Nature Communications - 9 April 2014

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Weekly Content Alert 09 April 2014  Featured image: Kim et al. report flexible organic memory materials that operate well even after hundreds of bending and folding cycles. Latest content: Articles Corrigendum Journal homepage Recommend to library Web feed   Advertisement nature.com webcasts Macmillan Science Communication presents a custom webcast: Determining the natural variation of lipids Wednesday April 16th at 1pm SGT/AWST/CST / 2pm JST / 3pm AEST  Register for the free webcast followed by a live Q & A session  Sponsored by       Latest Articles View all Articles     D-Glucosamine supplementation extends life span of nematodes and of ageing mice OPEN Sandra Weimer, Josephine Priebs, Doreen Kuhlow, Marco Groth, Steffen Priebe, Johannes Mansfeld, Troy L. Merry, Sébastien Dubuis, Beate Laube, Andreas F. Pfeiffer, Tim J. Schulz, Reinhard Guthke, Matthias Platzer, Nicola Zamboni, Kim Zarse and Michael Ristow D-Glucosamine is a dietary supplement widely used for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Here Weimer et al. show that D-glucosamine extends the life span of Caenorhabditis elegans and of mice by mimicking the molecular effects of a diet low in carbohydrates. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4563 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Polarization-dependent optomechanics mediated by chiral microresonators M. G. Donato, J. Hernandez, A. Mazzulla, C. Provenzano, R. Saija, R. Sayed, S. Vasi, A. Magazzù, P. Pagliusi, R. Bartolino, P. G. Gucciardi, O. M. Maragò and G. Cipparrone Chirality is commonly observed in nature and has been utilized in recent times for the manipulation of particles. Here, the authors perform a quantitative experimental and theoretical study of the forces and torque experienced by chiral microparticles during their optical trapping and rotation. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4656 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Optical physics  Double-heterojunction nanorods Nuri Oh, Sooji Nam, You Zhai, Kishori Deshpande, Pete Trefonas and Moonsub Shim Introducing active hetrojunctions could improve the capabilities of devices based on colloidal quantum dots. Here, the authors develop nanorods with double heterojunctions and show that they can provide independent control over the electron and hole processes, demonstrating their potential in light-emitting diodes. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4642 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Single-crystal diamond nanomechanical resonators with quality factors exceeding one million Y. Tao, J. M. Boss, B. A. Moores and C. L. Degen Single-crystal diamond nanomechanical resonators are intricate to fabricate, but expected to demonstrate large-quality factors. Here, the authors achieve batch fabrication of such resonators, demonstrating quality factors exceeding one million at room temperature. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4638 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  The landscape of somatic mutations in epigenetic regulators across 1,000 paediatric cancer genomes Robert Huether, Li Dong, Xiang Chen, Gang Wu, Matthew Parker, Lei Wei, Jing Ma, Michael N. Edmonson, Erin K. Hedlund, Michael C. Rusch, Sheila A. Shurtleff, Heather L. Mulder, Kristy Boggs, Bhavin Vadordaria, Jinjun Cheng, Donald Yergeau, Guangchun Song, Jared Becksfort, Gordon Lemmon, Catherine Weber et al. Proteins involved in epigenetic regulation are frequently mutated in several paediatric cancers. Here, Huether et al. characterize the somatic mutation frequency across 21 paediatric cancer subtypes by sequencing 633 epigenetic genes in over 1,000 tumours; generating a rich data set for investigating epigenetic dysregulation. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4630 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  Molecular architecture and the structural basis for anion interaction in prestin and SLC26 transporters OPEN Dmitry Gorbunov, Mattia Sturlese, Florian Nies, Murielle Kluge, Massimo Bellanda, Roberto Battistutta and Dominik Oliver Prestin is an anion transporter-like protein in the mammalian inner ear that amplifies sound-induced vibration by voltage-driven structural rearrangements. Here, Gorbunov et al. show that this electromechanical activity is controlled by the binding of anions to a central cavity within the protein core. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4622 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Bioinformatics  Biophysics  Selective and mild hydrogen production using water and formaldehyde Leo E. Heim, Nils E. Schlörer, Jong-Hoo Choi and Martin H. G. Prechtl There is substantial research into hydrogen energy storage and transport. Here, the authors show that hydrogen can be stored in aqueous formaldehyde solution, with a hydrogen capacity potentially greater than for formic acid, and that the catalytic hydrogen release can be performed under relatively mild conditions. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4621 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Inorganic chemistry  Sensitive detection of proteasomal activation using the Deg-On mammalian synthetic gene circuit Wenting Zhao, Matthew Bonem, Claire McWhite, Jonathan J. Silberg and Laura Segatori Proteasome activity can be monitored using a fluorescent substrate; however, screening for proteasome activators using this technique is challenging as signal loss is intrinsically more difficult to detect. Zhao et al. design a genetic inverter circuit that reports increased proteasome activity as signal gain. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4612 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Bioengineering  Systems biology  Large-scale reorganization of the somatosensory cortex following spinal cord injuries is due to brainstem plasticity Niranjan Kambi, Priyabrata Halder, Radhika Rajan, Vasav Arora, Prem Chand, Manika Arora and Neeraj Jain The reorganization of the mammalian somatosensory cortex is a common consequence of sensory deafferentation. Here, Kambi et al. show that reorganization of the cuneate nucleus in the brainstem is essential for the large-scale reorganization of the somatosensory cortex following sensory deafferentation in monkeys. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4602 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Excitons versus free charges in organo-lead tri-halide perovskites Valerio D'Innocenzo, Giulia Grancini, Marcelo J. P. Alcocer, Ajay Ram Srimath Kandada, Samuel D. Stranks, Michael M. Lee, Guglielmo Lanzani, Henry J. Snaith and Annamaria Petrozza The performance of perovskite-based solar cells has improved dramatically in recent years, yet surprisingly little is known about the details of how they work. Grancini et al. report results that suggest that their behaviour is dominated by the transport of free carriers rather than excitons. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4586 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Optical physics  Non-volatile organic memory with sub-millimetre bending radius Richard Hahnkee Kim, Hae Jin Kim, Insung Bae, Sun Kak Hwang, Dhinesh Babu Velusamy, Suk Man Cho, Kazuto Takaishi, Tsuyoshi Muto, Daisuke Hashizume, Masanobu Uchiyama, Pascal André, Fabrice Mathevet, Benoit Heinrich, Tetsuya Aoyama, Dae-Eun Kim, Hyungsuk Lee, Jean-Charles Ribierre and Cheolmin Park Flexible organic electronics operated at extreme mechanical conditions are crucial for the next generation of smart foldable electronic applications. Kim et al. show non-volatile organic memory devices that are subject to sharp bending deformation without protection from a stress-release layer. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4583 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Cell wall precursors are required to organize the chlamydial division septum OPEN Nicolas Jacquier, Antonio Frandi, Trestan Pillonel, Patrick Viollier and Gilbert Greub Cell division in Chlamydiales remains mysterious as it occurs in the absence of a cytokinetic tubulin and a classical peptidoglycan cell wall. Jacquier et al. show that the actin homologue MreB is recruited to the division site in Waddlia and that this depends on synthesis of the peptidoglycan precursor lipid II. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4578 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Microbiology  An RNA-seq method for defining endoribonuclease cleavage specificity identifies dual rRNA substrates for toxin MazF-mt3 Jason M. Schifano, Irina O. Vvedenskaya, Jared G. Knoblauch, Ming Ouyang, Bryce E. Nickels and Nancy A Woychik MazF toxins inhibit bacterial growth by cleaving single-stranded RNA at specific sequences. Here, the authors describe a new genome-wide approach, MORE RNA-seq, for defining MazF cleavage specificity, and show that MazF-mt3 cleaves 23S and 16S ribosomal RNAs. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4538 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Microbiology  Observation of dark states in a superconductor diamond quantum hybrid system OPEN Xiaobo Zhu, Yuichiro Matsuzaki, Robert Amsüss, Kosuke Kakuyanagi, Takaaki Shimo-Oka, Norikazu Mizuochi, Kae Nemoto, Kouichi Semba, William J. Munro and Shiro Saito Recently, a sharp resonance was observed in the spectrum of a flux-qubit nitrogen-vacancy-centre hybrid quantum system that is much narrower than that of either the flux qubit or the spin ensemble. Zhu et al. investigate this resonance and find evidence of a coherently driven collective dark state. 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4524 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Optical physics  Ultrahigh-speed rotating nanoelectromechanical system devices assembled from nanoscale building blocks Kwanoh Kim, Xiaobin Xu, Jianhe Guo and D. L. Fan Realising enhanced functionality in nanoelectromechanical systems relies on realising new fabrication and design approaches. Here, the authors report the bottom-up assembly of nanomotors, demonstrating rotation speeds of 18,000 revolutions per minute and continuous rotation for up to 15 h. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4632 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Fragile X mental retardation protein controls synaptic vesicle exocytosis by modulating N-type calcium channel density OPEN Laurent Ferron, Manuela Nieto-Rostro, John S. Cassidy and Annette C. Dolphin Mutations in the fragile X mental retardation protein are implicated in synaptic dysfunction in fragile X syndrome. Here, Ferron et al. show that fragile X mental retardation protein maintains proper neurotransmission by regulating the density of N-type calcium channels in the presynaptic terminal. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4628 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Catch-bond behaviour facilitates membrane tubulation by non-processive myosin 1b Ayako Yamada, Alexandre Mamane, Jonathan Lee-Tin-Wah, Aurélie Di Cicco, Coline Prévost, Daniel Lévy, Jean-François Joanny, Evelyne Coudrier and Patricia Bassereau The non-processive motor protein myosin 1b is required for Golgi membrane tubulation. Using a minimal reconstituted system and theoretical analysis, Yamada et al. demonstrate that the mechanism of tubule extraction depends on the catch bond properties of myosin 1b. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4624 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  Cell biology  Harnessing photochemical internalization with dual degradable nanoparticles for combinatorial photo–chemotherapy OPEN George Pasparakis, Theodore Manouras, Maria Vamvakaki and Panagiotis Argitis Photochemical internalisation is the process by which a laser source activates light sensitive compounds for cellular uptake. Here, the authors combine this technique with photo–chemo degradable polymers for the controlled uptake of chemotherapeutics into cancer cells showing increased cell death. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4623 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Nanotechnology  Structural basis for oligomerization of auxin transcriptional regulators Max H. Nanao, Thomas Vinos-Poyo, Géraldine Brunoud, Emmanuel Thévenon, Meryl Mazzoleni, David Mast, Stéphanie Lainé, Shucai Wang, Gretchen Hagen, Hanbing Li, Thomas J. Guilfoyle, François Parcy, Teva Vernoux and Renaud Dumas The transcriptional effects of auxin signalling are mediated by auxin response factors (ARFs) that interact with inhibitory IAA proteins. Nanao et al. present the crystal structure of domain III/IV of ARF5, revealing the structural basis for its interaction with IAAs and its potential to trigger ARF5 oligomerization. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4617 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Plant sciences  Lactate racemase is a nickel-dependent enzyme activated by a widespread maturation system Benoît Desguin, Philippe Goffin, Eric Viaene, Michiel Kleerebezem, Vlad Martin-Diaconescu, Michael J. Maroney, Jean-Paul Declercq, Patrice Soumillion and Pascal Hols Lactate racemase is an enzyme that interconverts the L and D isomers of the common metabolite lactate. Here, the authors show that lactate racemase represents a new type of nickel-dependent enzyme, which is activated by accessory proteins that are widespread among prokaryotic microbes. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4615 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Microbiology  Molecular biology  Quantification of nanowire penetration into living cells Alexander M. Xu, Amin Aalipour, Sergio Leal-Ortiz, Armen H. Mekhdjian, Xi Xie, Alexander R. Dunn, Craig C. Garner and Nicholas A. Melosh Nanostructures with high-aspect ratios—for example, nanowires—are finding applications as cell delivery systems, but the mechanism is largely unknown. Here the authors study nanostraws and show that cell penetration is in fact a rare event, in addition to being adhesion dependent. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4613 Physical Sciences  Biotechnology  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Smart responsive phosphorescent materials for data recording and security protection Huibin Sun, Shujuan Liu, Wenpeng Lin, Kenneth Yin Zhang, Wen Lv, Xiao Huang, Fengwei Huo, Huiran Yang, Gareth Jenkins, Qiang Zhao and Wei Huang Smart luminescent materials have many potential applications. Here, the authors synthesize a series of responsive iridium complexes, with tunable emission colours, and use their mechano-, vapo- and electrochromic phosphorescence properties to construct a proof of concept data recording device. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4601 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Materials science  The seco-iridoid pathway from Catharanthus roseus OPEN Karel Miettinen, Lemeng Dong, Nicolas Navrot, Thomas Schneider, Vincent Burlat, Jacob Pollier, Lotte Woittiez, Sander van der Krol, Raphaël Lugan, Tina Ilc, Robert Verpoorte, Kirsi-Marja Oksman-Caldentey, Enrico Martinoia, Harro Bouwmeester, Alain Goossens, Johan Memelink and Danièle Werck-Reichhart The (seco)iridoids and their monoterpenoid indole alkaloid (MIA) derivatives are plant-derived compounds with pharmaceutical applications. Here, the authors identify the last four missing steps of the (seco)iridoid pathway, which they reconstitute in an alternative plant host to produce the complex MIA, strictosidine. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4606 Biological Sciences  Bioengineering  Plant sciences  Size evolution of highly amphiphilic macromolecular solution assemblies via a distinct bimodal pathway Elizabeth G. Kelley, Ryan P. Murphy, Jonathan E. Seppala, Thomas P. Smart, Sarah D. Hann, Millicent O. Sullivan and Thomas H. Epps Micelles find applications in areas such as drug delivery systems, and as such, the kinetic stability of these structures is of high interest. Here the authors show that individual block copolymer micelles can continue to evolve after transfer to a selective solvent. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4599 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  The RNA helicase FRH is an ATP-dependent regulator of CK1a in the circadian clock of Neurospora crassa Linda Lauinger, Axel Diernfellner, Sebastian Falk and Michael Brunner CK1a-mediated progressive phosphorylation of FRQ is an essential aspect of the molecular clock in Neurospora. Here, Lauinger et al. demonstrate that the DEAD box helicase FRH acts as an ATP driven remodelling factor of the CK1a/FRQ complex that provides a pacemaker function by attenuating FRQ phosphorylation. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4598 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  The 19S proteasome subunit Rpt3 regulates distribution of CENP-A by associating with centromeric chromatin Teppei Kitagawa, Kojiro Ishii, Kojiro Takeda and Tomohiro Matsumoto The histone variant CENP-A has a crucial role in defining centromeric chromatin and is required for accurate segregation of chromosomes during mitosis. Here, Kitagawa et al. identify Rpt3, a subunit of the 19S proteasome, as a novel factor regulating CENP localization. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4597 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  CARL lncRNA inhibits anoxia-induced mitochondrial fission and apoptosis in cardiomyocytes by impairing miR-539-dependent PHB2 downregulation Kun Wang, Bo Long, Lu-Yu Zhou, Fang Liu, Qun-Yong Zhou, Cui-Yun Liu, Yuan-Yuan Fan and Pei-Feng Li The prohibitin complex promotes cell survival by regulating mitochondrial morphogenesis. Wang et al. identify a long non-coding RNA that regulates this complex in cardiomyocytes by acting as a sponge to downregulate a prohibitin-targetting miRNA, protecting cells from apoptosis in anoxic conditions. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4596 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Medical research  Methionine restriction extends lifespan of Drosophila melanogaster under conditions of low amino-acid status Byung Cheon Lee, Alaattin Kaya, Siming Ma, Gwansu Kim, Maxim V. Gerashchenko, Sun Hee Yim, Zhen Hu, Lawrence G. Harshman and Vadim N. Gladyshev Dietary restriction of the amino acid methionine extends the lifespan of rodents. Here the authors systematically test diets with varying amino-acid content and show that methionine restriction extends the lifespan of yeast and flies only when the content of other amino acids in the diet is also low. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4592 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Ultra-sensitive liquid biopsy of circulating extracellular vesicles using ExoScreen OPEN Yusuke Yoshioka, Nobuyoshi Kosaka, Yuki Konishi, Hideki Ohta, Hiroyuki Okamoto, Hikaru Sonoda, Ryoji Nonaka, Hirofumi Yamamoto, Hideshi Ishii, Masaki Mori, Koh Furuta, Takeshi Nakajima, Hiroshi Hayashi, Hajime Sugisaki, Hiroko Higashimoto, Takashi Kato, Fumitaka Takeshita and Takahiro Ochiya The potential of extracellular vesicles (EVs) as cancer biomarkers is substantial. Here, Yoshioka et al. describe a sensitive technique to analyse EVs directly from blood samples of patients with colorectal cancer, highlighting a liquid biopsy technique with cancer-detection possibilities. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4591 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Medical research  Large-scale self-assembled zirconium phosphate smectic layers via a simple spray-coating process Minhao Wong, Ryohei Ishige, Kevin L. White, Peng Li, Daehak Kim, Ramanan Krishnamoorti, Robert Gunther, Takeshi Higuchi, Hiroshi Jinnai, Atsushi Takahara, Riichi Nishimura and Hung-Jue Sue The large-scale assembly of asymmetric colloidal particles is used in creating high-performance fibres and two-dimensional materials. Here, the authors present a spray-coating process for the fabrication of thin, flexible nanoplatelet/epoxy films and study their gas barrier properties. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4589 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Physical chemistry  Nanoporous frameworks exhibiting multiple stimuli responsiveness Pintu K. Kundu, Gregory L. Olsen, Vladimir Kiss and Rafal Klajn The majority of molecular switches require conformational freedom to isomerize, and so their response in the solid state is limited. Here, the authors incorporate molecular switches into a nanoporous framework, which thus exhibits reversible properties in solvent-free conditions. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4588 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Organic chemistry  Crystal structure of an amphiphilic foldamer reveals a 48-mer assembly comprising a hollow truncated octahedron Vincenzo Pavone, Shao-Qing Zhang, Antonello Merlino, Angela Lombardi, Yibing Wu and William F. DeGrado Foldamers are small molecules or oligomers that can adopt secondary and tertiary structures due to noncovalent interactions. Here, the authors show that an amphiphilic foldamer can adopt a hollow truncated octahedron crystal structure comprising of 48 individual foldamer units. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4581 Chemical Sciences  Organic chemistry  High-efficiency ballistic electrostatic generator using microdroplets Yanbo Xie, Diederik Bos, Lennart J. de Vreede, Hans L. de Boer, Mark-Jan van der Meulen, Michel Versluis, Ad J. Sprenkels, Albert van den Berg and Jan C. T. Eijkel Fluidic energy conversion has been proposed as a renewable energy solution, but its conversion efficiency is low to date. Xie et al. improve the efficiency to 48% in a microfluidic electrostatic generator, which converts the kinetic energy of high-speed charged droplets to electricity. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4575 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Fluids and plasma physics  The Escherichia coli Tus–Ter replication fork barrier causes site-specific DNA replication perturbation in yeast Nicolai B. Larsen, Ehud Sass, Catherine Suski, Hocine W. Mankouri and Ian D. Hickson Analysis of DNA replication fork arrest is challenging due to lack of techniques that induce site-specific replication barriers in eukaryotic chromosomes. Here, Larsen et al. create a novel tool to trigger targeted replication fork pausing by engineering the bacterial Tus–Ter system into the yeast genome. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4574 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  An alternate binding site for PPARγ ligands Travis S. Hughes, Pankaj Kumar Giri, Ian Mitchelle S. de Vera, David P. Marciano, Dana S. Kuruvilla, Youseung Shin, Anne-Laure Blayo, Theodore M. Kamenecka, Thomas P. Burris, Patrick R. Griffin and Douglas J. Kojetin The nuclear receptor PPARγ regulates insulin sensitivity and is the molecular target of anti-diabetic drugs. Here, Hughes et al. show demonstrate binding of synthetic PPARγ agonists to a previously unknown binding site within PPARγ and show this affects structure and function of the receptor. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4571 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Phosphorylation of EXO1 by CDKs 1 and 2 regulates DNA end resection and repair pathway choice Nozomi Tomimatsu, Bipasha Mukherjee, Molly Catherine Hardebeck, Mariya Ilcheva, Cristel Vanessa Camacho, Janelle Louise Harris, Matthew Porteus, Bertrand Llorente, Kum Kum Khanna and Sandeep Burma Cell cycle regulation of the two major DNA double-strand break repair pathways—NHEJ and HR—is critical for the maintenance of genome integrity. Here, Tomimatsu et al. show that phosphorylation of the nuclease EXO1 by cyclin-dependent kinases affects repair pathway choice by controlling long-range resection. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4561 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  An exceptionally preserved arthropod cardiovascular system from the early Cambrian Xiaoya Ma, Peiyun Cong, Xianguang Hou, Gregory D. Edgecombe and Nicholas J. Strausfeld Internal organs are hard to fossilize and so far only digestive and nervous systems have been described for the Cambrian arthropod Fuxianhuia protensa. Here, Ma et al. describe cardiovascular structures of F. protensa and show that they are similar to the vascular system of extant arthropods. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4560 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Palaeontology  A general ligand design for gold catalysis allowing ligand-directed anti-nucleophilic attack of alkynes Yanzhao Wang, Zhixun Wang, Yuxue Li, Gongde Wu, Zheng Cao and Liming Zhang For the anti-nucleophilic attack of gold-activated alkynes the linear alignment of ligand, gold and C-C triple bond centroid makes it difficult to achieve interaction between ligand and nucleophile. Here the authors design ligands capable of directing nucleophiles, allowing dramatically reduced catalyst loadings. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4470 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Organic chemistry  Phosphoregulation of Ire1 RNase splicing activity OPEN Filippo Prischi, Piotr R. Nowak, Marta Carrara and Maruf M. U. Ali Ire1 is an effector of the unfolded protein response that is activated upon stress to maintain protein homeostasis. Here, Prischi et al. demonstrate that phosphorylation of Ire1 within its kinase activation loop increases its RNAse activity, thus identifying a regulatory cross-talk between the two domains. 