Articles in 2015

Light-oxygen-voltage receptors sense blue light through the photochemical generation of a covalent adduct between a flavin-nucleotide chromophore and a strictly conserved cysteine residue. Here, the authors show that these proteins can react to light even when devoid of the adduct-forming cysteine.

Animal body size is influenced by climate, but the cellular mechanisms regulating this response are unclear. Here, the authors identify a neuronal circuit composed of a group of cold-sensing neurons and insulin-producing cells that mediates the effects of temperature onDrosophilagrowth.

TAK1 is a MEK kinase family member that activates pro-survival NF-kB signalling but also pro-apoptotic caspase signalling in various cell types. Here the authors show that satellite-cell specific deletion of TAK1 in mice depletes the muscle stem cell pool and thus limits myofibre regeneration after injury.

Despite lung adenocarcinoma having a high global mortality, the genetic mutations present in Asian patients are uncharacterized. Here the authors use genomic and transcriptomic analysis to identify thirteen significantly affected genes, including RHPN2, GLI3, MRC2, TP53 and IQGAP3.

Near to the superconducting state, cuprates display spatially-periodic charge density variations. Here, the authors use x-ray diffraction to determine the microscopic structure, showing how charge density waves in underdoped YBa₂Cu₃O_6.54break the symmetry of the superconducting layers.

Separase-mediated cleavage of pericentrin is an essential step for centriole separation during mitotic exit. Here, Kim et al.show that pericentrin has to be phosphorylated by PLK1 in order to be cleaved by separase, which provides an additional layer of regulation for centriole separation during mitotic exit.

A key step for the use of CRISPR-Cas9 in any study is the design of the guide RNA, however the underlying principles are still poorly understood. Here the authors show that multiple protospacer adjacent motif sequences are refractory to efficient targeting and repair.

DNA based sensors provide substantial amounts of information that requires integration and processing. Here the authors demonstrate a DNA-based calculator that takes two inputs, identifies the solution in a library of answers and displays the result.

The mechanisms underlying fallopian tube epithelial renewal are unclear. Here, Kessler et al. isolate adult stem cells from the human fallopian tube epithelium and generate 3D organoids from these cells in vitrothat have a similar architecture to that of the fallopian tube.

The study of spin orbit torques in insulating materials via conventional transport methods is restricted due to low electrical conductivity. Here, the authors use magneto-optical methods to measure spin orbit torques in ferromagnetic-insulator/heavy-metal heterostructures.

During mitosis the translocase PICH binds to ultrafine bridges formed from DNA catenanes that are unresolved by topoisomerase II. In this study, the authors show that PICH stimulates toposiomerase II activity and that they cooperate to resolve these structures.

Amyloid-beta deposits are a pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease, and have previously been targeted in immunisation therapies. Here, the authors show that oral administration of the small molecule EPPS reduces Aß plaque and oligomer load in APP/PS1 mice and improves learning and memory performance.

Constraint satisfaction problems are typically solved using conventional von Neumann computing architectures, which are however ill-suited to solving them. Here, the authors present a prototype for an event-based architecture that yield state of the art performance on random SAT problems.

Broken symmetry at the interface with a heavy metal gives rise to a chiral exchange interaction in ferromagnetic thin films, which may be used to control magnetic domain walls. Here, the authors demonstrate how this effect enforces topologically stable homochiral domain walls in a Pt/Co/AlO_xtrilayer.

Water is the most common liquid in nature, with unusual properties that could be linked to the peculiar hydrogen-bonding network holding the molecules together. Here, Nilsson and Pettersson review recent progress in searching the connections between local configurations and thermodynamic responses of water.

How pattern formation is regulated relative to the size of an organism is unclear. Here, Wu et al.take data from gap gene expression in flies of different sizes together with simulations, identifying how scaling emerges dynamically and that local patterning influences global gene regulatory networks.

The formation of chiral centres adjacent to carbonyl groups is a highly challenging task in asymmetric catalysis. Here, the authors report the asymmetric diakylation of carbonyls via an intramolceular α-cyclopropanation procedure.

Myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) are clonal hematopoietic disorders with diverse phenotypes and can derive from hematopietic stem cells after the acquisition of specific somatic aberrations. In this study, the authors show that MDS initiating cells in some cases of sideroblastic anemia with SF3B1 mutations, can arise from hematopoietic stem cells.

Latency-associated peptide (LAP) is a membrane-bound form of TGF-β1. Here the authors show that LAP marks a subset of regulatory γδ T cells with innate gut-homing properties, which present antigen and induce CD4+ Foxp3+ in Peyer's patches and lamina propria.

Global change may affect the resilience of ecosystem functions by altering community composition. Here, Oliver et al.show that in Great Britain since the 1970s there have been significant net declines among animal species that provide key ecosystem functions such as pollination and pest control.