11 February 2010 Volume 463 Number 7282, pp 709 - 840
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EDITORIALS
----------------------
South Africa's opportunity p709
The nation's science enterprise still carries the scars of apartheid.
But with reform -- and increased funding -- South Africa could
become a catalyst for scientific progress throughout Africa.
doi:10.1038/463709a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=90&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Divide and conquer pp709-710
NASA is taking a risk on commercial space services. But the pay-offs
could be high.
doi:10.1038/463709b
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=98&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
A framework for success p710
The time is ripe for Europe's scientists to lobby for community-wide
infrastructure funding.
doi:10.1038/463710a
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----------------------
RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS
----------------------
Ecology: Aphid deception p712
doi:10.1038/463712a
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Geoscience: Shocking tides p712
doi:10.1038/463712b
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Materials science: Small, strong and supple p712
doi:10.1038/463712c
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Evolution: All thumbs and toes p712
doi:10.1038/463712d
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Applied physics: Speedier than silicon p712
doi:10.1038/463712e
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Climate change: Warming boosts invasions p713
doi:10.1038/463713a
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Stem cells: Uneven divide p713
doi:10.1038/463713b
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Cardiovascular biology: Fatty foam cells p713
doi:10.1038/463713c
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Geoengineering: Ocean beating p713
doi:10.1038/463713d
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JOURNAL CLUB
----------------------
Journal club p713
Paul Flicek
doi:10.1038/463713e
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NEWS
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News briefing: 11 February 2010 pp714-715
The week in science
doi:10.1038/463714a
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Science lines up for seat to space pp716-717
The advent of commercial trips could open up research opportunities.
Katharine Sanderson
doi:10.1038/463716a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=250&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Still looking for that woodpecker pp718-719
An expensive recovery plan to save the ivory-billed woodpecker from
extinction may come decades too late.
Rex Dalton
doi:10.1038/463718a
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Testing time for stem cells p719
Industry turns to cell lines for drug screens.
Monya Baker
doi:10.1038/463719a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=205&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Delays prompt reshuffle at ITER fusion project pp721
Interim director appointed to Europe's part of programme.
Geoff Brumfiel
doi:10.1038/463721a
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The future of European research pp722-723
With a new research commissioner arriving in Brussels, and big
policy changes on the cards, Nature explains how scientists
could be affected.
Alison Abbott
doi:10.1038/463722a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=242&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
----------------------
NEWS FEATURES
----------------------
Palaeogenetics: Icy resolve pp724-725
Eske Willerslev combines Arctic escapades with meticulous lab work
in his quest to pull ancient DNA from the ice. Rex Dalton talks to
the adventurer about extracting the first ancient human genome.
Rex Dalton
doi:10.1038/463724a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=277&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
South African science: black, white and grey pp726-728
The release of Nelson Mandela sent optimism coursing through South
Africa's research community. Twenty years on, Michael Cherry finds
that it is still struggling to get on its feet.
Michael Cherry
doi:10.1038/463726a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=275&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
----------------------
CORRESPONDENCE
----------------------
Still a way to go for South Africa's science revolution p729
Anastassios Pouris
doi:10.1038/463729a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=37&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Iranian physics society striving to prevent misconduct p729
Hadi Akbarzadeh
doi:10.1038/463729b
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=33&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Italy's stem-cell challenge gaining momentum p729
Elena Cattaneo, Elisabetta Cerbai and Silvia Garagna
doi:10.1038/463729c
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=35&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Did the bunny sell or sully the story on toxicity testing? p729
Jan Backmann
doi:10.1038/463729d
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=29&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
----------------------
OPINION
----------------------
IPCC: cherish it, tweak it or scrap it? pp730-732
As calls for reform intensify following recent furores about e-mails,
conflicts of interest, glaciers and extreme weather, five
climatologists propose ways forward for the Intergovernmental Panel
on Climate Change. Their suggestions range from reaffirming the
panel' governing principles to increasing the number and speed of
its publications to replacing the volunteer organization with a
permanently staffed structure.
doi:10.1038/463730a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=31&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
AIDS research must link to local policy pp733-734
HIV research in South Africa is world class. To halt the country's
epidemic, scientists need to shift focus from global problems to
priorities at home,
say Salim Abdool Karim and Quarraisha Abdool Karim.
doi:10.1038/463733a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=54&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
----------------------
BOOKS AND ARTS
----------------------
Why we cannot predict earthquakes p735
Roger Bilham enjoys a history of a potentially useful field in which
spectacular failures can win accolades.
