Nature Communications - 29 October 2014

If you are unable to see the message below, click here to view.

Weekly Content Alert 29 October 2014  Featured image: Qi et al. uncover the social dynamics of a complex multilevel primate society. Latest content: Review Articles Journal homepage Recommend to library Web feed   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. Visit the website to explore the benefits of submitting your research.     Latest Review View all Reviews     On the unfounded enthusiasm for soft selective sweeps Jeffrey D Jensen Patterns of genomic variation can be used to identify targets of positive selection but understanding their mode of evolution is challenging. This review discusses theory and empirical evidence regarding soft sweep models and concludes that the recent enthusiasm for soft sweeps is unfounded. 27 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6281 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Evolution  Genetics        Latest Articles View all Articles     The complex jujube genome provides insights into fruit tree biology OPEN Meng-Jun Liu, Jin Zhao, Qing-Le Cai, Guo-Cheng Liu, Jiu-Rui Wang, Zhi-Hui Zhao, Ping Liu, Li Dai, Guijun Yan, Wen-Jiang Wang, Xian-Song Li, Yan Chen, Yu-Dong Sun, Zhi-Guo Liu, Min-Juan Lin, Jing Xiao, Ying-Ying Chen, Xiao-Feng Li, Bin Wu, Yong Ma et al. The jujube is a major dry fruit crop in China and is commonly used for medicinal purposes. Here the authors sequence the genome and transcriptome of the most widely cultivated jujube cultivar, Dongzao, and highlight the genetic and molecular basis of agronomically important jujube traits, such as vitamin C content. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6315 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  Consequences of tropical land use for multitrophic biodiversity and ecosystem functioning OPEN Andrew D. Barnes, Malte Jochum, Steffen Mumme, Noor Farikhah Haneda, Achmad Farajallah, Tri Heru Widarto and Ulrich Brose Transformation of natural ecosystems into agricultural land is usually accompanied by extensive biodiversity loss. Calculating multitrophic energy fluxes, Barnes et al. report severe reductions of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning from tropical rainforest to oil-palm plantations. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6351 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Fairness violations elicit greater punishment on behalf of another than for oneself Oriel FeldmanHall, Peter Sokol-Hessner, Jay J. Van Bavel and Elizabeth A. Phelps Punishment is a common response to the violation of what is perceived to be fair. Using a modified version of a well-studied ultimatum game, FeldmanHall et al. show that in fact, when presented with alternative options, people prefer not to punish unjust acts, unless the acts are directed at another person. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6306 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Pharmacogenetic meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of LDL cholesterol response to statins OPEN Iris Postmus, Stella Trompet, Harshal A. Deshmukh, Michael R. Barnes, Xiaohui Li, Helen R. Warren, Daniel I. Chasman, Kaixin Zhou, Benoit J. Arsenault, Louise A. Donnelly, Kerri L. Wiggins, Christy L. Avery, Paula Griffin, QiPing Feng, Kent D. Taylor, Guo Li, Daniel S. Evans, Albert V. Smith, Catherine E. de Keyser, Andrew D. Johnson et al. Statins are effectively used to prevent and manage cardiovascular disease, but patient response to these drugs is highly variable. Here, the authors identify two new genes associated with the response of LDL cholesterol to statins and advance our understanding of the genetic basis of drug response. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6068 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Gram-scale synthesis of single-crystalline graphene quantum dots with superior optical properties Liang Wang, Yanli Wang, Tao Xu, Haobo Liao, Chenjie Yao, Yuan Liu, Zhen Li, Zhiwen Chen, Dengyu Pan, Litao Sun and Minghong Wu Graphene quantum dots (GQDs) have a wide range of potential applications, yet current cutting methods produce GQDs in low amounts and with poor optical properties. Here, the authors demonstrate, via a facile molecular fusion route, the synthesis of GQDs at the gram-scale and report excellent optical properties. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6357 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Metastasis is regulated via microRNA-200/ZEB1 axis control of tumour cell PD-L1 expression and intratumoral immunosuppression Limo Chen, Don L. Gibbons, Sangeeta Goswami, Maria Angelica Cortez, Young-Ho Ahn, Lauren A. Byers, Xuejun Zhang, Xiaohui Yi, David Dwyer, Wei Lin, Lixia Diao, Jing Wang, Jonathon D. Roybal, Mayuri Patel, Christin Ungewiss, David Peng, Scott Antonia, Melanie Mediavilla-Varela, Gordon Robertson, Steve Jones et al. Tumour-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) can be suppressed by the tumour, but how this occurs is not clear. Here the authors show that the miR-200 family, which suppresses epithelial–mesenchymal transition, also targets tumour cell PD-L1 and thereby intratumoral immunosuppression and metastasis. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6241 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Immunology  Kinesin-14 and kinesin-5 antagonistically regulate microtubule nucleation by γ-TuRC in yeast and human cells OPEN Zachary T. Olmsted, Andrew G. Colliver, Timothy D. Riehlman and Janet L. Paluh Mitotic spindle assembly requires strict control of microtubule nucleation by γ-tubulin ring complexes. Olmsted et al. report that the kinesin-like proteins Pkl1 and Cut7 antagonistically regulate nucleation in fission yeast, and show that a Pkl1 peptide blocks spindle assembly in human cancer cells. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6339 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  RNAi-based functional selection identifies novel cell migration determinants dependent on PI3K and AKT pathways Minchul Seo, Shinrye Lee, Jong-Heon Kim, Won-Ha Lee, Guang Hu, Stephen J. Elledge and Kyoungho Suk Large-scale genetic screens combined with phenotype assays can identify novel regulators of specific cellular functions. Here, Seo et al. use shRNA-based genetic selection to identify novel genes regulating cell migration, functioning within the PI 3-kinase/PTEN/AKT signalling pathway. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6217 Biological Sciences  Bioinformatics  Cell biology  Loss of beta2-integrin-mediated cytoskeletal linkage reprogrammes dendritic cells to a mature migratory phenotype Vicky Louise Morrison, Martyn John James, Katarzyna Grzes, Peter Cook, David Gavin Glass, Terhi Savinko, Hwee San Lek, Christian Gawden-Bone, Colin Watts, Owain Richard Millington, Andrew Scott MacDonald and Susanna Carola Fagerholm The molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of beta2-integrins on signalling in immune cells are unclear. Here the authors show that disruption of the interaction between beta2-integrins and kindlin-3 results in increased GM-CSF receptor signalling, affecting dendritic cell activation and migration and Th1 immunity. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6359 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Inductively guided circuits for ultracold dressed atoms OPEN German A. Sinuco-León, Kathryn A. Burrows, Aidan S. Arnold and Barry M. Garraway Ultracold atomic gases show interesting quantum effects but the traps needed to study them are complex and often unwieldy. This study proposes a flexible and robust trapping scheme based on a spatially modulated atomic dressing field, created from an inductive loop, that traps atoms in one-dimensional guides. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6289 Physical Sciences  Atomic and molecular physics  Evolutionary expansion of a regulatory network by counter-silencing W. Ryan Will, Denise H. Bale, Philip J. Reid, Stephen J. Libby and Ferric C. Fang Genes acquired by horizontal transfer must be incorporated into existing regulatory networks to become functional. Here, Will et al. show that conserved and horizontally acquired PhoP-regulated genes in Salmonella are regulated by distinct mechanisms, defined by promoter architecture. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6270 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  Microbiology  Polarization maintaining single-mode low-loss hollow-core fibres John M. Fini, Jeffrey W. Nicholson, Brian Mangan, Linli Meng, Robert S. Windeler, Eric M. Monberg, Anthony DeSantolo, Frank V. DiMarcello and Kazunori Mukasa Hollow-core fibre technologies provide an exceptional platform for applications in sensing, communications and higher-power pulse delivery, yet these fibres suffer from uncontrolled coupling of polarization modes. Here Fini et al. fabricate a single-moded, polarization-maintaining hollow-core fibre. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6085 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Optical physics  Platelets promote tumour metastasis via interaction between TLR4 and tumour cell-released high-mobility group box1 protein Le-Xing Yu, Lei Yan, Wen Yang, Fu-Quan Wu, Yan Ling, Shu-Zhen Chen, Liang Tang, Ye-Xiong Tan, Dan Cao, Meng-Chao Wu, He-Xin Yan and Hong-Yang Wang Factors affecting the fate of disseminating tumour cells in the circulation play a critical role in metastasis. Here the authors show that TLR4 on platelets promotes their adhesion to tumour cells and enhances metastasis. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6256 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Kinetic modulation of a disordered protein domain by phosphorylation Nathaniel Stanley, Santiago Esteban-Martín and Gianni De Fabritiis Protein phosphorylation is a frequent biological occurrence, but the way in which this process modulates the disordered states of proteins is poorly understood. Here, the authors present simulations of the effect of phosphorylation on the kinetics and energetics of a disordered protein. 28 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6272 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Critical behaviours of contact near phase transitions OPEN Y.-Y. Chen, Y.-Z. Jiang, X.-W. Guan and Qi Zhou Contact parameterises two-body correlations at short distances in dilute systems like ultracold atomic gases. Using a fundamental thermodynamic relation, Chen et al. study the contact near a continuous classical or quantum phase transition and find that it displays a number of critical behaviours. 27 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6140 Physical Sciences  Atomic and molecular physics  Condensed matter  Theoretical physics  Mitochondrial defects trigger proliferation of neighbouring cells via a senescence-associated secretory phenotype in Drosophila Mai Nakamura, Shizue Ohsawa and Tatsushi Igaki Simultaneous mitochondrial dysfunction and Ras activation, which is commonly observed in cancer cells, has been shown to trigger the proliferation of neighbouring tissues in Drosophila. Nakamura et al. reveal that this effect is driven by a DNA-damage-induced senescence-associated secretory phenotype. 27 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6264 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Cell biology  Evolutionarily conserved coupling of adaptive and excitable networks mediates eukaryotic chemotaxis Ming Tang, Mingjie Wang, Changji Shi, Pablo A. Iglesias, Peter N. Devreotes and Chuan-Hsiang Huang An excitable signalling network has been proposed to act as a pacemaker that drives cell motility. Tang et al. show that control of this network by an adaptive module is sufficient to explain how cells sense and adapt to changes in chemoattractant concentration as they migrate through a gradient. 27 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6175 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Cell biology  Systems biology  Identification of the phytosphingosine metabolic pathway leading to odd-numbered fatty acids Natsuki Kondo, Yusuke Ohno, Maki Yamagata, Takashi Obara, Naoya Seki, Takuya Kitamura, Tatsuro Naganuma and Akio Kihara Most cellular fatty acids contain even-numbered chains, and the origin of the small fraction of odd-numbered fatty acids remains unclear. Kondo et al. show that odd-numbered fatty acids are generated by metabolism of the long-chain base phytosphingosine in yeast and mammalian cells. 27 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6338 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Extant diversity of bryophytes emerged from successive post-Mesozoic diversification bursts B. Laenen, B. Shaw, H. Schneider, B. Goffinet, E. Paradis, A. Désamoré, J. Heinrichs, J. C. Villarreal, S. R. Gradstein, S. F. McDaniel, D. G. Long, L. L. Forrest, M. L. Hollingsworth, B. Crandall-Stotler, E. C. Davis, J. Engel, M. Von Konrat, E. D. Cooper, J. Patiño, C. J. Cox et al. The macroevolutionary history of bryophytes is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that, while overall diversification rates of bryophytes are substantially lower than those reported in ferns and angiosperms, they increase over time and become comparable to angiosperms in the most recent lineages. 27 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6134 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Evolution  Protein design with a comprehensive statistical energy function and boosted by experimental selection for foldability Peng Xiong, Meng Wang, Xiaoqun Zhou, Tongchuan Zhang, Jiahai Zhang, Quan Chen and Haiyan Liu Methods to design proteins de novo can give insights into how amino acids fold into particular structures and aid in protein engineering. Here, Xiong et al. compare a novel statistical energy function with established methods and use it to generate four de novo proteins. 