EMBO reports Table of Contents for November 2016; Vol. 17, No. 11

November 2016 | Volume 17, Number 11 Submit Table of Contents Science & Society Reviews Scientific Reports Articles Volume 17, Number 11 Science & Society Future challenges for tracking foodborne diseases: PulseNet, a 20‐year‐old US surveillance system for foodborne diseases, is expanding both globally and technologically After 20 years of successfully tracking and preventing outbreaks of foodborne diseases, PulseNet, a US surveillance program, is implementing new diagnostic technologies and expanding its international cooperation with public health agencies. Efrain M Ribot and Kelley B Hise Published online 19.09.2016 A walk in the park: Is Pokémon Go foreshadowing the future of biodiversity research and scientific outreach? Pokémon Go has enticed millions of users to leave their homes to go hunting for virtual monsters and critters. Its huge success should encourage scientists and game designers to develop new forms of educational outreach to engage young people in science. David Roy Smith Published online 06.10.2016 Science, politics and policymaking: Even though expert knowledge has become indispensible for policymaking, providing scientific advice to governments is not always easy Expert advice has become increasingly important for policymakers to find appropriate solutions to increasingly complex problems. However, the relationship between governments and scientific advisors is not an easy one, as both sides can have a different understanding of evidence and the role of experts. Anthony King Published online 11.10.2016 The communications gap between scientists and public: More scientists and their institutions feel a need to communicate the results and nature of research with the public Scientists and scientific institutions see an increasing need for outreach and communication to counter potentially dangerous misconceptions about science, or misinformation by lobbying groups. Along these lines, communication from scientists to the public is becoming more professional and better targeted to the audience. Philip Hunter Published online 07.10.2016 Reviews Drugging the addict: non‐oncogene addiction as a target for cancer therapy In addition to driver mutations, tumor cells critically depend on multiple antistress pathways, generating so‐called non‐oncogene addictions. This review highlights the distinct non‐oncogenic addictions found in cancer cells, including synthetic lethal interactions, the underlying stress phenotypes, and arising therapeutic opportunities. Remco Nagel, Ekaterina A Semenova, and Anton Berns Published online 04.10.2016 Scientific Reports 53BP1 ablation rescues genomic instability in mice expressing ‘RING‐less’ BRCA1 BRCA1 protein lacking the N‐terminal RING domain is stable and supports RAD51 focus formation at DSBs. Cells with “RING‐less” BRCA1 nonetheless show genomic instability, likely because of BARD1 loss and impaired stalled replication fork restart. Minxing Li, Francesca Cole, Dharm S Patel, Sarah M Misenko, Joonyoung Her, Amy Malhowski, Ali Alhamza, Haiyan Zheng, Richard Baer, Thomas Ludwig, Maria Jasin, André Nussenzweig, Lourdes Serrano, and Samuel F Bunting Published online 26.09.2016 Cancer‐specific mutations in p53 induce the translation of Δ160p53 promoting tumorigenesis Wild‐type p53 functions as a tumour suppressor while mutant p53 functions as an oncogene. This study suggests that this switch depends on Δ160p53, the most conserved isoform of p53, which is overexpressed in p53 mutant cells and thereby promotes oncogenesis. Marco M Candeias, Masatoshi Hagiwara, and Michiyuki Matsuda Published online 04.10.2016 Identification of PPM1D as an essential Ulk1 phosphatase for genotoxic stress‐induced autophagy Genotoxic stress induces the accumulation of PPM1D, which promotes the dephosphorylation of Ulk1, the formation of Ulk1 puncta, and the induction of autophagy. The genetic ablation of PPM1D leads to increased apoptosis due to the inability of the autophagic machinery to degrade the proapoptotic protein Noxa. Satoru Torii, Tatsushi Yoshida, Satoko Arakawa, Shinya Honda, Akira Nakanishi, and Shigeomi Shimizu Published online 26.09.2016 Articles Xanthomonas campestris attenuates