Roger Bilham reviews Predicting the Unpredictable: The Tumultuous
Science of Earthquake Prediction by Susan E. Hough
doi:10.1038/463735a
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The virtue of vagueness p736
Andrew Robinson reviews Not Exactly: In Praise of Vagueness
by Kees van Deemter
doi:10.1038/463736a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=50&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Date and create p736
Lucas Laursen reviews Blind Data: Celebrating Science and Design
doi:10.1038/463736b
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=48&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Q&A: Carl Zimmer on writing popular-science books p737
Acclaimed essayist Carl Zimmer has eight popular-science books to
his name, on topics from parasites and Escherichia coli to evolution.
In the second in a series of five interviews with authors who each
write science books for a different audience, Zimmer describes how
passion breeds popular success.
Nicola Jones
doi:10.1038/463737a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=45&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
----------------------
NEWS AND VIEWS
----------------------
Evolutionary biology: Face of the past reconstructed pp739-740
DNA is particularly well preserved in hair -- enabling the genome
of a human to be sequenced, and his ancestry and appearance to be
determined, from 4,000-year-old remains.
David M. Lambert and Leon Huynen
doi:10.1038/463739a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=8&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
50 & 100 years ago p740
doi:10.1038/463740b
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=11&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Nuclear physics: Weighing up the superheavies pp740-741
To discover superheavy elements and study their properties, we need
to know the masses of the isotopes of elements heavier than uranium.
Weighing these isotopes in an electromagnetic trap has now become
possible.
Georg Bollen
doi:10.1038/463740a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=3&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Palaeontology: Decay distorts ancestry pp741-743
Experiments with simple chordate animals show how decay may make the
resulting fossils seem less evolved. The consequence is to distort
evidence of the evolution of the earliest vertebrates and their
precursors.
Derek E. G. Briggs
doi:10.1038/463741a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=6&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Cosmology: Census at a distance p742
Ana Lopes
doi:10.1038/463742a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=24&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Neuroscience: Lack of inhibition leads to abuse pp743-744
Chronic drug use can lead to addiction, which is initiated by specific
brain circuits. The mystery of how one class of drugs, the
benzodiazepines, affects activity in this circuitry has finally
been solved.
Arthur C. Riegel and Peter W. Kalivas
doi:10.1038/463743a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=22&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Parkinson's disease: Mitochondrial damage control pp744-745
Defects in mitochondria are implicated in Parkinson's disease.
Study of a quality-control pathway involving the proteins PINK1
and Parkin provides further clues about the mechanism involved.
Asa Abeliovich
doi:10.1038/463744a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=18&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Astrophysics: Less greedy galaxies gulp gas pp745-746
The cool molecular gas from which stars form has been detected
in relatively ordinary faraway galaxies. The results point to
a continuous fuelling of gas into the star-forming guts of
assembling galaxies.
Andrew Blain
doi:10.1038/463745a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=16&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
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BRIEF COMMUNICATION ARISING
----------------------
Chronic DLL4 blockade induces vascular neoplasms ppE6-E7
Minhong Yan et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08751
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=171&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=284&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
----------------------
PERSPECTIVES
----------------------
The next generation of scenarios for climate change research and
assessment pp747-756
Richard H. Moss et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08823
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=170&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=281&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
----------------------
ARTICLES
----------------------
Ancient human genome sequence of an extinct Palaeo-Eskimo pp757-762
The first genome sequence of an ancient human is reported. It comes
from an approximately 4,000-year-old permafrost-preserved hair from
a male from the first known culture to settle in Greenland.
Functional single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assessment is used
to assign possible phenotypic characteristics and high-confidence
SNPs are compared to those of contemporary populations to find those
most closely related to the individual.
Morten Rasmussen et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08835
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=169&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=285&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Genome sequencing and analysis of the model grass Brachypodium
distachyon pp763-768
The genome of the wild grass Brachypodium distachyon (Brachypodium),
a member of the Pooideae subfamily, is sequenced. The Pooideae are
one of three subfamilies of grasses that provide the bulk of human
nutrition and may become major sources of renewable energy.
Availability of the genome sequence should help establish Brachypodium
as a model for developing new energy and food crops.
doi:10.1038/nature08747
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=168&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=254&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Neural bases for addictive properties of benzodiazepines pp769-774
Benzodiazepines, such as valium, are used both in clinics and for
recreational purposes, but lead to addiction in some individuals.
Addictive drugs increase the levels of dopamine and trigger synaptic
adaptations in the mesolimbic reward system, but the neural basis
for the addictive nature of benzodiazepines remains elusive. Here,
they are shown to increase firing of dopamine neurons in the ventral
tegmental area through GABAA receptor activation in nearby interneurons.
