Nature Communications - 10 December 2014

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Weekly Content Alert 10 December 2014  Featured image: Kim et al. develop a multiple-sensing artificial skin in response to variable external stimuli. Latest content: Review Articles Journal homepage Recommend to library Web feed     Latest Review View all Reviews     The role of protein clearance mechanisms in organismal ageing and age-related diseases David Vilchez, Isabel Saez and Andrew Dillin Proteins are subject to continuous and complex quality-control mechanisms, which ensure integrity of the proteome. Vilchez et al. review how a demise in these processes, collectively referred to as proteostasis, is linked to organismal ageing and the development of age-associated diseases. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6659 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Medical research  Neuroscience        Latest Articles View all Articles     The small-molecule BGP-15 protects against heart failure and atrial fibrillation in mice Geeta Sapra, Yow Keat Tham, Nelly Cemerlang, Aya Matsumoto, Helen Kiriazis, Bianca C. Bernardo, Darren C. Henstridge, Jenny Y. Y. Ooi, Lynette Pretorius, Esther J. H. Boey, Lydia Lim, Junichi Sadoshima, Peter J. Meikle, Natalie A. Mellet, Elizabeth A. Woodcock, Silvana Marasco, Tomomi Ueyama, Xiao-Jun Du, Mark A. Febbraio and Julie R. McMullen et al. Atrial fibrillation and heart failure often coexist but are difficult to treat. Here the authors report a therapeutic strategy for atrial fibrillation and heart failure in mice, based on the activating effect of a small molecule, BGP-15, on IGF1 receptor signalling. 09 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6705 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Stretchable silicon nanoribbon electronics for skin prosthesis Jaemin Kim, Mincheol Lee, Hyung Joon Shim, Roozbeh Ghaffari, Hye Rim Cho, Donghee Son, Yei Hwan Jung, Min Soh, Changsoon Choi, Sungmook Jung, Kon Chu, Daejong Jeon, Soon-Tae Lee, Ji Hoon Kim, Seung Hong Choi, Taeghwan Hyeon and Dae-Hyeong Kim An integrated electronic platform with site-specific sensitivity is highly needed for medical applications. Here, Kim et al. report a stretchable prosthetic skin composed of ultrathin single crystalline silicon nanoribbon array, which can sense strain, pressure and temperature spontaneously. 09 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6747 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Bioengineering  Nanotechnology  Resolving cancer–stroma interfacial signalling and interventions with micropatterned tumour–stromal assays Keyue Shen, Samantha Luk, Daniel F. Hicks, Jessica S. Elman, Stefan Bohr, Yoshiko Iwamoto, Ryan Murray, Kristen Pena, Fangjing Wang, Erkin Seker, Ralph Weissleder, Martin L. Yarmush, Mehmet Toner, Dennis Sgroi and Biju Parekkadan Gene expression changes at the tumour–stroma interface are associated with epithelial cancer progression. Here, the authors describe a new in vitro system based on cell micropatterning and laser microdissection for examining the tumour–stromal interaction. 09 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6662 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Molecular biology  Nanoscale infrared spectroscopy as a non-destructive probe of extraterrestrial samples Gerardo Dominguez, A. S. Mcleod, Zack Gainsforth, P. Kelly, Hans A. Bechtel, Fritz Keilmann, Andrew Westphal, Mark Thiemens and D. N. Basov Infrared spectral mapping offers the non-destructive analyses of samples; however, the spatial resolution is restricted to >10 microns. Here, the authors present a new infrared technique capable of sub-micron scale mineral identification, demonstrated using a chondrule and a cometary dust grain. 09 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6445 Earth Sciences  Geology and geophysics  Materials science  Planetary sciences  Destroying a topological quantum bit by condensing Ising vortices Zhihao Hao, Stephen Inglis and Roger Melko In quantum information, the phase-flip error of a logical qubit protected by Z2 topological order is the vison, an elementary excitation of the Z2 phase, which is predicted to condense at zero temperature. Here, Hao et al. study a vison-induced transition in a quantum dimer model on the kagome lattice. 09 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6781 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Theoretical physics  Imaging the structure of the trimer systems 4He3 and 3He4He2 J. Voigtsberger, S. Zeller, J. Becht, N. Neumann, F. Sturm, H.-K. Kim, M. Waitz, F. Trinter, M. Kunitski, A. Kalinin, J. Wu, W. Schökopf, D. Bressanini, A. Czasch, J. B. Williams, K. Ullmann-Pfleger, L. Ph H. Schmidt, M. S. Schöffler, R. E. Grisenti, T. Jahnke et al. Helium is an atom of great scientific interest, yet much debate exists surrounding the shape its molecules form. Here Voigtsberger et al. present experimental results imaging the wavefuction of 4He3 and 3He4He2 trimer systems, which suggest that 4He3 is a random cloud while 3He4He2 is a quantum halo state. 09 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6765 Physical Sciences  Atomic and molecular physics  Physical chemistry  Nonlinear spin-current enhancement enabled by spin-damping tuning Hiroto Sakimura, Takaharu Tashiro and Kazuya Ando Nonequilibrium magnons in a ferromagnetic insulator can generate spin current in an adjacent metal, with potential applications in spintronic devices. Here, Sakimura et al. demonstrate nonlinear enhancement of such effects via spin-damping tuning triggered by magnon-conserving scattering processes. 