Nature Communications - 10 September 2014

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Weekly Content Alert 10 September 2014  Featured image: Jang et al. show how their stretchable electronic sensor can be used to make physiological measurements through the skin. Latest content: Review Articles Erratum Journal homepage Recommend to library Web feed   Advertisement Nature Reviews Urology and Nature Reviews Endocrinology present a collection on fertility and reproduction In the developed world, birth rates are plummeting, whilst rising rates of obesity and cancer are affecting fertility. This collection contains Reviews and commentaries written by key opinion leaders on a range of topics pertinent to the subject, from the molecular mechanisms regulating fertility and reproduction to the preservation of fertility and treatment of infertility in both men and women. Access the collection online       Latest Review View all Reviews     Selective chemical protein modification Christopher D. Spicer and Benjamin G. Davis The chemical modification of proteins is an important tool for probing natural systems and synthesizing novel conjugates. Here, Spicer and Davis review the merits and limitations of the most useful methods for selective modification at both natural and unnatural amino acids. 05 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5740 Chemical Sciences  Chemical biology  Organic chemistry        Latest Articles View all Articles     Sequencing an Ashkenazi reference panel supports population-targeted personal genomics and illuminates Jewish and European origins OPEN Shai Carmi, Ken Y. Hui, Ethan Kochav, Xinmin Liu, James Xue, Fillan Grady, Saurav Guha, Kinnari Upadhyay, Dan Ben-Avraham, Semanti Mukherjee, B. Monica Bowen, Tinu Thomas, Joseph Vijai, Marc Cruts, Guy Froyen, Diether Lambrechts, Stéphane Plaisance, Christine Van Broeckhoven, Philip Van Damme, Herwig Van Marck et al. Ashkenazi Jews are a genetically isolated population with distinct patterns of genetic diversity. Here, the authors sequence the genomes of 128 Ashkenazi Jewish individuals and use the sequence information to provide insight into the population's European and Middle Eastern origins. 09 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5835 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  Genome sequencing of chimpanzee malaria parasites reveals possible pathways of adaptation to human hosts OPEN Thomas D. Otto, Julian C. Rayner, Ulrike Böhme, Arnab Pain, Natasha Spottiswoode, Mandy Sanders, Michael Quail, Benjamin Ollomo, François Renaud, Alan W. Thomas, Franck Prugnolle, David J. Conway, Chris Newbold and Matthew Berriman Plasmodium falciparum, known to cause malaria in humans, evolved from parasites of African Great Apes. Here, the authors compare the genome of the human parasite, P. falciparum, with those of two related chimpanzee parasites, P. reichenowi and P. gaboni, and provide insight into the genetic basis of P. falciparum adaptation to human hosts. 09 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5754 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  Unconventional molecule-resolved current rectification in diamondoid–fullerene hybrids OPEN Jason C. Randel, Francis C. Niestemski, Andrés R. Botello-Mendez, Warren Mar, Georges Ndabashimiye, Sorin Melinte, Jeremy E. P. Dahl, Robert M. K. Carlson, Ekaterina D. Butova, Andrey A. Fokin, Peter R. Schreiner, Jean-Christophe Charlier and Hari C. Manoharan Diamondoids are building blocks for nanostructured materials that can be used in molecular devices. Here, Randel et al. demonstrate an all-hydrocarbon single-molecule rectifier composed of a buckyball cage fused to a diamondoid, which outperforms either of its separate molecular constituents. 09 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5877 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Dislocation motion and grain boundary migration in two-dimensional tungsten disulphide Amin Azizi, Xiaolong Zou, Peter Ercius, Zhuhua Zhang, Ana Laura Elías, Néstor Perea-López, Greg Stone, Mauricio Terrones, Boris I. Yakobson and Nasim Alem Two-dimensional (2D) crystals offer exciting opportunities to study dislocations, including their migration dynamics. Here, the authors show the local strain field at the dislocation core and dislocation motion leading to grain boundary migration in a monolayer of tungsten disulphide. 09 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5867 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Massive outbreaks of Noctiluca scintillans blooms in the Arabian Sea due to spread of hypoxia Helga do Rosário Gomes, Joaquim I. Goes, S. G. P. Matondkar, Edward J. Buskey, Subhajit Basu, Sushma Parab and Prasad Thoppil Phytoplankton blooms in the northern Arabian Sea have shifted from diatoms to green dinoflagellates in the last decade. Here, the authors show that influx of oxygen deficient waters, together with the ability of dinoflagellates’ endosymbionts to fix carbon under such conditions, facilitated the bloom shift. 