Kelly R. Tan et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08758
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=167&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=263&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Rfx6 directs islet formation and insulin production in mice and humans
pp775-780
Pancreatic [beta]-cells release insulin, which controls energy
homeostasis in vertebrates, and its lack causes diabetes mellitus.
The transcription factor neurogenin 3 (Neurog3) initiates
differentiation of [beta]-cells and other islet cell types from
pancreatic endoderm; here, the transcription factor Rfx6 is shown
to direct islet cell differentiation downstream of Neurog3 in mice
and humans. This may be useful in efforts to generate [beta]-cells
for patients with diabetes.
Stuart B. Smith et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08748
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=165&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=270&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
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LETTERS
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High molecular gas fractions in normal massive star-forming galaxies
in the young Universe pp781-784
Stars form from cold molecular interstellar gas, which is relatively
rare in the local Universe, such that galaxies like the Milky Way
form only a few new stars per year. However, typical massive galaxies
in the distant Universe formed stars much more rapidly, suggesting
that young galaxies were more rich in molecular gas. The results of
a survey of molecular gas in samples of typical massive star-forming
galaxies when the Universe was 40% and 24% of its current age now
reveal that distant star-forming galaxies were indeed gas rich.
L. J. Tacconi et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08773
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=164&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=228&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Direct mass measurements above uranium bridge the gap to the island
of stability pp785-788
The difference between the mass of an atom and the sum of its
building blocks (the binding energy) is a manifestation of
Einstein's famous relation E = mc2. Superheavy elements have been
observed, but our present knowledge of the binding energy of these
nuclides is based only on the detection of their decay products,
although they represent the gateway to the predicted
'island of stability'. Here, direct mass measurements of
trans-uranium nuclides are reported, providing reliable anchor
points en route to the island of stability.
M. Block et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08774
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=163&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=225&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Above-room-temperature ferroelectricity in a single-component
molecular crystal pp789-792
Ferroelectrics are electro-active materials that can store and
switch their polarity, sense temperature changes, interchange
electric and mechanical functions, and manipulate light. Subtle
changes in the topology of certain chemical bonds have long been
identified as a possible route for achieving ferroelectricity in
organic molecular crystals. Ferroelectricity above room temperature
is now demonstrated by applying an electric field to coherently
align the molecular polarities in crystalline croconic acid.
Sachio Horiuchi et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08731
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=162&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=239&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Zonal flow formation in the Earth/'s core pp793-796
Zonal jets are common in nature and are spontaneously generated in
turbulent systems. Because the Earth's outer core is believed to
be in a turbulent state, it is possible that there is zonal flow
in the liquid iron of the outer core. By investigating numerical
simulations of the geodynamo with lower viscosities than most
previous simulations have been able to use, a convection regime of
the outer core is now found that has a dual structure comprising
inner, sheet-like radial plumes and an outer, westward cylindrical
zonal flow.
Takehiro Miyagoshi, Akira Kageyama and Tetsuya Sato
doi:10.1038/nature08754
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=161&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=103&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Non-random decay of chordate characters causes bias in fossil
interpretation pp797-800
Our only direct information on the origin of vertebrates comes from
preserved soft-bodied Cambrian chordates; however, reading this
fossil record is fraught with difficulties owing to a lack of data
on when and how important characters change as they decompose. Here,
from experimental decay of amphioxus and ammocoetes, it is shown
that loss of chordate characters during decay is non-random, with
the features that are most phylogenetically informative tending to
decay first.
Robert S. Sansom, Sarah E. Gabbott and Mark A. Purnell
doi:10.1038/nature08745
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=253&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=116&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Competition drives cooperation among closely related sperm of deer
mice pp801-803
Sperm can increase their swimming velocity and gain a competitive
advantage over sperm from another male by forming cooperative groups,
such that selection should favour cooperation of the most closely
related sperm. Sperm of deer mice are now shown to aggregate more
often with conspecific than heterospecific sperm, in accordance with
this theory, whereas in a monogamous species lacking sperm competition,
sperm indiscriminately group with unrelated conspecific sperm.
Heidi S. Fisher and Hopi E. Hoekstra
doi:10.1038/nature08736
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=255&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=59&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Animal cryptochromes mediate magnetoreception by an unconventional
photochemical mechanism pp804-807
Animals use the Earth's magnetic field for orientation but the
biophysical basis of this is unclear. The light-dependent magnetic
sense of Drosophila melanogaster was recently shown to be mediated
by the cryptochrome (Cry) photoreceptor; here, using a transgenic
approach, the type 1 and 2 Cry of the monarch butterfly are shown to
both function in the magnetoreception system of Drosophila, and
probably use an unconventional photochemical mechanism.
