Nature Communications - 14 May 2014

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Weekly Content Alert 14 May 2014  Featured image: Qin et al. explore the conditions of sprite initiation in the upper atmosphere using video and modelling data. Latest content: Articles Corrigendum Journal homepage Recommend to library Web feed   Advertisement Partnerships that drive high impact open science  Nature Partner Journals is a new series of online open access journals published in collaboration with world-renowned international partners. Each partnership in the portfolio brings together strong editorial leadership with world-class publication systems to deliver high-quality, peer-reviewed original research.       Latest Articles View all Articles     Nanoparticle exposure in animals can be visualized in the skin and analysed via skin biopsy Edward A. Sykes, Qin Dai, Kim M. Tsoi, David M. Hwang and Warren C. W. Chan Nanoparticle exposure and accumulation can have detrimental health effects, but measuring these exposure levels in animals is difficult. Here, the authors show that exposure can be visualized on the skin, and can be used to quantify accumulation in the liver and spleen using elemental analysis. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4796 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Nanotechnology  Two-stroke scooters are a dominant source of air pollution in many cities S.M. Platt, I.El. Haddad, S.M. Pieber, R.-J. Huang, A.A. Zardini, M. Clairotte, R. Suarez-Bertoa, P. Barmet, L. Pfaffenberger, R. Wolf, J.G. Slowik, S.J. Fuller, M. Kalberer, R. Chirico, J. Dommen, C. Astorga, R. Zimmermann, N. Marchand, S. Hellebust, B. Temime-Roussel et al. Primary and secondary organic aerosols emitted by road vehicles are hazardous to health and climate, with diesel trucks and cars considered the main offenders. Platt et al. show that, despite constituting a small fraction of the fleet, two-stroke scooters can dominate vehicular pollution in some cities. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4749 Earth Sciences  Atmospheric science  Climate science  The effectiveness of coral reefs for coastal hazard risk reduction and adaptation Filippo Ferrario, Michael W. Beck, Curt D. Storlazzi, Fiorenza Micheli, Christine C. Shepard and Laura Airoldi The risks of flooding to coastal communities are increasing due to coastal development and climate change. Here, the authors use meta-analyses to quantitatively show that coral reefs can significantly reduce risks from natural hazards, and that reef defences can be enhanced cost effectively. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4794 Earth Sciences  Climate science  Oceanography  Exercise training reduces resting heart rate via downregulation of the funny channel HCN4 OPEN Alicia D'Souza, Annalisa Bucchi, Anne Berit Johnsen, Sunil Jit R.J. Logantha, Oliver Monfredi, Joseph Yanni, Sukhpal Prehar, George Hart, Elizabeth Cartwright, Ulrik Wisloff, Halina Dobryznski, Dario DiFrancesco, Gwilym M. Morris and Mark R. Boyett Endurance athletes are known to have a low resting heart rate. Here, D'Souza et al. propose that training-induced bradycardia is the result of electrophysiological changes in the sinus node, challenging the classical view that training-induced bradycardia is caused by increased activity of the autonomic nervous system. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4775 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Enriched variations in TEKT4 and breast cancer resistance to paclitaxel Yi-Zhou Jiang, Ke-Da Yu, Wen-Ting Peng, Gen-Hong Di, Jiong Wu, Guang-Yu Liu and Zhi-Ming Shao Paclitaxel is effective in the treatment of breast cancer but predicting which patients might respond to this drug is of clinical importance. Here, Jiang et al. show that germline mutations in TEKT4, a protein that associates with microtubules, are associated with resistance to paclitaxel therapy. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4802 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  Mutation in VPS35 associated with Parkinson's disease impairs WASH complex association and inhibits autophagy OPEN Eszter Zavodszky, Matthew N.J. Seaman, Kevin Moreau, Maria Jimenez-Sanchez, Sophia Y. Breusegem, Michael E. Harbour and David C. Rubinsztein Parkinson's disease can be caused by a rare mutation in the protein VPS35, but the mechanism responsible for this is largely unknown. Here, Zavodszky et al. show that this mutation leads to defects in the recruitment of endosomal protein sorting machinery and consequent inhibition of autophagy in cells. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4828 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Neuroscience  The covalent modifier Nedd8 is critical for the activation of Smurf1 ubiquitin ligase in tumorigenesis Ping Xie, Minghua Zhang, Shan He, Kefeng Lu, Yuhan Chen, Guichun Xing, Yiming Lu, Ping Liu, Yang Li, Shaoxia Wang, Nan Chai, Jiawei Wu, Haiteng Deng, Hong-Rui Wang, Yu Cao, Fei Zhao, Yu Cui, Jian Wang, Fuchu He and Lingqiang Zhang et al. E3 ligases that attach ubiquitin to proteins destined for proteasomal degradation are regulated by neddylation. In this study, Xie et al. show that the HECT ligase Smurf1, which is a ubiquitin ligase, is also neddylated, and this post-translational modification enhances its ligase activity. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4733 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Cell biology  Chd5 orchestrates chromatin remodelling during sperm development Wangzhi Li, Jie Wu, Sang-Yong Kim, Ming Zhao, Stephen A. Hearn, Michael Q. Zhang, Marvin L. Meistrich and Alea A. Mills Somatic histones are replaced with sperm-specific basic proteins, called protamines, during the chromatin remodelling phase of spermatogenesis. Here, the authors show that the chromatin remodelling protein Chd5 is required for histone-to-protamine replacement during spermatogenesis in mice. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4812 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Role of Rab11 in planar cell polarity and apical constriction during vertebrate neural tube closure Olga Ossipova, Kyeongmi Kim, Blue B. Lake, Keiji Itoh, Andriani Ioannou and Sergei Y. Sokol Epithelial folding is a critical process for vertebrate neural tube closure, however, its spatial regulation is largely unknown. Here Ossipova et al. show that Rab11-positive recycling endosomes acquire bilaterally symmetric distribution in the Xenopus neural plate, and that this polarization is essential for neural tube formation. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4734 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Neuroscience  Reactive nitrogen requirements to feed the world in 2050 and potential to mitigate nitrogen pollution Benjamin Leon Bodirsky, Alexander Popp, Hermann Lotze-Campen, Jan Philipp Dietrich, Susanne Rolinski, Isabelle Weindl, Christoph Schmitz, Christoph Müller, Markus Bonsch, Florian Humpenöder, Anne Biewald and Miodrag Stevanovic As global population and food demand rises, it is increasingly unclear how reactive nitrogen pollution will be mitigated. Bodirsky et al. run a series of model simulations and show that even under ambitious mitigation, reactive nitrogen pollution is likely to exceed critical environmental thresholds in the year 2050. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4858 Earth Sciences  Biogeochemistry  Climate science  Cascading ecological effects of eliminating fishery discards OPEN Michael R. Heath, Robin M. Cook, Angus I. Cameron, David J. Morris and Douglas C. Speirs Discards from fishing vessels are food for scavenging species, so ending the practice may have ecological consequences. Here, Heath et al. show that improving selectivity so that unwanted fish are not caught, achieves conservation benefits, while simply requiring that vessels land their entire catch, does not. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4893 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Extending Noether's theorem by quantifying the asymmetry of quantum states Iman Marvian and Robert W Spekkens According to Noether's theorem, every symmetry of a dynamical evolution implies a conservation law. Marvian and Spekkens show that this theorem is deficient for certain types of quantum dynamics, and they propose measures of the extent to which a quantum state breaks a symmetry. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4821 Physical Sciences  Theoretical physics  Multiple states in highly turbulent Taylor–Couette flow Sander G. Huisman, Roeland C.A. van der Veen, Chao Sun and Detlef Lohse It is commonly believed that the flow of water or air with large Reynolds number can only have one turbulent state because of large fluctuations. Here, Huisman et al. disprove this theory in experiments by identifying the existence of multiple stable states in highly turbulent Taylor–Couette flow. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4820 Physical Sciences  Fluids and plasma physics  Transcription factor IRF5 drives P2X4R+-reactive microglia gating neuropathic pain OPEN Takahiro Masuda, Shosuke Iwamoto, Ryohei Yoshinaga, Hidetoshi Tozaki-Saitoh, Akira Nishiyama, Tak W. Mak, Tomohiko Tamura, Makoto Tsuda and Kazuhide Inoue In response to neuronal injury or disease, microglia adopt distinct reactive phenotypes via the expression of proteins, such as the purinergic P2X4 receptor. Here, Masuda et al. show that the transcription factor axis, interferon regulatory factor-8 and -5, drives the expression of P2X4 receptor in microglia and the adoption of a reactive phenotype after peripheral nerve injury. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4771 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Aharonov–Bohm effect in the tunnelling of a quantum rotor in a linear Paul trap Atsushi Noguchi, Yutaka Shikano, Kenji Toyoda and Shinji Urabe In the Aharonov–Bohm effect, coupling between an electromagnetic field potential and a charged particle's wave function introduces a phase to the particle. By realizing a quantum tunnelling system of three ions in a linear Paul trap, Noguchi et al. demonstrate this effect via the particle tunnelling. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4868 Physical Sciences  Atomic and molecular physics  Optical physics  Massive gene amplification drives paediatric hepatocellular carcinoma caused by bile salt export pump deficiency Fabio Iannelli, Agnese Collino, Shruti Sinha, Enrico Radaelli, Paola Nicoli, Lorenzo D'Antiga, Aurelio Sonzogni, Jamila Faivre, Marie Annick Buendia, Ekkehard Sturm, Richard J. Thompson, A. S. Knisely, Gioacchino Natoli, Serena Ghisletti and Francesca D. Ciccarelli Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is associated with chronic inflammation, but the genetic basis of the disease remains unclear. Here, the authors report that defects in hepatocyte biliary transporters and subsequent liver inflammation induce genomic alterations that promote HCC in human and mouse. 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4850 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  Parallel evolution of cox genes in H2S-tolerant fish as key adaptation to a toxic environment Markus Pfenninger, Hannes Lerp, Michael Tobler, Courtney Passow, Joanna L Kelley, Elisabeth Funke, Bastian Greshake, Umut Kaan Erkoc, Thomas Berberich and Martin Plath Three populations of the fish Poecilia mexicana have independently colonized sulphur-rich springs, providing a unique framework to study extreme adaptation. Here, the authors show that two of the populations evolved a decreased susceptibility of the cytochrome oxidase complex to sulphides. 12 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4873 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Evolution  Dirac cones and Dirac saddle points of bright excitons in monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides Hongyi Yu, Gui-Bin Liu, Pu Gong, Xiaodong Xu and Wang Yao It has been show that monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides exhibit tightly bound excitons with a valley pseudospin that can be optically addressed by polarization selection rules. Here, the authors show the valley pseudospin is strongly coupled to the exciton centre-of-mass motion through electron-hole exchange. 12 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4876 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Optical physics  Observation of quantum-tunnelling-modulated spin texture in ultrathin topological insulator Bi2Se3 films Madhab Neupane, Anthony Richardella, Jaime Sánchez-Barriga, SuYang Xu, Nasser Alidoust, Ilya Belopolski, Chang Liu, Guang Bian, Duming Zhang, Dmitry Marchenko, Andrei Varykhalov, Oliver Rader, Mats Leandersson, Thiagarajan Balasubramanian, Tay-Rong Chang, Horng-Tay Jeng, Susmita Basak, Hsin Lin, Arun Bansil, Nitin Samarth et al. Understanding the spin texture of topological insulator surface states is crucial for applications in spintronics and nanodevices. Here, Neupane et al. report systematic spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy on ultrathin Bi2Se3 films for the first time. 12 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4841 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Generalized self-assembly of scalable two-dimensional transition metal oxide nanosheets Ziqi Sun, Ting Liao, Yuhai Dou, Soo Min Hwang, Min-Sik Park, Lei Jiang, Jung Ho Kim and Shi Xue Dou Two-dimensional metal oxide nanosheets have numerous attractive properties in fields such as photovoltaics and catalysis. Here, the authors show a general approach for the synthesis of these compounds through self-assembly on lamellar reverse micelles. 12 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4813 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Optical physics  Low abundance of the matrix arm of complex I in mitochondria predicts longevity in mice OPEN Satomi Miwa, Howsun Jow, Karen Baty, Amy Johnson, Rafal Czapiewski, Gabriele Saretzki, Achim Treumann and Thomas von Zglinicki Mitochondria are involved in ageing but exactly how they are involved is controversial. Here the authors show that optimal assembly of mitochondrial complex I predicts longevity in mice, whereas partial complex I assembly increases the production of reactive oxygen species. 12 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4837 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Medical research  Hepatocyte Toll-like receptor 4 regulates obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance Lin Jia, Claudia R. Vianna, Makoto Fukuda, Eric D. Berglund, Chen Liu, Caroline Tao, Kai Sun, Tiemin Liu, Matthew J. Harper, Charlotte E. Lee, Syann Lee, Philipp E. Scherer and Joel K. Elmquist Mice lacking Toll-like receptor 4 (Tlr4) do not develop diet-induced insulin resistance. Here Jia et al. create two tissue-specific Tlr4 knockouts to demonstrate that hepatic Tlr4, but not Tlr4 expressed in myeloid cells, is driving obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance. 12 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4878 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Bloch oscillations in plasmonic waveguide arrays A. Block, C. Etrich, T. Limboeck, F. Bleckmann, E. Soergel, C. Rockstuhl and S. Linden Bloch oscillations—oscillatory motions of wave packets in periodic potentials acting under constant forces—have been observed in semiconductor superlattices and photonic waveguide arrays. Here, the authors extend these ideas to plasmonics to observe Bloch oscillations and discrete diffraction. 