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3148 Earth Sciences  Biophysics  Ecology  Fluids  Oceanography  Gold peroxide complexes and the conversion of hydroperoxides into gold hydrides by successive oxygen-transfer reactions Dragoş-Adrian Roşca, Joseph A. Wright, David L. Hughes and Manfred Bochmann Gold peroxide-derived complexes are important in oxidation catalysis, although structural information on these species is sparse. Here, the authors have synthesized a range of gold complexes and have shown a reaction pathway from peroxides to hydrides, via oxygen-transfer events. 15 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3167 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Organic chemistry  Nanoporous gold supported cobalt oxide microelectrodes as high-performance electrochemical biosensors Xing-You Lang, Hong-Ying Fu, Chao Hou, Gao-Feng Han, Ping Yang, Yong-Bing Liu and Qing Jiang Metal oxides are proposed as replacements for expensive enzymes in electrochemical biosensors, but their wide use is currently limited by poor electronic conductivity. Lang et al. engineer the nanoarchitecture of electrodes to reduce contact resistances, which leads to an ultrahigh sensitivity to glucose. 12 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3169 Chemical Sciences  Analytical chemistry  Materials science  Conducting linear chains of sulphur inside carbon nanotubes OPEN Toshihiko Fujimori, Aarón Morelos-Gómez, Zhen Zhu, Hiroyuki Muramatsu, Ryusuke Futamura, Koki Urita, Mauricio Terrones, Takuya Hayashi, Morinobu Endo, Sang Young Hong, Young Chul Choi, David Tománek and Katsumi Kaneko Elemental sulphur is an insulator in the bulk phase, although it may become conducting under ultrahigh-pressure conditions. Here, the authors report a one-dimensional conducting form of sulphur formed by encapsulation inside single-walled and double-walled carbon nanotubes. 12 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3162 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Materials science  Physical chemistry  Strain and curvature induced evolution of electronic band structures in twisted graphene bilayer Wei Yan, Wen-Yu He, Zhao-Dong Chu, Mengxi Liu, Lan Meng, Rui-Fen Dou, Yanfeng Zhang, Zhongfan Liu, Jia-Cai Nie and Lin He The electronic properties of graphene are known to be sensitive to strain and geometry. Yan et al. find that the introduction of strain and high curvature to bilayer graphene strongly affects the electronic landscape, resulting in changes in the band structure. 12 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3159 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Nanotechnology  Large fibre size in skeletal muscle is metabolically advantageous Ana Gabriela Jimenez, Richard M. Dillaman and Stephen T. Kinsey Energy demand in muscle is largely due to maintaining the membrane potential of muscle fibres. Jimenez et al. study the metabolic cost of maintaining the membrane potential of muscle fibres across different species of crustaceans and fishes, and find that larger fibres are metabolically cheaper to maintain. 12 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3150 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Evolution  High transconductance organic electrochemical transistors OPEN Dion Khodagholy, Jonathan Rivnay, Michele Sessolo, Moshe Gurfinkel, Pierre Leleux, Leslie H. Jimison, Eleni Stavrinidou, Thierry Herve, Sébastien Sanaur, Róisín M. Owens and George G. Malliaras Although organic transistors have many advantages, they are not typically known for their high performance. Khodagholy et al. report the fabrication of organic electrochemical transistors that combine high transconductance with mechanical flexibility, and are attractive for biosensor applications. 12 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3133 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Prolonged spontaneous emission and dephasing of localized excitons in air-bridged carbon nanotubes Ibrahim Sarpkaya, Zhengyi Zhang, William Walden-Newman, Xuesi Wang, James Hone, Chee W. Wong and Stefan Strauf Understanding the photophysics of excitons in carbon nanotubes is important if they are to be fully exploited in optoelectronic devices. Sarpkaya et al. perform photoluminescence spectroscopy of nanotubes across an airbridge, finding a new narrow linewidth regime of intrinsic exciton behaviour. 11 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3152 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Optical physics  Recognition of vitamin B metabolites by mucosal-associated invariant T cells Onisha Patel, Lars Kjer-Nielsen, Jérôme Le Nours, Sidonia B. G. Eckle, Richard Birkinshaw, Travis Beddoe, Alexandra J. Corbett, Ligong Liu, John J. Miles, Bronwyn Meehan, Rangsima Reantragoon, Maria L. Sandoval-Romero, Lucy C. Sullivan, Andrew G. Brooks, Zhenjun Chen, David P. Fairlie, James McCluskey and Jamie Rossjohn T-cell receptors expressed on mucosal-associated invariant T cells function in a similar manner to innate immune receptors by recognizing small molecules such as microbial metabolites. Here, the authors report structures of this receptor in complex with vitamin B metabolites presented by the MHC-like protein MR1. 11 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3142 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Chemical synthesis of lactic acid from cellulose catalysed by lead(II) ions in water Yanliang Wang, Weiping Deng, Binju Wang, Qinghong Zhang, Xiaoyue Wan, Zhenchen Tang, Ye Wang, Chun Zhu, Zexing Cao, Guichang Wang and Huilin Wan The direct transformation of cellulose into high-value chemicals is a key process in the establishment of biomass-derived chemical production. Here, the authors present the lead(II)-catalysed conversion of cellulose into lactic acid via a cascade reaction, which proceeds in water under mild conditions. 