09 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5862 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Impurity-band transport in organic spin valves Z. G. Yu The device resistance of organic spin valves is closely related to their large magnetoresistance, but the origin of this phenomenon is still unclear. Here, Yu provides an explanation in terms of electrons tunneling into a broad impurity band located between occupied and unoccupied molecular orbitals. 09 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5842 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Theoretical physics  Insights into mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis from the structure of heterotetrameric 3-ketoacyl-ACP reductase/3R-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase Rajaram Venkatesan, Shiv K. Sah-Teli, Luqman O. Awoniyi, Guangyu Jiang, Piotr Prus, Alexander J. Kastaniotis, J. Kalervo Hiltunen, Rik K. Wierenga and Zhijun Chen 3-Ketoacyl-ACP reductase is required for mitochondrial fatty acid synthesis. Venkatesan et al. present structures of this enzyme, show that the β-subunit is involved in fatty acid synthesis and propose a role for the α-subunit in routing unsaturated fatty acids into β-oxidation. 09 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5805 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  STV11 encodes a sulphotransferase and confers durable resistance to rice stripe virus OPEN Qi Wang, Yuqiang Liu, Jun He, Xiaoming Zheng, Jinlong Hu, Yanling Liu, Huimin Dai, Yingxin Zhang, Baoxiang Wang, Weixun Wu, He Gao, Yunhui Zhang, Xiaorong Tao, Huafeng Deng, Dingyang Yuan, Ling Jiang, Xin Zhang, Xiuping Guo, Xianian Cheng, Chuanyin Wu et al. Rice stripe virus (RSV) causes a disease in rice with significant economic consequences. Here, the authors clone an RSV-resistant gene in rice and suggest that this gene encodes a sulphotransferase that catalyses the conversion of salicylic acid (SA) into sulphonated salicylic acid, leading to increased SA accumulation in RSV-infected plants and inhibition of viral replication. 09 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5768 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Plant sciences  Activation of G-protein-coupled receptors correlates with the formation of a continuous internal water pathway Shuguang Yuan, Slawomir Filipek, Krzysztof Palczewski and Horst Vogel The crystal structure of the A2A GPCR suggested that water molecules might form a continuous pathway that becomes disrupted during receptor activation. Here Yuan et al. instead show that a conserved layer of hydrophobic residues forms a gate that opens to form a continuous water channel upon receptor activation. 09 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5733 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Protein co-translocational unfolding depends on the direction of pulling OPEN David Rodriguez-Larrea and Hagan Bayley Protein unfolding and translocation through membrane pores occurs in several biological processes and has implications in nanopore technologies. Here, the authors show that the kinetics of unfolding differ depending on which end of the chain enters the pore first. 08 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5841 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Nanotechnology  Topological excitations in a kagome magnet Manuel Pereiro, Dmitry Yudin, Jonathan Chico, Corina Etz, Olle Eriksson and Anders Bergman Topological excitations in insulating magnets have recently attracted great interest from a fundamental and applied perspective. Here, Pereiro et al. report on the conditions to generate, stabilize and control skyrmions, even at room temperature, in a kagome magnet. 08 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5815 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Loss of Wdfy3 in mice alters cerebral cortical neurogenesis reflecting aspects of the autism pathology Lori A. Orosco, Adam P. Ross, Staci L. Cates, Sean E. Scott, Dennis Wu, Jiho Sohn, David Pleasure, Samuel J. Pleasure, Iannis E. Adamopoulos and Konstantinos S Zarbalis The Wdfy3 gene has been associated with autism spectrum disorders in children. Here, the authors examine two separate mutant alleles of this gene in mice and identify its role in cortical neurogenesis, reproducing pathological changes characteristic of the disorder. 08 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5692 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Neuroscience  Aneuploidy induces profound changes in gene expression, proliferation and tumorigenicity of human pluripotent stem cells Uri Ben-David, Gal Arad, Uri Weissbein, Berhan Mandefro, Adva Maimon, Tamar Golan-Lev, Kavita Narwani, Amander T. Clark, Peter W. Andrews, Nissim Benvenisty and Juan Carlos Biancotti Trisomy 12 is the most frequent chromosomal abnormality detected in cultures of human pluripotent stem cells. Here the authors show that human pluripotent stem cells carrying this abnormality exhibit gene expression profiles more similar to those of germ cell tumours, and give rise to more aggressive teratomas. 