Nature Communications - 22 April 2015

Weekly Content Alert Nature Communications is now fully open access. Read more. 22 April 2015  Featured image: Newman et al. identify genetic variation in EPAS1 associated with 'risket disease' in high-altitude cattle. Latest content: Articles Errata Advertisement Nature Communications is now fully open access All new submissions if accepted, will be published open access and an article processing charge will apply. For more information visit the website. Visit our open access funding page  or contact openaccess@nature.com to learn more on APC funding. Journal homepage Recommend to library Web feed   Advertisement Nature Genetics, Central South University, and Anhui Medical University present: Genome Variation in Precision Medicine 2015 May 17-19, 2015 | Changsha, China  Register Now!        Nature Communications - now fully open access All new submissions, if accepted, will be published open access and an article processing charge (APC) will apply. For more information visit the website. Visit our open access funding page or contact openaccess@nature.com to learn more about APC funding.   Latest Articles View all Articles     Increased CRF signalling in a ventral tegmental area-interpeduncular nucleus-medial habenula circuit induces anxiety during nicotine withdrawal Rubing Zhao-Shea, Steven R. DeGroot, Liwang Liu, Markus Vallaster, Xueyan Pang, Qin Su, Guangping Gao, Oliver J. Rando, Gilles E. Martin, Olivier George, Paul D. Gardner and Andrew R. Tapper Abstinent smokers experience affective withdrawal symptoms that contribute to relapse, yet the circuitry and mechanisms underlying these symptoms are unknown. Here the authors identify a critical role for a ventral tegmental area-habenula-interpeduncular circuit in nicotine withdrawal-induced anxiety. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7770 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Neuroscience  Systematic evaluation of an atomic clock at 2 × 10−18 total uncertainty OPEN T.L. Nicholson, S.L. Campbell, R.B. Hutson, G.E. Marti, B.J. Bloom, R.L. McNally, W. Zhang, M.D. Barrett, M.S. Safronova, G.F. Strouse, W.L. Tew and J. Ye Atomic clocks are increasingly important for many applications in scientific research and technology. Here, Nicholson et al. present a series of developments allowing them to achieve a new record in atomic clock performance, with a systematic uncertainty of just 2.1 × 10−18 for their 87Sr atomic clock. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7896 Physical Sciences  Atomic and molecular physics  Optical physics  Causal factors for seismicity near Azle, Texas OPEN Matthew J. Hornbach, Heather R. DeShon, William L. Ellsworth, Brian W. Stump, Chris Hayward, Cliff Frohlich, Harrison R. Oldham, Jon E. Olson, M. Beatrice Magnani, Casey Brokaw and James H. Luetgert Whether exploration causes earthquakes has been a matter of recent contention particularly regarding shale gas exploration. Here, the authors use hydraulic modelling and earthquake locations to show that brine production and wastewater injection in the Azle area are likely causing earthquakes. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7728 Earth Sciences  Geology and geophysics  Live-cell imaging of actin dynamics reveals mechanisms of stereocilia length regulation in the inner ear Meghan C. Drummond, Melanie Barzik, Jonathan E. Bird, Duan-Sun Zhang, Claude P. Lechene, David P. Corey, Lisa L. Cunningham and Thomas B. Friedman Precise control of stereocilia length by auditory hair cells is vital for normal hearing. Drummond et al. follow in real-time the incorporation of actin into these structures and show that while the actin core is remarkably stable, and actin polymerization is limited to their distal tips. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7873 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Developmental biology  Synthesis of tetrasubstituted 1-silyloxy-3-aminobutadienes and chemistry beyond Diels–Alder reactions OPEN Xijian Li, Siyu Peng, Li Li and Yong Huang Electron-rich dienes have been shown to have multiple uses in synthesis by means of cycloaddition reactions. Here, the authors report a series of non-cycloaddition-based reactions of these compounds, giving access to 4-, 5-, 6- and 7-membered ring systems. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7913 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Organic chemistry  Interactions between horizontally acquired genes create a fitness cost in Pseudomonas aeruginosa OPEN Alvaro San Millan, Macarena Toll-Riera, Qin Qi and R. Craig MacLean Horizontal gene transfer is important for bacterial evolution but the molecular basis of its fitness costs remain unclear. Here the authors show that fitness costs produced by a plasmid in P. aeruginosa are alleviated by mutations in recently acquired genes encoded in mobile genetic elements. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7845 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Designer diatom episomes delivered by bacterial conjugation OPEN Bogumil J. Karas, Rachel E. Diner, Stephane C. Lefebvre, Jeff McQuaid, Alex P.R. Phillips, Chari M. Noddings, John K. Brunson, Ruben E. Valas, Thomas J. Deerinck, Jelena Jablanovic, Jeroen T.F. Gillard, Karen Beeri, Mark H. Ellisman, John I. Glass, Clyde A. Hutchison III, Hamilton O. Smith, J. Craig Venter, Andrew E. Allen, Christopher L. Dupont and Philip D. Weyman Algae hold great promise for biofuel and chemical production but their use as model systems is hampered by the absence of suitable genetic tools. Here Karas et al. present a nuclear episomal vector for diatoms that is maintained in the absence of antibiotics, and a plasmid delivery method via conjugation with E. coli. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7925 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Active control of all-fibre graphene devices with electrical gating OPEN Eun Jung Lee, Sun Young Choi, Hwanseong Jeong, Nam Hun Park, Woongbin Yim, Mi Hye Kim, Jae-Ku Park, Suyeon Son, Sukang Bae, Sang Jin Kim, Kwanil Lee, Yeong Hwan Ahn, Kwang Jun Ahn, Byung Hee Hong, Ji-Yong Park, Fabian Rotermund and Dong-Il Yeom Active control of light in optical fibres is of great interest, to this end, electric control of all-fibre graphene devices is desirable but highly challenging. Here, Lee et al. demonstrate electric control of the optical properties of a graphene sheet deposited on a side-polished fibre mediated by an ion liquid. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7851 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Optical physics  Osmosensing and scaffolding functions of the oligomeric four-transmembrane domain osmosensor Sho1 OPEN Kazuo Tatebayashi, Katsuyoshi Yamamoto, Miho Nagoya, Tomomi Takayama, Akiko Nishimura, Megumi Sakurai, Takashi Momma and Haruo Saito The yeast high osmolarity glycerol pathway activates the Hog1 MAP kinase via two branches, SLN1 and SHO, but the identity of the osmosensor has only been shown for the SLN1 branch. Here the authors demonstrate that the four-TM domain protein Sho1 functions as both an osmosensor and adaptor protein necessary for Hog1 activation. