Nature Communications - 17 June 2015

Weekly Content Alert Nature Communications is now fully open access. Read more. 17 June 2015  Featured image: Franklin et al. demonstrate a nanostructured metallic reflective surface with integrated liquid crystals for colour tuneability. Latest content: Articles Erratum Journal homepage Recommend to library Web feed   Advertisement Presented by Adaptive Biotechnologies, Nature Immunology, Nature Medicine, Nature Biotechnology, and Nature Genetics IMMUNE PROFILING IN HEALTH AND DISEASE September 9-11, 2015 | Seattle, WA, USA  REGISTER NOW!     Latest Articles View all Articles     Scaling up nanoscale water-driven energy conversion into evaporation-driven engines and generators OPEN Xi Chen, Davis Goodnight, Zhenghan Gao, Ahmet H. Cavusoglu, Nina Sabharwal, Michael DeLay, Adam Driks and Ozgur Sahin Harvesting energy from evaporation is constrained by the limited transport kinetics of materials and the slowly changing humidity of the environment. Chen et al. follow hierarchical design strategies to overcome these problems and create engines that start and run when placed at air-water interfaces. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8346 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Bioengineering  Nanotechnology  Delivery of crop pollination services is an insufficient argument for wild pollinator conservation OPEN David Kleijn, Rachael Winfree, Ignasi Bartomeus, Luísa G Carvalheiro, Mickaël Henry, Rufus Isaacs, Alexandra-Maria Klein, Claire Kremen, Leithen K M'Gonigle, Romina Rader, Taylor H Ricketts, Neal M Williams, Nancy Lee Adamson, John S Ascher, András Báldi, Péter Batáry, Faye Benjamin, Jacobus C Biesmeijer, Eleanor J Blitzer, Riccardo Bommarco et al. One argument for conserving biological diversity is that it delivers beneficial ecosystem services. However, Kleijn et al. show that the economic benefits of crop pollination are delivered by only a small subset of relatively common species, arguing that threatened species should be considered separately. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8414 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Evidence for methane in Martian meteorites Nigel J. F. Blamey, John Parnell, Sean McMahon, Darren F. Mark, Tim Tomkinson, Martin Lee, Jared Shivak, Matthew R. M. Izawa, Neil R. Banerjee and Roberta L. Flemming Extremophiles on Earth are known to respire methane, and the potential existence of methane on Mars indicates similar organisms could survive there. Here, the authors present data from Martian meteorites confirming the presence of methane, indicating that a habitat capable of supporting organisms exists on Mars. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8399 Earth Sciences  Geology and geophysics  Marine foods sourced from farther as their use of global ocean primary production increases OPEN Reg A. Watson, Gabrielle B. Nowara, Klaas Hartmann, Bridget S. Green, Sean R. Tracey and Chris G. Carter Global landings of wild-caught seafood have plateaued in recent years. Analysing trends in global fisheries catches, Watson et al. find that distance between sourcing and consumption has increased steadily since the 1950s, with ocean productivity unlikely to meet current consumption rates by 2100. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8365 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Oceanography  Quantum ferroelectricity in charge-transfer complex crystals OPEN Sachio Horiuchi, Kensuke Kobayashi, Reiji Kumai, Nao Minami, Fumitaka Kagawa and Yoshinori Tokura Quantum critical behaviour emerges when quantum fluctuations perturb the balance between electronic states of a material having the same energy, and can lead to novel phenomena. Here, the authors discover quantum criticality in the ferroelectric behaviour of organic molecular solids. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8469 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Physical chemistry  Rh D blood group conversion using transcription activator-like effector nucleases OPEN Young-Hoon Kim, Hyun O. Kim, Eun J. Baek, Ryo Kurita, Hyuk-Jin Cha, Yukio Nakamura and Hyongbum Kim Group O/RhD− blood can be safely transfused to any recipient and methods for converting other blood groups into this group hold therapeutic potential. By using programmable nucleases, here the authors edit the gene that determines the RhD blood group and convert the RhD+ into RhD− erythroid progenitor cells. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8451 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Medical research  Enabling unassisted solar water splitting by iron oxide and silicon OPEN Ji-Wook Jang, Chun Du, Yifan Ye, Yongjing Lin, Xiahui Yao, James Thorne, Erik Liu, Gregory McMahon, Junfa Zhu, Ali Javey, Jinghua Guo and Dunwei Wang Water splitting using earth-abundant materials promises a low cost solution to the problem of large scale energy storage. Here, the authors fabricate a haematite and silicon-based high-efficiency water splitting device, which operates without the need for an externally applied bias. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8447 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Optical physics  Cdk1 phosphorylates the Rac activator Tiam1 to activate centrosomal Pak and promote mitotic spindle formation OPEN Helen J. Whalley, Andrew P. Porter, Zoi Diamantopoulou, Gavin R. M. White, Eduardo Castañeda-Saucedo and Angeliki Malliri Centrosome separation, promoted by the kinesin Eg5, is antagonized by the guanine nucleotide exchange factor Tiam1 through an unknown mechanism. Here Whalley et al. show that Tiam1 is phosphorylated by cyclin-dependent kinase 1 in prophase, leading to downstream activation of p21-activated kinases (PAKs). 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8437 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  A novel coarsening mechanism of droplets in immiscible fluid mixtures Ryotaro Shimizu and Hajime Tanaka Droplet coarsening during phase separation is widely thought to be a random process, relying on Brownian diffusion and coagulation. Here, Shimizu and Tanaka show that the process is hydrodynamically driven, where the droplet motion is directional due to an interfacial tension gradient in droplets. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8407 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Fluids and plasma physics  Drying of Indian subcontinent by rapid Indian Ocean warming and a weakening land-sea thermal gradient Mathew Koll Roxy, Kapoor Ritika, Pascal Terray, Raghu Murtugudde, Karumuri Ashok and B. N. Goswami The response of the South Asian summer monsoon to climate change remains uncertain. Here, the authors combine observational datasets and model simulations and show that a warming Indian Ocean and weakened land-sea thermal gradient lead to significant rainfall weakening over the central Indian subcontinent. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8423 Earth Sciences  Climate science  Oceanography  DJ-1 links muscle ROS production with metabolic reprogramming and systemic energy homeostasis in mice OPEN Sally Yu Shi, Shun-Yan Lu, Tharini Sivasubramaniyam, Xavier S. Revelo, Erica P. Cai, Cynthia T. Luk, Stephanie A. Schroer, Prital Patel, Raymond H. Kim, Eric Bombardier, Joe Quadrilatero, A. Russell Tupling, Tak W. Mak, Daniel A. Winer and Minna Woo The protein DJ-1 is known to have antioxidant effects in cells. Here, the authors reveal that DJ-1 has a role in coupling mitochondrial respiration in skeletal muscles of mice, and show that absence of DJ-1 increases energy expenditure and protects mice from diet-induced obesity. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8415 Biological Sciences  Medical research  A palladium-catalysed multicomponent coupling approach to conjugated poly(1,3-dipoles) and polyheterocycles OPEN David C. Leitch, Laure V. Kayser, Zhi-Yong Han, Ali R. Siamaki, Evan N. Keyzer, Ashley Gefen and Bruce A. Arndtsen The requirement for multistep synthesis can render the fabrication of highly substituted polymers particularly troublesome. Here, the authors take advantage of metal-catalysed multicomponent polymerization to synthesize a large family of such materials with ease from single-pot reactions. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8411 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Organic chemistry  Programmed cell death 5 mediates HDAC3 decay to promote genotoxic stress response OPEN Hyo-Kyoung Choi, Youngsok Choi, Eun Sung Park, Soo-Yeon Park, Seung-Hyun Lee, Jaesung Seo, Mi-Hyeon Jeong, Jae-Wook Jeong, Jae-Ho Jeong, Peter C. W. Lee, Kyung-Chul Choi and Ho-Geun Yoon The tumour suppressor p53 is known to be inhibited by histone deacetylase 3 but the molecular mechanism is poorly understood. Here Choi et al. show regulation by programmed cell death 5 and an essential role in activating p53 following DNA damage. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8390 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Cell biology  Molecular biology  Polymerase Θ is a key driver of genome evolution and of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated mutagenesis OPEN Robin van Schendel, Sophie F. Roerink, Vincent Portegijs, Sander van den Heuvel and Marcel Tijsterman DNA double-stranded breaks can be repaired through error-prone pathways. Here, van Schendel et al. demonstrate that C. elegans acquires inheritable mutations through the use of polymerase theta-mediated end joining. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8394 Biological Sciences  Bioinformatics  Genetics  Molecular biology  The matricellular protein CCN1 mediates neutrophil efferocytosis in cutaneous wound healing Joon-Il Jun, Ki-Hyun Kim and Lester F. Lau Neutrophils are the first line of response to injury but their persistence can inhibit the resolution phase of tissue repair. Here the authors show that an extracellular matrix protein promotes neutrophil clearance by macrophages, serving as a bridge between the two cell types and speeding up tissue repair. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8386 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Immunology  Neutralization and clearance of GM-CSF by autoantibodies in pulmonary alveolar proteinosis OPEN Luca Piccoli, Ilaria Campo, Chiara Silacci Fregni, Blanca Maria Fernandez Rodriguez, Andrea Minola, Federica Sallusto, Maurizio Luisetti, Davide Corti and Antonio Lanzavecchia Autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis is caused by autoantibodies to GM-CSF. Here the authors show that the individual autoantibodies only partially neutralize GM-CSF and that antibodies to at least three different epitopes are required to block GM-CSF bioavailability. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8375 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Mitotic cell rounding and epithelial thinning regulate lumen growth and shape Esteban Hoijman, Davide Rubbini, Julien Colombelli and Berta Alsina The regulation of lumen formation and dimension is a key question in organ morphogenesis. Using the zebrafish inner ear as a model, here the authors show that the growth of a cavity depends on epithelial thinning and mitotic cell rounding. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8355 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Developmental biology  β-Arrestin1 enhances hepatocellular carcinogenesis through inflammation-mediated Akt signalling Yidong Yang, Yunwei Guo, Siwei Tan, Bilun Ke, Jin Tao, Huiling Liu, Jie Jiang, Jianning Chen, Guihua Chen and Bin Wu Hepatocellular carcinoma can arise from hepatitis as a consequence of persistent inflammation. Here, Yang et al. show that the protein G-protein-coupled receptor adaptor β-arrestin1 promotes hepatocellular carcinogenesis through pro-inflammatory Akt signalling. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8369 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Medical research  Crystallization of DNA-coated colloids OPEN Yu Wang, Yufeng Wang, Xiaolong Zheng, Étienne Ducrot, Jeremy S. Yodh, Marcus Weck and David J. Pine DNA-coated colloids have failed to achieve their promise of programmable self-assembly because they stick to each other like Velcro. Here Wang et al. overcome this problem by making clickable smooth colloids that are coated with short single-stranded DNA at high density. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8253 Chemical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Dynamics enhanced by HCl doping triggers full Pauling entropy release at the ice XII–XIV transition OPEN K. W. Köster, V. Fuentes-Landete, A. Raidt, M. Seidl, C. Gainaru, T. Loerting and R. Böhmer The preparation of fully proton-ordered ice phases remains challenging and residual entropy usually remains even at the absolute zero. Here, the authors achieve a transition from disordered ice XII to fully ordered ice XIV triggered by HCl doping, which enhances proton transfer dynamics by five orders of magnitude. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8349 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Physical chemistry  CD24 tracks divergent pluripotent states in mouse and human cells OPEN Nika Shakiba, Carl A. White, Yonatan Y. Lipsitz, Ayako Yachie-Kinoshita, Peter D Tonge, Samer M. I. Hussein, Mira C. Puri, Judith Elbaz, James Morrissey-Scoot, Mira Li, Javier Munoz, Marco Benevento, Ian M. Rogers, Jacob H. Hanna, Albert J. R. Heck, Bernd Wollscheid, Andras Nagy and Peter W Zandstra Characterizing the cellular stages that lead to induced reprogramming is of much interest and cell surface markers could offer unique advantages for this. Here the authors use surface proteomics and discover CD24 as a marker that tracks reprogramming-responsive cells and enables the analysis and enrichment of transgene-dependent and -independent induced pluriopotent stem cells. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8329 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Developmental biology  Parkinson-causing α-synuclein missense mutations shift native tetramers to monomers as a mechanism for disease initiation OPEN Ulf Dettmer, Andrew J. Newman, Frank Soldner, Eric S. Luth, Nora C. Kim, Victoria E. von Saucken, John B. Sanderson, Rudolf Jaenisch, Tim Bartels and Dennis Selkoe ß-Sheet-rich aggregates of α-synuclein (αS) characterize Parkinson's disease (PD) and recent work suggests that αS exists as α-helix-rich tetramers and related low-n multimers in normal cells. Here the authors show that αS mutations associated with familial PD decrease the intraneuronal tetramer:monomer ratio and are correlated with neurotoxicity. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8314 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Medical research  Neuroscience  Genome-wide association study of corticobasal degeneration identifies risk variants shared with progressive supranuclear palsy OPEN Naomi Kouri, Owen A. Ross, Beth Dombroski, Curtis S. Younkin, Daniel J. Serie, Alexandra Soto-Ortolaza, Matthew Baker, Ni Cole A. Finch, Hyejin Yoon, Jungsu Kim, Shinsuke Fujioka, Catriona A. McLean, Bernardino Ghetti, Salvatore Spina, Laura B. Cantwell, Martin R. Farlow, Jordan Grafman, Edward D. Huey, Mi Ryung Han, Sherry Beecher et al. Corticobasal degeneration is a rare neurodegenerative disorder that can only be definitively diagnosed by autopsy. Here, Kouri et al. conduct a genome-wide-association study and identify two genetic susceptibility loci 17q21 (MAPT) and 3p12 (MOBP), and a novel susceptibility locus at 8p12. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8247 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Neuroscience  Mutations in DYNC2LI1 disrupt cilia function and cause short rib polydactyly syndrome S. Paige Taylor, Tiago J. Dantas, Ivan Duran, Sulin Wu, Ralph S. Lachman, University of Washington Center for Mendelian Genomics Consortium, Michael J. Bamshad, Jay Shendure, Deborah A. Nickerson, Stanley F. Nelson, Daniel H. Cohn, Richard B. Vallee and Deborah Krakow Mutations in genes affecting intraflagellar transport account for some but not all cases of short rib polydactyly syndromes. Here Taylor et al. use whole exome sequencing and in vivo cell line assays to identify novel disease associated mutations in DYNC2LI1. 