09 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6730 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Nanotechnology  BIN1/M-Amphiphysin2 induces clustering of phosphoinositides to recruit its downstream partner dynamin Laura Picas, Julien Viaud, Kristine Schauer, Stefano Vanni, Karim Hnia, Vincent Fraisier, Aurélien Roux, Patricia Bassereau, Frédérique Gaits-Iacovoni, Bernard Payrastre, Jocelyn Laporte, Jean-Baptiste Manneville and Bruno Goud BIN1/M-Amphiphysin2 is a membrane tubulating protein involved in muscle T-tubule biogenesis and whose loss-of-function is associated with centronuclear myopathies. Picas et al. show that BIN1 enhances the recruitment of its binding partner, dynamin, by clustering PtdIns(4,5)P2 in the plasma membrane. 09 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6647 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Cell biology  Critical role of lysine 134 methylation on histone H2AX for γ-H2AX production and DNA repair OPEN Kenbun Sone, Lianhua Piao, Makoto Nakakido, Koji Ueda, Thomas Jenuwein, Yusuke Nakamura and Ryuji Hamamoto γ-H2AX The Ser139 phosphorylated form of H2AX, γ-H2AX, is generated in response to DNA double-strand breaks and is involved in the repair process. Here, Sone et al. show that H2AX K134 methylation by SUV39H2 is crucial for the production of γ-H2AX, and that loss of methylation correlates with radio- and chemosensitivity. 09 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6691 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Cell biology  Molecular biology  OM14 is a mitochondrial receptor for cytosolic ribosomes that supports co-translational import into mitochondria OPEN Chen Lesnik, Yifat Cohen, Avigail Atir-Lande, Maya Schuldiner and Yoav Arava Mitochondrial proteins can be imported post-translationally; however, a role for co-translational import has recently provoked renewed interest. Lesnik et al. identify OM14 as a mitochondrial ribosome receptor required for efficient co-translational import of mitochondrial proteins. 09 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6711 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Viral suppressors of the RIG-I-mediated interferon response are pre-packaged in influenza virions OPEN Swantje Liedmann, Eike R. Hrincius, Cliff Guy, Darisuren Anhlan, Rüdiger Dierkes, Robert Carter, Gang Wu, Peter Staeheli, Douglas R. Green, Thorsten Wolff, Jonathan A. McCullers, Stephan Ludwig and Christina Ehrhardt It is unclear how incoming influenza viruses counteract the cells’ first line of defence, the interferon (IFN) response. Here Liedmann et al. show that a distinct amino-acid motif in polymerases PB1 and PA, which are packaged in the viral particles, inhibit early IFN induction. 09 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6645 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Microbiology  Virology  Evolution of oil droplets in a chemorobotic platform OPEN Juan Manuel Parrilla Gutierrez, Trevor Hinkley, James Ward Taylor, Kliment Yanev and Leroy Cronin Chemical models of evolving systems are of interest to a range of researchers. Here, the authors use a liquid handling robot and an evolutionary process to explore oil droplets as a function of composition, which they claim may pave the way to explore bottom-up evolution in chemical systems. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6571 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Physical chemistry  High-Tc superconductivity in ultrathin Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x down to half-unit-cell thickness by protection with graphene Da Jiang, Tao Hu, Lixing You, Qiao Li, Ang Li, Haomin Wang, Gang Mu, Zhiying Chen, Haoran Zhang, Guanghui Yu, Jie Zhu, Qiujuan Sun, Chengtian Lin, Hong Xiao, Xiaoming Xie and Mianheng Jiang So-called two-dimensional superconductivity has been reported in several material systems but just how thin a system can be and maintain a superconducting state has been difficult to determine. Da Jiang and colleagues demonstrate that Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+x continues to be superconducting even when it is just half a unit cell thick. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6708 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Synthetic fossilization of soft biological tissues and their shape-preserving transformation into silica or electron-conductive replicas OPEN Jason L. Townson, Yu-Shen Lin, Stanley S. Chou, Yasmine H. Awad, Eric N. Coker, C. Jeffrey Brinker and Bryan Kaehr Imaging biological tissues has long been an issue, particularly with regard to manipulation and dissection for SEM. Here, the authors present a simple technique for the stabilization of biological tissues via a synthetic fossilization process, requiring minimal expertise or equipment and involving few steps. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6665 Biological Sciences  Materials science  Mitotic catenation is monitored and resolved by a PKCε-regulated pathway OPEN Nicola Brownlow, Tanya Pike, Daniel Zicha, Lucy Collinson and Peter J. Parker Cells are protected from cell division errors by a pathway that detects mitotic catenation. Here, Brownlow et al. show that protein kinase Cε functions in this pathway to drive decatenation, while delaying silencing of the spindle assembly checkpoint to allow time for catenation resolution. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6685 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Early warning signals of Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation collapse in a fully coupled climate model OPEN Chris A. Boulton, Lesley C. Allison and Timothy M. Lenton The ability to predict a potential collapse of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation is widely desired, but problematic. Here, using a fully coupled atmosphere-ocean general circulation mode, the authors show that early warning signs can be detected 250 years in advance. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6752 Earth Sciences  Climate science  Oceanography  Carbon nanotube network-silicon oxide non-volatile switches Albert D. Liao, Paulo T. Araujo, Runjie Xu and Mildred S. Dresselhaus The integration of carbon nanotubes with silicon is important for their incorporation into next-generation nano-electronics. Here, the authors demonstrate a non-volatile switch that utilizes carbon nanotube networks to electrically contact a conductive nano-crystal silicon filament in silica. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6673 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Nanotechnology  The internal Cdc20 binding site in BubR1 facilitates both spindle assembly checkpoint signalling and silencing Tiziana Lischetti, Gang Zhang, Garry G. Sedgwick, Victor M. Bolanos-Garcia and Jakob Nilsson Kinetochores that fail to form bipolar attachments to the mitotic spindle delay chromosome segregation by BubR1 mediated inhibition of Cdc20. Lischetti et al. show that BubR1 recruits Cdc20 to the kinetochore via a domain that mediates both checkpoint activation and silencing. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6563 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Dynamic encoding of face information in the human fusiform gyrus Avniel Singh Ghuman, Nicolas M. Brunet, Yuanning Li, Roma O. Konecky, John A. Pyles, Shawn A. Walls, Vincent Destefino, Wei Wang and R. Mark Richardson The human fusiform face area (FFA) plays a major role in face recognition. Ghuman et al. study the temporal dynamics of face information processing in the FFA and establish the timecourse of information processing as well as the processing stages that FFA contributes to when a face is first viewed. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6672 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Large arteriolar component of oxygen delivery implies a safe margin of oxygen supply to cerebral tissue Sava Sakadžić, Emiri T. Mandeville, Louis Gagnon, Joseph J. Musacchia, Mohammad A. Yaseen, Meryem A. Yucel, Joel Lefebvre, Frédéric Lesage, Anders M. Dale, Katharina Eikermann-Haerter, Cenk Ayata, Vivek J. Srinivasan, Eng H. Lo, Anna Devor and David A. Boas Capillaries are thought to be the main suppliers of oxygen to tissues. Here the authors challenge this view by showing that, at baseline brain activity, half of blood oxygen is extracted from arterioles, whereas capillaries supply an oxygen reserve when neuronal activity is high or cerebral blood flow is decreased. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6734 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Asymmetric total synthesis of (—)-lingzhiol via a Rh-catalysed [3+2] cycloaddition Rong Long, Jun Huang, Wenbin Shao, Song Liu, Yu Lan, Jianxian Gong and Zhen Yang Bicyclic rings with quaternary bridgehead positions are difficult targets, yet are frequently observed in nature. Here, the authors report a cycloaddition reaction giving access to these structures in a stereoselective manner and employ it as the key step in a natural product total synthesis. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6707 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Organic chemistry  Pressure-induced chemistry in a nitrogen-hydrogen host–guest structure Dylan K. Spaulding, Gunnar Weck, Paul Loubeyre, Fréderic Datchi, Paul Dumas and Michael Hanfland There is extensive research in the topochemistry of molecular systems at high pressure, although studies of binary gas mixtures are rarer. Here, the authors study a nitrogen/hydrogen mixture under pressure, identifying new van der Waals compounds and probing the room-temperature, high-pressure chemistry. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6739 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Physical chemistry  Long-term stable polymer solar cells with significantly reduced burn-in loss Jaemin Kong, Suhee Song, Minji Yoo, Ga Young Lee, Obum Kwon, Jin Kuen Park, Hyungcheol Back, Geunjin Kim, Seoung Ho Lee, Hongsuk Suh and Kwanghee Lee Efficiency and stability are two major concerns in polymer-based solar cell development. Here Kong et al. report that the lifetime of a bulk heterojunction polymer can be improved by removing its low-molecular-weight components, which leads to a substantially reduced burn-in loss under photo-aging conditions. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6688 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Organic chemistry  Physical chemistry  Ultrastable cellulosome-adhesion complex tightens under load OPEN Constantin Schoeler, Klara H. Malinowska, Rafael C. Bernardi, Lukas F. Milles, Markus A. Jobst, Ellis Durner, Wolfgang Ott, Daniel B. Fried, Edward A. Bayer, Klaus Schulten, Hermann E. Gaub and Michael A. Nash Cellulosomes are cell surface enzyme complexes that digest lignocellulosic biomass. Here, Schoeler et al. characterize the strength of the ligand–receptor anchoring complex and find that it represents one of the strongest interactions known, and is strengthened under applied force by a catch bond mechanism. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6635 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Steroidal and non-steroidal third-generation aromatase inhibitors induce pain-like symptoms via TRPA1 OPEN Camilla Fusi, Serena Materazzi, Silvia Benemei, Elisabetta Coppi, Gabriela Trevisan, Ilaria M. Marone, Daiana Minocci, Francesco De Logu, Tiziano Tuccinardi, Maria Rosaria Di Tommaso, Tommaso Susini, Gloriano Moneti, Giuseppe Pieraccini, Pierangelo Geppetti and Romina Nassini Use of aromatase inhibitors for breast cancer therapy is associated with severe pain symptoms, the underlying mechanism of which is unknown. Here the authors show that in mice, TRPA1 is a major mediator of the proinflammatory and proalgesic actions of aromatase inhibitors. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6736 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Medical research  Neuroscience  Intra-unit-cell nematic charge order in the titanium-oxypnictide family of superconductors Benjamin A. Frandsen, Emil S. Bozin, Hefei Hu, Yimei Zhu, Yasumasa Nozaki, Hiroshi Kageyama, Yasutomo J. Uemura, Wei-Guo Yin and Simon J. L. Billinge Nematic charge order has been observed in both cuprate and iron-based superconductors, but whether this is peculiar to these materials or a universal feature of unconventional superconductivity is unclear. Frandsen et al. have now found it in a third family of superconductors—the titanium-oxypnictides. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6761 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Efficient and tuneable photoluminescent boehmite hybrid nanoplates lacking metal activator centres for single-phase white LEDs Xue Bai, Gianvito Caputo, Zhendong Hao, Vânia T. Freitas, Jiahua Zhang, Ricardo L. Longo, Oscar L. Malta, Rute A.S. Ferreira and Nicola Pinna One approach to making white light LEDs is to combine a phosphor material that emits light over a wide spectrum with a ultraviolet LED. Xue Bai et al. demonstrate an inexpensive boehmite hybrid phosphor that produces high-quality white light with high efficiency. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6702 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Bio-optimized energy transfer in densely packed fluorescent protein enables near-maximal luminescence and solid-state lasers Malte C. Gather and Seok Hyun Yun Mammalian and bacteria cells producing fluorescent proteins (FP) have been recently proposed as living sources of laser light. Here, Gather and Yun demonstrate efficient lasing in the solid state form of FPs and observed Förster resonance energy transfer between molecules in blends of different FPs. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6722 Physical Sciences  Biophysics  Materials science  Optical physics  Long-range ordered vorticity patterns in living tissue induced by cell division OPEN Ninna S. Rossen, Jens M. Tarp, Joachim Mathiesen, Mogens H. Jensen and Lene B. Oddershede Endothelial cell division is highly sensitive to fluid conditions and essential for blood vessel healing. Here Rossen et al. demonstrate how cell division triggers the emergence of long-range votex patterns in endothelial tissue under conditions that mimic blood vessel formation and blood clots. 08 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6720 Physical Sciences  Biophysics  Fluids and plasma physics  Crystalline-gradient polycarbonates prepared from enantioselective terpolymerization of meso-epoxides with CO2 Ye Liu, Wei-Min Ren, Ke-Ke He and Xiao-Bing Lu Copolymers are the combination of two or more different monomers, often alternating in defined patterns. Here, the authors show a gradient copolymerization of two monomers with different crystalline properties, giving polymers where the crystallinity varies throughout the length of the chain. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6687 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Materials science  Organic chemistry  Wave–matter interactions in epsilon-and-mu-near-zero structures Ahmed M. Mahmoud and Nader Engheta Unusual effects arise when a material’s permittivity or permeability approach zero, a scenario that can be readily engineered in metamaterials. This study explores the regime wherein both these quantities go to zero and the electric and magnetic fields effectively decouple while remaining temporally dynamic. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6638 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Optical physics  A mechanism-based inactivator of glycoside hydrolases involving formation of a transient non-classical carbocation Saswati Chakladar, Yi Wang, Thomas Clark, Lydia Cheng, Shirley Ko, David J. Vocadlo and Andrew J. Bennet Mechanism-based enzyme inhibitors, useful as research probes, are typically based on a small number of structural motifs. Here, the authors report a mechanism-based inhibitor of galactosidases that functions by forming a carbocation within the active site, and subsequently alkylating a nucleophilic residue. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6590 Chemical Sciences  Biochemistry  Chemical biology  Organic chemistry  PKA catalytic subunit mutations in adrenocortical Cushing's adenoma impair association with the regulatory subunit Davide Calebiro, Annette Hannawacker, Sandra Lyga, Kerstin Bathon, Ulrike Zabel, Cristina Ronchi, Felix Beuschlein, Martin Reincke, Kristina Lorenz, Bruno Allolio, Caroline Kisker, Martin Fassnacht and Martin J. Lohse Cushing's adenoma is associated with somatic mutations in the gene encoding the Cα subunit of protein kinase A. Calebiro et al. reveal that these mutations increase protein kinase A activity by preventing proper assembly of the protein kinase A holoenzyme. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6680 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cancer  Direct cellular delivery of human proteasomes to delay tau aggregation Dong Hoon Han, Hee-Kyung Na, Won Hoon Choi, Jung Hoon Lee, Yun Kyung Kim, Cheolhee Won, Seung-Han Lee, Kwang Pyo Kim, Jeff Kuret, Dal-Hee Min and Min Jae Lee Increasing the activity of the proteasome can prevent the accumulation of protein aggregates within the cell. Han et al. show that nanoparticle-mediated delivery of purified proteasomes to cells reduces proteotoxic stress resulting from tau overexpression, and prevents to accumulation of tau aggregates. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6633 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  miR-205 acts as a tumour radiosensitizer by targeting ZEB1 and Ubc13 Peijing Zhang, Li Wang, Cristian Rodriguez-Aguayo, Yuan Yuan, Bisrat G. Debeb, Dahu Chen, Yutong Sun, M. James You, Yongqing Liu, Douglas C. Dean, Wendy A. Woodward, Han Liang, Xianbin Yang, Gabriel Lopez-Berestein, Anil K. Sood, Ye Hu, K. Kian Ang, Junjie Chen and Li Ma Cancer cells often develop resistance to radiotherapy but the molecular mechanisms responsible remain unclear. Here the authors show that miR-205 promotes radiosensitivity and is downregulated in radioresistant subpopulations of breast cancer cells, and that its loss is associated with poor distant relapse-free survival in breast cancer patients. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6671 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Medical research  Architecture and dynamic remodelling of the septin cytoskeleton during the cell cycle Katy Ong, Carsten Wloka, Satoshi Okada, Tatyana Svitkina and Erfei Bi In budding yeast, septin filaments adopt an hourglass structure at the bud neck that is remodelled into a double ring. Ong et al. reveal in fine detail the dynamic reorganization of septin filaments within these structures through the cell cycle using platinum-replica electron microscopy. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6698 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Isotopic constraints on biogeochemical cycling of copper in the ocean Shotaro Takano, Masaharu Tanimizu, Takafumi Hirata and Yoshiki Sohrin Trace elements and their isotopes are powerful as tracers in the modern ocean and proxies for oceans of the past, although there are limited data for elements such as copper. Here, the authors present copper isotope data from both seawater and rainwater, providing insight into marine biogeochemical cycling. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6663 Earth Sciences  Biogeochemistry  Oceanography  Intestinal epithelial MyD88 is a sensor switching host metabolism towards obesity according to nutritional status OPEN Amandine Everard, Lucie Geurts, Robert Caesar, Matthias Van Hul, Sébastien Matamoros, Thibaut Duparc, Raphael G. P. Denis, Perrine Cochez, Florian Pierard, Julien Castel, Laure B. Bindels, Hubert Plovier, Sylvie Robine, Giulio G. Muccioli, Jean-Christophe Renauld, Laure Dumoutier, Nathalie M. Delzenne, Serge Luquet, Fredrik Bäckhed and Patrice D. Cani et al. Gut microbes are known to influence whole-body metabolism. Here Everard et al. show the adaptor protein MyD88 in intestinal epithelial cells is sensitive to changes in the diet and affects composition of the gut microbiota, which influences the development of obesity and associated diseases. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6648 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Dynamic SUMO modification regulates mitotic chromosome assembly and cell cycle progression in Caenorhabditis elegans OPEN Federico Pelisch, Remi Sonneville, Ehsan Pourkarimi, Ana Agostinho, J. Julian Blow, Anton Gartner and Ronald T. Hay The ubiquitin-like modifier SUMO is involved in many aspects of the cell cycle, but its dynamics during mitosis are unknown. Here, Pelisch et al. use C. elegans to show that SUMO accumulates on the metaphase plate and is required for proper chromosome alignment, and deconjugation is required to progress through the cell cycle. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6485 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Anomalous critical fields in quantum critical superconductors OPEN C. Putzke, P. Walmsley, J. D. Fletcher, L. Malone, D. Vignolles, C. Proust, S. Badoux, P. See, H. E. Beere, D. A. Ritchie, S. Kasahara, Y. Mizukami, T. Shibauchi, Y. Matsuda and A. Carrington Superconductivity in the iron pnictides is believed to be related to quantum critical fluctuations. Putzke et al. observe unexpected anomalies in the critical fields of BaFe2(As1−xPx)2 that emerge close to its magnetic critical point, which they argue is a generic feature of quantum critical superconductivity. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6679 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Nanowire spin torque oscillator driven by spin orbit torques Zheng Duan, Andrew Smith, Liu Yang, Brian Youngblood, Jürgen Lindner, Vladislav E. Demidov, Sergej O. Demokritov and Ilya N. Krivorotov In ferromagnetic thin films, spin torque applied to nanometre-scale areas excites localized magnetic self-oscillations, or reduces net magnetization if applied uniformly. Here, Duan et al. show how 1D geometrical confinement allows for coherent self-oscillations to be excited over extended length scales. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6616 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Postmitotic control of sensory area specification during neocortical development C. Alfano, E. Magrinelli, K. Harb, R. F. Hevner and M. Studer The mammalian neocortex is subdivided into functional areas whose identity is initially specified by gene expression gradients in progenitor cells. Here the authors show that altered postmitotic expression of the transcription factor COUP-TFI affects sensory areal specification, revealing plastic features of postmitotic corticogenesis. 