08 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5825 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Genetics  Fano resonances and all-optical switching in a resonantly coupled plasmonic–atomic system Liron Stern, Meir Grajower and Uriel Levy Through light–matter interactions, the combination of atomic and plasmonic systems provides new spectral resonances that offer tunable spectral responses. Stern et al. show that the coupling of a plasmonic metal film with rubidium vapour leads to Fano resonances that can be all-optically controlled. 08 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5865 Physical Sciences  Atomic and molecular physics  Optical physics  Evidence of Stranski–Krastanov growth at the initial stage of atmospheric water condensation Jie Song, Qiang Li, Xiaofeng Wang, Jingyuan Li, Shuai Zhang, Jørgen Kjems, Flemming Besenbacher and Mingdong Dong Water condensation on surfaces occurs in nature everywhere, but the study of its initial stage at ambient conditions is very challenging. Here, Song et al. address this issue using thermal controlled atomic force microscopy and identify a mixture of layer-by-layer and island-like modes. 08 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5837 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Physical chemistry  The ubiquitin ligase PDZRN3 is required for vascular morphogenesis through Wnt/planar cell polarity signalling Raj N. Sewduth, Béatrice Jaspard-Vinassa, Claire Peghaire, Aude Guillabert, Nathalie Franzl, Frederic Larrieu-Lahargue, Catherine Moreau, Marcus Fruttiger, Pascale Dufourcq, Thierry Couffinhal and Cécile Duplàa Wnt/planar cell polarity (PCP) signalling regulates angiogenesis in vertebrates. Here the authors show that the E3 ubiquitin ligase PDZRN3 ubiquitinates the PCP-signalling protein Dishevelled 3 to promote Wnt/PCP signalling, directing embryonic and postnatal remodelling of the vasculature in mouse. 08 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5832 Biological Sciences  Ancient homology underlies adaptive mimetic diversity across butterflies OPEN Jason R. Gallant, Vance E. Imhoff, Arnaud Martin, Wesley K. Savage, Nicola L. Chamberlain, Ben L. Pote, Chelsea Peterson, Gabriella E. Smith, Benjamin Evans, Robert D. Reed, Marcus R. Kronforst and Sean P. Mullen Little is known about the genetic basis of convergent evolution in deeply diverged species. Here, the authors show that variation in the WntA gene is associated with parallel wing pattern variation in two butterflies that diverged more than 65 million years ago. 08 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5817 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  A female gametocyte-specific ABC transporter plays a role in lipid metabolism in the malaria parasite Phuong N. Tran, Simon H. J. Brown, Todd W. Mitchell, Kai Matuschewski, Paul J. McMillan, Kiaran Kirk, Matthew W. A. Dixon and Alexander G. Maier Production of male and female forms of the malaria parasite in an infected person is crucial for transmission of the disease. Here, Tran et al. show that an ABC transporter protein of the parasite, expressed in the female cells, modulates lipid accumulation and formation of sexual cells. 08 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5773 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Microbiology  A toolbox of oligopeptide-modified polymers for tailored elastomers Emmanuel Croisier, Su Liang, Thomas Schweizer, Sandor Balog, Marijana Mionić, Ruben Snellings, Joël Cugnoni, Véronique Michaud and Holger Frauenrath Biological systems are capable of building diverse structures starting from a limited number of chemical building blocks. Here, the authors show that polymers terminated with oligopeptides display assembly behaviour dependent on peptide length, and blends allow tailoring of a variety of material properties. 08 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5728 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Organic chemistry  Immunochip SNP array identifies novel genetic variants conferring susceptibility to candidaemia Vinod Kumar, Shih-Chin Cheng, Melissa D. Johnson, Sanne P Smeekens, Agnieszka Wojtowicz, Evangelos Giamarellos-Bourboulis, Juha Karjalainen, Lude Franke, Sebo Withoff, Theo S Plantinga, Frank L. van de Veerdonk, Jos W.M. van der Meer, Leo A.B. Joosten, Harry Sokol, Hermann Bauer, Bernhard G. Herrmann, Pierre-Yves Bochud, Oscar Marchetti, John R. Perfect, Ramnik J. Xavier et al. Candidaemia is a common cause of bloodstream infection, but the genetic basis of Candida infection is poorly understood. Here, the authors identify genetic variation at three loci that increase risk of candidaemia, and show that genes at these loci have a role in antifungal host defence. 08 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5675 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Immunology  High-resolution eye tracking using V1 neuron activity James M. McFarland, Adrian G. Bondy, Bruce G. Cumming and Daniel A. Butts Studies of high-acuity foveal neurons in the retina have been limited by an inability to accurately track eye position. Here, McFarland et al. present a method that accurately estimates eye position, allowing for detailed analyses of foveal and parafoveal stimulus processing. 