27 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6330 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Bioinformatics  Parallel evolution of Nicaraguan crater lake cichlid fishes via non-parallel routes Kathryn R. Elmer, Shaohua Fan, Henrik Kusche, Maria Luise Spreitzer, Andreas F. Kautt, Paolo Franchini and Axel Meyer Similar morphologies can evolve repeatedly in similar environments. Here, the authors show morphological, ecological and genetic differentiation between sympatric ecomorphs across two independent radiations of crater lake cichlids, but a different order of speciation events across radiations. 27 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6168 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Evolution  Evidence of a field-induced Berezinskii–Kosterlitz–Thouless scenario in a two-dimensional spin–dimer system U. Tutsch, B. Wolf, S. Wessel, L. Postulka, Y. Tsui, H.O. Jeschke, I. Opahle, T. Saha-Dasgupta, R. Valentí, A. Brühl, K. Remović-Langer, T. Kretz, H.-W. Lerner, M. Wagner and M. Lang More than 40 years ago Berezinskii, Kosterlitz and Thouless (BKT) predicted a state of matter characterized by topological order driven by the binding of vortex-antivortex pairs. Here Tutsch et al. report experimental evidences of BKT physics in a two-dimensional spin-dimer system. 27 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6169 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Theoretical physics  Fingering versus stability in the limit of zero interfacial tension Irmgard Bischofberger, Radha Ramachandran and Sidney R. Nagel Complex patterns arise in the non-linear growth regime upon the injection of a less viscous fluid into a more viscous one. Here, the authors show that the viscosity ratio between the two fluids controls a transition from branched fingers to blunt structures, and then eventually to a stable displacement. 27 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6265 Physical Sciences  Fluids and plasma physics  Physical chemistry  Fundamental rate-loss tradeoff for optical quantum key distribution Masahiro Takeoka, Saikat Guha and Mark M. Wilde An open question in quantum key distribution (QKD) is whether there exist protocols avoiding the exponential decay of the secret key generation rate with distance. Takeoka et al. show a fundamental tradeoff between the secret-key generation rate and the channel loss for optical repeater-less QKD protocols. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6235 Physical Sciences  Theoretical physics  The missing boundary in the phase diagram of PbZr1−xTixO3 N. Zhang, H. Yokota, A. M. Glazer, Z. Ren, D. A. Keen, D. S. Keeble, P. A. Thomas and Z.-G. Ye PbZr1−xTixO3 is a widely used piezoelectric material. Here, the authors clarify the long-standing issue of the monoclinic crystal phase evolution across the morphotropic phase boundary in the compound’s phase diagram, contributing also to the understanding of its piezoelectric properties. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6231 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  A general mechanism for competitor-induced dissociation of molecular complexes Thayaparan Paramanathan, Daniel Reeves, Larry J. Friedman, Jane Kondev and Jeff Gelles Departure of ligands from cell surfaces can be slowed by rapid rebinding to nearby receptors. Here, the authors use single-molecule experiments and theory to show that rapid rebinding also can slow dissociation of an isolated molecular complex, allowing binding competitors to significantly raise dissociation rates. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6207 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  FAK transduces extracellular forces that orient the mitotic spindle and control tissue morphogenesis Nicoletta I. Petridou and Paris A. Skourides Orientation of the mitotic spindle is influenced by extracellular forces acting on the cell cortex. Here Petridou et al. identify FAK as a key transducer of mechanical forces in this context and as a result is a key regulator of spindle orientation controlling tissue architecture and morphogenesis. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6240 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Direct interaction of Plk4 with STIL ensures formation of a single procentriole per parental centriole OPEN Midori Ohta, Tomoko Ashikawa, Yuka Nozaki, Hiroko Kozuka-Hata, Hidemasa Goto, Masaki Inagaki, Masaaki Oyama and Daiju Kitagawa Centrosome duplication requires a cartwheel-shaped protein complex containing the protein HsSAS-6, which acts as a template for centriole assembly. Ohta et al. show that HsSAS-6 is recruited to this structure by STIL and Plk4, and reveal that Plk4 phosphorylates STIL, stabilizing its interaction with HsSAS-6. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6267 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  DNA-based digital tension probes reveal integrin forces during early cell adhesion Yun Zhang, Chenghao Ge, Cheng Zhu and Khalid Salaita Imaging mechanical tension experienced by single adhesion molecules in living cells remains a significant challenge. Zhang et al. design fluorescent probes based on DNA hairpins that can be programmed to reversibly report specific force levels generated by individual integrin molecules in a digital manner. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6167 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Cell biology  What is and what is not electromagnetically induced transparency in whispering-gallery microcavities Bo Peng, Şahin Kaya Özdemir, Weijian Chen, Franco Nori and Lan Yang Optical analogues of electromagnetically induced transparency and Autler–Townes splitting originate from different mechanisms but both are quantified by a transparency window. Here, Peng et al. use the Akaike information criterion to discriminate between the two regimes in coupled whispering gallery mode microresonators. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6082 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Optical physics  Arl3 and LC8 regulate dissociation of dynactin from dynein Mingyue Jin, Masami Yamada, Yoshiyuki Arai, Takeharu Nagai and Shinji Hirotsune Cargo is transported through the cell on microtubules, but the regulatory mechanism controlling release of dynactin-bound cargo from dynein is not known. Here, Jin et al. uncover roles for ADP-ribosylation factor-like 3 (Arl3) and dynein light chain LC8 in unloading cargo from microtubules. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6295 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Ordered three-dimensional interconnected nanoarchitectures in anodic porous alumina Jaime Martín, Marisol Martín-González, Jose Francisco Fernández and Olga Caballero-Calero Three-dimensional nanostructures have numerous applications and are normally fabricated via templating strategies. Here, the authors present a current-limited hard anodization approach for tunable, homogeneous anodic aluminium oxide, which can be used to template a range of periodic nanowire networks. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6130 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Reconstitution of a nanomachine driving the assembly of proteins into bacterial outer membranes Hsin-Hui Shen, Denisse L. Leyton, Takuya Shiota, Matthew J. Belousoff, Nicholas Noinaj, Jingxiong Lu, Stephen A. Holt, Khershing Tan, Joel Selkrig, Chaille T. Webb, Susan K. Buchanan, Lisandra L. Martin and Trevor Lithgow The translocation and assembly module (TAM) is a nanomachine responsible for assembly of proteins into the outer membrane of pathogenic bacteria. Here, Shen et al. use magnetic contrast neutron reflectrometry to visualize movements within the TAM and insertion of a substrate protein into the lipid bilayer. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6078 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  Superficial layer pyramidal cells communicate heterogeneously between multiple functional domains of cat primary visual cortex Kevan A. C. Martin, Stephan Roth and Elisha S. Rusch Pyramidal cells in superficial layers of neocortex form a lateral network of synaptic bouton clusters, but its functional implication remains unclear. Here the authors overlaid activity maps of orientation preference in cat visual cortex with single-cell anatomy and observed projections to multiple functional domains. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6252 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Brillouin light scattering from surface acoustic waves in a subwavelength-diameter optical fibre OPEN Jean-Charles Beugnot, Sylvie Lebrun, Gilles Pauliat, Hervé Maillotte, Vincent Laude and Thibaut Sylvestre In optical fibres, stimulated Brillouin scattering is a fundamental interaction where light generates bulk elastic waves and it is backward scattered by them. Here, Beugnot et al. demonstrate the generation of backward-propagating surface acoustic wave Brillouin scattering in subwavelength-diameter optical fibres. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6242 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Optical physics  Graphenes in the absence of metals as carbocatalysts for selective acetylene hydrogenation and alkene hydrogenation Ana Primo, Florentina Neatu, Mihaela Florea, Vasile Parvulescu and Hermenegildo Garcia Hydrogenation of carbon-carbon multiple bonds is an industrially important process, usually involving metallic catalysts. Here, the authors show that graphene based catalysts can also catalyse alkene and acetylene hydrogenation. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6291 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Materials science  The role of charge-transfer states in energy transfer and dissipation within natural and artificial bacteriochlorophyll proteins Md. Wahadoszamen, Iris Margalit, Anjue Mane Ara, Rienk van Grondelle and Dror Noy Non-photochemical quenching is the process by which photosynthetic organisms can protect themselves from damage caused by high-intensity light. Here, the authors use Stark spectroscopy to determine the influence of the protein environment on charge transfer in non-photochemical quenching. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6287 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Plant sciences  Genome-wide association study identifies multiple loci associated with both mammographic density and breast cancer risk Sara Lindström, Deborah J. Thompson, Andrew D. Paterson, Jingmei Li, Gretchen L. Gierach, Christopher Scott, Jennifer Stone, Julie A. Douglas, Isabel dos-Santos-Silva, Pablo Fernandez-Navarro, Jajini Verghase, Paula Smith, Judith Brown, Robert Luben, Nicholas J. Wareham, Ruth J. F. Loos, John A. Heit, V. Shane Pankratz, Aaron Norman, Ellen L. Goode et al. Mammographic density is a strong risk factor for breast cancer. Here, the authors identify several new loci associated dense area, non-dense area and percent density, and highlight a shared genetic basis for mammographic density and breast cancer. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6303 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  Biexcitonic molecules survive excitons at the Mott transition Mehran Shahmohammadi, Gwénolé Jacopin, Georg Rossbach, Jacques Levrat, Eric Feltin, Jean-François Carlin, Jean-Daniel Ganière, Raphaël Butté, Nicolas Grandjean and Benoit Deveaud The electrons and holes in a semiconductor can bind together to form excitons, which in turn couple together at higher carrier densities to create biexcitons. Here, the authors show, contrary to expectation, that biexcitons can outlive excitons at carrier densities close to the appearance of unbound electrons and holes. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6251 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Subduction of fracture zones controls mantle melting and geochemical signature above slabs Vlad C. Manea, William P. Leeman, Taras Gerya, Marina Manea and Guizhi Zhu Subduction of fracture zones is predicted to have local geochemical and physical manifestations in volcanic arcs. Here, the authors show boron enrichment near fracture zones in some arcs and infer the processes occurring there using detailed geodynamic modelling. 24 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6095 Earth Sciences  Geology and geophysics  Quantum signatures of a molecular nanomagnet in direct magnetocaloric measurements OPEN Joseph W. Sharples, David Collison, Eric J. L. McInnes, Jürgen Schnack, Elias Palacios and Marco Evangelisti The magnetocaloric effect is well understood in spin-frustrated low-dimensional systems, and should be observable in certain high-symmetry molecular structures. Here, the authors report the experimental observation of sub-Kelvin cooling with a molecular magnet, and probe the low-temperature spin behaviour. 22 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6321 Chemical Sciences  Condensed matter  Inorganic chemistry  Enzymatic aerobic ring rearrangement of optically active furylcarbinols Daniel Thiel, Diana Doknić and Jan Deska The Achmatowicz reaction involves the conversion of furans into dihydropyrans, classically with the use of bromine. Here, the authors couple an enzymatic oxygen activation with a chloroperoxidase-mediated oxygen transfer, providing a biocatalytic route to a formal Achmatowicz reaction. 