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6632 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Neuroscience  Superlattice structures in twisted bilayers of folded graphene OPEN Hennrik Schmidt, Johannes C. Rode, Dmitri Smirnov and Rolf J. Haug The properties of bilayer graphene can be tuned by twisting the layers relative to one another. Schmidt et al. now demonstrate the twist angle dependence of magnetotransport in this material system and uncover the formation of satellite Landau fans in the small-angle regime because of superlattice formation 05 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6742 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Cryo-electron tomography reveals ciliary defects underlying human RSPH1 primary ciliary dyskinesia Jianfeng Lin, Weining Yin, Maria C. Smith, Kangkang Song, Margaret W. Leigh, Maimoona A. Zariwala, Michael R. Knowles, Lawrence E. Ostrowski and Daniela Nicastro Our current understanding of cilia biology and ciliary diseases is incomplete, in part because cilia are hard to visualize. Here, the authors use cryo-electron tomography to image the structure of human cilia with high resolution and uncover the elusive ciliary defects in Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia patients. 04 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6727 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Medical research  Kinetically tuned dimensional augmentation as a versatile synthetic route towards robust metal–organic frameworks Dawei Feng, Kecheng Wang, Zhangwen Wei, Ying-Pin Chen, Cory M. Simon, Ravi K. Arvapally, Richard L. Martin, Mathieu Bosch, Tian-Fu Liu, Stephen Fordham, Daqiang Yuan, Mohammad A. Omary, Maciej Haranczyk, Berend Smit and Hong-Cai Zhou The synthesis of ultra-stable, single crystalline metal–organic frameworks is challenging. Here, the authors describe a kinetically tuned augmentation synthetic route for the preparation of a range of robust crystalline materials from preformed trimetallic components. 04 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6723 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Materials science  Khoisan hunter-gatherers have been the largest population throughout most of modern-human demographic history OPEN Hie Lim Kim, Aakrosh Ratan, George H. Perry, Alvaro Montenegro, Webb Miller and Stephan C. Schuster The expansion of Bantu agriculturalists 3,800 years ago in sub-Saharan Africa established first contact with Khoisan hunter-gatherers living in parts of Southern Africa. Sequencing the genomes of five Namibian-Khoisan hunter-gatherers and one Bantu individual tells a tale of admixture and isolation in the early history of modern human populations. 04 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6692 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  Extrachromosomal driver mutations in glioblastoma and low-grade glioma Sergey Nikolaev, Federico Santoni, Marco Garieri, Periklis Makrythanasis, Emilie Falconnet, Michel Guipponi, Anne Vannier, Ivan Radovanovic, Frederique Bena, Françoise Forestier, Karl Schaller, Valerie Dutoit, Virginie Clement-Schatlo, Pierre-Yves Dietrich and Stylianos E. Antonarakis Human cancers are characterised by increased levels of genomic instability. Here, the authors show that a new class of mutation that occurs in glioblastoma, double minutes, may facilitate tumour drug resistance by acquiring gain-of-function extrachromosomal mutations, mediated by focal amplifications. 04 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6690 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  Hepatic miR-378 targets p110α and controls glucose and lipid homeostasis by modulating hepatic insulin signalling Wei Liu, Hongchao Cao, Cheng Ye, Cunjie Chang, Minghua Lu, Yanyan Jing, Duo Zhang, Xuan Yao, Zhengjun Duan, Hongfeng Xia, Yu-cheng Wang, Jingjing Jiang, Mo-Fang Liu, Jun Yan and Hao Ying PI3K is a central component of the insulin signalling pathway. Here, the authors reveal that miR-378 expression in the liver changes dynamically in response to fasting or refeeding, and show that miR-378 regulates hepatic insulin signalling by targeting the P110a subunit of PI3K. 04 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6684 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Exosomes as Hedgehog carriers in cytoneme-mediated transport and secretion Ana-Citlali Gradilla, Esperanza González, Irene Seijo, German Andrés, Marcus Bischoff, Laura González-Mendez, Vanessa Sánchez, Ainhoa Callejo, Carmen Ibáñez, Milagros Guerra, João Ramalho Ortigão-Farias, James D. Sutherland, Monika González, Rosa Barrio, Juan M. Falcón-Pérez and Isabel Guerrero Long, thin projections of the cell membrane known as cytonemes are required for signalling by the secreted morphogen Hedgehog. Gradilla et al. show that cytonemes carry Hedgehog-associated exovesicles, and that exovesicle formation is required for graded Hedgehog signalling. 04 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6649 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Developmental biology  Real-time earthquake monitoring using a search engine method OPEN Jie Zhang, Haijiang Zhang, Enhong Chen, Yi Zheng, Wenhuan Kuang and Xiong Zhang Reporting earthquakes, including location and focal mechanism, in real time is a challenge. Here, the authors present an approach similar to a web search engine, estimating earthquake parameters by searching a large database within a second, which will potentially enable early warning systems. 04 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6664 Earth Sciences  Geology and geophysics  High-throughput detection of miRNAs and gene-specific mRNA at the single-cell level by flow cytometry Filippos Porichis, Meghan G. Hart, Morgane Griesbeck, Holly L. Everett, Muska Hassan, Amy E. Baxter, Madelene Lindqvist, Sara M. Miller, Damien Z. Soghoian, Daniel G. Kavanagh, Susan Reynolds, Brett Norris, Scott K. Mordecai, Quan Nguyen, Chunfai Lai and Daniel E. Kaufmann Flow cytometry allows high-throughput analysis of multiple proteins in individual cells, but relies on availability of antibodies. Here Porichis et al. report a sensitive method for multi-parameter flow cytometric and imaging detection of proteins together with mRNA or miRNA at the single-cell level. 