07 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4554 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  Fabrication and operation of a two-dimensional ion-trap lattice on a high-voltage microchip R. C. Sterling, H. Rattanasonti, S. Weidt, K. Lake, P. Srinivasan, S. C. Webster, M. Kraft and W. K. Hensinger Microfabricated ion traps offer a promising platform for scalable ion quantum computing systems. Sterling et al. realize a two-dimensional ion-trap lattice on a microchip using a new fabrication method that allows very-high voltages to be applied to the chip, enabling very deep ion traps. 04 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4637 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Atomic and molecular physics  Mammalian skull heterochrony reveals modular evolution and a link between cranial development and brain size OPEN Daisuke Koyabu, Ingmar Werneburg, Naoki Morimoto, Christoph P. E. Zollikofer, Analia M. Forasiepi, Hideki Endo, Junpei Kimura, Satoshi D. Ohdachi, Nguyen Truong Son and Marcelo R. Sánchez-Villagra The skeletal components of the skull develop at different times in mammals. Here, Koyabu et al. show that the mode of bone ossification constrains the timing of bone formation and find an association between the developmental timing of the supraoccipital bone and brain size. 04 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4625 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Evolution  Arabidopsis florigen FT binds to diurnally oscillating phospholipids that accelerate flowering OPEN Yuki Nakamura, Fernando Andrés, Kazue Kanehara, Yu-chi Liu, Peter Dörmann and George Coupland Daytime flowering in Arabidopsis is stimulated by the secreted protein FT. Nakamura et al. show that FT binds the lipid phosphatidylcholine (PC) in vitro, and that in plants, different PC species predominate during day and night, with daytime species stimulating flowering in a manner that is partially dependent on FT. 04 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4553 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Plant sciences  Consistent individual differences in human social learning strategies Lucas Molleman, Pieter van den Berg and Franz J. Weissing Social learning is crucial to the evolutionary success of humans. Here, the authors evaluate social learning strategies in a sample of human subjects and find that some individuals imitate the behaviours of their most successful peers, while others conform to the behaviour of the majority. 04 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4570 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Neuroscience  Coiling and maturation of a high-performance fibre in hagfish slime gland thread cells Timothy Winegard, Julia Herr, Carlos Mena, Betty Lee, Ivo Dinov, Deborah Bird, Mark Bernards Jr, Sam Hobel, Blaire Van Valkenburgh, Arthur Toga and Douglas Fudge Hagfish slime contains fibres that are produced in gland cells, but how these threads are assembled within the cell is unclear. Here, using electron microscopy and three-dimensional modelling, the authors show that during gland cell maturation the shape of the nucleus changes, permitting the coiling of the threads around it. 04 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4534 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Cell biology  Porphyrin–phospholipid liposomes permeabilized by near-infrared light OPEN Kevin A. Carter, Shuai Shao, Matthew I. Hoopes, Dandan Luo, Bilal Ahsan, Vladimir M. Grigoryants, Wentao Song, Haoyuan Huang, Guojian Zhang, Ravindra K. Pandey, Jumin Geng, Blaine A. Pfeifer, Charles P. Scholes, Joaquin Ortega, Mikko Karttunen and Jonathan F. Lovell The delivery of therapeutics using an external trigger is an attractive route for the improvement of targeted disease treatment. Here, the authors have discovered a porphyrin–phospholipid liposome for light-controlled membrane permeabilization and use the system to deliver an anticancer drug in vivo. 03 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4546 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Nanotechnology  Direct recognition of homology between double helices of DNA in Neurospora crassa Eugene Gladyshev and Nancy Kleckner In living cells, intact DNA molecules that share the same sequence can recognize one another. Here, Gladyshev and Kleckner identify one mechanism of recognition that works by matching DNA triplets, one triplet per turn, between two aligned DNA double helices. 03 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4509 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  Wnt signalling underlies the evolution of new phenotypes and craniofacial variability in Lake Malawi cichlids Kevin J. Parsons, A. Trent Taylor, Kara E. Powder and R. Craig Albertson The molecular mechanisms that promote and constrain the evolution of morphological traits remain unclear. Here, Parsons et al. show that the Wnt pathway is associated with the development of a novel head form in Lake Malawi cichlid fish but also limits head plasticity later in life. 03 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4629 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Ecology  Evolution  Bhlhe40 controls cytokine production by T cells and is essential for pathogenicity in autoimmune neuroinflammation Chih-Chung Lin, Tara R. Bradstreet, Elizabeth A. Schwarzkopf, Julia Sim, Javier A. Carrero, Chun Chou, Lindsey E. Cook, Takeshi Egawa, Reshma Taneja, Theresa L. Murphy, John H. Russell and Brian T. Edelson T cells that mediate neuroinflammation in EAE, a mouse model of multiple sclerosis, act through their production of cytokines. Here, the authors show that the transcription factor Bhlhe40 regulates the expression of GM-CSF and IL-10 by autoreactive T cells and is crucial for EAE induction. 