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7975 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cell biology  Regulated delivery of molecular cargo to invasive tumour-derived microvesicles James W. Clancy, Alanna Sedgwick, Carine Rosse, Vandhana Muralidharan-Chari, Graca Raposo, Michael Method, Philippe Chavrier and Crislyn D’Souza-Schorey Cells shed various types of vesicles differing in size and content. Here the authors show that cancer cells utilize VAMP3-mediated traffic to deliver MT1-MMP to surface microvesicles and facilitate amoeboid-like cell invasion, with VAMP3-containing vesicles also found in body fluids of cancer patients. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7919 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Cell biology  Inhomogeneity of the ultrafast insulator-to-metal transition dynamics of VO2 Brian T. O’Callahan, Andrew C. Jones, Jae Hyung Park, David H. Cobden, Joanna M. Atkin and Markus B. Raschke The nature of the insulator-metal phase transition in VO2 remains elusive. Using pump-probe spectroscopy and near-field imaging, O’Callahan et al. study the ultrafast dynamics of many micro-crystals and find an inhomogeneous response, highlighting the importance of microscopic perturbations to the transition. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7849 Physical Sciences  Seasonality in submesoscale turbulence OPEN Jörn Callies, Raffaele Ferrari, Jody M. Klymak and Jonathan Gula Recent numerical simulations suggest that the fronts that develop along the rims of ocean eddies are stronger in winter than in summer. Here, the authors present observational confirmation, which informs how these frontal flows are formed. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7862 Earth Sciences  Oceanography  APOBEC3A cytidine deaminase induces RNA editing in monocytes and macrophages OPEN Shraddha Sharma, Santosh K. Patnaik, R. Thomas Taggart, Eric D. Kannisto, Sally M. Enriquez, Paul Gollnick and Bora E. Baysal Aberrant RNA editing is linked to a range of neuropsychiatric and chronic diseases. Here Sharma et al. show that APOBEC3A can function as an RNA editing protein in response to physiological stimuli, significantly expanding our understanding of RNA editing and the role this may play in diseases. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7881 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  Dynamic caveolae exclude bulk membrane proteins and are required for sorting of excess glycosphingolipids OPEN Elena Shvets, Vassilis Bitsikas, Gillian Howard, Carsten Gram Hansen and Benjamin J. Nichols Recent data question the long-assumed link between caveolae and endocytosis of membrane proteins. Shvets et al. use genome editing to tag and trace endogenous caveolar proteins, providing evidence that these structures exclude membrane proteins and are instead required for proper sorting of excess membrane lipids. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7867 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Skilful multi-year predictions of tropical trans-basin climate variability OPEN Yoshimitsu Chikamoto, Axel Timmermann, Jing-Jia Luo, Takashi Mochizuki, Masahide Kimoto, Masahiro Watanabe, Masayoshi Ishii, Shang-Ping Xie and Fei-Fei Jin Sea surface temperature anomalies in the tropical Pacific can influence global atmospheric circulation, yet prediction of this atmospheric signal is limited to less than 1 year. Here, the authors present observational and modelling evidence for multi-year predictability. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7869 Earth Sciences  Atmospheric science  Climate science  GPI-anchored proteins do not reside in ordered domains in the live cell plasma membrane Eva Sevcsik, Mario Brameshuber, Martin Fölser, Julian Weghuber, Alf Honigmann and Gerhard J. Schütz The existence of membrane rafts of higher lipid order in living cells is subject to ongoing debate. Here, Sevcsik et al. use a micropatterning approach to show that glycosylphosphatidylinositol-anchored proteins, typical raft constituents, do not influence their membrane nanoenvironment to promote raft phase formation. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7969 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Diverse synaptic plasticity mechanisms orchestrated to form and retrieve memories in spiking neural networks OPEN Friedemann Zenke, Everton J. Agnes and Wulfram Gerstner The brain exhibits a diversity of plasticity mechanisms across different timecales that constitute the putative basis for learning and memory. Here, the authors demonstrate how these different plasticity mechanisms are orchestrated to support the formation of robust and stable neural cell assemblies. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7922 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Mouse oocytes depend on BubR1 for proper chromosome segregation but not for prophase I arrest Sandra A. Touati, Eulalie Buffin, Damien Cladière, Khaled Hached, Christophe Rachez, Jan M. van Deursen and Katja Wassmann Mammalian female meiosis is error prone, with error rates increasing with age. Here Touati et al. show that the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) protein BubR1, which decreases with age, has multiple roles in meiosis I by controlling SAC, stabilizing the mitotic spindle and timing the onset of anaphase I. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7946 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Length regulation of mechanosensitive stereocilia depends on very slow actin dynamics and filament-severing proteins Praveena Narayanan, Paul Chatterton, Akihiro Ikeda, Sakae Ikeda, David P. Corey, James M. Ervasti and Benjamin J. Perrin Auditory sensory hair cells detect sounds by deflection of their actin-based stereocilia, which vary in length. By inducing expression of GFP-actin in mouse hair cells in vivo, Narayanan et al. demonstrate that stereocilia length is regulated by very slow actin turnover, which is restricted to the tips. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7855 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Developmental biology  Patterning two-dimensional chalcogenide crystals of Bi2Se3 and In2Se3 and efficient photodetectors OPEN Wenshan Zheng, Tian Xie, Yu Zhou, Y. L. Chen, Wei Jiang, Shuli Zhao, Jinxiong Wu, Yumei Jing, Yue Wu, Guanchu Chen, Yunfan Guo, Jianbo Yin, Shaoyun Huang, H. Q. Xu, Zhongfan Liu and Hailin Peng Two-dimensional chalcogenides offer great potential in electronics, but accurate control of their growth is difficult. Here, the authors combine microintaglio printing and van der Waals epitaxy to pattern various large-area arrays of single-crystal chalcogenides with remarkable properties. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7972 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Optical physics  Supramolecular-jack-like guest in ultramicroporous crystal for exceptional thermal expansion behaviour OPEN Hao-Long Zhou, Yue-Biao Zhang, Jie-Peng Zhang and Xiao-Ming Chen While host–guest interplay has been well studied, there has been less work on utilizing the bulk property of guest. Here, the authors show that the jack-like motion of guest supramolecular aggregations can drastically modulate the thermal expansion properties of a three-dimensional hinge-like framework. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7917 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Materials science  Direct observation of liquid nucleus growth in homogeneous melting of colloidal crystals OPEN Ziren Wang, Feng Wang, Yi Peng and Yilong Han Monitoring crystal melting at a single-atom level is challenging because of the small spatial and temporal scales involved, especially for a bulk process. Wang et al. report the melting dynamics of a colloidal crystal with emphasis on the growth of critical nuclei upon different degrees of superheating. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7942 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Phase nucleation in curved space Leopoldo R. Gómez, Nicolás A. García, Vincenzo Vitelli, José Lorenzana and Daniel A. Vega Nucleation is the fundamental relaxation mechanism that leads to the emergence of a new phase or structure via first-order phase transitions. Here, the authors study nucleation and growth of two-dimensional phases on curved surfaces, and show how the curvature influences its inhomogeneity and speed. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7856 Physical Sciences  Theoretical physics  Tracing the evolutionary origins of insect renal function OPEN Kenneth A. Halberg, Selim Terhzaz, Pablo Cabrero, Shireen A. Davies and Julian A. T. Dow The evolution of neuropeptide signalling in insects is poorly understood. Here the authors map renal tissue architecture in the major insect Orders, and show that while the ancient neuropeptide families are involved in signalling in nearly all species, there is functional variation in the cell types that mediate the signal. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7800 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Zoology  A STIM2 splice variant negatively regulates store-operated calcium entry OPEN Anna-Maria Miederer, Dalia Alansary, Gertrud Schwär, Po-Hsien Lee, Martin Jung, Volkhard Helms and Barbara A. Niemeyer STIM proteins sense calcium depletion in the endoplasmic reticulum and in response activate calcium influx through Orai1 channels located at the plasma membrane. Here, Miederer et al. identify a novel splice variant of STIM2 that fails to interact with and activate Orai1 and may act to fine-tune cellular calcium homeostasis by negatively regulating calcium influx. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7899 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Modelling breast cancer requires identification and correction of a critical cell lineage-dependent transduction bias OPEN William C. Hines, Paul Yaswen and Mina J. Bissell Clinical breast cancers predominantly present luminal features, but experimental models are essentially basal. Here the authors show that luminal cells are significantly less susceptible to viral transduction, and present methods to analyse and overcome the bias in heterogeneous populations. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7927 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Cancer  Combinatorial code governing cellular responses to complex stimuli OPEN Antonio Cappuccio, Raphaël Zollinger, Mirjam Schenk, Aleksandra Walczak, Nicolas Servant, Emmanuel Barillot, Philippe Hupé, Robert L. Modlin and Vassili Soumelis Cells constantly integrate information from multiple stimuli. By considering every possible means by which two stimuli can interact, Cappuccio et al. define 10 interaction modes and demonstrate their preferential use by dendritic cells responding to different combinations of microbial and host inflammatory cues. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7847 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Systems biology  Hong-Ou-Mandel experiment for temporal investigation of single-electron fractionalization OPEN V. Freulon, A. Marguerite, J.-M. Berroir, B. Plaçais, A. Cavanna, Y. Jin and G. Fève A charge injected into the edge of a correlated one-dimensional system can split into separate charge packages. Freulon et al. now study this electron fractionalization on the picosecond timescale using Hong-Ou-Mandel interferometry. 21 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7854 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Real-time tunable lasing from plasmonic nanocavity arrays OPEN Ankun Yang, Thang B. Hoang, Montacer Dridi, Claire Deeb, Maiken H. Mikkelsen, George C. Schatz and Teri W. Odom Plasmonic lasers offer ultrasmall mode confinement via nanoscale structures, but their reliance on solid-state gain media makes tunability difficult. Yang et al, present a laser based on gold nanoparticle arrays in a microfluidic channel, whose liquid gain media enable dynamic tuning of the lasing wavelength. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7939 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Optical physics  Epigenomic evolution in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas OPEN Heng Pan, Yanwen Jiang, Michela Boi, Fabrizio Tabbò, David Redmond, Kui Nie, Marco Ladetto, Annalisa Chiappella, Leandro Cerchietti, Rita Shaknovich, Ari M. Melnick, Giorgio G. Inghirami, Wayne Tam and Olivier Elemento The contribution of epigenomic alterations to tumour progression and relapse is not well characterized. Here the authors characterize epigenetic evolution in aggressive B-cell lymphoma and find that epigenomic heterogeneity may not only support and drive the relapse phenotype but also be used to predict lymphoma relapse. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7921 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  Evidence for carrier localization in the pseudogap state of cuprate superconductors from coherent quench experiments OPEN I. Madan, T. Kurosawa, Y. Toda, M. Oda, T. Mertelj and D. Mihailovic Understanding the nature of the pseudogap phase is an important challenge for high-temperature superconductivity. Madan et al. present a series of ultrafast spectroscopy experiments on the pseudogap phase of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ and find evidence of carrier localization into a textured polaronic state. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7958 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Extracellular MRP8/14 is a regulator of β2 integrin-dependent neutrophil slow rolling and adhesion OPEN Monika Pruenster, Angela R. M. Kurz, Kyoung-Jin Chung, Xiao Cao-Ehlker, Stephanie Bieber, Claudia F. Nussbaum, Susanne Bierschenk, Tanja K. Eggersmann, Ina Rohwedder, Kristina Heinig, Roland Immler, Markus Moser, Uwe Koedel, Sandra Gran, Rodger P. McEver, Dietmar Vestweber, Admar Verschoor, Tomas Leanderson, Triantafyllos Chavakis, Johannes Roth et al. MRP8/14 are actively secreted by myeloid cells during inflammation. Here the authors show that MRP8/14 play an important role in leukocyte recruitment to the inflammatory site, triggering an autocrine cascade that promotes neutrophil adhesion to the endothelium. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7915 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Amplification of oxidative stress by a dual stimuli-responsive hybrid drug enhances cancer cell death Joungyoun Noh, Byeongsu Kwon, Eunji Han, Minhyung Park, Wonseok Yang, Wooram Cho, Wooyoung Yoo, Gilson Khang and Dongwon Lee Cancer cells have elevated levels of reactive oxygen species. Here the authors show that cancer cells can be selectively killed in vitro and in vivo by an oxidative stress-activated drug, which amplifies the generation of reactive oxygen species while blocking the cells’ antioxidant defense. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7907 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Chemical biology  Universal structure of transmission eigenchannels inside opaque media OPEN Matthieu Davy, Zhou Shi, Jongchul Park, Chushun Tian and Azriel Z. Genack The transmission of light through opaque media is a complex process, owing to the many scattering processes of light. Here, the authors develop a method to determine the transmission eigenchannels through an opaque medium as a solution of diffusion equations. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7893 Physical Sciences  Optical physics  Theoretical physics  Radixin regulates synaptic GABAA receptor density and is essential for reversal learning and short-term memory OPEN Torben J. Hausrat, Mary Muhia, Kimberly Gerrow, Philip Thomas, Wiebke Hirdes, Sachiko Tsukita, Frank F. Heisler, Lena Herich, Sylvain Dubroqua, Petra Breiden, Joram Feldon, Jürgen R Schwarz, Benjamin K. Yee, Trevor G. Smart, Antoine Triller and Matthias Kneussel Lateral diffusion of receptors between synaptic and extrasynaptic sites is known to mediate plasticity. Hausrat et al. show that diffusion of α5-containing GABAA receptors is controlled by phosphorylation of the extrasynaptic anchoring protein Radixin, and reveal a role for Radixin in learning and memory. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7872 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Neuroscience  Visualization of electrochemically driven solid-state phase transformations using operando hard X-ray spectro-imaging OPEN Linsen Li, Yu-chen Karen Chen-Wiegart, Jiajun Wang, Peng Gao, Qi Ding, Young-Sang Yu, Feng Wang, Jordi Cabana, Jun Wang and Song Jin Hard X-ray spectro-imaging using synchrotron radiation can be used to monitor electrochemical reactions. Here, the authors present X-ray absorption data and resolve phase evolution for the conversion of iron fluoride, a high-capacity Li-ion battery conversion cathode, with nanoscale resolution. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7883 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Real-time observation of epitaxial graphene domain reorientation OPEN Paul C. Rogge, Konrad Thürmer, Michael E. Foster, Kevin F. McCarty, Oscar D. Dubon and Norman C. Bartelt Understanding the factors that control island orientation in the growth of two-dimensional materials is likely to improve their quality. Here, using low-energy electron microscopy, the authors show that post-nucleation annealing of 2D materials can improve rotational order. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7880 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Crystal structure of the Alcanivorax borkumensis YdaH transporter reveals an unusual topology Jani Reddy Bolla, Chih-Chia Su, Jared A. Delmar, Abhijith Radhakrishnan, Nitin Kumar, Tsung-Han Chou, Feng Long, Kanagalaghatta R. Rajashankar and Edward W. Yu AbgT family of transporters have previously been implicated in the uptake of folate catabolites but remain poorly understood. Here the authors present a structural and functional characterization of Alcanivorax borkumensis YdaH, an AbgT-type transporter, revealing a unique topology and possible function as a drug efflux pump. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7874 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  Microbiology  A single cyclin–CDK complex is sufficient for both mitotic and meiotic progression in fission yeast OPEN Pilar Gutiérrez-Escribano and Paul Nurse It was recently shown that a single cyclin–CDK complex is sufficient to drive mitosis in fission yeast. Here, the authors show that this complex is also sufficient for meiotic progression, suggesting that specialized complexes are not required for the more intricate transitions of meiosis. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7871 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  The desensitization gate of inhibitory Cys-loop receptors OPEN Marc Gielen, Philip Thomas and Trevor G. Smart Following activation, Cys-loop neurotransmitter-gated ion channels gradually desensitize and conductance shuts down. Here Gielen et al. present a mechanism for desensitization in which the interface between transmembrane domains is remodelled to constrict the channel pore at the intracellular end. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7829 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Neuroscience  Quantum Hall resistance standards from graphene grown by chemical vapour deposition on silicon carbide OPEN F. Lafont, R. Ribeiro-Palau, D. Kazazis, A. Michon, O. Couturaud, C. Consejo, T. Chassagne, M. Zielinski, M. Portail, B. Jouault, F. Schopfer and W. Poirier The quantum Hall effect in GaAs-based devices defines resistance standards accurate to within one part in 10−9 at magnetic fields close to 10 T. Here, Lafont et al. demonstrate such accuracies over an extended magnetic field range at 1.4 K in chemically vapour-deposited graphene on silicon carbide. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7806 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Nanotechnology  Association of CLEC16A with human common variable immunodeficiency disorder and role in murine B cells Jin Li, Silje F. Jørgensen, S Melkorka Maggadottir, Marina Bakay, Klaus Warnatz, Joseph Glessner, Rahul Pandey, Ulrich Salzer, Reinhold E. Schmidt, Elena Perez, Elena Resnick, Sigune Goldacker, Mary Buchta, Torsten Witte, Leonid Padyukov, Vibeke Videm, Trine Folseraas, Faranaz Atschekzei, James T. Elder, Rajan P. Nair et al. Common variable immunodeficiency disorder (CVID) is a primary immunodeficiency with autoimmune comorbidity. Here, Li et al. show shared genetic susceptibility with autoimmune diseases, identifying the first non HLA risk locus at CLEC16A in the largest CVID genetic study to date. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7804 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Tonic endocannabinoid-mediated modulation of GABA release is independent of the CB1 content of axon terminals OPEN Nora Lenkey, Tekla Kirizs, Noemi Holderith, Zoltán Máté, Gábor Szabó, E. Sylvester Vizi, Norbert Hájos and Zoltan Nusser A simple model for receptor number–function relationships dictates a positive correlation between receptor content and ligand effect. Here, the authors demonstrate that the degree of type-1 cannabinoid receptor (CB1)-modulated GABA release cannot be predicted from CB1 content of axon terminals. 