08 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5605 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Hotspot-mediated ultrafast nonlinear control of multifrequency plasmonic nanoantennas Martina Abb, Yudong Wang, C. H. de Groot and Otto L. Muskens The subwavelength scale of plasmonics is attractive for optical nanodevices, if greater control over such systems can be achieved. Here, the authors show the independent control of hotspot-mediated Kerr nonlinearities in a nanoantenna array, enabling individual tuning of optical pathways in the medium. 05 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5869 Physical Sciences  Nanotechnology  Optical physics  Electrophoretic and field-effect graphene for all-electrical DNA array technology Guangyu Xu, Jeffrey Abbott, Ling Qin, Kitty Y. M. Yeung, Yi Song, Hosang Yoon, Jing Kong and Donhee Ham Field-effect transistor biomolecule sensors have numerous advantages including sensitivity and label-free operation. Here, the authors fabricate field-effect transistor arrays from graphene, which represent steps towards multiplexed DNA arrays, where graphene acts as both a sensor and electrophoretic electrode. 05 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5866 Biological Sciences  Nanotechnology  Pharmacological correction of obesity-induced autophagy arrest using calcium channel blockers Hwan-Woo Park, Haeli Park, Ian A. Semple, Insook Jang, Seung-Hyun Ro, Myungjin Kim, Victor A. Cazares, Edward L. Stuenkel, Jung-Jae Kim, Jeong Sig Kim and Jun Hee Lee Cellular defects in autophagy contribute to the development of fatty liver in obesity. Here, Park et al. reveal that hepatic autophagy is impaired by chronically elevated cytosolic calcium levels, and show that a clinically approved calcium channel blocker can improve metabolic parameters of obese mice. 05 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5834 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Fibroblast growth factor signalling controls nervous system patterning and pigment cell formation in Ciona intestinalis OPEN Claudia Racioppi, Ashwani K. Kamal, Florian Razy-Krajka, Gennaro Gambardella, Laura Zanetti, Diego di Bernardo, Remo Sanges, Lionel A. Christiaen and Filomena Ristoratore The fibroblast growth factor (FGF) signalling pathway specifies the fate of pigmented cells in the ascidian Ciona intestinalis. Here, the authors obtain lineage-specific transcription profiles of pigment precursor cells and identify FGF downstream genes involved in central nervous system patterning, and the specification and differentiation of pigmented cells. 05 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5830 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Cdk5-mediated phosphorylation of RapGEF2 controls neuronal migration in the developing cerebral cortex OPEN Tao Ye, Jacque P. K. Ip, Amy K. Y. Fu and Nancy Y. Ip During cerebral cortex development, pyramidal neurons migrate and integrate into the cortical plate after undergoing a multipolar–bipolar transition to initiate radial migration. Here the authors show that the downstream target of Cdk5, RapGEF2, is critical for this polarity transition and the migration and integration of neurons into the cortex. 05 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5826 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Resident CD4+ T cells accumulate in lymphoid organs after prolonged antigen exposure Milas Ugur, Olga Schulz, Manoj B. Menon, Andreas Krueger and Oliver Pabst T follicular helper cells are lymph node residents, but whether other CD4+ T cells also reside in lymph nodes is not clear. Here, the authors use photoconversion to examine T cell migration in lymph nodes and Peyer’s patches and identify a population of antigen-experienced CD4+ T cells retained in lymphoid tissue. 05 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5821 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Negative regulation of NF-κB activity by brain-specific TRIpartite Motif protein 9 Mude Shi, Hyelim Cho, Kyung-Soo Inn, Aerin Yang, Zhen Zhao, Qiming Liang, Gijs A. Versteeg, Samad Amini-Bavil-Olyaee, Lai-Yee Wong, Berislav V. Zlokovic, Hee-Sung Park, Adolfo García-Sastre and Jae U. Jung ß-TrCP is an adaptor protein that controls activity of several key regulatory proteins including NFκB by ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis. Here Shi et al. demonstrate that ß-TrCP is negatively regulated by the brain-specific protein TRIM9, limiting activation of NFκB and production of proinflammatory cytokines. 05 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5820 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Neuroscience  Somatic mutations in DROSHA and DICER1 impair microRNA biogenesis through distinct mechanisms in Wilms tumours Dinesh Rakheja, Kenneth S. Chen, Yangjian Liu, Abhay A. Shukla, Vanessa Schmid, Tsung-Cheng Chang, Shama Khokhar, Jonathan E. Wickiser, Nitin J. Karandikar, James S. Malter, Joshua T. Mendell and James F. Amatruda Wilms tumour is a common childhood cancer. Here, the authors use whole-exome sequencing in 44 Wilms tumours to characterize their mutational landscape and show that DICER1 and DROSHA mutations can suppress the biogenesis of tumour-suppressing microRNAs. 