03 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4551 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Charge transfer kinetics at the solid–solid interface in porous electrodes Peng Bai and Martin Z. Bazant Electrochemical kinetics are usually described by the Butler–Volmer equation. Bai and Bazant propose a method to extract reaction rates for porous electrodes from experiments and show the necessity of using Marcus charge transfer theory in place of the conventional kinetics. 03 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4585 Chemical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Physical chemistry  Global link between deformation and volcanic eruption quantified by satellite imagery J. Biggs, S. K. Ebmeier, W. P. Aspinall, Z. Lu, M. E. Pritchard, R. S. J. Sparks and T. A. Mather Deformation is often used in volcano monitoring, but the associated hazard is hard to interpret. Biggs et al. analyse 20 years of global satellite data and show a strong statistical link between deformation and eruption, although deformation alone is not necessarily a precursor of imminent eruption. 03 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4471 Earth Sciences  Geology and geophysics  Endohedral fullerene with μ3-carbido ligand and titanium-carbon double bond stabilized inside a carbon cage A. L. Svitova, K. B. Ghiassi, C. Schlesier, K. Junghans, Y. Zhang, M. M. Olmstead, A. L. Balch, L. Dunsch and A. A. Popov Metallofullerenes typically have polar single bonds between metals and non-metals. Here, through arc-discharge experiments, the authors observe the formation of an endohedral fullerene with an encapsulated tri-coordinate μ3-carbon centre and a stable titanium-carbon double bond. 03 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4568 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Physical chemistry  Scaling behaviour for the water transport in nanoconfined geometries OPEN Eliodoro Chiavazzo, Matteo Fasano, Pietro Asinari and Paolo Decuzzi A precise control of water transport in different configurations is crucial for many technological applications. Chiavazzo et al. define a dimensionless scaling parameter to fully describe the water self-diffusion coefficient in various nanoconfined geometries using molecular dynamic simulations. 03 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4565 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Fluids and plasma physics  A DERL3-associated defect in the degradation of SLC2A1 mediates the Warburg effect OPEN Paula Lopez-Serra, Miguel Marcilla, Alberto Villanueva, Antonio Ramos-Fernandez, Anna Palau, Lucía Leal, Jessica E. Wahi, Fernando Setien-Baranda, Karolina Szczesna, Catia Moutinho, Anna Martinez-Cardus, Holger Heyn, Juan Sandoval, Sara Puertas, August Vidal, Xavier Sanjuan, Eva Martinez-Balibrea, Francesc Viñals, Jose C. Perales, Jesper B. Bramsem et al. Defective proteins or functional proteins that are no longer needed can be degraded in the endoplasmic reticulum. In this study, Lopez-Serra et al. show that DERL3, which is involved in protein degradation in the endoplasmic reticulum, is aberrantly silenced in cancer, leading to activation of a glucose transporter and dysregulated glycolysis. 03 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4608 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Nanomechanical cleavage of molybdenum disulphide atomic layers Dai-Ming Tang, Dmitry G. Kvashnin, Sina Najmaei, Yoshio Bando, Koji Kimoto, Pekka Koskinen, Pulickel M. Ajayan, Boris I. Yakobson, Pavel B. Sorokin, Jun Lou and Dmitri Golberg Mechanical cleavage of a single atomic layer from a bulk sample is a simple way to achieve a two-dimensional material. Here, the authors demonstrate an in situ study in which they can peel off a certain number of atomic layers of molybdenum disulphide, and reveal the layer-dependent mechanics. 03 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4631 Biological Sciences  Materials science  Photonic effects on the Förster resonance energy transfer efficiency Freddy T. Rabouw, Stephan A. den Hartog, Tim Senden and Andries Meijerink Förster resonance energy transfer, where energy is transferred between luminescent states, is a mechanism used for applications in photovoltaics or bio-imaging. Here, the authors show that these energy transfer rates are independent of the photonic environment, providing valuable feedback for applications. 