22 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6278 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Chemical biology  Organic chemistry  Vascular channels formed by subpopulations of PECAM1+ melanoma cells James M. Dunleavey, Lin Xiao, Joshua Thompson, Mi Mi Kim, Janiel M. Shields, Sarah E. Shelton, David M. Irvin, Victoria E. Brings, David W. Ollila, Rolf A. Brekken, Paul A. Dayton, Juan M. Melero-Martin and Andrew C. Dudley Tumours acquire new vasculature through angiogenesis or through alternative pathways including the less understood vasculogenesis mimicry. Here the authors identify a vasculogenic mimicry-competent subpopulation of melanoma cells that expresses the vascular cell adhesion molecule PECAM1, but not VEGFR-2. 22 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6200 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Molecular biology  Transcriptional specialization of human dendritic cell subsets in response to microbial vaccines OPEN Romain Banchereau, Nicole Baldwin, Alma-Martina Cepika, Shruti Athale, Yaming Xue, Chun I Yu, Patrick Metang, Abhilasha Cheruku, Isabelle Berthier, Ingrid Gayet, Yuanyuan Wang, Marina Ohouo, LuAnn Snipes, Hui Xu, Gerlinde Obermoser, Derek Blankenship, Sangkon Oh, Octavio Ramilo, Damien Chaussabel, Jacques Banchereau et al. The effects of vaccines on human dendritic cells (DCs) are incompletely understood. Here the authors build a transcriptional modular network based on in vitro infection of human DCs and apply it for the characterization of the DC response to 13 different vaccines. 22 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6283 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Nasal immunity is an ancient arm of the mucosal immune system of vertebrates Luca Tacchi, Rami Musharrafieh, Erin T. Larragoite, Kyle Crossey, Erik B. Erhardt, Samuel A. M. Martin, Scott E. LaPatra and Irene Salinas The nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) of terrestrial mammals serves as a first line of defence against pathogens. Here the authors show that fish also have NALT, characterized by the presence of diffuse lymphoid cells including IgT+ B cells, and demonstrate successful intranasal immunization. 22 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6205 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Reduced-dimensionality-induced helimagnetism in iron nanoislands S. -H. Phark, J. A. Fischer, M. Corbetta, D. Sander, K. Nakamura and J. Kirschner Spin textures, such as skyrmions, could be useful in future low-power-consumption memory devices, but they are usually only seen in materials with a strong spin-orbit interaction. Phark et al. now, however, observe such non-collinear magnetic order in nanometre-scale bilayer iron islands. 22 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6183 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Satellite telemetry and social modeling offer new insights into the origin of primate multilevel societies OPEN Xiao-Guang Qi, Paul A. Garber, Weihong Ji, Zhi-Pang Huang, Kang Huang, Peng Zhang, Song-Tao Guo, Xiao-Wei Wang, Gang He, Pei Zhang and Bao-Guo Li Multilevel societies (MLS) are a complex form of group organization found in mammals, yet the origin of MLS is poorly understood. Here the authors show that MLS of the golden snub-nosed monkey evolved from the aggregation of independent one-male, multifemale units found in ancestral Asian colobines. 22 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6296 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Evolution  LAMTOR2 regulates dendritic cell homeostasis through FLT3-dependent mTOR signalling OPEN Julia M. Scheffler, Florian Sparber, Christoph H. Tripp, Caroline Herrmann, Alexandra Humenberger, Johanna Blitz, Nikolaus Romani, Patrizia Stoitzner and Lukas A. Huber LAMTOR2 is involved in mTOR and ERK signalling and plays a role in immunity, but its function in dendritic cells (DCs) is not clear. Here the authors show that deletion of LAMTOR2 in DCs results in increased mTOR signalling, accumulation of Flt3 on the cell surface and excessive DC proliferation in ageing mice. 22 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6138 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Consumer co-evolution as an important component of the eco-evolutionary feedback Teppo Hiltunen and Lutz Becks The role of predator evolution in eco-evolutionary dynamics has received less attention than that of prey. Here, Hiltunen and Becks show that prey anti-predator traits evolve faster and are more variable in the presence of co-evolved predators, resulting in altered community dynamics. 