11 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3141 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Organic chemistry  Genome evolution predicts genetic interactions in protein complexes and reveals cancer drug targets OPEN Xiaowen Lu, Philip R. Kensche, Martijn A. Huynen and Richard A. Notebaart Genetic interactions can reveal insights into cellular functions. Here, Lu et al. show that negative genetic interactions in protein complexes can be predicted by systematically exploring the evolutionary history of genes, which may be useful for the identification of novel targets for anti-cancer drugs. 11 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3124 Biological Sciences  Bioinformatics  Genetics  Far-red light photoactivatable near-infrared fluorescent proteins engineered from a bacterial phytochrome Kiryl D. Piatkevich, Fedor V. Subach and Vladislav V. Verkhusha Near-infrared fluorescent proteins have applications in deep-tissue and whole-body imaging. Here, the authors report photoactivatable near-infrared proteins engineered from bacteria, with substantial contrast enhancement, which may be advantageous for in vivo imaging in high autofluorescence conditions. 10 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3153 Biological Sciences  Bioengineering  Biophysics Chemical biology  Landscape of the mitochondrial Hsp90 metabolome in tumours Young Chan Chae, Alessia Angelin, Sofia Lisanti, Andrew V. Kossenkov, Kaye D. Speicher, Huan Wang, James F. Powers, Arthur S. Tischler, Karel Pacak, Stephanie Fliedner, Ryan D. Michalek, Edward D. Karoly, Douglas C. Wallace, Lucia R. Languino, David W. Speicher and Dario C. Altieri Tumour cells utilize a pool of the molecular chaperone heat shock protein 90 to ensure correct protein folding in mitochondria. Here, the authors demonstrate that mitochondrial heat shock protein 90 regulates the folding of a subunit of the electron transport chain and that this can contribute to tumorigenesis. 10 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3139 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Cell biology  Selectivity mechanism of the mechanosensitive channel MscS revealed by probing channel subconducting states C. D. Cox, T. Nomura, C. S. Ziegler, A. K. Campbell, K. T. Wann and B. Martinac The E. coli mechanosensitive channel MscS responds to hypoosmotic swelling by opening a weakly anion-selective pore. Here, the authors report that the structural determinants of this selectivity are located not in the pore, but in the large water-filled cytoplasmic domain. 10 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3137 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Microbiology  Plasmon-mediated magneto-optical transparency OPEN V. I. Belotelov, L. E. Kreilkamp, I. A. Akimov, A. N. Kalish, D. A. Bykov, S. Kasture, V. J. Yallapragada, Achanta Venu Gopal, A. M. Grishin, S. I. Khartsev, M. Nur-E-Alam, M. Vasiliev, L. L. Doskolovich, D. R. Yakovlev, K. Alameh, A. K. Zvezdin and M. Bayer Magneto-optical effects, where magnetic fields affect light propagating through a material, are of interest for photonic devices such as switches. The magneto-optical effect discovered here in metal-dielectric nanostructures shows a strong light modulation that is suitable for nanophotonic applications. 10 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3128 Physical Sciences  Nanotechnology  Optical physics  Amplification of progenitors in the mammalian telencephalon includes a new radial glial cell type OPEN Gregor-Alexander Pilz, Atsunori Shitamukai, Isabel Reillo, Emilie Pacary, Julia Schwausch, Ronny Stahl, Jovica Ninkovic, Hugo J. Snippert, Hans Clevers, Leanne Godinho, Francois Guillemot, Victor Borrell, Fumio Matsuzaki and Magdalena Götz Amplification of neural progenitor cells mediates expansion of brain regions. Using imaging of progenitor cell amplification in the mouse ventral forebrain, the authors identify a new progenitor type with high frequency, which they also show to be present in expanded brain regions of other species. 10 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3125 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Neuroscience  Protein analysis by time-resolved measurements with an electro-switchable DNA chip OPEN Andreas Langer, Paul A. Hampel, Wolfgang Kaiser, Jelena Knezevic, Thomas Welte, Valentina Villa, Makiko Maruyama, Matej Svejda, Simone Jähner, Frank Fischer, Ralf Strasser and Ulrich Rant The comprehensive bioanalysis of proteins usually requires multi-step surface and mobile phase measurements. Here, the authors use chips functionalized with dynamically actuated nanolevers—DNA strands that can be switched in an electric field—to obtain motional dynamic measurements of proteins on a chip. 10 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3099 Biological Sciences  Chemical Sciences  Biotechnology  Nanotechnology    Nature Communications JOBS of the week Postdoctoral Research Scientist Columbia University - Allergy Immunology Medicine Research Assistant Medical Research Council Research Assistant Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia Scientist Vascular Biology Goethe Universität Frankfurt PhD Student position TU Dresden Post Doctoral Scientist Medical Research Council, National Institute for Medical Research Postdoctoral position in bioinformatics Chalmers University of Technology Postdoctoral Research Associate Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford Senior Research Technologist St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Postdoctoral Fellow Johns Hopkins University - School of Medicine More Science jobs from Nature Communications EVENT Cell Based Assays 18.11.13 London, UK More science events from       Latest Corrigendum     Corrigendum: Gene-associated markers provide tools for tackling illegal fishing and false eco-certification Einar E. 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