virulence by sensing light through a bacteriophytochrome photoreceptor Upon sensing light, the XccBphP photoreceptor elicits a transcriptional response that suppresses virulence. This report establishes light as an important environmental cue, which ultimately governs plant–microbe interactions in the pathogen Xanthomonas campestris. Hernán R Bonomi, Laila Toum, Gabriela Sycz, Rodrigo Sieira, Andrés M Toscani, Gustavo E Gudesblat, Federico C Leskow, Fernando A Goldbaum, Adrián A Vojnov, and Florencia Malamud Published online 12.09.2016 Transcription factor ANAC032 modulates JA/SA signalling in response to Pseudomonas syringae infection This study reports a novel NAC transcription factor ANAC032 in Arabidopsis as a positive regulator of plant defence against Pseudomonas syringae. ANAC032 promotes SA‐mediated defence signalling, but negatively regulates JA‐mediated responses. Annapurna Devi Allu, Yariv Brotman, Gang‐Ping Xue, and Salma Balazadeh Published online 15.09.2016 Steric hindrance of SNARE transmembrane domain organization impairs the hemifusion‐to‐fusion transition The attachment of bulky protein domains at the luminal C‐termini of SNARE proteins arrests membrane fusion in a hemifused state. Since bulky tags interfere with clustering of several C‐termini in a small region, this suggests that several SNARE C‐termini collectively act on a small patch to deform the inner membrane leaflet and open a fusion pore, providing support for the indentation model. Massimo D'Agostino, Herre Jelger Risselada, and Andreas Mayer Published online 19.09.2016 Loss of CHD1 causes DNA repair defects and enhances prostate cancer therapeutic responsiveness Chromo‐domain helicase DNA‐binding protein‐1 (CHD1) promotes HR‐mediated DSB repair. The depletion of CHD1 enhances cellular sensitivity to PARP inhibitors, which has potential therapeutic implications for CHD1‐depleted prostate cancers. Vijayalakshmi Kari, Wael Yassin Mansour, Sanjay Kumar Raul, Simon J Baumgart, Andreas Mund, Marian Grade, Hüseyin Sirma, Ronald Simon, Hans Will, Matthias Dobbelstein, Ekkehard Dikomey, and Steven A Johnsen Published online 05.09.2016 Linear ubiquitination by LUBEL has a role in Drosophila heat stress response The HOIP ubiquitin E3 ligase generates linear ubiquitin chains in mammals and is implicated in immune signaling. This study identifies Drosophila LUBEL as HOIP orthologue, which catalyzes the formation of linear ubiquitin chains in flies and has a role in heat shock response. Tomoko Asaoka, Jorge Almagro, Christine Ehrhardt, Isabella Tsai, Alexander Schleiffer, Luiza Deszcz, Sini Junttila, Leonie Ringrose, Karl Mechtler, Anoop Kavirayani, Attila Gyenesei, Kay Hofmann, Peter Duchek, Katrin Rittinger, and Fumiyo Ikeda Published online 04.10.2016 Gadd45a is a heterochromatin relaxer that enhances iPS cell generation Using a histone FRAP method, this study identifies Gadd45a as a chromatin relaxer and somatic cell reprogramming enhancer. Gadd45a destabilizes histone–DNA interactions and facilitates the binding of Yamanaka factors to their targets. Keshi Chen, Qi Long, Tao Wang, Danyun Zhao, Yanshuang Zhou, Juntao Qi, Yi Wu, Shengbiao Li, Chunlan Chen, Xiaoming Zeng, Jianguo Yang, Zisong Zhou, Weiwen Qin, Xiyin Liu, Yuxing Li, Yingying Li, Xiaofen Huang, Dajiang Qin, Jiekai Chen, Guangjin Pan, Hans R Schöler, Guoliang Xu, Xingguo Liu, and Duanqing Pei Published online 04.10.2016 Natural mutations in IFITM3 modulate post‐translational regulation and toggle antiviral specificity By analyzing synthetic and naturally occurring mutations of interferon‐induced transmembrane 3 (IFITM3), this study provides novel insight into the antiviral mechanisms at play during HIV‐1 infection. The authors further show that the diversification of IFITM3 genes during evolution may boost the antiviral coverage of host cells and provides selective functional advantages. Alex A Compton, Nicolas Roy, Françoise Porrot, Anne Billet, Nicoletta Casartelli, Jacob S Yount, Chen Liang, and Olivier Schwartz Published online 06.09.2016   Unsubscribe from or edit your subscription for this service. Or by mail: Customer Service * 425 Broadway St * Redwood City, CA 94063 * U.S.A. Copyright © 2016 by the European Molecular Biology Organisation.