22 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6226 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Evolution  Pattern formation at multiple spatial scales drives the resilience of mussel bed ecosystems Quan-Xing Liu, Peter M. J. Herman, Wolf M. Mooij, Jef Huisman, Marten Scheffer, Han Olff and Johan van de Koppel Self-organized patterns at multiple spatial scales are widespread in nature, although little is known about their effect on ecosystem functioning. Here, Liu et al. show how two self-organization processes at individual and ecosystem scale interact to increase the resilience of intertidal mussel beds. 22 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6234 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Dynamic DNA methylation orchestrates cardiomyocyte development, maturation and disease OPEN Ralf Gilsbach, Sebastian Preissl, Björn A. Grüning, Tilman Schnick, Lukas Burger, Vladimir Benes, Andreas Würch, Ulrike Bönisch, Stefan Günther, Rolf Backofen, Bernd K. Fleischmann, Dirk Schübeler and Lutz Hein DNA methylation is essential for proper gene expression, development and genome stability. Here the authors present whole-genome DNA methylation analyses of purified mouse cardiomyocytes from newborn, adult and failing hearts and find highly dynamic patterns between the three phenotypes of cardiomyocytes. 22 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6288 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Molecular biology  Bioinspired copper catalyst effective for both reduction and evolution of oxygen Jiong Wang, Kang Wang, Feng-Bin Wang and Xing-Hua Xia The conversion between water and oxygen is an important process in electrochemical devices, but is hindered by the large activation energy. Here, the authors report a copper-based catalyst capable of catalyzing both oxygen reduction and evolution, and identify the hydroxyl radical as the common intermediate. 22 October 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6285 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Materials science    Nature Communications JOBS of the week Postdoctoral Researcher University of Utah Research Associate King's College London Senior Research Associate University of East Anglia (UEA) PhD Programme in Molecular Cell Biology University College London (UCL) Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Cancer Genetics and Evolution Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics Research Assistant / Postdoc Stanford University School of Medicine Postdoctoral fellow University Hospital of Cologne PhD Student University of Oulu, Faculty of Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Postdoctoral Researcher Louisiana State University Research Fellow The University of Nottingham More Science jobs from Nature Communications EVENT The Science of Pain and its Management 08.12.15 London, UK More science events from     Advertisement Nature Communications is now fully open access All new submissions to Nature Communications, if accepted, will be published open access and an article processing charge will apply. For more information visit the website. Many research funders and institutions make funds available to pay open access APCs: please consult our open access funding page to check if your funder or institution has funding available. For advice on whether you are eligible for APC funding and help in approaching funders and institutions please contact us at openaccess@nature.com   Natureevents is a fully searchable, multi-disciplinary database designed to maximise exposure for events organisers. The contents of the Natureevents Directory are now live. The digital version is available here. Find the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia on natureevents.com. For event advertising opportunities across the Nature Publishing Group portfolio please contact natureevents@nature.com  More Nature Events You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. You can change or discontinue your e-mail alerts at any time, by modifying your preferences on your nature.com account at:www.nature.com/myaccount (You will need to log in to be recognised as a nature.com registrant) For further technical assistance, please contact our registration department For other enquiries, please contact our customer feedback department Nature Publishing Group | 75 Varick Street, 9th Floor | New York | NY 10013-1917 | USA Nature Publishing Group's worldwide offices: London - Paris - Munich - New Delhi - Tokyo - Melbourne San Diego - San Francisco - Washington - New York - Boston Macmillan Publishers Limited is a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number 785998 and whose registered office is located at Brunel Road, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. © 2013 Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.