04 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6641 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Immunology  Enrichment of CD56dimKIR+CD57+ highly cytotoxic NK cells in tumour-infiltrated lymph nodes of melanoma patients Talib Hassan Ali, Simona Pisanti, Elena Ciaglia, Roberta Mortarini, Andrea Anichini, Cinzia Garofalo, Rossana Tallerico, Mario Santinami, Elio Gulletta, Caterina Ietto, Mario Galgani, Giuseppe Matarese, Maurizio Bifulco, Soldano Ferrone, Francesco Colucci, Alessandro Moretta, Klas Kärre and Ennio Carbone The role of NK cells in tumour lymphatics is poorly understood. Here, the authors show that the tumour cell-infiltrated lymph nodes of melanoma patients have an altered cytokine milieu and contain an expanded population of NK cells with high tumour-cytotoxic activity. 04 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6639 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Immunology  Medical research  A 2,000-year reconstruction of the rain-fed maize agricultural niche in the US Southwest R. Kyle Bocinsky and Timothy A. Kohler Palaeoclimate research often focuses on continental, hemispheric and global scales, neglecting the local-scale changes of most importance to human adaptation. Here, the authors propose a new tree-ring-based methodology, capable of producing high-frequency, highly local climate-field reconstructions. 04 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6618 Earth Sciences  Climate science  Beclin 1 restrains tumorigenesis through Mcl-1 destabilization in an autophagy-independent reciprocal manner Mohamed Elgendy, Marco Ciro, Amal Kamal Abdel-Aziz, Giuseppe Belmonte, Roberto Dal Zuffo, Ciro Mercurio, Clelia Miracco, Luisa Lanfrancone, Marco Foiani and Saverio Minucci The anti-apoptotic protein Mcl-1 and haplo-insufficient tumour suppressor Beclin-1 are deregulated in several cancers. Here the authors show that Mcl-1 and Beclin-1 compete for binding to the deubiquitinase USP9X, resulting in a reciprocal regulation during melanoma progression. 04 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6637 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Molecular biology  The antimicrobial peptide LL37 is a T-cell autoantigen in psoriasis Roberto Lande, Elisabetta Botti, Camilla Jandus, Danijel Dojcinovic, Giorgia Fanelli, Curdin Conrad, Georgios Chamilos, Laurence Feldmeyer, Barbara Marinari, Susan Chon, Luis Vence, Valeria Riccieri, Phillippe Guillaume, Alex A. Navarini, Pedro Romero, Antonio Costanzo, Enza Piccolella, Michel Gilliet and Loredana Frasca LL37 is an antimicrobial peptide that is overexpressed in skin lesions from psoriasis patients and activates innate immunity. Here the authors show that CD4 and CD8 T cells specific for LL37 are present in the circulation of patients with psoriasis, produce inflammatory cytokines and correlate with disease activity. 03 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6621 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Medical research  Three-dimensional periodic supramolecular organic framework ion sponge in water and microcrystals OPEN Jia Tian, Tian-You Zhou, Shao-Chen Zhang, Shaul Aloni, Maria Virginia Altoe, Song-Hai Xie, Hui Wang, Dan-Wei Zhang, Xin Zhao, Yi Liu and Zhan-Ting Li The construction of soluble periodic supramolecular three-dimensional networks is challenging. Here, the authors use an encapsulated dimerization strategy to direct the assembly of a periodic three-dimensional supramolecular organic framework and evaluate its absorption properties. 03 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6574 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Organic chemistry  Cell type-specific delivery of short interfering RNAs by dye-functionalised theranostic nanoparticles OPEN Adrian T. Press, Anja Traeger, Christian Pietsch, Alexander Mosig, Michael Wagner, Mark G. Clemens, Nayla Jbeily, Nicole Koch, Michael Gottschaldt, Nicolas Bézière, Volodymyr Ermolayev, Vasilis Ntziachristos, Jürgen Popp, Michael M. Kessels, Britta Qualmann, Ulrich S. Schubert and Michael Bauer A potential drug should specifically interact with its intended target in order to limit unwanted side effects. Here, the authors fabricate a biodegradable polymer nanoparticle with a fluorescent hepatic uptake transporter ligand to achieve targeted in vivo siRNA delivery and imaging of delivery. 03 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6565 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Nanotechnology  Photochemical formation of intricarene Desiree Stichnoth, Patrick Kölle, Thomas J. Kimbrough, Eberhard Riedle, Regina de Vivie-Riedle and Dirk Trauner Photochemical reactions are rarely observed at late stages in the biosynthesis of natural products. Here, the authors show that in the case of intricarene, instead of a concerted cycloaddition in the electronic ground state, the key step of the synthesis proceeds photochemically. 03 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6597 Chemical Sciences  Organic chemistry  Physical chemistry  Programmed folding of DNA origami structures through single-molecule force control Wooli Bae, Kipom Kim, Duyoung Min, Je-Kyung Ryu, Changbong Hyeon and Tae-Young Yoon The typical method for DNA origami fabrication uses thermal annealing of staples to a longer DNA scaffold. Here, the authors present a mechanical method to control the folding pathway, which instead relies on stretching the DNA scaffold in magnetic tweezers, prior to staple incorporation. 