20 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7557 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Neuroscience  Protein-pyridinol thioester precursor for biosynthesis of the organometallic acyl-iron ligand in [Fe]-hydrogenase cofactor Takashi Fujishiro, Jörg Kahnt, Ulrich Ermler and Seigo Shima The iron-guanylylpyridinol cofactor of [Fe]-hydrogenase is the only stable acyl-organometallic cofactor compound found in nature. Here, the authors perform a combined structural genomics and crystallography biochemical study to determine its biosynthetic origins. 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7895 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Unconventional transformation of spin Dirac phase across a topological quantum phase transition OPEN Su-Yang Xu, Madhab Neupane, Ilya Belopolski, Chang Liu, Nasser Alidoust, Guang Bian, Shuang Jia, Gabriel Landolt, Batosz Slomski, J. Hugo Dil, Pavel P. Shibayev, Susmita Basak, Tay-Rong Chang, Horng-Tay Jeng, Robert J. Cava, Hsin Lin, Arun Bansil and M. Zahid Hasan In topological insulators, topology imposes a quantum phase transition between the trivial and nontrivial phases. Here, Xu et al. demonstrate how properties of the topological surface states emerge in the trivial phase of BiTl(S1-δSeδ)2 when close to its chemically tuned phase transition. 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7870 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Reconstitution and structure of a bacterial Pnkp1–Rnl–Hen1 RNA repair complex OPEN Pei Wang, Kiruthika Selvadurai and Raven H. Huang Bacterial ribotoxins target and cleave RNAs involved in translation, with target organism resistance being mediated by RNA repair systems. Here, Wang et al. identify, report the crystal structure, and characterize the activity of Pnkp1–Rnl–Hen1, a novel RNA repair complex from Capnocytophaga gingivalis. 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7876 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  Microbiology  Radially aligned hierarchical columnar structure as a cathode material for high energy density sodium-ion batteries Jang-Yeon Hwang, Seung-Min Oh, Seung-Taek Myung, Kyung Yoon Chung, Ilias Belharouak and Yang-Kook Sun There are intensive efforts in developing cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries. Here, the authors present a spherical particle with a radially aligned hierarchical columnar structure as a cathode material which leads to good performance of capacity, retention, rate capability and thermal stability. 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7865 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Physical chemistry  A novel liquid organic hydrogen carrier system based on catalytic peptide formation and hydrogenation OPEN Peng Hu, Eran Fogler, Yael Diskin-Posner, Mark A. Iron and David Milstein Hydrogen is a potential fuel source, but its low energy density when stored under pressure and potential safety issues present problems. Here, the authors report a cheap, abundant organic liquid which can generate hydrogen by formation of a cyclic peptide and be catalytically regenerated upon hydrogenation. 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7859 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Organic chemistry  Did diamond-bearing orangeites originate from MARID-veined peridotites in the lithospheric mantle? Andrea Giuliani, David Phillips, Jon D. Woodhead, Vadim S. Kamenetsky, Marco L. Fiorentini, Roland Maas, Ashton Soltys and Richard A. Armstrong Due to entrainment of mantle and crustal fragments, orangeites provide information about the deep Earth; however, the nature of the source of orangeites remains uncertain. Here, the authors suggest that mica-amphibole-rutile-ilmenite-diopside (MARID) enriched mantle produces the orangeite magmas. 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7837 Earth Sciences  Geology and geophysics  Single-molecule chemo-mechanical unfolding reveals multiple transition state barriers in a small single-domain protein OPEN Emily J. Guinn, Bharat Jagannathan and Susan Marqusee Although most protein folding experiments can be explained by a single pathway, theoretical evidence suggests the presence of multiple pathways. Here, the authors resolve this using a combination of force, chemical denaturation and mutagenesis to modulate the flux between parallel pathways. 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7861 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  Dietary sugar promotes systemic TOR activation in Drosophila through AKH-dependent selective secretion of Dilp3 Jung Kim and Thomas P. Neufeld Fruit flies have eight insulin-like peptides (Dilps), whose regulation and function is largely unexplored. Here the authors show that, whereas dietary amino acids promote secretion of Dilp2, sugar-dependent release of the glucagon-related hormone AKH drives Dilp3 secretion. 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7846 Biological Sciences  Medical research  FTO influences adipogenesis by regulating mitotic clonal expansion OPEN Myrte Merkestein, Samantha Laber, Fiona McMurray, Daniel Andrew, Gregor Sachse, Jeremy Sanderson, Mengdi Li, Samuel Usher, Dyan Sellayah, Frances M. Ashcroft and Roger D. Cox Mutations in the FTO gene have been linked to obesity. Here, Merkestein et al. provide in vitro and in vivo evidence that FTO directly regulates adipogenesis in mice at the stage of mitotic clonal expansion, likely by modulating the expression of the transcription factor RUNX1T1. 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7792 Biological Sciences  Medical research  A Time-Encoded Technique for fibre-based hyperspectral broadband stimulated Raman microscopy OPEN Sebastian Karpf, Matthias Eibl, Wolfgang Wieser, Thomas Klein and Robert Huber Raman microscopes suffer from the compromise between speed and spectral information and are often unsuited for fibre beam delivery. Karpf et al. overcome these limitations using continuous-wave rapidly wavelength-swept probe lasers and a short-duty-cycle actively modulated pump laser in an all-fibre setup. 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7784 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Optical physics  Mir-17–92 regulates bone marrow homing of plasma cells and production of immunoglobulin G2c Shengli Xu, Xijun Ou, Jianxin Huo, Kristen Lim, Yuhan Huang, Sheena Chee and Kong-Peng Lam After activation and selection, plasma cells home to the bone marrow where they persist and continue to make antibodies. Here the authors show that the mir-17–92 cluster coordinates the process by regulating the homing receptor S1PR1 and the transcription factor IKAROS that controls IgG2c production. 