Nature Communications - 17 September 2014

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Weekly Content Alert 17 September 2014  Featured image: Wise and Dannenberg link tree ring width to atmospheric pressure and provide insight into historic climate changes over the past 1500 years. Latest content: Articles Journal homepage Recommend to library Web feed   Advertisement The Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Nature Genetics, and Nature Reviews Cancer present: NUCLEAR REPROGRAMMING AND THE CANCER GENOME 2014 October 31- November 2, 2014 Ramada Plaza, Guangzhou, China  Click here for more information or to register for this conference today.     Latest Articles View all Articles     Conserved and host-specific features of influenza virion architecture Edward C. Hutchinson, Philip D. Charles, Svenja S. Hester, Benjamin Thomas, David Trudgian, Mónica Martínez-Alonso and Ervin Fodor Influenza-infected cells produce viral particles that incorporate a mixture of viral and host proteins. Here the authors analyse by mass spectrometry the protein composition of such particles and show that the host species determines certain characteristics of an otherwise conserved architecture. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5816 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Microbiology  Virology  A rare variant in APOC3 is associated with plasma triglyceride and VLDL levels in Europeans OPEN Nicholas J. Timpson, Klaudia Walter, Josine L. Min, Ioanna Tachmazidou, Giovanni Malerba, So-Youn Shin, Lu Chen, Marta Futema, Lorraine Southam, Valentina Iotchkova, Massimiliano Cocca, Jie Huang, Yasin Memari, Shane McCarthy, Petr Danecek, Dawn Muddyman, Massimo Mangino, Cristina Menni, John R. B. Perry, Susan M. Ring et al. Population-based genome sequencing provides an increasingly rich resource for the identification of low-frequency, large effect variants associated with clinically important phenotypes. Timpson et al. use UK10K data to identify a variant of the APOC3 gene strongly associated with plasma triglyceride levels. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5871 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Medical research  Cephalopod-inspired design of electro-mechano-chemically responsive elastomers for on-demand fluorescent patterning Qiming Wang, Gregory R. Gossweiler, Stephen L. Craig and Xuanhe Zhao Cephalopods change colour by mechanically activating chromatophores via muscle contraction. Here, the authors use a similar concept for flexible displays, where electric field control over elastomer strain allows activation of mechanophores and provides on-demand and variable fluorescent patterns. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5899 Chemical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Physical chemistry  Common variation near ROBO2 is associated with expressive vocabulary in infancy OPEN Beate St Pourcain, Rolieke A.M. Cents, Andrew J.O. Whitehouse, Claire M.A. Haworth, Oliver S.P. Davis, Paul F. O’Reilly, Susan Roulstone, Yvonne Wren, Qi W. Ang, Fleur P. Velders, David M. Evans, John P. Kemp, Nicole M. Warrington, Laura Miller, Nicholas J. Timpson, Susan M. Ring, Frank C. Verhulst, Albert Hofman, Fernando Rivadeneira, Emma L. Meaburn et al. The genetic basis of expressive vocabulary in children around 2 years old is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that a genetic variant near the ROBO2 gene is associated with early language acquisition in the general population and highlight a potential genetic link between language-related common genetic variation and a linkage region for dyslexia, speech-sound disorder and reading. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5831 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Neuroscience  Humans display a ‘cooperative phenotype’ that is domain general and temporally stable Alexander Peysakhovich, Martin A. Nowak and David G. Rand It is generally assumed that a person’s cooperative behaviour is consistent, but direct evidence is lacking. Here, the authors show consistent patterns of an individual’s behaviour both in different cooperation games and through time, suggesting that an individual's cooperative behaviour is general and stable. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5939 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Morphological and population genomic evidence that human faces have evolved to signal individual identity Michael J. Sheehan and Michael W. Nachman The evolution of facial identity is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that human faces have elevated phenotypic variation as well as low between-trait correlations and that the regions surrounding face-associated genes show elevated diversity, which is consistent with frequency-dependent selection. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5800 Biological Sciences  Evolution  A sequence variant in human KALRN impairs protein function and coincides with reduced cortical thickness Theron A. Russell, Katherine D. Blizinsky, Derin J. Cobia, Michael E. Cahill, Zhong Xie, Robert A. Sweet, Jubao Duan, Pablo V. Gejman, Lei Wang, John G. Csernansky and Peter Penzes Mutations of the human KALRN gene are implicated in schizophrenia. Here, Russell et al. identify a genetic variant of this gene in a schizophrenia patient and his sibling diagnosed with major depressive disorder and substance abuse, and find that this is associated with reduced cortical volume and thickness. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5858 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Medical research  Neuroscience  Unexpected structure for the N-terminal domain of hepatitis C virus envelope glycoprotein E1 OPEN Kamel El Omari, Oleg Iourin, Jan Kadlec, Geoff Sutton, Karl Harlos, Jonathan M. Grimes and David I. Stuart Hepatitis C virus (HCV) gains entry into host cells via envelope glycoproteins E1 and E2. Here, El Omari et al. present the crystal structure of the N terminus of the E1 ectodomain of HCV and show that it adopts a different fold than predicted. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5874 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Virology  Self-propagating high-temperature synthesis for compound thermoelectrics and new criterion for combustion processing OPEN Xianli Su, Fan Fu, Yonggao Yan, Gang Zheng, Tao Liang, Qiang Zhang, Xin Cheng, Dongwang Yang, Hang Chi, Xinfeng Tang, Qingjie Zhang and Ctirad Uher The existing methods to synthesize thermoelectric materials remain constrained to multi-step processes that are usually time and energy consuming. Here, Su et al. use a fast, one-step combustion approach to synthesize various compounds, which holds promise for scalable industrial processing. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5908 Condensed matter  Materials science  Determination of collagen fibril size via absolute measurements of second-harmonic generation signals Stéphane Bancelin, Carole Aimé, Ivan Gusachenko, Laura Kowalczuk, Gaël Latour, Thibaud Coradin and Marie-Claire Schanne-Klein Quantitative determination of collagen fibril size is important for investigating pathological disorders of the extracellular matrix. Here, the authors show that SHG microscopy is capable of measuring fibril diameter after calibration of SHG radiation using correlation to electron microscopy. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5920 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Why nanotubes grow chiral Vasilii I/ Artyukhov, Evgeni S. Penev and Boris I. Yakobson Carbon nanotubes have promising applications in new technologies, but a practical control of their chirality is challenging. Here, Artyukhov et al. show that the chirality is determined by a trade-off between faster growth of chiral nanotubes and preference for achiral tubes during nucleation. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5892 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Atomically resolved imaging of highly ordered alternating fluorinated graphene Reza J. Kashtiban, M Adam Dyson, Rahul R. Nair, Recep Zan, Swee L. Wong, Quentin Ramasse, Andre K. Geim, Ursel Bangert and Jeremy Sloan Chemical derivatives of graphene are typically disordered or corrugated, impairing attempts to utilize them in monolayer devices. Here, the authors show that chair-C2F graphene is a stable material displaying long-range order, with functionalization on only one face in a given domain. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5902 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  High-capacity millimetre-wave communications with orbital angular momentum multiplexing OPEN Yan Yan, Guodong Xie, Martin P. J. Lavery, Hao Huang, Nisar Ahmed, Changjing Bao, Yongxiong Ren, Yinwen Cao, Long Li, Zhe Zhao, Andreas F. Molisch, Moshe Tur, Miles J. Padgett and Alan E. Willner High speed data transmission using orbital angular momentum beams has been recently demonstrated. Here, Yan et al. demonstrate a 32 Gbit/s millimetre-wave communication link using eight coaxially propagating independent orbital angular momentum beams with four orbital angular momentum states on two orthogonal polarizations. 16 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5876 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  The unlikely Carnot efficiency Gatien Verley, Massimiliano Esposito, Tim Willaert and Christian Van den Broeck Carnot efficiency is the highest theoretically possible efficiency that a heat engine can have. Verley et al. use the fluctuation theorem to show that the Carnot value is the least likely efficiency in the long time limit. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5721 Physical Sciences  Theoretical physics  A sub-nanometre view of how membrane curvature and composition modulate lipid packing and protein recruitment Stefano Vanni, Hisaaki Hirose, Hélène Barelli, Bruno Antonny and Romain Gautier Membrane curvature and lipid composition direct the binding of many peripheral membrane proteins. Here, Vanni et al. use a combination of in vitro and molecular dynamics approaches to quantify how lipid-packing defects in membranes of various composition and curvature dictate the membrane adsorption of a model lipid-binding protein. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5916 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  High-quality electron beams from a helical inverse free-electron laser accelerator J. Duris, P. Musumeci, M. Babzien, M. Fedurin, K. Kusche, R. K. Li, J. Moody, I. Pogorelsky, M. Polyanskiy, J. B. Rosenzweig, Y. Sakai, C. Swinson, E. Threlkeld, O. Williams and V. Yakimenko Electrons moving in strongly curved paths emit radiation that is used in free-electron laser designs. Here, the authors demonstrate the inverse force principle, where a laser light field is used in a compact experimental design to accelerate electrons to produce high-quality electron beams. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5928 Physical Sciences  Optical physics  Particle physics  Classification of stable three-dimensional Dirac semimetals with nontrivial topology Bohm-Jung Yang and Naoto Nagaosa Three-dimensional Dirac semimetals are a recently discovered state of condensed matter considered as the 3D analogue of graphene. Here, Yang et al. propose a general framework to classify stable 3D Dirac semimetals in systems with time-reversal, inversion and uniaxial rotational symmetries. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5898 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Theoretical physics  Two-colour spin noise spectroscopy and fluctuation correlations reveal homogeneous linewidths within quantum-dot ensembles Luyi Yang, P. Glasenapp, A. Greilich, D. Reuter, A. D. Wieck, D. R. Yakovlev, M. Bayer and S. A. Crooker Conventional linear optical methods cannot probe within an inhomogeneously broadened ensemble of particles. Yang et al. demonstrate a spectroscopic technique based on fluctuation correlations that can reveal the underlying homogeneous linewidths of quantum dots in a low-power ensemble measurement. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5949 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Optical physics  The plastid ancestor originated among one of the major cyanobacterial lineages Jesús A. G. Ochoa de Alda, Rocío Esteban, María Luz Diago and Jean Houmard Chloroplasts originate from endosymbiosis between a cyanobacterium and a eukaryotic mitochondriate ancestor. Here, the authors show that the plastid ancestor is related to a cyanobacterial lineage that include N2-fixing filamentous cyanobacteria and species with specialized nitrogen-fixing cells. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5937 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Out-of-frame start codons prevent translation of truncated nucleo-cytosolic cathepsin Lin vivo Martina Tholen, Larissa E. Hillebrand, Stefan Tholen, Oliver Sedelmeier, Sebastian J. Arnold and Thomas Reinheckel The lysosomal protease cathepsin L has been observed in compartments other than endosomes and lysosomes. Here the authors show using knock-in mice that nuclear localization of cathepsin L cannot be caused by N-terminal truncation of procathepsin L as previously hypothesized. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5931 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cell biology  Structure of a bacterial α2-macroglobulin reveals mimicry of eukaryotic innate immunity Steve G. Wong and Andréa Dessen Alpha-2-macroglobulins are protease inhibitors that function as part of eukaryotic innate immunity. Here, Wong and Dessen solve structures of Salmonella alpha-2-macroglobulin and show that it probably serves as part of a rudimentary bacterial immune system in a similar way to the eukaryotic counterpart. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5917 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Ultrafast quenching of electron–boson interaction and superconducting gap in a cuprate superconductor Wentao Zhang, Choongyu Hwang, Christopher L. Smallwood, Tristan L. Miller, Gregory Affeldt, Koshi Kurashima, Chris Jozwiak, Hiroshi Eisaki, Tadashi Adachi, Yoji Koike, Dung-Hai Lee and Alessandra Lanzara Superconductivity is the result of many-body interactions between excitations in a solid. Zhang et al. use time- and angle-resolved photoemission to compare photo-induced changes in the electron self-energy of a unconventional superconductor to those in a related material in the metallic state. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5959 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Size-independent symmetric division in extraordinarily long cells OPEN Nika Pende, Nikolaus Leisch, Harald R. Gruber-Vodicka, Niels R. Heindl, Jörg Ott, Tanneke den Blaauwen and Silvia Bulgheresi Known mechanisms that determine symmetric division-plane positioning during cell division are unlikely to operate effectively over very long distances. Pende et al. show that extraordinarily long Gammaproteobacteria divide symmetrically despite reaching 120 microns in length 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5803 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Microbiology  Electrically tuned magnetic order and magnetoresistance in a topological insulator Zuocheng Zhang, Xiao Feng, Minghua Guo, Kang Li, Jinsong Zhang, Yunbo Ou, Yang Feng, Lili Wang, Xi Chen, Ke He, Xucun Ma, Qikun Xue and Yayu Wang The magnetic field dependence of the electrical resistance of topological insulators is not well understood. Zhang et al. now incorporate a magnetic topological insulator into a field effect transistor and identify unconventional magnetoresistance behaviour that could be useful in sensing and data storage. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5915 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Genetic deficiency of the mitochondrial protein PGAM5 causes a Parkinson’s-like movement disorder Wei Lu, Senthilkumar S. Karuppagounder, Danielle A. Springer, Michele D. Allen, Lixin Zheng, Brittany Chao, Yan Zhang, Valina L. Dawson, Ted M. Dawson and Michael Lenardo Mitophagy selectively disposes of dysfunctional mitochondria and defects in this process lead to a variety of mitochondrial diseases. Here the authors report that the mitochondrial protein PGAM5 is required for the stabilization of mitophagy-inducing protein PINK1, and that mice deficient for the gene coding for PGAM5 show signs of neurodegeneration. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5930 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Sculpting carbon bonds for allotropic transformation through solid-state re-engineering of –sp2 carbon Hyun Young Jung, Paulo T. Araujo, Young Lae Kim, Sung Mi Jung, Xiaoting Jia, Sanghyun Hong, Chi Won Ahn, Jing Kong, Mildred S. Dresselhaus, Swastik Kar and Yung Joon Jung Inter-allotropic transformation of carbon is of immense fundamental and technological interest, but requires extreme conditions. Here, the authors report a method to transform single-walled carbon nanotubes into other carbon structures with high reproducibility by controlling alternating-voltage pulses. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5941 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Deciphering Fur transcriptional regulatory network highlights its complex role beyond iron metabolism in Escherichia coli Sang Woo Seo, Donghyuk Kim, Haythem Latif, Edward J. O’Brien, Richard Szubin and Bernhard O. Palsson The ferric uptake regulator, Fur, is involved in the transcriptional regulation of iron metabolism. Here the authors show that Fur exhibits genome-wide regulatory effects in Escherichia coli that control many fundamental cellular processes linked to iron metabolism. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5910 Biological Sciences  Microbiology  Systems biology  Archaerhodopsin variants with enhanced voltage-sensitive fluorescence in mammalian and Caenorhabditis elegans neurons Nicholas C. Flytzanis, Claire N. Bedbrook, Hui Chiu, Martin K. M. Engqvist, Cheng Xiao, Ken Y. Chan, Paul W. Sternberg, Frances H. Arnold and Viviana Gradinaru An important goal for neuroscience tool development is improving the performance of genetically encoded voltage sensors. Here, the authors report two mutants of Arch, ‘Archers’, with high baseline fluorescence and sensitivity and show proof of principle for detecting voltage changes in response to sensory stimulus in live C. elegans. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5894 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Low-temperature carbon monoxide oxidation catalysed by regenerable atomically dispersed palladium on alumina Eric J. Peterson, Andrew T. DeLaRiva, Sen Lin, Ryan S. Johnson, Hua Guo, Jeffrey T. Miller, Ja Hun Kwak, Charles H. F. Peden, Boris Kiefer, Lawrence F. Allard, Fabio H. Ribeiro and Abhaya K. Datye There has been a great deal of interest in single-atom heterogeneous catalysis recently. Here, the authors show that industrially relevant lanthanum oxide-doped alumina supports are capable of stabilizing atomically dispersed palladium species, which are evaluated for low-temperature carbon monoxide oxidation. 15 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5885 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Materials science  Physical chemistry  Vibrational coherence probes the mechanism of ultrafast electron transfer in polymer–fullerene blends Yin Song, Scott N. Clafton, Ryan D. Pensack, Tak W. Kee and Gregory D. Scholes Dissociation of excitons at the donor/acceptor interface in organic solar cells occurs on fast timescales. Here, the authors apply two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy to study the electron transfer process in a polymer blend, reporting dynamic maps for the charge-transfer pathways. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5933 Physical Sciences  Physical chemistry  Spatial-temporal model for silencing of the mitotic spindle assembly checkpoint Jing Chen and Jian Liu During cell division, a single chromosome that lacks attachment to microtubules is sufficient to delay chromosome segregation. Chen and Liu construct a model demonstrating that the transport of regulators along microtubules may explain the remarkable sensitivity and robustness of this checkpoint. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5795 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Basal foot MTOC organizes pillar MTs required for coordination of beating cilia Daniel K. Clare, Jérémy Magescas, Tristan Piolot, Maud Dumoux, Christine Vesque, Evelyne Pichard, Tien Dang, Boris Duvauchelle, Françoise Poirier and Delphine Delacour Coordinated beating of motile cilia is important to clear mucus from the airway. Here, Clare et al. show that galectin-3 at the base of motile cilia in the trachea is important for connecting cortical microtubules to the basal body, and subsequent organization and coordination of beating cilia. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5888 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Shh-mediated degradation of Hhip allows cell autonomous and non-cell autonomous Shh signalling Lina Kwong, Maarten F. Bijlsma and Henk Roelink Hhip is a secreted inhibitor of the morphogen Sonic Hedgehog; however, cells expressing Hhip are themselves resistant to inhibition. Kwong et al. show that Hedgehog signalling in Hhip-expressing cells promotes this resistance by enhancing Hhip internalization. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5849 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Forest stand growth dynamics in Central Europe have accelerated since 1870 OPEN Hans Pretzsch, Peter Biber, Gerhard Schütze, Enno Uhl and Thomas Rötzer The growth dynamics of forest ecosystems undergoing climatic change are not well understood. Here Pretzsch et al. show that two of the dominant tree species of Central Europe have undergone significantly accelerated growth dynamics during the past century. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5967 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Room temperature high-fidelity holonomic single-qubit gate on a solid-state spin OPEN Silvia Arroyo-Camejo, Andrii Lazariev, Stefan W. Hell and Gopalakrishnan Balasubramanian Quantum gates based on geometric phase shifts offer a promising approach for the realization of fault-tolerant quantum computing. Using nitrogen-vacancy centre qubits in diamond, this study experimentally realises a high-fidelty, non-adiabatic, non-Abelian holonomic single-qubit gate at room temperature. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5870 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Nanotechnology  Theoretical physics  Dynamic catch of a Thy-1–α5β1+syndecan-4 trimolecular complex Vincent F. Fiore, Lining Ju, Yunfeng Chen, Cheng Zhu and Thomas H. Barker Molecular details of the synergy between integrins and syndecans are poorly understood. Here, Fiore et al. show that syndecan-4 and α5β1 integrin form a trimolecular complex with Thy-1 that exhibits ‘dynamic catch’ behaviour, in which force strengthens the synergistic binding and modulates signalling at the focal adhesion level. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5886 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Cell biology  Mutually beneficial host exploitation and ultra-biased sex ratios in quasisocial parasitoids OPEN Xiuyun Tang, Ling Meng, Apostolos Kapranas, Fuyuan Xu, Ian C.W. Hardy and Baoping Li The evolution of social behaviour is usually explained by kin selection. Here, the authors show that mutual host exploitation by a parasitoid wasp maximizes the average reproductive success of individual females, which suggests that cooperative brood care does not rely on kin selection in these wasps. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5942 Biological Sciences  Evolution  An assay to image neuronal microtubule dynamics in mice OPEN Tatjana Kleele, Petar Marinković, Philip R. Williams, Sina Stern, Emily E. Weigand, Peter Engerer, Ronald Naumann, Jana Hartmann, Rosa M. Karl, Frank Bradke, Derron Bishop, Jochen Herms, Arthur Konnerth, Martin Kerschensteiner, Leanne Godinho and Thomas Misgeld Microtubule dynamics in neurons play critical roles in physiology, injury and disease. Here the authors develop a transgenic mouse line expressing a fluorescently tagged version of the microtubule binding protein EB3, and using a range of imaging techniques, study microtubule dynamics under normal and injury conditions in living mice. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5827 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Hydrotrifluoromethylation and iodotrifluoromethylation of alkenes and alkynes using an inorganic electride as a radical generator Sungkyu Choi, Ye Ji Kim, Sun Min Kim, Jung Woon Yang, Sung Wng Kim and Eun Jin Cho Addition of trifluoromethyl groups to molecules dramatically alters the physical and chemical properties, and is important for example in pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries. Here, the authors use an inorganic electride as a radical generator to add trifluoromethyl groups across double and triple bonds. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5881 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Organic chemistry  Full-length TDP-43 forms toxic amyloid oligomers that are present in frontotemporal lobar dementia-TDP patients Yu-Sheng Fang, Kuen-Jer Tsai, Yu-Jen Chang, Patricia Kao, Rima Woods, Pan-Hsien Kuo, Cheng-Chun Wu, Jhih-Ying Liao, Shih-Chieh Chou, Vinson Lin, Lee-Way Jin, Hanna S. Yuan, Irene H. Cheng, Pang-Hsien Tu and Yun-Ru Chen TDP-43 proteinopathies are characterized by TDP-43 aggregates but the relationship of these aggregates to the pathogenesis is still not well defined. Here, the authors show that the recombinant full-length human TDP-43 forms oligomers that are neurotoxic, can promote the formation of A-beta amyloid oligomers in vitro and can be detected in postmortem brain of patients. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5824 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Polymer collapse in miscible good solvents is a generic phenomenon driven by preferential adsorption OPEN Debashish Mukherji, Carlos M. Marques and Kurt Kremer Smart polymers exhibit a swelling–collapse–swelling transition in mixed (co)solvents and the underlined mechanism remains a matter of debate. Mukherji et al. explain this transition using a generic model based purely on a thermodynamic treatment of preferential polymer–cosolvent interaction. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5882 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Physical chemistry  Effect of the size-selective silver clusters on lithium peroxide morphology in lithium–oxygen batteries Jun Lu, Lei Cheng, Kah Chun Lau, Eric Tyo, Xiangyi Luo, Jianguo Wen, Dean Miller, Rajeev S. Assary, Hsien-Hau Wang, Paul Redfern, Huiming Wu, Jin-Bum Park, Yang-Kook Sun, Stefan Vajda, Khalil Amine and Larry A. Curtiss Insights into active sites on cathode surfaces are important in developing lithium–oxygen batteries. Here, Lu et al. present a cathode architecture deposited with precisely controlled small metal clusters, and report a cluster size-dependence of the battery discharge product morphology. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5895 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Physical chemistry  Angular momentum-induced circular dichroism in non-chiral nanostructures Xavier Zambrana-Puyalto, Xavier Vidal and Gabriel Molina-Terriza The differential absorption of left and right handed light, circular dichroism, is typically observed only in chiral objects. Here, the authors demonstrate that giant circular dichroism can be induced in non-chiral objects when the left and right handed circularly polarized modes used are vortex beams. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5922 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Nanotechnology  Optical physics  Giant spin-driven ferroelectric polarization in TbMnO3 under high pressure T. Aoyama, K. Yamauchi, A. Iyama, S. Picozzi, K. Shimizu and T. Kimura Multiferroics are promising for their simultaneous ferroelectricity and magnetism, although in some of the most promising compounds the ferroelectric polarization remains small. Here, the authors show that applying external pressure to the multiferroic TbMnO3 leads to a high ferroelectric polarization. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5927 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Loss of IP3R-dependent Ca2+ signalling in thymocytes leads to aberrant development and acute lymphoblastic leukemia Kunfu Ouyang, Rafael Leandro Gomez-Amaro, David L. Stachura, Huayuan Tang, Xiaohong Peng, Xi Fang, David Traver, Sylvia M. Evans and Ju Chen Ca2+ signalling pathways are known to influence T-cell development and T-cell leukemia progression. Here the authors show that deletion of all three inositol triphosphate receptor homologues in mice severely impairs T-cell development in the thymus and causes spontaneous T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5814 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Large indentation strain-stiffening in nanotwinned cubic boron nitride Bing Li, Hong Sun and Changfeng Chen It has previously been shown experimentally that nanotwins in cubic boron nitride can lead to significant strengthening. Here, the authors perform simulations to understand the mechanism behind this, reporting a twin-boundary dominated indentation strain-stiffening phenomena. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5965 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Comparative genome sequencing reveals genomic signature of extreme desiccation tolerance in the anhydrobiotic midge OPEN Oleg Gusev, Yoshitaka Suetsugu, Richard Cornette, Takeshi Kawashima, Maria D. Logacheva, Alexey S. Kondrashov, Aleksey A. Penin, Rie Hatanaka, Shingo Kikuta, Sachiko Shimura, Hiroyuki Kanamori, Yuichi Katayose, Takashi Matsumoto, Elena Shagimardanova, Dmitry Alexeev, Vadim Govorun, Jennifer Wisecaver, Alexander Mikheyev, Ryo Koyanagi, Manabu Fujie et al. The African chironomid midge, Polypedilum vanderplanki, is able to withstand extreme desiccation. Here the authors sequence the genomes of a desiccation-tolerant and desiccation-sensitive species of chironomid midge and pinpoint genes that may have a role in conferring resistance to desiccation. 12 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5784 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  In situ liquid-cell electron microscopy of silver–palladium galvanic replacement reactions on silver nanoparticles E. Sutter, K. Jungjohann, S. Bliznakov, A. Courty, E. Maisonhaute, S. Tenney and P. Sutter Galvanic replacement reactions are a useful route to transform nanoparticles into complex hollow structures. Here, the authors use liquid-cell electron microscopy to investigate the process in situ and probe the effects of the electron beam on the galvanic-type processes. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5946 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Physical chemistry  Mechanistic insight into GPCR-mediated activation of the microtubule-associated RhoA exchange factor GEF-H1 David Meiri, Christopher B. Marshall, Daphna Mokady, Jose LaRose, Michael Mullin, Anne-Claude Gingras, Mitsuhiko Ikura and Robert Rottapel The RhoGEF GEF-H1 is normally sequestered on microtubules via binding dynein light-chain Tctex-1, and is activated by microtubule depolymerization. Here, Meiri et al. describe a new model of GEF-H1 activation by GPCRs, whereby both the Gα and Gβγ subunits bind to GEF-H1 and Tctex-1, respectively, to displace GEF-H1 from intact microtubules. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5857 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Integrin-linked kinase mediates force transduction in cardiomyocytes by modulating SERCA2a/PLN function Alexandra Traister, Mark Li, Shabana Aafaqi, Mingliang Lu, Sara Arab, Milica Radisic, Gil Gross, Fiorella Guido, John Sherret, Subodh Verma, Cameron Slorach, Luc Mertens, Wei Hui, Anna Roy, Paul Delgado-Olguín, Gregory Hannigan, Jason T. Maynes and John G. Coles The transduction of mechanical forces into signals that alter cardiac contractility is important for heart function. Here the authors show that integrin-linked kinase acts as a mechanosensor in cardiomyocytes, and affects cardiac contractility by regulating SERCA-2a and phospholamban. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5533 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Spatial control of the GEN1 Holliday junction resolvase ensures genome stability OPEN Ying Wai Chan and Stephen C. West The human Holliday junction resolvase GEN1 functions during anaphase to eliminate recombination intermediates that block proper chromosome segregation. Here, the authors demonstrate that GEN1 activity is regulated independently of its phosphorylation status and relies on its active exclusion from the nucleus. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5844 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Chemo-mechanics of salt damage in stone Robert J. Flatt, Francesco Caruso, Asel Maria Aguilar Sanchez and George W. Scherer Growth of salt crystals in pores is one of the most damaging weathering mechanisms for stone in ornamental structures and historical buildings. Here, the authors present a simple yet powerful treatment for predicting when salt damage will occur, quantifying this susceptibility to salt crystallization. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5823 Earth Sciences  Synergistic geometric and electronic effects for electrochemical reduction of carbon dioxide using gold–copper bimetallic nanoparticles Dohyung Kim, Joaquin Resasco, Yi Yu, Abdullah Mohamed Asiri and Peidong Yang The efficient and selective reduction of carbon dioxide is a major challenge in artificial photosynthesis. Here, the authors study gold–copper bimetallic nanoparticles and attempt to resolve the electronic and geometric factors that lead to high activity carbon dioxide reduction catalysis. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5948 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Nanotechnology  Physical chemistry  Spatial control of Cdc42 signalling by a GM130–RasGRF complex regulates polarity and tumorigenesis Francesco Baschieri, Stefano Confalonieri, Giovanni Bertalot, Pier Paolo Di Fiore, Wolfgang Dietmaier, Marcel Leist, Piero Crespo, Ian G. Macara and Hesso Farhan The small GTPase Cdc42 is an important regulator of cell polarity that localizes to both the plasma membrane and to the Golgi. Baschieri et al. show that the Golgi pool of Cdc42 is regulated by GM130–RasGRF, and that deregulation of this pathway is associated with loss of polarity and tumorigenesis. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5839 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Circadian rhythm reprogramming during lung inflammation Jeffrey A. Haspel, Sukrutha Chettimada, Rahamthulla S. Shaik, Jen-Hwa Chu, Benjamin A. Raby, Manuela Cernadas, Vincent Carey, Vanessa Process, G. Matthew Hunninghake, Emeka Ifedigbo, James A. Lederer, Joshua Englert, Ashley Pelton, Anna Coronata, Laura E. Fredenburgh and Augustine M.K. Choi Whether circadian rhythms occur in settings where clock gene expression is suppressed, such as systemic inflammation, is unclear. Here, the authors examine gene expression and metabolites in the lungs of endotoxemic mice and show that inflammation causes changes in circadian rhythms at the cellular and molecular level. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5753 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Immunology  Persistence of pressure patterns over North America and the North Pacific since AD 1500 Erika K. Wise and Matthew P. Dannenberg Synoptic-scale atmospheric pressure patterns control moisture delivery and thus drought occurrence across western North America, yet long-term records are lacking. Here, the authors use a novel combination of tree-ring data and self-organizing maps to reconstruct and analyse pressure patterns since AD 1500. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5912 Earth Sciences  Atmospheric science  Climate science  Human Tra2 proteins jointly control a CHEK1 splicing switch among alternative and constitutive target exons OPEN Andrew Best, Katherine James, Caroline Dalgliesh, Elaine Hong, Mahsa Kheirolahi-Kouhestani, Tomaz Curk, Yaobo Xu, Marina Danilenko, Rafiq Hussain, Bernard Keavney, Anil Wipat, Roscoe Klinck, Ian G. Cowell, Ka Cheong Lee, Caroline A. Austin, Julian P. Venables, Benoit Chabot, Mauro Santibanez Koref, Alison Tyson-Capper and David J. Elliott et al. RNA binding proteins are key regulators of alternative splicing. Here, Best et al. show that the human Tra2α and Tra2ß RNA binding proteins jointly contribute to the control of constitutive and alternative splicing events to regulate essential biological processes including the response to DNA damage. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5760 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  Bone remodelling in humans is load-driven but not lazy Patrik Christen, Keita Ito, Rafaa Ellouz, Stephanie Boutroy, Elisabeth Sornay-Rendu, Roland D. Chapurlat and Bert van Rietbergen Mechanical strain causes bone remodelling when it exceeds threshold levels of a proposed ‘lazy zone’, in which bone density is unresponsive to mechanical strain. Here the authors show that human bone remodeling is entirely load-driven, suggesting that no such ‘lazy’ state exists for human bones. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5855 Biological Sciences  OsAAP6 functions as an important regulator of grain protein content and nutritional quality in rice OPEN Bo Peng, Huili Kong, Yibo Li, Lingqiang Wang, Ming Zhong, Liang Sun, Guanjun Gao, Qinglu Zhang, Lijun Luo, Gongwei Wang, Weibo Xie, Junxiao Chen, Wen Yao, Yong Peng, Lei Lei, Xingmin Lian, Jinghua Xiao, Caiguo Xu, Xianghua Li and Yuqing He et al. Grain protein content (GPC) contributes to the nutritional quality of cereals. Here, the authors show that the OsAAP6 quantitative trait locus in rice controls GPC by regulating the synthesis and accumulation of several grain storage proteins and starch. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5847 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Plant sciences  The subcortical maternal complex controls symmetric division of mouse zygotes by regulating F-actin dynamics Xing-Jiang Yu, Zhaohong Yi, Zheng Gao, Dandan Qin, Yanhua Zhai, Xue Chen, Yingchun Ou-Yang, Zhen-Bo Wang, Ping Zheng, Min-Sheng Zhu, Haibin Wang, Qing-Yuan Sun, Jurrien Dean and Lei Li The mammalian subcortical maternal complex is composed of maternally expressed proteins and required for mouse early embryonic cell division. Here the authors show that the complex functions to control spindle positioning through regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5887 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Developmental biology  Validation of climate model-inferred regional temperature change for late-glacial Europe Oliver Heiri, Stephen J. Brooks, Hans Renssen, Alan Bedford, Marjolein Hazekamp, Boris Ilyashuk, Elizabeth S. Jeffers, Barbara Lang, Emiliya Kirilova, Saskia Kuiper, Laurent Millet, Stéphanie Samartin, Monika Toth, Frederike Verbruggen, Jenny E. Watson, Nelleke van Asch, Emmy Lammertsma, Leeli Amon, Hilary H. Birks, H. John B Birks et al. Comparison of climate model hindcasts with proxy data is essential to improve model reliability, yet standardized palaeoclimate data sets are lacking. Here, Heiri et al. compare chironomid-based palaeotemperature records with the ECHAM-4 atmospheric general circulation model, showing excellent agreement. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5914 Earth Sciences  Climate science  Steroid hormone signalling links reproduction to lifespan in dietary-restricted Caenorhabditis elegans Manjunatha Thondamal, Michael Witting, Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin and Hugo Aguilaniu Dietary restriction increases the lifespan of many species, but often at the cost of reduced fertility. Here, Thondamal et al. show that the dietary restriction-mediated increase in lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans depends on the production of a steroid hormone and its inhibition of germline plasticity. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5879 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Impermeable barrier films and protective coatings based on reduced graphene oxide Y. Su, V. G. Kravets, S. L. Wong, J. Waters, A. K. Geim and R. R. Nair Although defect-free graphene is a promising membrane that is impermeable to all gases and liquids, it is difficult to produce large area films for practical applications. Su et al. show that multilayer graphitic films based on reduced graphene oxide can achieve the same goal but on larger scales. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5843 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Physical chemistry  Ribosomal DNA copy number is coupled with gene expression variation and mitochondrial abundance in humans John G. Gibbons, Alan T. Branco, Shoukai Yu and Bernardo Lemos The functional consequences of naturally occurring variation in ribosomal DNA (rDNA) copy number are poorly understood. Here the authors estimate rDNA copy number and mitochondrial DNA abundance in humans using whole-genome short-read DNA sequencing and characterize global regulatory mechanisms for cellular homeostasis and adaptation. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5850 Biological Sciences  Bioinformatics  Genetics  Principle of direct van der Waals epitaxy of single-crystalline films on epitaxial graphene Jeehwan Kim, Can Bayram, Hongsik Park, Cheng-Wei Cheng, Christos Dimitrakopoulos, John A. Ott, Kathleen B. Reuter, Stephen W. Bedell and Devendra K. Sadana Large-scale growth of single crystals on graphene can be useful for the development of 3D/2D or 2D/2D heterostructures. Here, through careful control of growth kinetics, the authors perform multiple cycles of direct growth/transfer of high-quality single-crystal GaN, using a single graphene/SiC substrate. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5836 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  RNase ZS1 processes UbL40 mRNAs and controls thermosensitive genic male sterility in rice Hai Zhou, Ming Zhou, Yuanzhu Yang, Jing Li, Liya Zhu, Dagang Jiang, Jingfang Dong, Qinjian Liu, Lianfeng Gu, Lingyan Zhou, Mingji Feng, Peng Qin, Xiaochun Hu, Chengli Song, Jinfeng Shi, Xianwei Song, Erdong Ni, Xiaojin Wu, Qiyun Deng, Zhenlan Liu et al. Hybrid rice varieties are bred using male-sterile maternal lines, which are unable to self-pollinate. Here, the authors show that mutations of the tms5 gene, which codes for RNase ZS1, result in the accumulation of ubiquitin fusion ribosomal protein mRNAs at high temperature to confer genic male sterility. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5884 Biological Sciences  Plant sciences  A prominent and conserved role for YY1 in Xist transcriptional activation Mélanie Makhlouf, Jean-François Ouimette, Andrew Oldfield, Pablo Navarro, Damien Neuillet and Claire Rougeulle X-chromosome inactivation is a tightly regulated mechanism, which silences one of the two female X chromosomes. Here Makhlouf et al. show that the autosomal transcription factor YY1 directly promotes expression of the Xist RNA—a master regulator of X-chromosome inactivation—at the onset of the inactivation process. 11 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5878 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Kinetic inductance magnetometer Juho Luomahaara, Visa Vesterinen, Leif Grönberg and Juha Hassel The ability to measure extremely weak magnetic fields is important to many applications, from brain imaging to mineral prospecting. Luomahaara et al. demonstrate a sensor for measuring ultra-low magnetic fields that is simpler and has a wider dynamic range than conventional SQUID-based magnetometers. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5872 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Ecological succession of a Jurassic shallow-water ichthyosaur fall OPEN Silvia Danise, Richard J. Twitchett and Katie Matts Little is known about Mesozoic marine reptile dead-falls. Here, the authors reconstruct the ecological succession of a Late Jurassic shallow-water ichthyosaur fall community and show that it fulfilled ecological roles similar to shallow whale falls and did not support specialized chemosynthetic communities. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5789 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Palaeontology  Phosphorescent dye-based supramolecules for high-efficiency organic light-emitting diodes Kwon-Hyeon Kim, Sunghun Lee, Chang-Ki Moon, Sei-Yong Kim, Young-Seo Park, Jeong-Hwan Lee, Jin Woo Lee, June Huh, Youngmin You and Jang-Joo Kim The limit external quantum efficiency of organic LEDs based on isotropically oriented iridium complexes is believed to be around 30%. But Kim et al. show that the emission from these complexes is in fact anisotropic, enabling them to increase the external quantum efficiency of these devices to 36%. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5769 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Organic chemistry  Magnetic antibody-linked nanomatchmakers for therapeutic cell targeting OPEN Ke Cheng, Deliang Shen, M. Taylor Hensley, Ryan Middleton, Baiming Sun, Weixin Liu, Geoffrey De Couto and Eduardo Marbán Cell therapy requires sufficient amounts of therapeutic cells to be delivered to the injured tissue. Here the authors use magnetic iron nanoparticles conjugated with antibodies that bind therapeutic cells and cardiomyocytes to treat myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury in rats and show that targeting to the heart is enhanced upon local application of a magnetic field. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5880 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Medical research  Highly efficient inverted polymer light-emitting diodes using surface modifications of ZnO layer Bo Ram Lee, Eui Dae Jung, Ji Sun Park, Yun Seok Nam, Sa Hoon Min, Byeong-Su Kim, Kyung-Min Lee, Jong-Ryul Jeong, Richard H. Friend, Ji-Seon Kim, Sang Ouk Kim and Myoung Hoon Song Light trapped in the active polymeric layer limits the total efficiency of polymer light-emitting diodes. Here, Lee et al. get round this bottleneck by enhancing light extraction in waveguide optical modes via ripple-shaped nanostructures that spontaneously form on ZnO electrode surfaces. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5840 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Nanotechnology  A novel Plasmodium-specific prodomain fold regulates the malaria drug target SUB1 subtilase David Giganti, Anthony Bouillon, Lina Tawk, Fabienne Robert, Mariano Martinez, Elodie Crublet, Patrick Weber, Christine Girard-Blanc, Stéphane Petres, Ahmed Haouz, Jean-François Hernandez, Odile Mercereau-Puijalon, Pedro M. Alzari and Jean-Christophe Barale Subtilase SUB1, a proteolytic enzyme required for the exit of malarial parasites from host cells, represents a promising target for anti-malarial drugs. Here, Giganti et al. report the structure of Plasmodium SUB1 and identify an essential domain involved in calcium-dependent activation of the enzyme. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5833 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Microbiology  Molecular biology  In situ nanoindentation study on plasticity and work hardening in aluminium with incoherent twin boundaries D. Bufford, Y. Liu, J. Wang, H. Wang and X. Zhang Nanotwinned metals containing a high density of coherent twin boundaries have the potential to exhibit high strength and ductility. Here, the authors study the effect that incoherent twin boundaries have on mechanical properties of nanotwinned aluminium with high stacking-fault energy, observing substantial work hardening and plasticity. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5864 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Duplication of a promiscuous transcription factor drives the emergence of a new regulatory network OPEN Ksenia Pougach, Arnout Voet, Fyodor A. Kondrashov, Karin Voordeckers, Joaquin F. Christiaens, Bianka Baying, Vladimir Benes, Ryo Sakai, Jan Aerts, Bo Zhu, Patrick Van Dijck and Kevin J. Verstrepen The molecular basis of transcriptional regulation evolution following gene duplication is poorly understood. Here the authors show how duplication of a promiscuous fungal transcription factor followed by concerted cis and trans mutations generates a novel regulatory network. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5868 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  The landscape of kinase fusions in cancer OPEN Nicolas Stransky, Ethan Cerami, Stefanie Schalm, Joseph L. Kim and Christoph Lengauer Kinases activated by gene fusions represent potentially important targets for the development of cancer drugs. Here, the authors develop a method for detecting gene fusion events in RNA sequencing data from The Cancer Genome Atlas and identify several novel recurrent fusions involving kinases. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5846 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  Energy-filtered cold electron transport at room temperature OPEN Pradeep Bhadrachalam, Ramkumar Subramanian, Vishva Ray, Liang-Chieh Ma, Weichao Wang, Jiyoung Kim, Kyeongjae Cho and Seong Jin Koh Electrons can behave as if they are at a temperature different from that of the solid in which they are embedded. Here, the authors demonstrate a room temperature device that can generate electrons with an effective temperature of 45 K by using quantum wells to filter out energetic particles. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5745 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Uncovering many-body correlations in nanoscale nuclear spin baths by central spin decoherence OPEN Wen-Long Ma, Gary Wolfowicz, Nan Zhao, Shu-Shen Li, John J.L. Morton and Ren-Bao Liu Detecting many-body correlations is a long-standing challenge in many-body physics. By studying their effects on the decoherence of the central spin under dynamical decoupling, Ma et al. provide an experimental demonstration of detection of many-body correlations in nanoscale nuclear spin bath. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5822 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Nanotechnology  Self-assembly of two-dimensional DNA origami lattices using cation-controlled surface diffusion Sungwook Woo and Paul W. K. Rothemund DNA origami is useful for organizing nanoscale objects, and linear arrays of DNA origami have previously been assembled via programmable bonds based on DNA base-stacking. Here, such ‘stacking bonds’ are used to assemble large 2D lattices of DNA origami by a novel cation-controlled surface diffusion mechanism. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5889 Chemical Sciences  Biophysics  Nanotechnology  Pressure-stabilized lithium caesides with caesium anions beyond the −1 state Jorge Botana and Mao-Sheng Miao In chemical compounds, alkali metal ions typically assume a positive oxidation state where they lose an electron, and only rarely are in a charge state where they receive an electron. Here, the authors predict lithium cesides with oxidation states where caesium receives more than one electron. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5861 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Physical chemistry  Streptomycin potency is dependent on MscL channel expression Irene Iscla, Robin Wray, Shuguang Wei, Bruce Posner and Paul Blount The mechanism by which the common antibiotic streptomycin enters bacterial cells is unclear. Here, Iscla et al. show that streptomycin alters the activity of the bacterial mechanosensitive ion channel, MscL, inducing potassium efflux, and suggest that this channel may provide a route for cell entry. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5891 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Microbiology  Microwave transitions as a signature of coherent parity mixing effects in the Majorana-transmon qubit Eran Ginossar and Eytan Grosfeld The ability to support and manipulate Majorana fermion states in solid-state devices could enable the development of fault tolerant quantum information processing. Eran Ginossar and Eytan Grosfeld propose a means to detect and control Majorana fermions in a superconducting qubit. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5772 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Theoretical physics  Spontaneous transmembrane helix insertion thermodynamically mimics translocon-guided insertion Martin B. Ulmschneider, Jakob P. Ulmschneider, Nina Schiller, B. A. Wallace, Gunnar von Heijne and Stephen H. White Insertion of proteins into a membrane bilayer driven by the Sec translocon is aided by the attributes of the inserted peptides. Here, Ulmschneider et al. measure the free energies of various insertion events and suggest that the membrane interface plays an important role in translocon-guided TM helix insertion. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5863 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Crystal structure of a common GPCR-binding interface for G protein and arrestin Michal Szczepek, Florent Beyrière, Klaus Peter Hofmann, Matthias Elgeti, Roman Kazmin, Alexander Rose, Franz J. Bartl, David von Stetten, Martin Heck, Martha E. Sommer, Peter W. Hildebrand and Patrick Scheerer G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) transmit signals through intracellular heterotrimeric G proteins and arrestins. Here, Szczepek et al. present the structure of a common binding interface for Gα and arrestin on rhodopsin to shed light on key interactions that mediate transduction of specific signals through a single GPCR. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5801 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Nonlinear phononics using atomically thin membranes Daniel Midtvedt, Andreas Isacsson and Alexander Croy Analogous to photonic crystals, phononic crystals can be used to engineer the acoustic properties of a system, however, creating nonlinear phononic crystals or nonlinear acoustic metamaterial is challenging. Here, Midtvedt et al. propose periodically pinned, atomically thin membranes as a nonlinear phononics platform. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5838 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Theoretical physics  Anisotropic magnetoresistance in an antiferromagnetic semiconductor I. Fina, X. Marti, D. Yi, J. Liu, J. H. Chu, C. Rayan-Serrao, S. Suresha, A. B. Shick, J. Železný, T. Jungwirth, J. Fontcuberta and R. Ramesh The change in the electrical properties of a ferromagnetic under the influence of a magnetic field depends strongly on field orientation. Marti et al. now show that this so-called anisotropic magnetoresistance is also evident in antiferromagnetic semiconductors, making them useful in spintronics. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5671 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Conversion of magnetic energy in the magnetic reconnection layer of a laboratory plasma Masaaki Yamada, Jongsoo Yoo, Jonathan Jara-Almonte, Hantao Ji, Russell M. Kulsrud and Clayton E. Myers Magnetic reconnection is believed to play a key role in the acceleration and heating of particles in astrophysical plasmas but the details are unclear. Yamada et al. study reconnection in a laboratory plasma, enabling them to determine the exact mechanisms of energy flow from magnetic field to particles. 10 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5774 Physical Sciences  Fluids and plasma physics    Nature Communications JOBS of the week Postdoctoral Scientist Medical Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Post-doctoral Research Associate The University of Nottingham PhD Student Position de Duve Institute Research Assistant / Research Associate University of Bristol Ph.D. student University of Bonn, Germany - Medical Center Staff Scientist Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center Postdoctoral Research Scientist The Babraham Institute PhD studentship City University of Hong Kong Postdoctoral Researcher University of Helsinki More Science jobs from Nature Communications EVENT Air quality for all 30.10.14 London, UK More science events from     Advertisement Microsystems & Nanoengineering - new to NPG in 2015! 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