12 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4843 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Optical physics  Inorganic hole conductor-based lead halide perovskite solar cells with 12.4% conversion efficiency Peng Qin, Soichiro Tanaka, Seigo Ito, Nicolas Tetreault, Kyohei Manabe, Hitoshi Nishino, Mohammad Khaja Nazeeruddin and Michael Grätzel Perovskite solar cells have been limited by the use of relatively expensive organic compounds as hole-transporting materials. Here, Qin et al. use an inorganic hole conductor, CuSCN, in a lead halide perovskite solar cell and achieve power conversion efficiencies as high as 12.4%. 12 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4834 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Genomic adaptations of the halophilic Dead Sea filamentous fungus Eurotium rubrum Tamar Kis-Papo, Alfons R. Weig, Robert Riley, Derek Peršoh, Asaf Salamov, Hui Sun, Anna Lipzen, Solomon P. Wasser, Gerhard Rambold, Igor V. Grigoriev and Eviatar Nevo The filamentous fungus Eurotium rubrum is one of the few organisms able to survive in the hypersaline Dead Sea. Here Kis-Papo et al. provide genomic and transcriptomic data that reveal potential cellular and metabolic mechanisms underlying adaptation to hypersaline stress in E. rubrum. 09 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4745 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Evolution  Genetics  Site-selective photoemission from delocalized valence shells induced by molecular rotation OPEN Catalin Miron, Quan Miao, Christophe Nicolas, John D. Bozek, Witold Andrałojć, Minna Patanen, Grazieli Simões, Oksana Travnikova, Hans Ågren and Faris Gel'mukhanov Due to the delocalization of molecular orbitals, valence-shell spectroscopy does not allow distinction between individual atoms. Here, the authors show that for photoionization, the difference in mass—and hence recoil momentum—between atoms in a diatomic molecule allows site-selective emission to be observed. 09 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4816 Physical Sciences  Atomic and molecular physics  Physical chemistry  The critical role of grain orientation and applied stress in nanoscale twinning Rodney J. McCabe, Irene J. Beyerlein, John S. Carpenter and Nathan A. Mara Deformation twinning has significant effects on the special properties of many nanoscale metals. Here, the authors reveal that there is an orientation-dependent critical threshold stress for twinning, which is presented in the form of a novel, generalized twinnability map. 09 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4806 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Inner gorges cut by subglacial meltwater during Fennoscandian ice sheet decay J.D. Jansen, A.T. Codilean, A.P. Stroeven, D. Fabel, C. Hättestrand, J. Kleman, J.M. Harbor, J. Heyman, P.W. Kubik and S. Xu Whether the origins of inner gorges were fluvial or subglacial has been debated for decades. Here, Jansen et al. present new evidence, in the form of a suite of cosmogenic nuclide exposure ages and a deglaciation map, which suggests a subglacial meltwater origin for inner gorges in northern Sweden. 09 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4815 Earth Sciences  Geology and geophysics  Rapid control of phase growth by nanoparticles OPEN Lian-Yi Chen, Jia-Quan Xu, Hongseok Choi, Hiromi Konishi, Song Jin and Xiao-Chun Li Refining microstructure is an important goal in many material systems. Here, the authors report an approach for microstructure refinement based on nanoparticle self-assembling on a growing phase, which is shown to be effective for both metallic and organic systems. 09 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4879 Physical Sciences  Materials science  S100A11 is required for efficient plasma membrane repair and survival of invasive cancer cells Jyoti K. Jaiswal, Stine P. Lauritzen, Luana Scheffer, Masakiyo Sakaguchi, Jakob Bunkenborg, Sanford M. Simon, Tuula Kallunki, Marja Jäättelä and Jesper Nylandsted The cell membrane of metastatic cells is exposed to a variety of physical and chemical stresses. Here, Jaiswal et al. show that S100A11, which is increased in expression in several cancers, is required to promote repair of cell membrane damage in invasive breast cancer cells in vitro. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4795 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Cell biology  The tobacco genome sequence and its comparison with those of tomato and potato OPEN Nicolas Sierro, James N.D. Battey, Sonia Ouadi, Nicolas Bakaher, Lucien Bovet, Adrian Willig, Simon Goepfert, Manuel C. Peitsch and Nikolai V. Ivanov Common tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) is a widely cultivated and economically important non-food crop. Here, the authors report the draft genome sequences for three of the most common tobacco varieties and provide insights into the evolution of tobacco through a comparative analysis with closely related species. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4833 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  A Krüppel-like factor downstream of the E3 ligase WWP-1 mediates dietary-restriction-induced longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans Andrea C. Carrano, Andrew Dillin and Tony Hunter The ubiquitin ligase WWP-1 mediates the lifespan-increasing effect of dietary restriction (DR) in worms. Here the authors show that WWP-1 mono-ubiquitinylates the transcription factor Klf-1 in cultured cells and demonstrate that WWP-1 acts upstream of Klf-1 to regulate DR-induced longevity in worms. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4772 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Bio-inspired detoxification using 3D-printed hydrogel nanocomposites OPEN Maling Gou, Xin Qu, Wei Zhu, Mingli Xiang, Jun Yang, Kang Zhang, Yuquan Wei and Shaochen Chen Nanoparticles capable of selectively binding target chemicals have potential for detoxification processes, but can lead to accumulation in the liver. Here the authors show a 3D-printed device containing functional nanoparticles, allowing the detox potential to be realised while holding the particles in place. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4774 Chemical Sciences  Bioengineering  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Confinement enhances dispersion in nanoparticle–polymer blend films Sivasurender Chandran, Nafisa Begam, Venkat Padmanabhan and J.K. Basu Blending polymers with nanoparticles is a way to generate new functional materials, whose properties can be tailored by the degree of dispersion of nanoparticles. Chandran et al. show geometric confinements improve dispersion, which leads to a reduced glass transition temperature compared to the bulk. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4697 Physical sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Nanotechnology  The tapetal AHL family protein TEK determines nexine formation in the pollen wall OPEN Yue Lou, Xiao-Feng Xu, Jun Zhu, Jing-Nan Gu, Stephen Blackmore and Zhong-Nan Yang The nexine is a conserved layer of the pollen wall in land plants. The authors show that the AHL family protein TRANSPOSABLE ELEMENT SILENCING VIA AT-HOOK (TEK) is necessary for nexine formation in Arabidopsis, acting downstream of the transcription factor ABORTED MICROSPORES (AMS). 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4855 Biological Sciences  Plant sciences  Integrated exome and transcriptome sequencing reveals ZAK isoform usage in gastric cancer OPEN Jinfeng Liu, Mark McCleland, Eric W. Stawiski, Florian Gnad, Oleg Mayba, Peter M. Haverty, Steffen Durinck, Ying-Jiun Chen, Christiaan Klijn, Suchit Jhunjhunwala, Michael Lawrence, Hanbin Liu, Yinan Wan, Vivek Chopra, Murat B. Yaylaoglu, Wenlin Yuan, Connie Ha, Houston N. Gilbert, Jens Reeder, Gregoire Pau et al. The genetic basis of gastric cancer, the fourth most common cancer worldwide, remains poorly understood. Here, the authors sequence and analyse the exomes and transcriptomes of primary gastric tumours and cell lines, and identify a ZAK kinase isoform that may have an oncogenic role in gastric cancer. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4830 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  Quantum state majorization at the output of bosonic Gaussian channels A. Mari, V. Giovannetti and A. S. Holevo In quantum information the majorization conjecture states that the minimum amount of disorder at the output of a quantum Guassian channel is produced by coherent input states, but its proof has remained elusive. Now, Mari et al. solve this longstanding problem and highlight some of its implications. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4826 Physical Sciences  Theoretical physics  Structural signatures of dynamic heterogeneities in monolayers of colloidal ellipsoids OPEN Zhongyu Zheng, Ran Ni, Feng Wang, Marjolein Dijkstra, Yuren Wang and Yilong Han To establish a structural signature of slow dynamics as a system approaches the glass transition is challenging. Here, the authors identify, by performing video microscopy experiments and simulations, two structural signatures for the rotational and translational dynamics in monolayers of colloidal ellipsoids. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4829 Physical Sciences  Materials science  The curved shape of Caulobacter crescentus enhances surface colonization in flow Alexandre Persat, Howard A. Stone and Zemer Gitai The potential advantages of specific cell shapes among microbes are unclear. Here, the authors show that the curved shape of the bacterium Caulobacter crescentus, which lives in lakes and streams, helps cells to colonize surfaces in the presence of fluid flow. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4824 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Microbiology  Translation-independent circadian control of the cell cycle in a unicellular photosynthetic eukaryote Shin-ya Miyagishima, Takayuki Fujiwara, Nobuko Sumiya, Shunsuke Hirooka, Akihiko Nakano, Yukihiro Kabeya and Mami Nakamura Photosynthetic unicellular eukaryotes undergo cell division more frequently at night. Miyagishima et al. show that circadian control of the cell division cycle in unicellular red algae is mediated by phosphorylation of E2F, and that nocturnal cell division protects these cells from photosynthetic oxidative stress. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4807 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Plant sciences  Atom–light interactions in photonic crystals A. Goban, C.-L. Hung, S.-P. Yu, J.D. Hood, J.A. Muniz, J.H. Lee, M.J. Martin, A.C. McClung, K.S. Choi, D.E. Chang, O. Painter and H.J. Kimble The use of photonic crystals to trap atoms on a chip offers unique possibilities for atom–light interactions. Advancing towards this goal, the authors realize photonic crystal waveguides where the electronic transition frequencies of localized caesium atoms are aligned with the band edges of the waveguides. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4808 Physical Sciences  Atomic and molecular physics  Optical physics  Correlated loss of ecosystem services in coupled mutualistic networks Jörg Albrecht, Dana Gertrud Berens, Bogdan Jaroszewicz, Nuria Selva, Roland Brandl and Nina Farwig Species interactions are known to promote biodiversity and ecosystem stability. Here, the authors assess the effect of habitat alteration on a species network that considers multiple interaction types, and find that plants mediate the response of pollinators and seed dispersers to habitat degradation. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4810 Biological Sciences  Ecology  A high-coverage shRNA screen identifies TMEM129 as an E3 ligase involved in ER-associated protein degradation OPEN Michael L. van de Weijer, Michael C. Bassik, Rutger D. Luteijn, Cornelia M. Voorburg, Mirjam A.M. Lohuis, Elisabeth Kremmer, Rob C. Hoeben, Emily M. LeProust, Siyuan Chen, Hanneke Hoelen, Maaike E. Ressing, Weronika Patena, Jonathan S. Weissman, Michael T. McManus, Emmanuel J.H.J. Wiertz and Robert Jan Lebbink The human cytomegalovirus protein US11 downregulates host immune responses by redirecting HLA class I molecules for endoplasmic reticulum-associated protein degradation. Using a high-coverage genome-wide shRNA screen, the authors identify TMEM129 as an E3 ubiquitin ligase essential for this process. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4832 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Immunology  Structural basis of PcsB-mediated cell separation in Streptococcus pneumoniae Sergio G. Bartual, Daniel Straume, Gro Anita Stamsås, Inés G. Muñoz, Carlos Alfonso, Martín Martínez-Ripoll, Leiv Sigve Håvarstein and Juan A. Hermoso The peptidoglycan hydrolase PcsB is required for cell wall splitting during cell division in Streptococci. Bartual et al. show that PcsB adopts an autoinhibited dimeric structure, and demonstrate the muralytic activity of the uninhibited catalytic domain. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4842 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cell biology  Microbiology  Subfemtosecond steering of hydrocarbon deprotonation through superposition of vibrational modes A.S. Alnaser, M. Kübel, R. Siemering, B. Bergues, Nora G Kling, K.J. Betsch, Y. Deng, J. Schmidt, Z.A. Alahmed, A.M. Azzeer, J. Ullrich, I. Ben-Itzhak, R. Moshammer, U. Kleineberg, F. Krausz, R. de Vivie-Riedle and M.F. Kling Subfemtosecond selective breaking of chemical bonds—such as carbon-hydrogen bonds in organic molecules—can open up new routes for laser-driven synthesis. Here, the authors show directional control of proton ejection in a symmetric acetylene molecule. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4800 Physical Sciences  Atomic and molecular physics  Physical chemistry  Poly-cyclodextrin and poly-paclitaxel nano-assembly for anticancer therapy Ran Namgung, Yeong Mi Lee, Jihoon Kim, Yuna Jang, Byung-Heon Lee, In-San Kim, Pandian Sokkar, Young Min Rhee, Allan S. Hoffman and Won Jong Kim Polymer-based drug-delivery strategies can sometimes be hampered by the poor stability of polymer–drug conjugates and their ineffectual drug-release profiles. Here, the authors fabricate a cyclodextrin-based polymer–drug nano-assembly and demonstrate effective in vivo tumour reduction activity. 08 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4702 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Nanotechnology  AmotL2 links VE-cadherin to contractile actin fibres necessary for aortic lumen expansion Sara Hultin, Yujuan Zheng, Mahdi Mojallal, Simona Vertuani, Christian Gentili, Martial Balland, Rachel Milloud, Heinz-Georg Belting, Markus Affolter, Christian S.M. Helker, Ralf H. Adams, Wiebke Herzog, Per Uhlen, Arindam Majumdar and Lars Holmgren Cell–cell adhesion molecules and the cytoskeleton determine endothelial cell shape during the formation of blood vessels. Here the authors show that the scaffold protein, amotL2, couples adherens junctions to contractile cytoskeletal proteins to coordinate cellular morphogenesis with aortic lumen expansion. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4743 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Medical research  Bacterial twitching motility is coordinated by a two-dimensional tug-of-war with directional memory Rahul Marathe, Claudia Meel, Nora C. Schmidt, Lena Dewenter, Rainer Kurre, Lilo Greune, M. Alexander Schmidt, Melanie J.I. Müller, Reinhard Lipowsky, Berenike Maier and Stefan Klumpp Bacteria such as Neisseria gonorrhoeae use filamentous appendages known as pili to move on surfaces. Here, using a combined theoretical and experimental approach, the authors show that pili are coordinated through a tug-of-war mechanism that provides directional persistence. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4759 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Microbiology  Rhythmic oscillations of the microRNA miR-96-5p play a neuroprotective role by indirectly regulating glutathione levels OPEN Chisato Kinoshita, Koji Aoyama, Nobuko Matsumura, Kazue Kikuchi-Utsumi, Masahiko Watabe and Toshio Nakaki Glutathione is a key antioxidant that plays an important neuroprotective role in the brain. Here, Kinoshita et al. show that levels of glutathione exhibit diurnal fluctuations that are indirectly regulated by the microRNA miR-96-5p, and that this microRNA plays a neuroprotective role against oxidative stress. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4823 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Protein grafting of p53TAD onto a leucine zipper scaffold generates a potent HDM dual inhibitor Jung-Hoon Lee, Eunji Kang, Jungmin Lee, Jungmin Kim, Kyoung Hu Lee, Jieun Han, Hye Yoon Kang, Soshin Ahn, Youngmi Oh, Dongkyu Shin, Kyeyeon Hur, Su Young Chae, Paul H. Song, Yong-In Kim, Jae Chan Park and Jae Il Lee The protein levels of the tumour suppressor p53 can be negatively regulated by HDM2, which is an attractive target for cancer therapy. In this study, Lee et al. graft the transactivation domain of p53 onto a scaffold protein and show that this binds to HDM2 and inhibits cancer cell growth in vitro. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4814 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Cancer  Frequency domain optical parametric amplification OPEN Bruno E. Schmidt, Nicolas Thiré, Maxime Boivin, Antoine Laramée, François Poitras, Guy Lebrun, Tsuneyuki Ozaki, Heide Ibrahim and François Légaré Optical parametric amplification is a process that amplifies the power of laser pulses. Here, Schmidt and colleagues demonstrate that performing this amplification in the frequency domain rather than the optical domain could lead to higher power outputs. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4643 Physical Sciences  Optical physics  Transcriptional control of ROS homeostasis by KUODA1 regulates cell expansion during leaf development OPEN Dandan Lu, Ting Wang, Staffan Persson, Bernd Mueller-Roeber and Jos H.M. Schippers During plant development, organ size is controlled by cell proliferation and expansion, but the molecular mechanisms involved are unclear. Here, Lu et al. show that leaf cell expansion is controlled by the KUA1 transcription factor that acts in a circadian manner and modulates the expression of genes encoding cell wall-localized peroxidases. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4767 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Plant sciences  Single-vesicle architecture of synaptobrevin2 in astrocytes Priyanka Singh, Jernej Jorgačevski, Marko Kreft, Vladimir Grubišić, Randy F. Stout Jr, Maja Potokar, Vladimir Parpura and Robert Zorec The astrocytic vesicular protein, synaptobrevin2 (Sb2), is implicated in neurotransmitter release, but its vesicular arrangement is poorly understood. Here, Singh et al. use super-resolution fluorescence microscopy to show that the total number of endogenous Sb2 molecules per vesicle is ≤25. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4780 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Glycinergic inhibition tunes coincidence detection in the auditory brainstem OPEN Michael H. Myoga, Simon Lehnert, Christian Leibold, Felix Felmy and Benedikt Grothe Coincidence detector neurons in the mammalian brainstem encode interaural time differences (ITDs) that are implicated in auditory processing. Myoga et al. study a previously developed neuronal model and find that inhibition is crucial for sound localization, but more dynamically than previously thought. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4790 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  An order parameter for impurity systems at quantum criticality OPEN Abolfazl Bayat, Henrik Johannesson, Sougato Bose and Pasquale Sodano So far, the notion of the order parameter for impurity quantum phase transitions has been missing. Using a two-impurity Kondo model, Bayat et al. show that the Schmidt gap obtained from the entanglement spectrum may serve as a nonlocal order parameter for a quantum impurity system at criticality. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4784 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Theoretical physics  A new clade of Asian Late Cretaceous long-snouted tyrannosaurids Junchang Lü, Laiping Yi, Stephen L. Brusatte, Ling Yang, Hua Li and Liu Chen Tyrannosaurids were top predators in Asia and North America during the latest Cretaceous and most species had deep skulls. Here, Lü et al. describe mature fossils of Qianzhousaurus sinensis, a new long-snouted tyrannosaurid species from southeastern China that groups with other long snout species from Asia. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4788 Biological Sciences  Palaeontology  Observation of a three-dimensional topological Dirac semimetal phase in high-mobility Cd3As2 Madhab Neupane, Su-Yang Xu, Raman Sankar, Nasser Alidoust, Guang Bian, Chang Liu, Ilya Belopolski, Tay-Rong Chang, Horng-Tay Jeng, Hsin Lin, Arun Bansil, Fangcheng Chou and M. Zahid Hasan Topological Dirac semimetals constitute a promising platform for the study of quantum Hall phenomena and Weyl fermion transport. Using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, Neupane et al. identify the topological bulk Dirac semimetal phase in a Cd3As2 system. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4786 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  An ITAM-Syk-CARD9 signalling axis triggers contact hypersensitivity by stimulating IL-1 production in dendritic cells Shinsuke Yasukawa, Yoshiyuki Miyazaki, Chika Yoshii, Mako Nakaya, Naoko Ozaki, Shuji Toda, Etsushi Kuroda, Ken-ichi Ishibashi, Tomoharu Yasuda, Yohei Natsuaki, Fumika Mi-ichi, Ei'ichi Iizasa, Takeshi Nakahara, Masanori Yamazaki, Kenji Kabashima, Yoichiro Iwakura, Toshiyuki Takai, Takashi Saito, Tomohiro Kurosaki, Bernard Malissen et al. Contact hypersensitivity is caused by the reaction of T cells to various chemical contact allergens. Here, the authors unveil the signalling pathway induced in dendritic cells in response to contact allergens, which is required for the stimulation of T-cell sensitization in contact hypersensitivity. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4755 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Loss-of-heterozygosity facilitates passage through Haldane's sieve for Saccharomyces cerevisiae undergoing adaptation A. C. Gerstein, A. Kuzmin and S. P. Otto Haldane's sieve is a theoretical prediction which states that recessive beneficial mutations rarely contribute to adaptation. Here, Gerstein et al. show rapid growth of Saccharomyces carrying recessive beneficial mutations, due to loss-of-heterozygosity when exposed to a fungicide and provide a mechanism for avoiding Haldane's sieve. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4819 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  A population of glomerular glutamatergic neurons controls sensory information transfer in the mouse olfactory bulb Roberta Tatti, Khaleel Bhaukaurally, Olivier Gschwend, Rebecca P. Seal, Robert H. Edwards, Ivan Rodriguez and Alan Carleton The olfactory bulb (OB) is involved in odour processing, but exactly how is unclear. Tatti et al. identify a population of VGluT3-expressing neurons within the OB that suppresses spontaneous and odour-evoked firing of OB output neurons via direct connections with OB output neurons and juxtaglomerular cells. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4791 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Arctic tree rings as recorders of variations in light availability OPEN A. R. Stine and P. Huybers Tree rings are widely used to reconstruct historical records of surface temperature. Here, Stine and Huybers analyse tree-ring records north of 50°N and show that changes in the light environment associated with both volcanic eruptions and global dimming significantly influence tree-ring growth. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4836 Earth Sciences  Climate science  Pressure-induced semiconducting to metallic transition in multilayered molybdenum disulphide Avinash P. Nayak, Swastibrata Bhattacharyya, Jie Zhu, Jin Liu, Xiang Wu, Tribhuwan Pandey, Changqing Jin, Abhishek K. Singh, Deji Akinwande and Jung-Fu Lin Molybdenum disulphide has been predicted to undergo an electronic phase transition, but experimental evidence for this is limited. Here, the authors observe a high-pressure semiconducting-to-metallic transition in molybdenum disulphide at 19 GPa, and quantify changes in electronic, vibrational, optical and structural properties. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4731 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Plasma irregularities in the D-region ionosphere in association with sprite streamer initiation Jianqi Qin, Victor P. Pasko, Matthew G. McHarg and Hans C. Stenbaek-Nielsen Sprites are spectacular optical emissions in the mesosphere with an enigmatic filamentary nature. Qin et al. present high-speed video and modelling data revealing sub-millisecond dynamics to reconstruct the structures on a km-scale, showing that pre-existing plasma irregularities are responsible for their initiation. 07 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4740 Earth Sciences  Atmospheric science    Nature Communications JOBS of the week Postdoctoral Research Assistant St. George's University of London 3 doctoral positions Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, Germany Group Leader Positions Curie Institute Postdoctoral Fellow Cleveland Clinic Postdoctoral Training Fellow Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) Post-doctoral fellow FAPESP - São Paulo Research Foundation 10 PhD and postdoc positions ETH Zurich Senior Research Technician University College London (UCL) Postdoctoral Fellow University of Illinois Research Associate University of Cambridge More Science jobs from Nature Communications EVENT Palliative Medicine Symposium 18.09.14 Nevada, USA More science events from       Latest Corrigendum     Corrigendum: A doublecortin containing microtubule-associated protein is implicated in mechanotransduction in Drosophila sensory cilia S. Bechstedt, J. T. Albert, D. P. Kreil, T. Müller-Reichert, M. C. Göpfert and J. Howard 13 May 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms4852 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Molecular biology  Neuroscience        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. For event advertising opportunities across the Nature Publishing Group portfolio please contact natureevents@nature.com  More Nature Events You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. 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