16 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8092 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Genetics  System-wide identification of wild-type SUMO-2 conjugation sites OPEN Ivo A. Hendriks, Rochelle C. D’Souza, Jer-Gung Chang, Matthias Mann and Alfred C. O. Vertegaal Tryptic digestion of SUMOylated proteins generates large peptides, rendering proteomic characterisation of this post-translational modification particularly challenging unless mutant SUMO is used. Hendriks et al. present a method that allows the quantitative identification of wild-type SUMO sites. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8289 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Systems biology  Direct wavefront sensing for high-resolution in vivo imaging in scattering tissue OPEN Kai Wang, Wenzhi Sun, Christopher T. Richie, Brandon K. Harvey, Eric Betzig and Na Ji Direct wavefront sensing with laser ‘guide stars’ is used in astronomy and microscopy to correct for optical aberrations. Wang et al. use near-infrared guide stars to extend this approach to the highly scattering mouse brain, allowing high-resolution fluorescence imaging at 700μm depth. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8276 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  In situ oxidation of carbon-encapsulated cobalt nanocapsules creates highly active cobalt oxide catalysts for hydrocarbon combustion OPEN Han Wang, Chunlin Chen, Yexin Zhang, Lixia Peng, Song Ma, Teng Yang, Huaihong Guo, Zhidong Zhang, Dang Sheng Su and Jian Zhang Palladium is an effective but expensive catalyst used in catalytic converters. Here, the authors show that defective Co3O4 nanocrystals, synthesized via oxidation of carbon-encapsulated cobalt nanoparticles, display similar or even comparable catalytic activity to palladium for hydrocarbon combustion. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8181 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Physical chemistry  The tethering of chromatin to the nuclear envelope supports nuclear mechanics OPEN Sarah M. Schreiner, Peter K. Koo, Yao Zhao, Simon G. J. Mochrie and Megan C. King The mechanical properties of the metazoan nucleus can be influenced by the nuclear lamina. Here, Schreiner et al. show that untethering chromatin from the inner nuclear membrane results in highly deformable, softer nuclei, revealing an important role for chromatin in modulating nuclear mechanics. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8159 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Physical principles of membrane remodelling during cell mechanoadaptation OPEN Anita Joanna Kosmalska, Laura Casares, Alberto Elosegui-Artola, Joseph Jose Thottacherry, Roberto Moreno-Vicente, Víctor González-Tarragó, Miguel Ángel del Pozo, Satyajit Mayor, Marino Arroyo, Daniel Navajas, Xavier Trepat, Nils C. Gauthier and Pere Roca-Cusachs Variations in cell shape must be accommodated by the cell membrane, but how the membrane adjusts to changes in area and volume is not known. Here the authors show that the membrane responds in a nearly instantaneous, purely physical manner involving the flattening or generation of membrane invaginations. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8292 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Cell biology  Defective Hfp-dependent transcriptional repression of dMYC is fundamental to tissue overgrowth in Drosophila XPB models Jue Er Amanda Lee, Naomi C. Mitchell, Olga Zaytseva, Arjun Chahal, Peter Mendis, Amandine Cartier-Michaud, Linda M. Parsons, Gretchen Poortinga, David L. Levens, Ross D. Hannan and Leonie M. Quinn C-terminal mutations in the XPB helicase subunit of TFIIH are associated with cancer. Here, using Drosophila models, the authors demonstrate C-terminally truncated Hay/XPB alleles enhance overgrowth dependent on Hfp, the orthologue of the MYC transcriptional repressor FIR. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8404 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cancer  A two-dimensional π–d conjugated coordination polymer with extremely high electrical conductivity and ambipolar transport behaviour OPEN Xing Huang, Peng Sheng, Zeyi Tu, Fengjiao Zhang, Junhua Wang, Hua Geng, Ye Zou, Chong-an Di, Yuanping Yi, Yimeng Sun, Wei Xu and Daoben Zhu Conjugated 2D materials are able to marry the properties of transparency and conductivity for implementation in a wide range of devices. Here, Huang and et al. adopt this design principal in synthesizing a copper bis(dithiolene) coordination polymer which exhibits remarkable electronic performances. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8408 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Materials science  A network of molecular switches controls the activation of the two-component response regulator NtrC Dan K. Vanatta, Diwakar Shukla, Morgan Lawrenz and Vijay S. Pande Nitrogen regulatory protein C (NtrC) is the effector of a two-component system activated by the sensor kinase NtrB. Vanatta et al. use molecular dynamics simulations to construct a Markov state model of NtrC activation pathways, revealing metastable conformations that could be targeted for inhibitor design. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8283 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  Facile synthesis of ultrahigh-surface-area hollow carbon nanospheres for enhanced adsorption and energy storage OPEN Fei Xu, Zhiwei Tang, Siqi Huang, Luyi Chen, Yeru Liang, Weicong Mai, Hui Zhong, Ruowen Fu and Dingcai Wu Well-defined, large surface area nanostructures are promising functional materials but can be difficult to fabricate. Here the authors show how to prepare ultrahigh-surface-area hollow carbon nanospheres, via a controlled carbonization route, and assess their organic vapour adsorption and electrochemical performance. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8221 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Physical chemistry  Multiple independent autonomous hydraulic oscillators driven by a common gravity head Sung-Jin Kim, Ryuji Yokokawa, Sasha Cai Lesher-Perez and Shuichi Takayama Lab-on-a-chip devices contain liquid circuits, but the electronic-like operation on microfluidic chips at constant pressure is challenging. Here, Kim et al. design a gravity-driven microfluidic oscillator that realizes time-independent self-switching events across multiple parallel sub-circuits. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8301 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Fluids and plasma physics  1,3,2,5-Diazadiborinine featuring nucleophilic and electrophilic boron centres OPEN Di Wu, Lingbing Kong, Yongxin Li, Rakesh Ganguly and Rei Kinjo Boron atoms in aromatic heterocycles typically behave simply as electron pair acceptors. Here, the authors report an aromatic system containing both electrophilic and nucleophilic boron atoms, and demonstrate how this imparts frustrated Lewis pair type reactivity, including binding of carbon dioxide. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8340 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Organic chemistry  mRNA 3′-UTR shortening is a molecular signature of mTORC1 activation Jae-Woong Chang, Wei Zhang, Hsin-Sung Yeh, Ebbing P. de Jong, Semo Jun, Kwan-Hyun Kim, Sun S. Bae, Kenneth Beckman, Tae Hyun Hwang, Kye-Seong Kim, Do-Hyung Kim, Timothy J. Griffin, Rui Kuang and Jeongsik Yong mTOR signalling regulates protein synthesis in response to changes in nutrient availability. Chang et al. demonstrate that mTOR can stimulate translation by promoting the shortening of mRNA 3′-untranslated regions, and that expression of ubiquitin ligases is selectively enhanced by this mechanism. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8218 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Molecular biology  A novel mechanism of generating extracellular vesicles during apoptosis via a beads-on-a-string membrane structure OPEN Georgia K. Atkin-Smith, Rochelle Tixeira, Stephanie Paone, Suresh Mathivanan, Christine Collins, Michael Liem, Katharine J. Goodall, Kodi S. Ravichandran, Mark D. Hulett and Ivan K.H. Poon During apoptosis, cells break up into smaller fragments to facilitate removal. Here the authors characterize a beads-on-a-string structure formed by monocytes undergoing apoptosis in vitro, which shears into apoptotic bodies lacking nuclear contents, and is blocked by the antidepressant sertraline. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8439 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Ambient solid-state mechano-chemical reactions between functionalized carbon nanotubes OPEN Mohamad A. Kabbani, Chandra Sekhar Tiwary, Pedro A.S. Autreto, Gustavo Brunetto, Anirban Som, K.R. Krishnadas, Sehmus Ozden, Ken P. Hackenberg, Yongi Gong, Douglas S. Galvao, Robert Vajtai, Ahmad T. Kabbani, Thalappil Pradeep and Pulickel M. Ajayan Direct coupling between chemical groups on individual nanostructures may lead to new architectures and reactions. Here, the authors report an ambient mechano-chemical reaction between two different reactant carbon nanotube varieties, which produces condensation products and unzipping of the nanotube structure. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8291 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Superconfinement tailors fluid flow at microscales OPEN Siti Aminah Setu, Roel P.A. Dullens, Aurora Hernández-Machado, Ignacio Pagonabarraga, Dirk G.A.L. Aarts and Rodrigo Ledesma-Aguilar An understanding of how fluid–solid interactions affect flow dynamics is essential for microfluidics design. Here the authors show how fluids in linear channels can be controlled by the degree of confinement when the contact-line slip length is comparable to the channel size. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8297 Physical Sciences  Fluids and plasma physics  Materials science  Single molecule-level detection and long read-based phasing of epigenetic variations in bacterial methylomes OPEN John Beaulaurier, Xue-Song Zhang, Shijia Zhu, Robert Sebra, Chaggai Rosenbluh, Gintaras Deikus, Nan Shen, Diana Munera, Matthew K. Waldor, Andrew Chess, Martin J. Blaser, Eric E. Schadt and Gang Fang Bacterial DNA methylation is involved in many processes, from host defense to antibiotic resistance, however current methods for examining methylated genomes lack single-cell resolution. Here Beaulaurier et al. present Single Molecule Modification Analysis of Long Reads, a new tool for de novo detection of epigenetic heterogeneity. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8438 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Genetics  Reconfigurable photonic crystals enabled by pressure-responsive shape-memory polymers OPEN Yin Fang, Yongliang Ni, Sin-Yen Leo, Curtis Taylor, Vito Basile and Peng Jiang Smart shape-memory polymers based on pressure stimuli have potential biomedical and aerospace applications but are largely unexplored. Here, Fang et al. present a reconfigurable photonic crystal that is reprogrammed at ambient conditions by a pressure-responsive shape-memory polymer. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8416 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Optical physics  Free energy landscape of activation in a signalling protein at atomic resolution F. Pontiggia, D.V. Pachov, M.W. Clarkson, J. Villali, M.F. Hagan, V.S. Pande and D. Kern While active and inactive conformations of proteins have been characterised, pathways connecting these states remain largely obscure. Pontiggia et al. find that the inactive state of NtrC represents an ensemble of different conformers that interconvert to the active state via multiple pathways. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8284 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  Fluctuations between multiple EF-G-induced chimeric tRNA states during translocation on the ribosome OPEN Sarah Adio, Tamara Senyushkina, Frank Peske, Niels Fischer, Wolfgang Wintermeyer and Marina V. Rodnina EF-G enhances the rate of tRNA–mRNA translocation on the ribosome. Here the authors use single-molecule FRET to follow tRNA translocation in real time, identifying new chimeric intermediates and suggesting how EF-G binding and GTP hydrolysis change the energetic landscape of translocation to accelerate forward tRNA movement. 15 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8442 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  Synthesis of three-dimensionally interconnected sulfur-rich polymers for cathode materials of high-rate lithium–sulfur batteries OPEN Hoon Kim, Joungphil Lee, Hyungmin Ahn, Onnuri Kim and Moon Jeong Park There is intensive research underway into the cathode development of lithium–sulphur batteries. Here, the authors present a battery with organosulfur-containing polymers as the cathode active materials which displays promising electrochemical performance. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8278 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Influence of slip on the Plateau–Rayleigh instability on a fibre OPEN Sabrina Haefner, Michael Benzaquen, Oliver Bäumchen, Thomas Salez, Robert Peters, Joshua D. McGraw, Karin Jacobs, Elie Raphaël and Kari Dalnoki-Veress A thin liquid coating on a fibre can break up into droplets due to the Plateau–Rayleigh instability, as for instance on a spider web. Here, Haefner et al. show that the growth rate of the droplet undulations strongly depends on the fibre–liquid boundary condition and slip accelerates the instability. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8409 Physical Sciences  Fluids and plasma physics  Small-molecule activation of SERCA2a SUMOylation for the treatment of heart failure OPEN Changwon Kho, Ahyoung Lee, Dongtak Jeong, Jae Gyun Oh, Przemek A. Gorski, Kenneth Fish, Roberto Sanchez, Robert J. DeVita, Geir Christensen, Russell Dahl and Roger J. Hajjar SUMOylation of the cardiac calcium pump SERCA2a affects its activity and promotes cardiomyocyte contractility. Here the authors identify a small molecule N106 that increases SERCA2 SUMOylation and improves heart function in mice, and propose a promising therapeutic strategy for treatment of heart failure. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8229 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Medical research  The optoelectronic role of chlorine in CH3NH3PbI3(Cl)-based perovskite solar cells OPEN Qi Chen, Huanping Zhou, Yihao Fang, Adam Z. Stieg, Tze-Bin Song, Hsin-Hua Wang, Xiaobao Xu, Yongsheng Liu, Shirong Lu, Jingbi You, Pengyu Sun, Jeff McKay, Mark S. Goorsky and Yang Yang Chlorine incorporation into CH3NH3PbI3 improves solar cell performance, but its optoelectronic role is still unclear. Here the authors present a strategy that decouples the morphological impact, to reveal that chlorine incorporation affects carrier transport across the heterojunction interface rather than within the perovskite crystal. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8269 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Molecular snapshots of the Pex1/6 AAA+ complex in action OPEN Susanne Ciniawsky, Immanuel Grimm, Delia Saffian, Wolfgang Girzalsky, Ralf Erdmann and Petra Wendler Pex1 and Pex6 form a heterohexameric AAA+ ATPase complex with triangular geometry at the peroxisome membrane. Here the authors use electron microscopy to show that the complex undergoes conformational changes upon ATP hydrolysis, and demonstrate inter-domain communication between neighbouring nucleotide-binding domains. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8331 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Morphological plasticity of the coral skeleton under CO2-driven seawater acidification OPEN E. Tambutté, A. A. Venn, M. Holcomb, N. Segonds, N. Techer, D. Zoccola, D. Allemand and S. Tambutté Ocean acidification is predicted to cause major reductions in coral calcification rates. Here, Tambutté et al. show that in the coral, reduced calcification rates under low pH are the result of changes in skeletal morphology, rather than skeletal dissolution. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8368 Biological Sciences  Biogeochemistry  Ecology  Oceanography  De novo mutations in PLXND1 and REV3L cause Möbius syndrome OPEN Laura Tomas-Roca, Anastasia Tsaalbi-Shtylik, Jacob G. Jansen, Manvendra K. Singh, Jonathan A. Epstein, Umut Altunoglu, Harriette Verzijl, Laura Soria, Ellen van Beusekom, Tony Roscioli, Zafar Iqbal, Christian Gilissen, Alexander Hoischen, Arjan P. M. de Brouwer, Corrie Erasmus, Dirk Schubert, Han Brunner, Antonio Pérez Aytés, Faustino Marin, Pilar Aroca et al. lt has been debated for decades if there is a genetic aetiology underlying Möbius syndrome, a neurological disorder characterized by facial paralysis. Here Tomas-Roca et al. use exome sequencing and identify de novo mutations in PLXND1 and REV3L, representing converging pathways in hindbrain development. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8199 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Molecular biology  TCF12 is mutated in anaplastic oligodendroglioma OPEN Karim Labreche, Iva Simeonova, Aurélie Kamoun, Vincent Gleize, Daniel Chubb, Eric Letouzé, Yasser Riazalhosseini, Sara E. Dobbins, Nabila Elarouci, Francois Ducray, Aurélien de Reyniès, Diana Zelenika, Christopher P. Wardell, Mathew Frampton, Olivier Saulnier, Tomi Pastinen, Sabrina Hallout, Dominique Figarella-Branger, Caroline Dehais, Ahmed Idbaih et al. Anaplastic oligodendrogliomas are rare and incurable primary brain tumours with few treatment options. Here Labreche et al. perform whole-exome sequencing and identify recurring mutations in transcription factor TCF12, which are associated with aggressive tumours. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8207 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  A Weyl Fermion semimetal with surface Fermi arcs in the transition metal monopnictide TaAs class OPEN Shin-Ming Huang, Su-Yang Xu, Ilya Belopolski, Chi-Cheng Lee, Guoqing Chang, BaoKai Wang, Nasser Alidoust, Guang Bian, Madhab Neupane, Chenglong Zhang, Shuang Jia, Arun Bansil, Hsin Lin and M. Zahid Hasan Proposals for the realization of Weyl semimetals, topologically non-trivial materials which host Weyl fermion quasiparticles, have faced demanding experimental requirements. Here, the authors predict such a state in stoichiometric TaAs, arising due to the breaking of inversion symmetry. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8373 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Theoretical physics  Fundamental differences between glassy dynamics in two and three dimensions OPEN Elijah Flenner and Grzegorz Szamel The existing glass transition theories show little dimensional dependence. Here Flenner et al. disprove this general consensus by finding that, for instance, the bond-orientational relaxation is decoupled from the translational relaxation in two dimensions, but not in three dimensions. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8392 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Pharmacological repression of PPARγ promotes osteogenesis David P. Marciano, Dana S. Kuruvilla, Siddaraju V. Boregowda, Alice Asteian, Travis S. Hughes, Ruben Garcia-Ordonez, Cesar A. Corzo, Tanya M. Khan, Scott J. Novick, HaJeung Park, Douglas J. Kojetin, Donald G. Phinney, John B. Bruning, Theodore M. Kamenecka and Patrick R. Griffin Central to the lineage commitment of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells is the nuclear receptor PPARγ, the master regulator of adipogenesis. Here the authors use a variety of structural approaches to rationally design PPARγ inverse agonist SR2595, and demonstrate its ability to promote osteogenesis. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8443 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cell biology  Chemical biology  WASH and Tsg101/ALIX-dependent diversion of stress-internalized EGFR from the canonical endocytic pathway OPEN Alejandra Tomas, Simon O. Vaughan, Thomas Burgoyne, Alexander Sorkin, John A. Hartley, Daniel Hochhauser and Clare E. Futter Stress induces ligand-independent endocytosis of EGF receptor (EGFR), but its fate and role in signalling are not known. Here Tomas et al. show that stress-internalized EGFR accumulates and is retained in distinct multivesicular bodies, and delays the onset of stress-induced apoptosis. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8324 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Proximity-dependent initiation of hybridization chain reaction OPEN Björn Koos, Gaëlle Cane, Karin Grannas, Liza Löf, Linda Arngården, Johan Heldin, Carl-Magnus Clausson, Axel Klaesson, M. Karoliina Hirvonen, Felipe M. S. de Oliveira, Vladimir O. Talibov, Nhan T. Pham, Manfred Auer, U. Helena Danielson, Johannes Haybaeck, Masood Kamali-Moghaddam and Ola Söderberg Proximity ligation assays are a sensitive method for detecting protein interactions, but require the addition of enzymes. Here the authors introduce proxHCR, an enzyme-free method of detecting interactions in close proximity by inducing a hybribization chain reaction (HCR) of fluorescently labelled oligonucleotides. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8294 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Noncontact friction via capillary shear interaction at nanoscale OPEN Manhee Lee, Bongsu Kim, Jongwoo Kim and Wonho Jhe The contribution from water bridges at nanoscale between rough surfaces is important for macroscopic friction under ambient conditions. Here, Lee et al. show that water nanobridge produce noncontact friction originated from the pinning–depinning dynamics of the contact line at the interface. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8359 Physical Sciences  Fluids and plasma physics  Nanotechnology  Salicylic acid biosynthesis is enhanced and contributes to increased biotrophic pathogen resistance in Arabidopsis hybrids OPEN Li Yang, Bosheng Li, Xiao-yu Zheng, Jigang Li, Mei Yang, Xinnian Dong, Guangming He, Chengcai An and Xing Wang Deng The molecular basis for heterosis, the phenomenon whereby hybrid plants show phenotypic superiority to their parents, remains poorly understood. Here, Yang et al. show that salicylic acid biosynthesis is enhanced in hybrids of Arabidopsis thaliana and correlates with heterosis for pathogen defence. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8309 Biological Sciences  Plant sciences  Genome-wide association study identifies novel genetic variants contributing to variation in blood metabolite levels Harmen H. M. Draisma, René Pool, Michael Kobl, Rick Jansen, Ann-Kristin Petersen, Anika A. M. Vaarhorst, Idil Yet, Toomas Haller, Ayşe Demirkan, Tõnu Esko, Gu Zhu, Stefan Böhringer, Marian Beekman, Jan Bert van Klinken, Werner Römisch-Margl, Cornelia Prehn, Jerzy Adamski, Anton J. M. de Craen, Elisabeth M. van Leeuwen, Najaf Amin et al. Metabolites are important indicators of the physiological state of the body and potential biomarkers for disease. Here, Draisma et al. use a genome-wide association study to identify novel single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with blood metabolite levels in genes of pharmaceutical importance. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8208 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Structural basis of asymmetric DNA methylation and ATP-triggered long-range diffusion by EcoP15I OPEN Yogesh K. Gupta, Siu-Hong Chan, Shuang-yong Xu and Aneel K. Aggarwal Type III restriction–modification enzymes consists of two methylation and one or two restriction subunits. Here the authors report the structure of the full EcoP15I complex bound to DNA, which suggests mechanisms for ATP hydrolysis dependent diffusion along DNA and how a dimeric methyltransferase modifies only one DNA strand. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8363 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Molecular biology  Loss of microRNA-27b contributes to breast cancer stem cell generation by activating ENPP1 OPEN Ryou-u Takahashi, Hiroaki Miyazaki, Fumitaka Takeshita, Yusuke Yamamoto, Kaho Minoura, Makiko Ono, Makoto Kodaira, Kenji Tamura, Masaki Mori and Takahiro Ochiya MicroRNAs have a role in the acquisition of stem cell-like properties of cancer cells. Here the authors show that microRNA-27b mediates generation of a side-population of breast cancer stem cells, in part by regulating the protein ENPP1, which has been previously linked to the development of diabetes. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8318 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Medical research  Regulation of nucleotide metabolism by mutant p53 contributes to its gain-of-function activities Madhusudhan Kollareddy, Elizabeth Dimitrova, Krishna C. Vallabhaneni, Adriano Chan, Thuc Le, Krishna M. Chauhan, Zunamys I. Carrero, Gopalakrishnan Ramakrishnan, Kounosuke Watabe, Ygal Haupt, Sue Haupt, Radhika Pochampally, Gerard R. Boss, Damian G. Romero, Caius G. Radu and Luis A. Martinez Mutations in the tumour suppressor p53 can produce a protein that has additional functions. Here, the authors describe gain of function mutants of p53 that induce the expression of genes involved in nucleotide metabolism, which increases the activity of GTPases and results in invasion and metastasis. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8389 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Medical research  Steady-state cross-correlations for live two-colour super-resolution localization data sets OPEN Matthew B. Stone and Sarah L. Veatch Quantitative live cell super-resolution microscopy is currently limited by the time it takes to acquire a well sampled image. Here Stone and Veatch develop a cross-correlation analysis that does not rely on image reconstruction and apply this method to quantify the co-distribution of Lyn kinase and the B-cell receptor during antigen stimulation. 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8347 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Cell biology  Polarization-independent actively tunable colour generation on imprinted plasmonic surfaces OPEN Daniel Franklin, Yuan Chen, Abraham Vazquez-Guardado, Sushrut Modak, Javaneh Boroumand, Daming Xu, Shin-Tson Wu and Debashis Chanda Plasmonic nanostructures are a promising alternative to conventional pixels, where their characteristics at the nanoscale offer many benefits. Franklin et al. combine plasmonic surfaces with liquid crystals to create voltage-tunable polarization-independent color pixels for reflective displays. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8337 Physical Sciences  Nanotechnology  Optical physics  General synthesis of complex nanotubes by gradient electrospinning and controlled pyrolysis OPEN Chaojiang Niu, Jiashen Meng, Xuanpeng Wang, Chunhua Han, Mengyu Yan, Kangning Zhao, Xiaoming Xu, Wenhao Ren, Yunlong Zhao, Lin Xu, Qingjie Zhang, Dongyuan Zhao and Liqiang Mai Nanowires and nanotubes are ideal candidates for energy applications but inorganic multielement oxides are less well studied. Here, the authors propose a gradient-electrospinning followed by controlled-pyrolysis method to synthesize various controllable one dimensional metal oxide nanostructures. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8402 Chemical Sciences  Inorganic chemistry  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Efficient photosynthesis of carbon monoxide from CO2 using perovskite photovoltaics OPEN Marcel Schreier, Laura Curvat, Fabrizio Giordano, Ludmilla Steier, Antonio Abate, Shaik M. Zakeeruddin, Jingshan Luo, Matthew T. Mayer and Michael Grätzel Artificial photosynthesis is a means of harnessing solar energy to generate fuels but has traditionally been exploited for the generation of hydrogen. Here, Schreier et al. instead employ a perovskite photovoltaic device to effect the solar conversion of CO2 to CO with high efficiency. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8326 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Auditory cortex controls sound-driven innate defense behaviour through corticofugal projections to inferior colliculus OPEN Xiaorui R. Xiong, Feixue Liang, Brian Zingg, Xu-ying Ji, Leena A. Ibrahim, Huizhong W. Tao and Li I. Zhang Defense against environmental threats is essential for survival, yet the neural circuits mediating innate defensive behaviours are not completely understood. Here the authors demonstrate that descending projections from the auditory cortex to the midbrain mediate innate, sound-evoked flight behaviour. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8224 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Context influences on TALE–DNA binding revealed by quantitative profiling OPEN Julia M. Rogers, Luis A. Barrera, Deepak Reyon, Jeffry D. Sander, Manolis Kellis, J Keith Joung and Martha L. Bulyk TALE proteins are popular tools for genome engineering because they can recognize specific DNA sequences, however off-target effects are a routine problem. Here Rogers and Barrera et al. comprehensively map TALE–DNA interactions to develop a computational model to predict binding specificity. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8440 Biological Sciences  Bioinformatics  Biotechnology  Wearable energy-dense and power-dense supercapacitor yarns enabled by scalable graphene–metallic textile composite electrodes OPEN Libin Liu, You Yu, Casey Yan, Kan Li and Zijian Zheng It is challenging to fabricate flexible and wearable supercapacitors with high energy and power densities using cost-effective materials and scalable processes. Here, the authors present a supercapacitor yarn based on graphene and metallic textile composites, which shows potential to fulfil those requirements. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8260 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Photogated humidity-driven motility OPEN Lidong Zhang, Haoran Liang, Jolly Jacob and Panče Naumov Hygroinduced motion is fundamental for applications that require actuation in response to changes in atmospheric humidity. Here, the authors report an actuating material that is capable of fast and perpetual motion driven by humidity gradient incorporating a photoactive dopant that can be controlled by light. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8429 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  γ-secretase directly sheds the survival receptor BCMA from plasma cells OPEN Sarah A. Laurent, Franziska S. Hoffmann, Peer-Hendrik Kuhn, Qingyu Cheng, Yuanyuan Chu, Marc Schmidt-Supprian, Stefanie M. Hauck, Elisabeth Schuh, Markus Krumbholz, Heike Rübsamen, Johanna Wanngren, Mohsen Khademi, Tomas Olsson, Tobias Alexander, Falk Hiepe, Hans-Walter Pfister, Frank Weber, Dieter Jenne, Hartmut Wekerle, Reinhard Hohlfeld et al. B-cell maturation antigen (BCMA) regulates the survival of B cells and is essential for the maintenance of long-lived plasma cells. Here, the authors show that γ-secretase directly sheds BCMA from the cell surface and therefore regulates the number of plasma cells. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8333 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Induced superconductivity in high-mobility two-dimensional electron gas in gallium arsenide heterostructures OPEN Zhong Wan, Aleksandr Kazakov, Michael J. Manfra, Loren N. Pfeiffer, Ken W. West and Leonid P. Rokhinson Superconductivity has been induced in 2D electron gases, but high-field interplay between it and quantum Hall edge states remains elusive. Here the authors reach this regime by growing transparent superconducting contacts in GaAs, reporting modification of resistance in the quantum Hall regime. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8426 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Graphene-enabled electron microscopy and correlated super-resolution microscopy of wet cells OPEN Michal Wojcik, Margaret Hauser, Wan Li, Seonah Moon and Ke Xu Preparing biological material for electron microscopy (EM) involves harsh processing steps that can poorly preserve cellular ultrastructure. Here the authors apply a single layer of graphene onto wet cells to enable direct EM using low voltage, and correlate actin filaments and mitochondria using super-resolution microscopy. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8384 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Cell biology  Insights into the origin of the nuclear localization signals in conserved ribosomal proteins OPEN Sergey Melnikov, Adam Ben-Shem, Gulnara Yusupova and Marat Yusupov Eukaryotic ribosomal proteins contain nuclear localization signals (NLSs) that their bacterial counterparts lack. Here the authors compare homologous proteins from bacterial and eukaryotic ribosomes to show how NLSs could emerge in the course of evolution, and use this knowledge to identify novel NLSs. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8382 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  The molecular origin of high DNA-repair efficiency by photolyase Chuang Tan, Zheyun Liu, Jiang Li, Xunmin Guo, Lijuan Wang, Aziz Sancar and Dongping Zhong Photolyase is an enzyme responsible for repairing DNA which is damaged after exposure to UV light. Here, the authors use site directed mutagenesis and femtosecond spectroscopy to study how photolyase achieves its maximal repair efficiency. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8302 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  AAV-mediated in vivo functional selection of tissue-protective factors against ischaemia OPEN Giulia Ruozi, Francesca Bortolotti, Antonella Falcione, Matteo Dal Ferro, Laura Ukovich, Antero Macedo, Lorena Zentilin, Nicoletta Filigheddu, Gianluca Gortan Cappellari, Giovanna Baldini, Marina Zweyer, Rocco Barazzoni, Andrea Graziani, Serena Zacchigna and Mauro Giacca Cell-based screening assays allow functional testing of chemicals but do not mimic the in vivo situation well. Here, the authors report a method for the discovery of secreted cytoprotective factors in mice and use it to demonstrate that the hormone ghrelin protects cardiac muscle from ischaemic damage. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8388 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Initial assembly steps of a translocase for folded proteins OPEN Anne-Sophie Blümmel, Laura A. Haag, Ekaterina Eimer, Matthias Müller and Julia Fröbel The twin-arginine translocation complex consists of TatA, TatB and TatC subunits and transports folded proteins across cellular membranes. Here, using photocrosslinking, the authors show that TatB monomers form dome-like structures that are surrounded by TatC monomers enabling lateral access of TatA. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8234 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Furrows in the wake of propagating d-cones Omer Gottesman, Efi Efrati and Shmuel M. Rubinstein Creases in crumpled paper are traditionally regarded as deformations that minimize the elastic energy of the confined sheet. Here, the authors observe and characterize an inherently plastic type of crease that forms in the wake of propagating single point defects, resulting in furrow-like scars. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8232 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Coherence in the presence of absorption and heating in a molecule interferometer OPEN J. P. Cotter, S. Eibenberger, L. Mairhofer, X. Cheng, P. Asenbaum, M. Arndt, K. Walter, S. Nimmrichter and K. Hornberger Extending matter-wave interferometry to nanoscale objects requires beam splitters that can cope with their internal complexity. Here, the authors demonstrate that the absorption of individual photons allows the center-of-mass coherence of large molecules to be maintained. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8336 Physical Sciences  Atomic and molecular physics  A possible macronova in the late afterglow of the long–short burst GRB 060614 OPEN Bin Yang, Zhi-Ping Jin, Xiang Li, Stefano Covino, Xian-Zhong Zheng, Kenta Hotokezaka, Yi-Zhong Fan, Tsvi Piran and Da-Ming Wei The gamma-ray burst GRB 060614 was an unusual astrophysical event whose origins are still unclear. This study re-examines the burst’s afterglow data and finds an excess in the spectrum that appears to be consistent with a weak macronova, suggesting that GRB 060614 originated from a compact binary merger. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8323 Physical Sciences  Astronomy  Somatic CRISPR/Cas9-mediated tumour suppressor disruption enables versatile brain tumour modelling OPEN Marc Zuckermann, Volker Hovestadt, Christiane B. Knobbe-Thomsen, Marc Zapatka, Paul A. Northcott, Kathrin Schramm, Jelena Belic, David T. W. Jones, Barbara Tschida, Branden Moriarity, David Largaespada, Martine F. Roussel, Andrey Korshunov, Guido Reifenberger, Stefan M. Pfister, Peter Lichter, Daisuke Kawauchi and Jan Gronych Gene transfer is a powerful technique to investigate the mechanistic basis of tumorigenesis. Here Zuckermann et al. adapt CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing to target potential oncogenes somatically in vivo, establishing a fast and convenient system for validating novel genetic candidates. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8391 Biological Sciences  Biotechnology  Cancer  Neuroscience  Spin-stripe phase in a frustrated zigzag spin-1/2 chain OPEN M. Pregelj, A. Zorko, O. Zaharko, H. Nojiri, H. Berger, L. C. Chapon and D. Arčon Stripe phases in nature often form due to the competition between long- and short-range interactions. Here, Pregelj et al. demonstrate the emergence of a spin-stripe phase in the absence of long-range magnetic interactions in a frustrated spin chain material β-TeVO4. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8255 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Bright high-repetition-rate source of narrowband extreme-ultraviolet harmonics beyond 22 eV OPEN He Wang, Yiming Xu, Stefan Ulonska, Joseph S. Robinson, Predrag Ranitovic and Robert A. Kaindl Table-top extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) light sources with high repetition rates are sought for fundamental studies, metrology and imaging. Here, Wang et al. demonstrate the efficient generation of bright XUV harmonics at 50-kHz repetition rate, with very high photon flux and spectral definition. 11 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8459 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Atomic and molecular physics  Condensed matter  Conserved Omp85 lid-lock structure and substrate recognition in FhaC OPEN Timm Maier, Bernard Clantin, Fabian Gruss, Frédérique Dewitte, Anne-Sophie Delattre, Françoise Jacob-Dubuisson, Sebastian Hiller and Vincent Villeret The fundamental processes of protein insertion and translocation at the outer membrane are mediated by Omp85 proteins. Here the authors report structures of the translocase FhaC, showing that the critical L6 loop adopts a conformation similar to that of related insertases; establishing a common structural basis for Omp85 function. 10 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8452 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Molecular biology  Delayed commitment to evolutionary fate in antibiotic resistance fitness landscapes Adam C. Palmer, Erdal Toprak, Michael Baym, Seungsoo Kim, Adrian Veres, Shimon Bershtein and Roy Kishony Antibiotic resistance can evolve through the stepwise accumulation of mutations. Here, the authors reconstruct the multistep evolutionary pathway for trimethoprim resistance and show that epistatic interactions increase rather than decrease the accessibility of each adaptive peak. 10 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8385 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  Microbiology  Architecture of TFIIIC and its role in RNA polymerase III pre-initiation complex assembly OPEN Gary Male, Alexander von Appen, Sebastian Glatt, Nicholas M. I. Taylor, Michele Cristovao, Helga Groetsch, Martin Beck and Christoph W. Müller TFIIIC is a RNA polymerase III-specific general transcription factor complex essential for tRNA synthesis. Here the authors combine chemical crosslinking/mass spectrometry and X-ray crystallography to define the architecture of TFIIIC and suggest a model for the assembly of pre-initiation complexes at tRNA genes. 10 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8387 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Molecular biology  Ligand regulation of a constitutively dimeric EGF receptor OPEN Daniel M. Freed, Diego Alvarado and Mark A. Lemmon Whereas epidermal growth factor-induced dimerization is considered essential for EGFR signalling, the structurally related insulin receptor is a disulfide-linked dimer. Here the authors show that C. elegans EGFR is constitutively dimeric and undergoes subtle structural changes upon ligand binding that likely underlie allosteric activation. 