05 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5802 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  Ferroic nature of magnetic toroidal order Anne S. Zimmermann, Dennis Meier and Manfred Fiebig Long-range order of electric or magnetic dipoles leads to ferroic properties such as ferromagnetism or ferroelectricity. Here, the authors find that the previously observed magnetic toroidal order in LiCoPO4 represents its own ferroic order, arising from the violation of space- and time-inversion symmetry. 05 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5796 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  The Glanville fritillary genome retains an ancient karyotype and reveals selective chromosomal fusions in Lepidoptera OPEN Virpi Ahola, Rainer Lehtonen, Panu Somervuo, Leena Salmela, Patrik Koskinen, Pasi Rastas, Niko Välimäki, Lars Paulin, Jouni Kvist, Niklas Wahlberg, Jaakko Tanskanen, Emily A. Hornett, Laura C. Ferguson, Shiqi Luo, Zijuan Cao, Maaike A. de Jong, Anne Duplouy, Olli-Pekka Smolander, Heiko Vogel, Rajiv C. McCoy et al. Butterflies and moths (Lepidoptera) vary in chromosome number. Here, the authors sequence the genome of the Glanville fritillary butterfly, Melitaea cinxia, show it has the ancestral lepidopteran karyotype and provide insight into how chromosomal fusions have shaped karyotype evolution in butterflies and moths. 05 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5737 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  Critical speeding-up in the magnetoelectric response of spin-ice near its monopole liquid–gas transition Christoph P. Grams, Martin Valldor, Markus Garst and Joachim Hemberger The competing magnetic interaction in the spin-ice oxide compounds lead to emergent magnetic monopole excitations. Here, the authors study the critical dynamics near the monopole liquid-gas transition, and confirm predictions that these monopoles are also accompanied by an electric dipole. 04 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5853 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Disentangling rock record bias and common-cause from redundancy in the British fossil record Alexander M. Dunhill, Bjarte Hannisdal and Michael J. Benton Palaeodiversity estimations are confounded by fossil availability and sampling. Here, Dunhill et al. use the fossil record of Great Britain to test aspects of the marine and terrestrial fossil records that are commonly used to identify and correct for bias in palaeodiversity estimations. 04 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5818 Biological Sciences  Palaeontology  Controlled thermal oxidative crosslinking of polymers of intrinsic microporosity towards tunable molecular sieve membranes Qilei Song, Shuai Cao, Robyn H. Pritchard, Behnam Ghalei, Shaheen A. Al-Muhtaseb, Eugene M. Terentjev, Anthony K. Cheetham and Easan Sivaniah Organic frameworks with well-defined micropore structures are attractive materials for mass transfer and catalytic applications. Here, the authors demonstrate that polymers of intrinsic microporosity can be thermal-oxidatively crosslinked yielding robust materials with high molecular-sieving selectivity. 04 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5813 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Colossal positive and negative thermal expansion and thermosalient effect in a pentamorphic organometallic martensite Manas K. Panda, Tomče Runčevski, Subash Chandra Sahoo, Alexei A. Belik, Naba K. Nath, Robert E. Dinnebier and Panče Naumov The thermosalient effect is the unusual tendency of some crystals to visibly jump during phase changes. Here, the authors study the multiple phase changes in a prototypic thermosalient material and provide evidence for the factors that drive this self-actuation. 04 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5811 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Materials science  An atomic model of brome mosaic virus using direct electron detection and real-space optimization OPEN Zhao Wang, Corey F. Hryc, Benjamin Bammes, Pavel V. Afonine, Joanita Jakana, Dong-Hua Chen, Xiangan Liu, Matthew L. Baker, Cheng Kao, Steven J. Ludtke, Michael F. Schmid, Paul D. Adams and Wah Chiu Recent developments in cryo-electron microscopy have enabled structure determination of large protein complexes at almost atomic resolution. Wang et al. combine some of these technologies into an effective workflow, and demonstrate the protocol by solving the atomic structure of an icosahedral RNA virus. 04 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5808 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Virology  Dynactin functions as both a dynamic tether and brake during dynein-driven motility Swathi Ayloo, Jacob E. Lazarus, Aditya Dodda, Mariko Tokito, E Michael Ostap and Erika L. F. Holzbaur It remains unclear how the dynactin complex activates cytoplasmic dynein motor proteins. Ayloo et al. use single molecule imaging to observe dynein–dynactin behaviour on microtubules, and show that dynactin recruits dynein to microtubules and acts as a brake to slow the motor. 