EMBO reports Table of Contents for April 2016; Vol. 17, No. 4

April 2016 | Volume 17, Number 4 Submit Table of Contents Opinion Correspondence Science & Society Scientific Reports Articles Volume 17, Number 4 Opinion The translational relevance of Drosophila in drug discovery Drosophila might be a suitable tool for drug discovery, but it is not clear how often the compounds identified will work in humans. A detailed look at previous work suggests that compounds active in both species might be relatively common. Ismael Fernández‐Hernández, Eulalia Scheenaard, Giulia Pollarolo, and Cayetano Gonzalez Published online 16.02.2016 Correspondence Social influence and peer review — impact factor and citation A comment on “Social influence and peer review”. Haitham Sobhy Published online 16.02.2016 Science & Society Export controls and the life sciences: controversy or opportunity?: Innovations in the life sciences' approach to export control suggest there are ways to disrupt biological weapons development by rogue states and terrorist groups without impeding research Export controls were important during the Cold War to prevent the Warsaw Pact states from acquiring advanced technology and weapons. Today, the fear that terrorist groups could acquire the means to develop biological weapons of mass destruction has rekindled interest in export control measures for biological technologies and knowledge. Robert Shaw Published online 16.03.2016 The dilemma of raising awareness “responsibly”: The need to discuss controversial research with the public raises a conundrum for scientists: when is the right time to start public debates? Scientists are often called upon to discuss their research publicly. These discussions are harder if the research is controversial or might frighten or worry the public. When is the right time to start a public debate and who should start the debate by highlighting potential risks and benefits? Brigitte Nerlich and Carmen McLeod Published online 17.03.2016 Exhibition A: scientist at work: Science museums are shifting their focus away from educating and elating their audiences to fostering dialogue with scientists Science museums are exploring new ways to provide a realistic picture of scientific research and to connect their audiences directly with scientists to mutual benefit. Anthony King Published online 10.03.2016 The refugee crisis challenges national health care systems: Countries accepting large numbers of refugees are struggling to meet their health care needs, which range from infectious to chronic diseases to mental illnesses The ongoing refugee crisis is a major challenge for many countries that have to provide adequate health care for those arriving at their borders. This includes dealing with both infectious and chronic diseases and with the severe mental health problems from which many refugees suffer. Philip Hunter Published online 10.03.2016 Scientific Reports Centromere localization and function of Mis18 requires Yippee‐like domain‐mediated oligomerization This study presents the structural characterization of Mis18, a key regulator responsible for the centromere localization of the CENP‐A‐specific chaperone HJURP in humans and Scm3 in S. pombe. While the conserved N‐terminal “Yippee‐like” domain possesses an intrinsic ability to dimerize, the full‐length S. pombe Mis18 forms a tetramer and this oligomeric structure, mediated via its “Yippee‐like” domain, is crucial for Mis18 centromere localization and function. Lakxmi Subramanian, Bethan Medina‐Pritchard, Rachael Barton, Frances Spiller, Raghavendran Kulasegaran‐Shylini, Guoda Radaviciute, Robin C Allshire, and A Arockia Jeyaprakash Published online 26.02.2016 A novel cytoprotective function for the DNA repair protein Ku in regulating p53 mRNA translation and function Ku represses the translation of p53 under basal conditions. DNA damage‐induced acetylation of Ku abrogates Ku–p53 mRNA interactions, increasing the translation of p53 mRNA. Assala Lamaa, Morgane Le Bras, Nicolas Skuli, Sébastien Britton, Philippe Frit, Patrick Calsou, Hervé Prats, Anne Cammas, and Stefania Millevoi Published online 10.03.2016 Yap1 is dispensable for self‐renewal but required for proper differentiation of mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells Until recently, the roles of Yap1 in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells have been elusive. This study shows that Yap1 is a critical regulator for proper differentiation but that it is dispensable for self‐renewal of ES cells. HaeWon Chung, Bum‐Kyu Lee, Nadima Uprety, Wenwen Shen, Jiwoon Lee, and Jonghwan Kim Published online 25.02.2016 Articles Expression of A152T human tau causes age‐dependent neuronal dysfunction and loss in transgenic mice A mouse model of A152T‐variant human tau suggests that the mutation augments the risk for neurodegenerative diseases by increasing neuronal levels of soluble hTau, promoting network hyperexcitability, and synergizing with adverse effects of other pathogenic factors. Sumihiro Maeda, Biljana Djukic, Praveen Taneja, Gui‐Qiu Yu, Iris Lo, Allyson Davis, Ryan Craft, Weikun Guo, Xin Wang, Daniel Kim, Ravikumar Ponnusamy, T Michael Gill, Eliezer Masliah, and Lennart Mucke Published online 01.03.2016 The Tau/A152T mutation, a risk factor for frontotemporal‐spectrum disorders, leads to NR2B receptor‐mediated excitotoxicity A mouse model of A152T‐variant human Tau, a risk factor for frontotemporal dementia spectrum disorders, suggests that neuronal excitotoxicity, leading to neuronal death, contributes to pathogenesis. Jochen Martin Decker, Lars Krüger, Astrid Sydow, Frank JA Dennissen, Zuzana Siskova, Eckhard Mandelkow, and Eva‐Maria Mandelkow Published online 01.03.2016 miR‐515‐5p controls cancer cell migration through MARK4 regulation miR‐515‐5p inhibits cancer progression, cell migration and metastasis through its direct target MARK4, a regulator of the cytoskeleton and cell motility. Moreover, reduced miR‐515‐5p and increased MARK4 levels in metastatic lung and breast cancer correlate with poor patient prognosis. Olivier E Pardo, Leandro Castellano, Catriona E Munro, Yili Hu, Francesco Mauri, Jonathan Krell, Romain Lara, Filipa G Pinho, Thameenah Choudhury, Adam E Frampton, Loredana Pellegrino, Dmitry Pshezhetskiy, Yulan Wang, Jonathan Waxman, Michael J Seckl, and Justin Stebbing Published online 10.02.2016 A subpopulation of itch‐sensing neurons marked by Ret and somatostatin expression This study shows that a subset of DRG neurons expressing the tyrosine kinase Ret and somatostatin function as itch receptor and mediate 5HT1f receptor agonist‐induced scratching in mice. Kalina K Stantcheva, Loredana Iovino, Rahul Dhandapani, Concepcion Martinez, Laura Castaldi, Linda Nocchi, Emerald Perlas, Carla Portulano, Martina Pesaresi, Kalyanee S Shirlekar, Fernanda de Castro Reis, Triantafillos Paparountas, Daniel Bilbao, and Paul A Heppenstall Published online 29.02.2016 Lrig1 is a cell‐intrinsic modulator of hippocampal dendrite complexity and BDNF signaling Lrig1 regulates dendritogenesis and apical dendrite branching of CA1–CA3 pyramidal hippocampal neurons in vivo, acting as an endogenous inhibitor of neurotrophin‐induced proximal dendrite arborization of pyramidal hippocampal neurons. Fernando Cruz Alsina, Francisco Javier Hita, Paula Aldana Fontanet, Dolores Irala, Håkan Hedman, Fernanda Ledda, and Gustavo Paratcha Published online 02.03.2016   Unsubscribe from or edit your subscription for this service. Or by mail: Customer Service * 425 Broadway St * Redwood City, CA 94063 * U.S.A. Copyright © 2016 by the European Molecular Biology Organisation.