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7764 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Wip1 deficiency impairs haematopoietic stem cell function via p53 and mTORC1 pathways Zhiyang Chen, Weiwei Yi, Yohei Morita, Hu Wang, Yusheng Cong, Jun-Ping Liu, Zhicheng Xiao, K. Lenhard Rudolph, Tao Cheng and Zhenyu Ju Aging leads to impaired differentiation and increased pool size of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Here, the authors show that wild-type p53-induced phosphatase 1 (Wip1), a negative regulator of DNA damage response pathways, regulates aging-associated HSC differentiation and expansion via p53 and mTORC1 pathways, respectively. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7808 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Developmental biology  High-resolution genetic mapping of maize pan-genome sequence anchors OPEN Fei Lu, Maria C. Romay, Jeffrey C. Glaubitz, Peter J. Bradbury, Robert J. Elshire, Tianyu Wang, Yu Li, Yongxiang Li, Kassa Semagn, Xuecai Zhang, Alvaro G. Hernandez, Mark A. Mikel, Ilya Soifer, Omer Barad and Edward S. Buckler Structural variations in crop genomes are thought to be responsible for significant differences in phenotype and they can be well-represented by a ‘pan-genome’. Here, Lu et al. develop an approach to genetically map pan-genome sequence anchors using 14,129 inbred lines of maize, showing structural variation is a significant source of adaptive variation. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7914 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Plant sciences  ATM kinase sustains HER2 tumorigenicity in breast cancer Venturina Stagni, Isabella Manni, Veronica Oropallo, Marcella Mottolese, Anna Di Benedetto, Giulia Piaggio, Rita Falcioni, Danilo Giaccari, Selene Di Carlo, Francesca Sperati, Maria Teresa Cencioni and Daniela Barilà ATM is a tumour suppressor activated in response to DNA damage. Here, the authors unveil a new tumour-promoting role for ATM in HER2-driven breast cancers, and show that ATM stimulates the interaction between HER2 and HSP90, therefore preventing HER2 from degradation. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7886 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Molecular biology  Separation and conversion dynamics of nuclear-spin isomers of gaseous methanol OPEN Zhen-Dong Sun, Meihua Ge and Yujun Zheng The conversion dynamics of nuclear-spin isomers has only been observed for a small number of molecules, generally with rotational symmetry. Here, the authors observe the separation of nuclear-spin isomers of gaseous methanol and show a decreased interconversion at higher pressures. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7877 Chemical Sciences  Atomic and molecular physics  Physical chemistry  Demonstration of relativistic electron beam focusing by a laser-plasma lens OPEN C. Thaury, E. Guillaume, A. Döpp, R. Lehe, A. Lifschitz, K. Ta Phuoc, J. Gautier, J-P Goddet, A. Tafzi, A. Flacco, F. Tissandier, S. Sebban, A. Rousse and V. Malka Laser-driven plasmas can accelerate electrons in set-ups far smaller than conventional particle accelerators, but beam divergence is a problem. Here, the authors demonstrate a laser-plasma lens that can focus the beam thanks to field gradients five order of magnitude larger than using traditional optics. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7860 Physical Sciences  Fluids and plasma physics  Dissociation of Bak α1 helix from the core and latch domains is required for apoptosis Amber E. Alsop, Stephanie C. Fennell, Ray C. Bartolo, Iris K. L. Tan, Grant Dewson and Ruth M. Kluck During apoptosis, Bak undergoes major conformational changes that lead to mitochondrial permeabilization. Here, the authors characterize changes that occur within the Bak N-terminus using a series of antibodies and a novel tethering approach, demonstrating that dissociation of the α1 helix is a key early step in the unfolding of Bak. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7841 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Optical aperture synthesis with electronically connected telescopes OPEN Dainis Dravins, Tiphaine Lagadec and Paul D. Nuñez In astronomy, interferometry between telescopes enables high-resolution imaging but optical links are limited by atmospheric turbulence. Here, the authors show how this can be circumvented, producing diffraction-limited images using an array of electronically connected optical telescopes. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7852 Physical Sciences  Astronomy  Optical physics  Parent–offspring conflict and the genetic trade-offs shaping parental investment OPEN Mathias Kölliker, Stefan Boos, Janine W.Y. Wong, Lilian Röllin, Dimitri Stucki, Shirley Raveh, Min Wu and Joël Meunier Sexual reproduction introduces genetic conflict between family members, but direct empirical evidence is lacking. Here, the authors show, in an insect with maternal care, that genetic trade-offs that differ in shape across offspring stages affect the scope for parent–offspring conflict. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7850 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Evolution  Zoology  Cytosolic targeting factor AKR2A captures chloroplast outer membrane-localized client proteins at the ribosome during translation Dae Heon Kim, Jae-Eun Lee, Zheng-Yi Xu, Kyoung Rok Geem, Yun Kwon, Joon Won Park and Inhwan Hwang Post-translational import of nuclear-encoded proteins shapes the proteome of organelles. Here, Kim et al. show that AKR2A, a critical targeting factor for chloroplast outer membrane proteins, binds to client proteins co-translationally as they exit the ribosome. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7843 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Plant sciences  Emergence of californium as the second transitional element in the actinide series OPEN Samantha K. Cary, Monica Vasiliu, Ryan E. Baumbach, Jared T. Stritzinger, Thomas D. Green, Kariem Diefenbach, Justin N. Cross, Kenneth L. Knappenberger, Guokui Liu, Mark A. Silver, A. Eugene DePrince, Matthew J. Polinski, Shelley M. Van Cleve, Jane H. House, Naoki Kikugawa, Andrew Gallagher, Alexandra A. Arico, David A. Dixon and Thomas E. Albrecht-Schmitt The chemistry of the post-plutonium actinides is thought to resemble lanthanides in that bonding is primarily ionic. Here, the authors show that a californium(III) complex displays significantly different properties to those predicted for the free ion owing to a second break in actinide periodicity. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7827 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Rheb activation disrupts spine synapse formation through accumulation of syntenin in tuberous sclerosis complex Hiroko Sugiura, Shin Yasuda, Shutaro Katsurabayashi, Hiroyuki Kawano, Kentaro Endo, Kotaro Takasaki, Katsunori Iwasaki, Masumi Ichikawa, Toshiyuki Kobayashi, Okio Hino and Kanato Yamagata Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) arises from mutations in an activator of the small GTPase Rheb. Here the authors show that syntenin binds to GDP-bound Rheb, and loss of this interaction in TSC leads to increased syntenin expression and downstream signalling defects leading to aberrant spine synapse morphogenesis. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7842 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Neuroscience  Regulated degradation of Chk1 by chaperone-mediated autophagy in response to DNA damage Caroline Park, Yousin Suh and Ana Maria Cuervo Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) helps maintain protein quality during cellular stress. Here the authors show that CMA is also activated in response to DNA damage and regulates degradation of the cell cycle regulator Chk1—the first nuclear protein shown to be a substrate of CMA. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7823 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Calibrating genomic and allelic coverage bias in single-cell sequencing Cheng-Zhong Zhang, Viktor A. Adalsteinsson, Joshua Francis, Hauke Cornils, Joonil Jung, Cecile Maire, Keith L. Ligon, Matthew Meyerson and J. Christopher Love Artifacts caused by whole-genome amplification bias are a recurrent challenge in single-cell sequencing analysis. Here, the authors develop statistical models and demonstrate an efficient strategy for controlling amplification errors by a joint analysis of single cell genomes. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7822 Biological Sciences  Genetics  NFκB1 is a suppressor of neutrophil-driven hepatocellular carcinoma OPEN C. L. Wilson, D. Jurk, N. Fullard, P. Banks, A. Page, S. Luli, A. M. Elsharkawy, R. G. Gieling, J. Bagchi Chakraborty, C. Fox, C. Richardson, K. Callaghan, G. E. Blair, N. Fox, A. Lagnado, J. F. Passos, A. J. Moore, G. R. Smith, D. G. Tiniakos, J. Mann et al. The role of neutrophils in cancer development is not widely appreciated. Here, the authors show that NF-κB-deficient hepatocytes overproduce chemokines, leading to hepatocellular carcinoma due to excessive neutrophil recruitment, and that neutrophil depletion prevents liver cancer in these mice. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7818 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Immunology  Nedd4-induced monoubiquitination of IRS-2 enhances IGF signalling and mitogenic activity Toshiaki Fukushima, Hidehito Yoshihara, Haruka Furuta, Hiroyasu Kamei, Fumihiko Hakuno, Jing Luan, Cunming Duan, Yasushi Saeki, Keiji Tanaka, Shun-Ichiro Iemura, Tohru Natsume, Kazuhiro Chida, Yusuke Nakatsu, Hideaki Kamata, Tomoichiro Asano and Shin-Ichiro Takahashi Phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate (IRS)-1/2 by insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I receptor tyrosine kinase is essential for IGF signalling. Here, the authors show that monoubiquitination of IRS-2 by the ubiquitin ligase Nedd4 recruits IRS-2 to the cell membrane and increases IRS-2 phosphorylation and IGF signalling. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7780 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Neural organization of spoken language revealed by lesion–symptom mapping Daniel Mirman, Qi Chen, Yongsheng Zhang, Ze Wang, Olufunsho K. Faseyitan, H. Branch Coslett and Myrna F. Schwartz Contemporary neuroimaging techniques are enabling precise analysis of structure–function relations in the brain. This study combines large-scale structural neuroimaging and behavioural analyses in patients with acquired aphasia to elucidate the neural organization of spoken language processing. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7762 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  The DNA repair endonuclease Mus81 facilitates fast DNA replication in the absence of exogenous damage Haiqing Fu, Melvenia M. Martin, Marie Regairaz, Liang Huang, Yang You, Chi-Mei Lin, Michael Ryan, RyangGuk Kim, Tsutomu Shimura, Yves Pommier and Mirit I. Aladjem Several mechanisms are in place to ensure the accurate and timely replication of the genome as cells progress through S-phase. Here, the authors show that Mus81, an endonuclease involved in the response to DNA damage during replicative stress, also regulates the rate of DNA replication during normal growth. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7746 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Molecular biology  Polarization screening-induced magnetic phase gradients at complex oxide interfaces Steven R. Spurgeon, Prasanna V. Balachandran, Despoina M. Kepaptsoglou, Anoop R. Damodaran, J. Karthik, Siamak Nejati, Lewys Jones, Haile Ambaye, Valeria Lauter, Quentin M. Ramasse, Kenneth K. S. Lau, Lane W. Martin, James M. Rondinelli and Mitra L. Taheri The interface between magnetic and ferroelectric thin-film materials offers the opportunity to couple these important properties. Here, the authors combine experimental and theoretical studies into a model interface to investigate the details of how electron charges and spins evolve across this interface. 16 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7735 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Whole-exome sequencing implicates UBE3D in age-related macular degeneration in East Asian populations Lv-Zhen Huang, Ying-Jie Li, Xue-Feng Xie, Jing-Jing Zhang, Ching-Yu Cheng, Kenji Yamashiro, Li-Jia Chen, Xiao-Yun Ma, Chui Ming G. Cheung, Yu-Sheng Wang, Chun-Fang Zhang, Yu-Jing Bai, Jing Hou, Xiao-Li Chen, Yun Qi, Shan-Shan Li, Yao-Yao Sun, Jun-Pu Mei, Yong Cheng, Wen-Zhen Yu et al. Age-related macular degeneration is a prominent cause of irreversible blindness among the elderly. Here Huang et al. identify a novel missense variant in UBE3D that sheds new light on the pathogenesis of the disease. 15 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7687 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Targeting matriptase in breast cancer abrogates tumour progression via impairment of stromal-epithelial growth factor signalling Gina L. Zoratti, Lauren M. Tanabe, Fausto A. Varela, Andrew S. Murray, Christopher Bergum, Éloïc Colombo, Julie E. Lang, Alfredo A. Molinolo, Richard Leduc, Eric Marsault, Julie Boerner and Karin List Matriptase, a transmembrane serine protease, has been implicated in breast cancer since its discovery, but the mechanisms of this implication have not been elucidated. Here the authors show that matriptase abrogation in vivo affects c-Met signalling and the growth of breast cancer cells. 15 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7776 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Cell biology  Twisting phonons in complex crystals with quasi-one-dimensional substructures Xi Chen, Annie Weathers, Jesús Carrete, Saikat Mukhopadhyay, Olivier Delaire, Derek A. Stewart, Natalio Mingo, Steven N. Girard, Jie Ma, Douglas L. Abernathy, Jiaqiang Yan, Raman Sheshka, Daniel P. Sellan, Fei Meng, Song Jin, Jianshi Zhou and Li Shi Quasi-one-dimensional substructures have distinctive properties, but the lattice dynamics are poorly understood. Here, Chen et al. use inelastic neutron scattering and density functional theory to discover that numerous low-energy optical vibrational modes including a twisting polarization are present in higher manganese silicides. 