02 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4610 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Optical physics  Molecular mechanism of Mg2+-dependent gating in CorA Olivier Dalmas, Pornthep Sompornpisut, Francisco Bezanilla and Eduardo Perozo CorA is the major magnesium influx pathway in bacteria, but the mechanism for the uptake of magnesium by this system is not clear. Here, Dalmas et al. show that CorA is regulated by cytoplasmic magnesium levels, and determine the conformational changes required for the regulation by a negative feedback loop. 02 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4590 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  A quantum diffractor for thermal flux Maria José Martínez-Pírez and Francesco Giazotto The Josephson effect produces a supercurrent between two superconductors separated by an insulator, but it also leads to more exotic effects like electric quantum diffraction. Here, the authors show the appearance of Fraunhofer diffraction for thermal currents in a thermally biased Josephson junction. 02 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4579 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Nanotechnology  Competition and constraint drove Cope's rule in the evolution of giant flying reptiles OPEN Roger B. J. Benson, Rachel A. Frigot, Anjali Goswami, Brian Andres and Richard J. Butler Pterosaurs were Mesozoic flying reptiles with extremely large body sizes. Here, Benson et al. demonstrate that pterosaurs evolved increasing body sizes during the Cretaceous, at the same time of bird radiation, suggesting that competition can drive macroevolution. 02 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4567 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Palaeontology  Understanding water's anomalies with locally favoured structures John Russo and Hajime Tanaka Water shows various anomalies, but an understanding of their microscopic origin is still missing. Russo and Tanaka introduce a new structural order parameter in simulations and identify locally favoured structures whose formation is responsible for the anomalies and supercooled water's stability against ice crystallization. 02 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4556 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Fluids and plasma physics  Three-layered polyplex micelle as a multifunctional nanocarrier platform for light-induced systemic gene transfer Takahiro Nomoto, Shigeto Fukushima, Michiaki Kumagai, Kaori Machitani, Arnida, Yu Matsumoto, Makoto Oba, Kanjiro Miyata, Kensuke Osada, Nobuhiro Nishiyama and Kazunori Kataoka Light-controlled mechanisms for the delivery of drug molecules to cells is a promising route for non-invasive disease therapy. Here, the authors develop a photosensitive polymeric micelle for light-induced gene transfection and show its effectiveness in vivo via systemic administration. 02 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4545 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Nanotechnology  The Menin–Bach2 axis is critical for regulating CD4 T-cell senescence and cytokine homeostasis OPEN Makoto Kuwahara, Junpei Suzuki, Soichi Tofukuji, Takeshi Yamada, Makoto Kanoh, Akira Matsumoto, Saho Maruyama, Kohei Kometani, Tomohiro Kurosaki, Osamu Ohara, Toshinori Nakayama and Masakatsu Yamashita Immunosenescence particularly affects the T-cell compartment and is involved in the age-related decline of immune functions. Here, the authors show that the absence of the tumour suppressor Menin results in premature senescence of CD4 T cells. 02 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4555 Biological Sciences  Immunology    Nature Communications JOBS of the week Postdoctoral Research Assistant Birckbeck University of London Research fellow Thomas Jefferson University (TJU) Postdoctoral Research Assistant University of Oxford PhD Researcher KU Leuven 10 Research Fellowships Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen Research Associate I University of Illinois Postdoctoral Research Associate University of Liverpool Research Associates University of Cambridge Director-General position CERN - European Organization for Nuclear Research Postdoctoral Fellow University of Virginia More Science jobs from Nature Communications EVENT Tumor Models Boston 22.07.14 Boston, USA More science events from       Latest Corrigendum     Corrigendum: Val66Met polymorphism of BDNF alters prodomain structure to induce neuronal growth cone retraction Agustin Anastasia, Katrin Deinhardt, Moses V. Chao, Nathan E. Will, Krithi Irmady, Francis S. Lee, Barbara L. Hempstead and Clay Bracken 08 April 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4564 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience      Advertisement Download the new NatureJournals app and gain access to Nature and all Nature-branded research and review journals. All news content and open access articles are free. Subscribe to additional journals in the app for just $35.99*.  *Apple exchange rates apply. Limited time offer available on all journals except Scientific Reports. iPad, iPhone and iPod touch are trademarks of Apple Inc.   Natureevents is a fully searchable, multi-disciplinary database designed to maximise exposure for events organisers. The contents of the Natureevents Directory are now live. The digital version is available here. Find the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia on natureevents.com. 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