Robert J. Gegear, Lauren E. Foley, Amy Casselman and Steven M. Reppert
doi:10.1038/nature08719
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=257&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=67&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Role of conserved non-coding DNA elements in the Foxp3 gene in regulatory
T-cell fate pp808-812
Immune homeostasis relies on tight control over the size of a population
of regulatory T cells (Treg) that can suppress over-exuberant immune
responses. Cells commit to the Treg lineage by upregulating the
transcription factor Foxp3. Conserved non-coding DNA sequence elements
at the Foxp3 locus are now shown to control the composition, size and
maintenance of the Treg cell population.
Ye Zheng et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08750
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=259&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=79&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Human host factors required for influenza virus replication pp813-817
The small coding capacity of the influenza A virus demands that the
virus use the host cellular machinery for many aspects of its life
cycle. An integrated systems approach, based on genome-wide RNA
interference screening, is now used to identify 295 cellular
cofactors required for early-stage influenza virus replication.
Knowledge of these host cell requirements provides further targets
that could be pursued for antiviral drug development.
Renate Konig et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08699
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=261&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=176&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Genome-wide RNAi screen identifies human host factors crucial for
influenza virus replication pp818-822
High mutation rates in the influenza A virus facilitate the generation
of viral escape mutants, rendering vaccines and drugs potentially
ineffective, but targeting host cell determinants could prevent viral
escape. Here, 287 human host cell genes influencing influenza A virus
replication are found using a genome-wide RNA interference screen.
An independent assay is then used to investigate overlap between
genes necessary for different viral strains.
Alexander Karlas et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08760
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=264&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=180&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Mical links semaphorins to F-actin disassembly pp823-827
Semaphorins and their receptors, plexins, relay guidance information
to neurons during development and regulate actin dynamics through
an unknown mechanism. Recently, proteins of the Mical family of
enzymes have been found to associate with plexins; here, Mical is
reported to directly link semaphorins and their plexin receptors
to the precise control of actin filament dynamics.
Ruei-Jiun Hung et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08724
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=266&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=181&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Mechanism of substrate recognition and transport by an amino acid
antiporter pp828-832
The amino acid antiporter AdiC is important for the survival of
enteric bacteria such as Escherichia coli in extremely acid
environments. Although the structure of substrate-free AdiC is
known, how the substrate (arginine or agmatine) is recognized and
transported by AdiC remains unclear. The crystal structure of an
E. coli AdiC variant bound to arginine is now reported and analysed.
Xiang Gao et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08741
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=268&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=200&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
----------------------
NATUREJOBS
----------------------
Careers Q&A
John Grunsfeld p835
Former astronaut John Grunsfeld is the latest deputy director of
the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland,
and will oversee the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope.
Virginia Gewin
doi:10.1038/nj7282-835a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=135&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
In Brief
India plans science boost p835
Thousands of PhDs will be needed to fill faculty science posts by 2014.
doi:10.1038/nj7282-835b
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=139&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
In Brief
Research output falls p835
Russia is one of only two countries whose science-paper publishing
rate has fallen.
doi:10.1038/nj7282-835c
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=137&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
In Brief
Chinese students stay on p835
United States proves to be a major draw.
doi:10.1038/nj7282-835d
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=147&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Careers and Recruitment
Big Apple biotech p836
More start-ups may be sticking around in New York City, as the city
looks to a new science park, prizes and tax breaks to help
kick-start a life-sciences cluster. Anne Harding reports.
Anne Harding
doi:10.1038/nj7282-836a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=145&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
----------------------
FUTURES
----------------------
Fashion victim p840
It's all sewn up.
Stephen Gaskell
doi:10.1038/463840a
http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=197&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
----------------------
Advance Online Publication
----------------------
10 February 2010
Arthropod relationships revealed by phylogenomic analysis of nuclear
protein-coding sequences
Jerome C. Regier et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08742
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=202&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=202&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
07 February 2010
Tbx3 improves the germ-line competency of induced pluripotent
stem cells
Jianyong Han et al.
doi:10.1038/nature08735
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=160&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=160&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Enzyme-inhibitor-like tuning of Ca2+ channel connectivity with
calmodulin
Xiaodong Liu, Philemon S. Yang, Wanjun Yang and David T. Yue
doi:10.1038/nature08766
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=152&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=152&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Organic-walled microfossils in 3.2-billion-year-old shallow-marine
siliciclastic deposits
Emmanuelle J. Javaux, Craig P. Marshall and Andrey Bekker
doi:10.1038/nature08793
Abstract: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=151&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
Article: http://links.ealert.nature.com/ctt?kn=151&m=34619632&r=MjA1NTkxMDA2MAS2&b=2&j=NjcxNTYwMzIS1&mt=1&rt=0
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