10 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8380 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  Functional group diversity increases with modularity in complex food webs OPEN D. Montoya, M.L. Yallop and J. Memmott The influence of functional group diversity on food web structure is less well known than that of biodiversity. Analysing species interactions in a network of salt marsh islands, Montoya et al. show that functional group diversity is higher in more modular networks and varies spatially across the archipelago. 10 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8379 Biological Sciences  Ecology  A diode for ferroelectric domain-wall motion OPEN J.R. Whyte and J.M. Gregg In ferromagnets, domain wall control is vital for applications like racetrack memory, whereas in ferroelectrics it could facilitate new electronics. Here, the authors demonstrate a diode for ferroelectric domain wall motion, where domain walls can move in one direction but not in the other. 10 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8361 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Bruton’s tyrosine kinase is essential for NLRP3 inflammasome activation and contributes to ischaemic brain injury OPEN Minako Ito, Takashi Shichita, Masahiro Okada, Ritsuko Komine, Yoshiko Noguchi, Akihiko Yoshimura and Rimpei Morita Activation of inflammasome contributes to several pathologies. Here, the authors show that Bruton’s tyrosine kinase is essential for NLRP3 inflammasome activation, and that blocking it with the FDA-approved inhibitor ibrutinib limits tissue damage in a mouse model of ischaemic stroke. 10 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8360 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Neuroscience  Highly active oxygen reduction non-platinum group metal electrocatalyst without direct metal–nitrogen coordination OPEN Kara Strickland, Elise Miner, Qingying Jia, Urszula Tylus, Nagappan Ramaswamy, Wentao Liang, Moulay-Tahar Sougrati, Frédéric Jaouen and Sanjeev Mukerjee The active site of many non-noble metal cathodic oxygen reduction catalysts consists of a nitrogen-corodinated transition metal. Here, the authors report an iron-based electrocatalyst devoid of iron–nitrogen coordination, and demonstrate its high activity in acid and alkaline media. 10 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8343 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Charge-ordering cascade with spin–orbit Mott dimer states in metallic iridium ditelluride K.-T. Ko, H.-H. Lee, D.-H. Kim, J.-J. Yang, S.-W. Cheong, M.J. Eom, J.S. Kim, R. Gammag, K.-S. Kim, H.-S. Kim, T.-H. Kim, H.-W. Yeom, T.-Y. Koo, H.-D. Kim and J.-H. Park The influence of spin–orbit coupling on itinerant electrons underlies the formation of spin–orbit Mott states. Here, the authors demonstrate a temperature-hysteretic cascade between charge-ordered phases stabilized by localized 5d spin–orbit Mott dimer states in metallic iridium ditelluride. 10 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8342 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Neurodegeneration in C. elegans models of ALS requires TIR-1/Sarm1 immune pathway activation in neurons Julie Vérièpe, Lucresse Fossouo and J Alex Parker Abnormal accumulation of TDP-43 and FUS proteins is found in a neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Here the authors show by modelling the disease in worms that these proteins activate local and distal immune responses, and blocking this pathway in neurons ameliorates the disease. 10 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8319 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Neuroscience  HIV-1 Rev downregulates Tat expression and viral replication via modulation of NAD(P)H:quinine oxidoreductase 1 (NQO1) Sneh Lata, Amjad Ali, Vikas Sood, Rameez Raja and Akhil C. Banerjea Tat and Rev are HIV-1 proteins involved in feedback mechanisms that regulate the expression of viral genes. Here, the authors show that Rev reduces the intracellular Tat levels by inhibiting the expression of the cellular protein NQO1, which prevents Tat degradation. 10 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8244 Biological Sciences  Microbiology  Virology  Tryptophan derivatives regulate the transcription of Oct4 in stem-like cancer cells OPEN Jie Cheng, Wenxin Li, Bo Kang, Yanwen Zhou, Jiasheng Song, Songsong Dan, Ying Yang, Xiaoqian Zhang, Jingchao Li, Shengyong Yin, Hongcui Cao, Hangping Yao, Chenggang Zhu, Wen Yi, Qingwei Zhao, Xiaowei Xu, Min Zheng, Shusen Zheng, Lanjuan Li, Binghui Shen et al. The aryl hydrocarbon receptor, AhR, can regulate Oct4, which is often expressed in cancer stem cells and promotes pluripotency and tumorigenesis. Here, in cancer stem cells, AhR is shown to be activated by the tryptophan derivative ITE, which causes transcriptional repression of Oct4 and reduced tumorigenesis. 10 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8209 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cancer  Cell biology    Nature Communications JOBS of the week Staff Clinician National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Tenure Track Opportunities Wake Forest School of Medicine Postdoctoral Scientist John Innes Centre (JIC) Postdoctoral Scientist Medical Research Council Post-Doc UCLA Principal Scientist I F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG Research Assistant University of Bristol Scientific Officer AIRC – Associazione Italiana per la Ricerca sul cancro Postdoctoral Research Fellow Mayo Clinic - Rochester Group Leader Position Centre for Molecular Medicine Norway (NCMM) More Science jobs from Nature Communications EVENT SMODIA "Statistical Methods for Omics Data Integration and Analysis 2015" 14.09.15 Valencia, Spain More science events from       Latest Erratum     Erratum: Single-band upconversion nanoprobes for multiplexed simultaneous in situ molecular mapping of cancer biomarkers Lei Zhou, Rui Wang, Chi Yao, Xiaomin Li, Chengli Wang, Xiaoyan Zhang, Congjian Xu, Aijun Zeng, Dongyuan Zhao and Fan Zhang 12 June 2015 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms8350 Biological Sciences  Nanotechnology      Advertisement Open for Submissions A new open access, online-only, multidisciplinary research journal dedicated to publishing the most important scientific advances in the life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering fields that are facilitated by spaceflight and analogue platforms. Explore the benefits of submitting your next research article.   Natureevents is a fully searchable, multi-disciplinary database designed to maximise exposure for events organisers. The contents of the Natureevents Directory are now live. The digital version is available here. Find the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia on natureevents.com. For event advertising opportunities across the Nature Publishing Group portfolio please contact natureevents@nature.com  More Nature Events You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. You can change or discontinue your e-mail alerts at any time, by modifying your preferences on your nature.com account at:www.nature.com/myaccount (You will need to log in to be recognised as a nature.com registrant) For further technical assistance, please contact our registration department For other enquiries, please contact our customer feedback department Nature Publishing Group | 75 Varick Street, 9th Floor | New York | NY 10013-1917 | USA Nature Publishing Group's worldwide offices: London - Paris - Munich - New Delhi - Tokyo - Melbourne San Diego - San Francisco - Washington - New York - Boston Macmillan Publishers Limited is a company incorporated in England and Wales under company number 785998 and whose registered office is located at Brunel Road, Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS. © 2013 Nature Publishing Group, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited. All Rights Reserved.