15 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7723 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  All-photonic quantum repeaters OPEN Koji Azuma, Kiyoshi Tamaki and Hoi-Kwong Lo Quantum repeaters are needed for long-distance quantum communication but it is thought that they require matter quantum memories. Azuma et al. introduce an all-photonic quantum repeater based on flying qubits that scales polynomially with the channel distance without the need for matter quantum memories. 15 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7787 Physical Sciences  Optical physics  Theoretical physics  Cavity ring-up spectroscopy for ultrafast sensing with optical microresonators OPEN Serge Rosenblum, Yulia Lovsky, Lior Arazi, Frank Vollmer and Barak Dayan Whispering-gallery mode microresonators are powerful sensing tools, but spectrum acquisition has taken milliseconds or longer. Here, Rosenblum et al. introduce cavity ring-up spectroscopy, in which sharply rising detuned probe pulses capture spectra of microresonators on nanosecond timescales. 15 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7788 Physical Sciences  Optical physics  Connecting the oxidation of soot to its redox cycling abilities OPEN María Antiñolo, Megan D. Willis, Shouming Zhou and Jonathan P.D. Abbatt Although it is known that soot particles are emitted in large quantities to the atmosphere, our understanding of their environmental effects is limited. Here, the authors study hydrocarbon soot particles during oxidation by ozone, suggesting that this process leads to increases in redox activity. 15 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7812 Earth Sciences  Atmospheric science  Increased prevalence of EPAS1 variant in cattle with high-altitude pulmonary hypertension OPEN John H. Newman, Timothy N. Holt, Joy D. Cogan, Bethany Womack, John A. Phillips, Chun Li, Zachary Kendall, Kurt R. Stenmark, Milton G. Thomas, R. Dale Brown, Suzette R. Riddle, James D. West and Rizwan Hamid Pulmonary hypertension and congestive right heart failure afflict some cattle living at high altitude in an autosomal dominant pattern, yet no responsible genes have been identified. Here Newman et al. use whole-exome sequencing to identify variants in the hypoxia inducible factor gene, EPAS1. 15 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7863 Biological Sciences  Genetics  miR-1269 promotes metastasis and forms a positive feedback loop with TGF-β Pengcheng Bu, Lihua Wang, Kai-Yuan Chen, Nikolai Rakhilin, Jian Sun, Adria Closa, Kuei-Ling Tung, Sarah King, Anastasia Kristine Varanko, Yitian Xu, Joyce Huan Chen, Amelia S. Zessin, James Shealy, Bethany Cummings, David Hsu, Steven M. Lipkin, Victor Moreno, Zeynep H. Gümüş and Xiling Shen Colorectal cancer (CRC), like many solid tumours, progresses from adenomas to carcinomas in a sequence that leads to metastasis. Here the authors show that miR1269 plays a role in CRC relapse and metastasis by regulating TGF-β activity. 15 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7879 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Molecular biology  LRH-1 mediates anti-inflammatory and antifungal phenotype of IL-13-activated macrophages through the PPARγ ligand synthesis OPEN Lise Lefèvre, Hélène Authier, Sokrates Stein, Clarisse Majorel, Bettina Couderc, Christophe Dardenne, Mohamad Ala Eddine, Etienne Meunier, José Bernad, Alexis Valentin, Bernard Pipy, Kristina Schoonjans and Agnès Coste Macrophages activate gene expression of alternative activation program in response to IL-13. Here the authors show that Liver Receptor Homologue-1 regulates synthesis of lipid metabolites stimulating antifungal and repressing proinflammatory genes in macrophages exposed to IL-13 through PPAR activation. 15 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7801 Biological Sciences  Immunology  High-throughput and quantitative assessment of enhancer activity in mammals by CapStarr-seq Laurent Vanhille, Aurélien Griffon, Muhammad Ahmad Maqbool, Joaquin Zacarias-Cabeza, Lan T.M. Dao, Nicolas Fernandez, Benoit Ballester, Jean Christophe Andrau and Salvatore Spicuglia Characterizing mammalian gene expression regulation by enhancer elements is complicated by the size and complexity of the genome. Here Vanhille et al. demonstrate CapStarr-Seq, a novel high-throughput method for assessing potential enhancers and deciphering the mechanisms regulating transcription 15 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7905 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Genetics  Efficient light emission from inorganic and organic semiconductor hybrid structures by energy-level tuning OPEN R. Schlesinger, F. Bianchi, S. Blumstengel, C. Christodoulou, R. Ovsyannikov, B. Kobin, K. Moudgil, S. Barlow, S. Hecht, S.R. Marder, F. Henneberger and N. Koch Hybrid inorganic-organic structures can overcome the limits of inorganic semiconductor light emitting devices but the energy level offset is an obstacle. Here, Schlesinger et al. lower the ZnO work function with an organometallic donor monolayer and enhance the radiative emission of the hybrid structure. 15 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7754 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Optical physics    Nature Communications JOBS of the week Senior Fellow - Parkinson's Disease Research University of Washington Research Assistant California Institute of Technology Independent Research Fellowships The University of York Graduate Studentship University of Oxford Postdoctoral Fellowship Linkopings University Senior Statistician Medical Research Council Research Associate University College London (UCL) Research Associates x2 University of Bath Laboratory Technician University of Copenhagen Clinician Scientists Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge More Science jobs from Nature Communications EVENT Chronic Cough and COPD 2015 16.06.15 London, UK More science events from       Latest Errata     Erratum: Toll-like receptor ligands sensitize B-cell receptor signalling by reducing actin-dependent spatial confinement of the receptor Spencer A. Freeman, Valentin Jaumouillé, Kate Choi, Brian E. Hsu, Harikesh S. Wong, Libin Abraham, Marcia L. Graves, Daniel Coombs, Calvin D. Roskelley, Raibatak Das, Sergio Grinstein and Michael R. Gold 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8015 Biological Sciences  Immunology      Erratum: Mitochondrial SSBP1 protects cells from proteotoxic stresses by potentiating stress-induced HSF1 transcriptional activity Ke Tan, Mitsuaki Fujimoto, Ryosuke Takii, Eiichi Takaki, Naoki Hayashida and Akira Nakai 17 April 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms7964 Biological Sciences  Cell biology      Advertisement Struggling to keep up to date with key clinical studies of 2014, and trends to watch out for in 2015?   Key Advances in Medicine is a FREE downloadable PDF eBook to keep you up to date!   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. 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