| | Neuroscience: Virtual reality explored
Neuroscientists are increasingly using virtual reality to facilitate studies of animal behaviour, but whether behaviour in the virtual world mimics that in real life is a matter for debate. Here, scientists discuss the strengths and limitations of the approach. | Cell biology: Choreography of protein synthesis
Both nuclear genes and genes in organelles called mitochondria are involved in the assembly of the cellular energy-producing machinery. RNA-translation programs that coordinate the two systems have now been identified. | Structural biology: Snapshots of transcription initiation
The enzyme RNA polymerase II, along with several transcription factors, initiates DNA transcription. Analyses reveal the structures involved in this process in human and yeast cells at high-resolution. | Near-atomic resolution visualization of human transcription promoter opening
Cryo-electron microscopy structural models of the human pre-initiation complex at all major steps of transcription initiation at near atomic-level resolution are presented, providing new mechanistic insights into the processes of promoter melting and transcription-bubble formation, as well as an almost complete proposed structural model of all of the pre-initiation complex components and their interactions with DNA. | Transcription initiation complex structures elucidate DNA opening
The cryo-electron microscopy structures of yeast initiation complexes containing the transcription factors TBP, TFIIA, TFIIB, TFIIE, and TFIIF and containing either closed or open promoter DNA are reported, providing mechanistic insights into DNA opening and template-strand loading. | Synchronized mitochondrial and cytosolic translation programs
The genes encoding the subunits of oxidative phosphorylation complexes are split between the nuclear and mitochondrial genomes, but their translation is synchronized by signalling from the cytosol to the mitochondria. | A resonant chain of four transiting, sub-Neptune planets
Transit timing variations of the four-planet system Kepler-223 are used to compute the long-term stability of the system, which has a chain of resonances; the results suggest that inward planetary migration, rather than in situ assembly, is responsible for the formation of some close-in sub-Neptune systems. | Regulation of black-hole accretion by a disk wind during a violent outburst of V404 Cygni
A sustained, neutral wind from the outer accretion disk is observed in the transient black hole V404 Cygni during a violent outburst; this unusual wind, which expands at one per cent of the speed of light and triggers a nebular phase once accretion drops sharply and the ejecta become optically thin, probably regulates the outburst evolution of the black hole. | A high-temperature ferromagnetic topological insulating phase by proximity coupling
Coupling a ferromagnetic insulator to a topological insulator induces a robust magnetic state at the interface, resulting from the large spin-orbit interaction and the spin-momentum locking property of Dirac fermions, and leads to an extraordinary enhancement of the magnetic ordering (Curie) temperature. | An obligatory role for neurotensin in high-fat-diet-induced obesity
Neurotensin, a peptide expressed in the enteroendocrine cells of the small intestine that is released upon fat ingestion, is shown to increase fatty acid absorption, with neurotensin-deficient mice being protected from obesity induced by a high-fat diet. | Genome-wide association study identifies 74 loci associated with educational attainment
A genome-wide association study in 293,723 individuals identifies 74 genetic variants associated with educational attainment, which, although only explaining a small proportion of the variation in educational attainment, highlights candidate genes and pathways for further study. | Feedback modulation of cholesterol metabolism by the lipid-responsive non-coding RNA LeXis
The activation of lipid X receptors (LXRs) in mouse liver not only promotes cholesterol efflux but also inhibits cholesterol synthesis simultaneously; this is mediated by the lipid-responsive long non-coding RNA LeXis, which is induced by a Western diet and orchestrates crosstalk between LXRs and the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. | Ribosome-dependent activation of stringent control
The structure of a bacterial ribosome–RelA complex reveals that RelA, a protein recruited to the ribosome in the case of scarce amino acids, binds in a different location to translation factors, and that this binding event suppresses auto-inhibition to activate synthesis of the (p)ppGpp secondary messenger, thus initiating stringent control. | Deep-sea diversity patterns are shaped by energy availability