04 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5807 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Cell biology  Aridity threshold in controlling ecosystem nitrogen cycling in arid and semi-arid grasslands Chao Wang, Xiaobo Wang, Dongwei Liu, Honghui Wu, Xiaotao Lü, Yunting Fang, Weixin Cheng, Wentao Luo, Ping Jiang, Jason Shi, Huaqun Yin, Jizhong Zhou, Xingguo Han and Edith Bai Understanding the relationship between aridity and ecosystem N-cycling is important in predicting the effects of global climate change. Here, the authors present N isotopes across an aridity gradient and identify a tipping point, which marks a divergence in N-cycling controlling factors and mechanisms. 04 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5799 Earth Sciences  Biogeochemistry  Climate science  Widespread transient Hoogsteen base pairs in canonical duplex DNA with variable energetics Heidi S. Alvey, Federico L. Gottardo, Evgenia N. Nikolova and Hashim M. Al-Hashimi Hoogsteen (HG) base pairs occur transiently within DNA and exhibit altered non Watson–Crick (WC)-pairing geometries with the potential to govern sequence-dependent DNA processes. Here, Alvey et al. show that HG base pairing occurs within diverse sequence contexts and define the energetic landscapes that favour WC-to-HG transitions. 04 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5786 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Clozapine-induced agranulocytosis is associated with rare HLA-DQB1 and HLA-B alleles Jacqueline I. Goldstein, L. Fredrik Jarskog, Chris Hilliard, Ana Alfirevic, Laramie Duncan, Denis Fourches, Hailiang Huang, Monkol Lek, Benjamin M. Neale, Stephan Ripke, Kevin Shianna, Jin P. Szatkiewicz, Alexander Tropsha, Edwin JCG van den Oord, Ingolf Cascorbi, Michael Dettling, Ephraim Gazit, Donald C. Goff, Arthur L. Holden, Deanna L. Kelly et al. Clozapine-induced agranulocytosis/granulocytopenia, or CIAG, is characterised by a rare and potentially fatal reaction to antipsychotic drugs. Here, the authors identify genetic variants in two immune-related genes that may contribute to the pathophysiology of CIAG. 04 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5757 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Megakaryocyte-specific Profilin1-deficiency alters microtubule stability and causes a Wiskott–Aldrich syndrome-like platelet defect Markus Bender, Simon Stritt, Paquita Nurden, Judith M. M. van Eeuwijk, Barbara Zieger, Karim Kentouche, Harald Schulze, Henner Morbach, David Stegner, Katrin Heinze, Sebastian Dütting, Shuchi Gupta, Walter Witke, Hervé Falet, Alain Fischer, John H. Hartwig and Bernhard Nieswandt Patients with mutations in the gene encoding the cytoskeleton regulator WAS have platelet defects. Here the authors show that the WAS-binding protein, Profilin1, is essential for platelet formation in mice, and that its deficiency reproduces the bleeding disorder of patients with WAS mutations. 04 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5746 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Epigenetic silencing of miR-210 increases the proliferation of gastric epithelium during chronic Helicobacter pylori infection OPEN Kotaro Kiga, Hitomi Mimuro, Masato Suzuki, Aya Shinozaki-Ushiku, Taira Kobayashi, Takahito Sanada, Minsoo Kim, Michinaga Ogawa, Yuka W. Iwasaki, Hiroyuki Kayo, Yoko Fukuda-Yuzawa, Masakazu Yashiro, Masashi Fukayama, Taro Fukao and Chihiro Sasakawa Chronic infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori is associated with inflammation and increased risk of gastric cancer. Kiga et al. show that methylation and silencing of the microRNA gene miR-210 is associated with infection in humans, and promotes proliferation of gastric epithelial cells in culture. 04 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5497 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Microbiology  ptk7 mutant zebrafish models of congenital and idiopathic scoliosis implicate dysregulated Wnt signalling in disease OPEN Madeline Hayes, Xiaochong Gao, Lisa X Yu, Nandina Paria, R. Mark Henkelman, Carol A. Wise and Brian Ciruna Scoliosis is a complex genetic disorder characterized by spinal curvature. Here, the authors present experimental zebrafish models of idiopathic and congenital scoliosis and suggest a role for dysregulated Wnt activity in scoliosis aetiology. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5777 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Genetics  Small GTPase Rab37 targets tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 for exocytosis and thus suppresses tumour metastasis Chung-Han Tsai, Hung-Chi Cheng, Yu-Shiuan Wang, Pinpin Lin, Jayu Jen, I-Ying Kuo, Ying-Hua Chang, Pao-Chi Liao, Ruey-Hwa Chen, Wei-Chien Yuan, Han-Shui Hsu, Muh-Hwa Yang, Ming-Ta Hsu, Chu-Yi Wu and Yi-Ching Wang Rab-controlled trafficking pathways have been implicated in tumourigenesis. Here the authors show that Rab37 suppresses metastasis by regulating the exocytosis of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase 1 to repress matrix metalloproteinase 9 and represents a novel prognostic marker for lung cancer. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5804 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Molecular biology  Colossal resistance switching and band gap modulation in a perovskite nickelate by electron doping Jian Shi, You Zhou and Shriram Ramanathan Orbital occupancy by electrons has a large effect on electronic properties of correlated oxides. Here, the authors report a chemical doping strategy of a perovskite nickelate, leading to the observation of a new insulating phase and a reversible resistivity modulation greater than eight orders of magnitude. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5860 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Generation and characterization of influenza A viruses with altered polymerase fidelity Peter P. H. Cheung, Simon J. Watson, Ka-Tim Choy, Sin Fun Sia, Diana D. Y. Wong, Leo L. M. Poon, Paul Kellam, Yi Guan, J.S. Malik Peiris and Hui-Ling Yen The inherent inaccuracy of viral RNA polymerases promotes viral evolution, but the importance of viral genetic diversity during infection is unclear. Here, Cheung et al. show that influenza strains with enhanced polymerase fidelity and low mutational frequency display reduced pathogenicity in mice. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5794 Biological Sciences  Microbiology  Virology  Microfluidic platform for the quantitative analysis of leukocyte migration signatures Leo Boneschansker, Jun Yan, Elisabeth Wong, David M. Briscoe and Daniel Irimia Current leukocyte migration assays usually report bulk attractive behaviour of cells within a chemokine gradient. Here, the authors develop a microfluidic device to simultaneously measure several migration responses on exposure to commonly used leukocyte chemokines, and report previously unrecognized cell behaviour. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5787 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Cell biology  Immunology  Respiratory transmission of an avian H3N8 influenza virus isolated from a harbour seal Erik A. Karlsson, Hon S. Ip, Jeffrey S. Hall, Sun Woo Yoon, Jordan Johnson, Melinda A. Beck, Richard J. Webby and Stacey Schultz-Cherry Avian influenza viruses constantly threaten human health as evidenced by the outbreaks of human H7N9 infections. Here, Karlsson et al. show that an avian H3N8 virus isolated from harbour seals has the potential to infect, cause disease and transmit in mammalian models of influenza virus infection. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5791 Biological Sciences  Microbiology  Virology  Rugged and breathable forms of stretchable electronics with adherent composite substrates for transcutaneous monitoring Kyung-In Jang, Sang Youn Han, Sheng Xu, Kyle E. Mathewson, Yihui Zhang, Jae-Woong Jeong, Gwang-Tae Kim, R Chad Webb, Jung Woo Lee, Thomas J. Dawidczyk, Rak Hwan Kim, Young Min Song, Woon-Hong Yeo, Stanley Kim, Huanyu Cheng, Sang Il Rhee, Jeahoon Chung, Byunggik Kim, Ha Uk Chung, Dongjun Lee et al. The development of stretchable electronics has created a number of interesting applications, including in healthcare. Here, the authors present a stretchable and adhesive electronic skin patch capable of monitoring hydration state, electrophysiological activity, pulse and cerebral oximetry. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5779 Biological Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Scalable high-density peptide arrays for comprehensive health monitoring Joseph Barten Legutki, Zhan-Gong Zhao, Matt Greving, Neal Woodbury, Stephen Albert Johnston and Phillip Stafford Health monitoring based on measuring circulating antibodies may enable the presymptomatic detection of diseases. Here, the authors report a large-scale peptide array platform that allows for a detection of the profile of circulating antibodies associated with cancers and infectious diseases. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5785 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Medical research  Genome dynamics of the human embryonic kidney 293 lineage in response to cell biology manipulations OPEN Yao-Cheng Lin, Morgane Boone, Leander Meuris, Irma Lemmens, Nadine Van Roy, Arne Soete, Joke Reumers, Matthieu Moisse, Stéphane Plaisance, Radoje Drmanac, Jason Chen, Frank Speleman, Diether Lambrechts, Yves Van de Peer, Jan Tavernier and Nico Callewaert The human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cell lineage is widely used in cell biology and biotechnology. Here, the authors apply whole genome resequencing methods to characterise genomic variation in six HEK293 cell lines and suggest that this variation could affect experiments using these cell lines. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5767 Biological Sciences  Bioinformatics  Molecular biology  Sequential transcriptional changes dictate safe and effective antigen-specific immunotherapy OPEN Bronwen R. Burton, Graham J. Britton, Hai Fang, Johan Verhagen, Ben Smithers, Catherine A. Sabatos-Peyton, Laura J. Carney, Julian Gough, Stephan Strobel and David C. Wraith Dose escalation in antigen-specific therapies is recognized as safe and effective, but the underlying effects of dosing variables on the immune system are not understood. Here, the authors demonstrate that dose escalation causes sequential modulation of gene expression among antigen-specific lymphocytes. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5741 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Medical research  Flocking at a distance in active granular matter Nitin Kumar, Harsh Soni, Sriram Ramaswamy and A. K. Sood Flocking emerges from communication within groups of animals. Here, Kumar et al. create a flock in inanimate matter, by showing that a vibrated layer of a small number of millimetre-sized tapered rods, amidst a background of spherical beads, spontaneously aligns into a state of coherent motion. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5688 Physical Sciences  Biophysics  Condensed matter  Microbial genomic analysis reveals the essential role of inflammation in bacteria-induced colorectal cancer Janelle C. Arthur, Raad Z. Gharaibeh, Marcus Mühlbauer, Ernesto Perez-Chanona, Joshua M. Uronis, Jonathan McCafferty, Anthony A. Fodor and Christian Jobin Abundance of certain gut enterobacteria is correlated with inflammation and cancer development in humans, but the interplay between the three factors is unclear. Here the authors show that gut inflammation is required for bacteria-associated tumour development in mouse models. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5724 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Immunology  Microbiology  Identification of TERRA locus unveils a telomere protection role through association to nearly all chromosomes OPEN Isabel López de Silanes, Osvaldo Graña, Maria Luigia De Bonis, Orlando Dominguez, David G Pisano and Maria A Blasco Telomeric RNAs (TERRAs) are known to be transcribed towards the telomere from subtelomeric regions, however, their precise genomic origins are unclear. Here López de Silanes et al. identify novel transcripts that originate from the subtelomeric region of mouse chromosome 18 and behave as bona fide TERRAs. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5723 Biological Sciences  Genetics  IL-37 protects against obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance Dov B. Ballak, Janna A. van Diepen, Alexander R. Moschen, Henry J. Jansen, Anneke Hijmans, Gert-Jan Groenhof, Floris Leenders, Philip Bufler, Mark V. Boekschoten, Michael Müller, Sander Kersten, Suzhao Li, SooHyun Kim, Hadar Eini, Eli C. Lewis, Leo A. B. Joosten, Herbert Tilg, Mihai G. Netea, Cees J. Tack, Charles A. Dinarello et al. Inflammation is a hallmark of obesity and driver of various associated pathologies. Here the authors show that mice overexpressing the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-37 are protected from the metabolic consequences of a high-fat diet, and that plasma levels of IL-37 correlate with insulin sensitivity in humans. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5711 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Backbone-independent nucleic acid binding by splicing factor SUP-12 reveals key aspects of molecular recognition Samir Amrane, Karine Rebora, Ilyass Zniber, Denis Dupuy and Cameron D Mackereth Alternative splicing is a widespread mechanism used in the control of gene expression during development. Here, Amrane et al. provide molecular level insights into how the RRM-domain muscle-specific factor SUP-12 interacts with its nucleic acid substrates to direct splicing patterns. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5595 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  PPARα-UGT axis activation represses intestinal FXR-FGF15 feedback signalling and exacerbates experimental colitis OPEN Xueyan Zhou, Lijuan Cao, Changtao Jiang, Yang Xie, Xuefang Cheng, Kristopher W. Krausz, Yunpeng Qi, Lu Sun, Yatrik M. Shah, Frank J. Gonzalez, Guangji Wang and Haiping Hao Bile acids have been linked to the development of inflammatory bowel diseases, such as colitis. Here the authors show that bile acid levels in mice are controlled by a circular feedback system involving the nuclear receptors PPARα and FXR, and that this system is dysregulated in colitis. 03 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5573 Biological Sciences  Medical research    Nature Communications JOBS of the week Post Doctoral Fellow University of Pittsburgh PhD position Istituto Clinico Humanitas Post-Doctoral Research Fellow Anglia Ruskin University 2 Full-time Research Fellow Positions ETH Zurich Research Associate The University of Warwick Group Leaders University of Bergen Postdocoral fellow University of South Alabama Research Associate University College London (UCL) Research Associate University of Glasgow Research Technician Imperial College London More Science jobs from Nature Communications EVENT Air quality for all 30.10.14 London, UK More science events from       Latest Erratum     Erratum: Heterogeneous stacking of nanodot monolayers by dry pick-and-place transfer and its applications in quantum dot light-emitting-diodes Tae-Ho Kim, Dae-Young Chung, JiYeon Ku, Inyong Song, Soohwan Sul, Dae-Hyeong Kim, Kyung-Sang Cho, Byoung Lyong Choi, Jong Min Kim, Sungwoo Hwang and Kinam Kim 04 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5379 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Nanotechnology      Advertisement An interdisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing high-quality open research relevant to all aspects of schizophrenia and psychosis, the journal is now open for submissions. 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