03 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6654 Physical Sciences  Nanotechnology  Lattice-free prediction of three-dimensional structure of programmed DNA assemblies OPEN Keyao Pan, Do-Nyun Kim, Fei Zhang, Matthew R. Adendorff, Hao Yan and Mark Bathe DNA may be used to fabricate functional nanostructures with various possible geometries, but first being able to predict these structures is a challenging task. Here, the authors use coarse-grained modelling to predict the shape of artificial DNA nanostructures in solution. 03 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6578 Physical Sciences  Biophysics  Nanotechnology  FeOx-supported platinum single-atom and pseudo-single-atom catalysts for chemoselective hydrogenation of functionalized nitroarenes Haisheng Wei, Xiaoyan Liu, Aiqin Wang, Leilei Zhang, Botao Qiao, Xiaofeng Yang, Yanqiang Huang, Shu Miao, Jingyue Liu and Tao Zhang Reduction of nitroarenes in the presence of other reducible groups is challenging, as is simultaneously achieving high selectivity and activity. Here, the authors report supported single-atom and pseudo-single-atom platinum catalysts with excellent activity and high degrees of chemoselectivity. 03 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6634 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Organic chemistry  Freezing-in orientational disorder induces crossover from thermally-activated to temperature-independent transport in organic semiconductors K. P. Goetz, A. Fonari, D. Vermeulen, P. Hu, H. Jiang, P. J. Diemer, J. W. Ward, M. E. Payne, C. S. Day, C. Kloc, V. Coropceanu, L. E. McNeil and O. D. Jurchescu The electronic properties of organic charge-transfer complexes are highly coupled to their crystallographic structures. Goetz et al. show that the librational motion can mediate a glass-like transition, resulting in a transition from temperature-activated to temperature-independent charge transport. 03 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6642 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Mus81-Mms4 and Yen1 resolve a novel anaphase bridge formed by noncanonical Holliday junctions Jonay García-Luis and Félix Machín Recombination intermediates must be resolved by mitosis to allow proper chromosome segregation. Here, the authors show that the structure-specific endonucleases Mus81-Msms4 and Yen1 are involved in the resolution of non-canonical Holliday junctions that would otherwise lead to anaphase bridges. 03 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6652 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Genetics  Molecular biology  Observing classical nucleation theory at work by monitoring phase transitions with molecular precision OPEN Mike Sleutel, Jim Lutsko, Alexander E.S. Van Driessche, Miguel A. Durán-Olivencia and Dominique Maes Many nanoscale systems can form ordered microphases through non-classical multistep nucleation. Here, the authors report that glucose isomerase, which is known to exhibit the characteristics of multi-step nucleation in 3D, nucleates along the pathway predicted by classical nucleation theory in 2D. 03 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6598 Chemical Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  Physical chemistry  Somatic transcriptome priming gates lineage-specific differentiation potential of human-induced pluripotent stem cell states Jong-Hee Lee, Jung Bok Lee, Zoya Shapovalova, Aline Fiebig-Comyn, Ryan R. Mitchell, Sarah Laronde, Eva Szabo, Yannick D. Benoit and Mickie Bhatia Molecular and functional differences between induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from distinct cell types have been described. Here the authors show, by comparing human iPSCs derived from fibroblasts or cord blood, that the competence in activating developmental genes upon differentiation is influenced by the donor cell of origin. 03 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6605 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Developmental biology  Pressure–temperature evolution of primordial solar system solids during impact-induced compaction OPEN P. A. Bland, G. S. Collins, T. M. Davison, N. M. Abreu, F. J. Ciesla, A. R. Muxworthy and J. Moore Collisions between primordial planetesimals led to the formation of our asteroids and meteorites. Here, the authors use modelling to explore the compaction of planetsimals, tracking how pressure, temperature and porosity may have varied during the impacts, helping interpret early Solar System processes. 03 December 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6451 Earth Sciences  Planetary sciences    Nature Communications JOBS of the week Postdoctoral Fellow Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute Two Post-doctoral Researchers Ohio State University Postdoctoral Research Assistant University of Dundee Postdoctoral Research Fellow Charles University in Prague Data Scientist Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) Fellowships for PhD Students Universit�t Konstanz Postdoctoral Fellowship Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) Staff Associate Columbia University Clinical Research Fellow University of Oxford Tenured / Tenured Track Faculty University of Massachusett Medical School More Science jobs from Nature Communications EVENT Systems Biology of Infection Symposium - 2nd Edition 06.09.15 Ascona, Switzerland More science events from     Advertisement Open for Submissions A new open access, multi-and interdisciplinary journal dedicated to publishing the finest research on both microbial biofilms and microbiomes, the journal is now open for submissions. 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