Depth-dependent patterns in ocean species diversity can be explained by latitudinal variations in energy availability, with shelf and upper-slope diversity increasing with thermal energy availability, and deep-sea diversity increasing with chemical energy availability; the discovery of these distinct patterns could help to guide the conservation and management of these remote ecosystems. | Local fitness landscape of the green fluorescent protein
Comprehensive genotype–phenotype mapping of the green fluorescent protein shows that the local fitness peak is narrow, shaped by a high prevalence of epistatic interactions, providing for the loss of fluorescence when the joint effect of mutations exceeds a threshold. | | Corrigendum: A receptor heteromer mediates the male perception of female attractants in plants | | Corrigendum: Mycocerosic acid synthase exemplifies the architecture of reducing polyketide synthases | | | | 
Open for Submissions
npj Precision Oncology is a new open access, online-only, peer-reviewed journal committed to publishing cutting-edge scientific research in all aspects of precision oncology from basic science to translational applications, to clinical medicine. The journal is part of the Nature Partner Journals series and published in partnership with The Hormel Institute, University of Minnesota. | | | | | | | | | | | Palaeoclimatic insights into forcing and response of monsoon rainfall
Palaeoclimatic evidence of monsoon rainfall dynamics across different regions and timescales suggests that monsoon systems exhibit substantial regional variation; meridional temperature gradients are a major driver of monsoon variability, but these gradients are influenced by other, interacting forcing mechanisms, making predictions of future changes in monsoon rainfall highly uncertain.
Mahyar Mohtadi, Matthias Prange, Stephan Steinke | | The Atlantic salmon genome provides insights into rediploidization OPEN
The genome sequence is presented for the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar), providing information about a rediploidization following a salmonid-specific whole-genome duplication event that resulted in an autotetraploidization.
Sigbjørn Lien, Ben F. Koop, Simen R. Sandve et al. | Sex-specific pruning of neuronal synapses in Caenorhabditis elegans
How sex-specific neuronal circuits are generated during development is poorly understood; here, sensory neurons are identified in the round worm Caenorhabditis elegans, which initially connect in both male- and hermaphrodite-specific patterns, but a specific subset of these connections is pruned by each sex upon sexual maturation to produce sex-specific connectivity patterns and dimorphic behaviours.
Meital Oren-Suissa, Emily A. Bayer, Oliver Hobert | Interconnected microbiomes and resistomes in low-income human habitats
An analysis of bacterial community structure and antibiotic resistance gene content of interconnected human faecal and environmental samples from two low-income communities in Latin America was carried out using a combination of functional metagenomics, 16S sequencing and shotgun sequencing; resistomes across habitats are generally structured along ecological gradients, but key resistance genes can cross these boundaries, and the authors assessed the usefulness of excreta management protocols in the prevention of resistance gene dissemination.
Erica C. Pehrsson, Pablo Tsukayama, Sanket Patel et al. | | The evolution of cooperation within the gut microbiota
Little is known about cooperative behaviour among the gut microbiota; here, limited cooperation is demonstrated for Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, but Bacteroides ovatus is found to extracellularly digest a polysaccharide not for its own use, but to cooperatively feed other species such as Bacteroides vulgatus from which it receives return benefits.
Seth Rakoff-Nahoum, Kevin R. Foster, Laurie E. Comstock | Restoring cortical control of functional movement in a human with quadriplegia
Signals recorded from motor cortex—through an intracortical implant—can be linked in real-time to activation of forearm muscles to restore movement in a paralysed human.
Chad E. Bouton, Ammar Shaikhouni, Nicholas V. Annetta et al. | Site-selective and stereoselective functionalization of unactivated C–H bonds
The idea of carbon–hydrogen functionalization, in which C–H bonds are modified at will, represents a paradigm shift in the standard logic of organic synthesis; here, dirhodium catalysts are used to achieve highly site-selective, diastereoselective and enantioselective C–H functionalization of n-alkanes and terminally substituted n-alkyl compounds.
Kuangbiao Liao, Solymar Negretti, Djamaladdin G. Musaev et al. | Ancient micrometeorites suggestive of an oxygen-rich Archaean upper atmosphere
Evidence in support of low atmospheric oxygen concentrations on early Earth relates to the composition of the lower Archaean atmosphere; now the composition of fossil micrometeorites preserved in 2.7-billion-year-old rocks in Australia suggests that they were oxidized in an oxygen-rich Archaean upper atmosphere.
Andrew G. Tomkins, Lara Bowlt, Matthew Genge et al. | Extra-helical binding site of a glucagon receptor antagonist
The X-ray crystal structure of the transmembrane portion of the human glucagon receptor, a class B G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), is solved in the presence of the antagonist MK-0893, with potential implications for the development of therapeutics that target other class B GPCRs.
Ali Jazayeri, Andrew S. Doré, Daniel Lamb et al. | Self-organization of the in vitro attached human embryo
An in vitro model to study the early events that direct human embryo development after formation of the blastocyst and implantation in the uterine wall.
Alessia Deglincerti, Gist F. Croft, Lauren N. Pietila et al. | Temperate Earth-sized planets transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star
Three Earth-sized planets—receiving similar irradiation to Venus and Earth, and ideally suited for atmospheric study—have been found transiting a nearby ultracool dwarf star that has a mass of only eight per cent of that of the Sun.
Michaël Gillon, Emmanuël Jehin, Susan M. Lederer et al. | Activation of the A2A adenosine G-protein-coupled receptor by conformational selection
The adenosine A2A receptor, a class A G-protein-coupled receptor, exists as an ensemble of two inactive and two active states in equilibrium and is activated by conformational selection rather than induced fit.
Libin Ye, Ned Van Eps, Marco Zimmer et al. | First North American fossil monkey and early Miocene tropical biotic interchange
Here, 21-million-year-old fossils of a New World monkey from Panama are described, constituting the earliest known evidence for mammalian interchange between North and South America.
Jonathan I. Bloch, Emily D. Woodruff, Aaron R. Wood et al. | No Sun-like dynamo on the active star ζ Andromedae from starspot asymmetry
Infrared interferometry imaging of the old, magnetically active star ζ Andromedae reveals an asymmetric distribution of starspots, unlike the north–south starspot symmetry observed on the Sun, meaning the underlying dynamo mechanisms must be different.
R. M. Roettenbacher, J. D. Monnier, H. Korhonen et al. | Lightwave-driven quasiparticle collisions on a subcycle timescale
A quasiparticle collider is developed that uses femtosecond optical pulses to create electron–hole pairs in the layered dichalcogenide tungsten diselenide, and a strong terahertz field to accelerate and collide the electrons with the holes.
F. Langer, M. Hohenleutner, C. P. Schmid et al. | A rapid burst in hotspot motion through the interaction of tectonics and deep mantle flow
Models of thermochemical convection reveal flow patterns in the deep lower mantle under the north Pacific since 100 million years ago that explain how the enigmatic bend in the Hawaiian–Emperor hotspot track arose.
Rakib Hassan, R. Dietmar Müller, Michael Gurnis et al. | Molecular mechanism of APC/C activation by mitotic phosphorylation
Phosphorylation of the anaphase-promoting complex (APC/C) allows for its control by the co-activator Cdc20; a mechanism that has relevance to understanding the control of other large multimeric complexes by phosphorylation.
Suyang Zhang, Leifu Chang, Claudio Alfieri et al. | Architecture of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter
The structure of the core region of the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (MCU) is determined by NMR and electron microscopy, revealing that MCU is a homo-pentamer with a specific transmembrane helix forming a hydrophilic pore across the membrane, and representing one of the largest membrane protein structures characterized by NMR spectroscopy.
Kirill Oxenoid, Ying Dong, Chan Cao et al. | | | | |
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