Articles in 2015

A mutation in the sodium channel Nav1.9 has been identified in a family and shown to associate with cold-aggravated pain. Here, the authors characterize the electrophysiological consequences of this mutation and propose a mechanism for the pain that the individuals experience.

Methods to increase nuclear spin polarization can enhance the sensitivity of magnetic resonance techniques however they are often limited to unfavourable conditions. Here, the authors achieve room temperature hyperpolarization of bulk ¹³C nuclear spins by exploiting the optical response of nitrogen vacancy centers in diamond crystals.

There is enormous potential in combining the capabilities of the biological and the solid-state to create hybrid engineered systems. Here, the authors develop a technique to incorporate and activate ATPases in in vitromembranes to produce energy-harvestable currents to power an integrated circuit.

TRF2 is a member of the shelterin complex, essential in protecting telomeres from end-to-end fusions; however, increased levels of TRF2 are associated with cancer. Here, the authors show overexpression of TRF2 results in genomic instability through replication fork stalling and chromosome fusions.

The cytoskeleton plays a crucial role in secretion. Here Tran et al.demonstrate that cortical actin is rearranged at the site of vesicle fusion and recruited to fused secretory granules in Drosophila salivary glands, and show that branched actin nucleators are required for cargo expulsion.

Positive mood can occur as a result of a stimulus or spontaneously. Admon and Pizzagalli measure variations in neural responses to a positive stimulus over time, and identify cortico-striatal interactions associated with sustained positive mood which are reduced in individuals with a history of depression.

E2F transcription factors are primarily known for the regulation of the cell cycle and are often dysregulated in cancer. Here, the authors show that during cancer progression E2F1 recruits a Pontin/Reptin complex to E2F target genes to open chromatin and increase E2F transcriptional response.

The oncogenic events driving indolent chronic lymphocytic leukaemia are relatively unknown. Here, the authors perform whole genome sequencing on 30 such tumours and identify recurrent mutations in IGLL5and two activation induced cytidine deaminase signatures that are operative at different stages of CLL evolution.

5d transition metal iridates provide a platform to study the combined effects of strong spin orbit coupling and strong electronic correlations. Here, the authors find a quadratic band touching in the band structure of Pr₂Ir₂O₇, suggesting it may be tuned to form various strongly correlated topological phases.

Upon the binding of small ligands, nuclear receptors regulate the transcription of genes that are associated with a number of disease mechanisms. Here, the authors report on a novel allosteric ligand binding site on the nuclear receptor RORγt.

Type IIA topoisomerases (topo2As) create transient double-strand DNA breaks. Here, the authors report structures showing how QPT-1 binds in the DNA/topo2A complex at the same site as the fluoroquinolone moxifloxacin, and discuss the potential for developing new classes of antibiotics.

Unlike modern humans, Neanderthals had large and projecting faces. Here, the authors show that the maxilla of modern humans is distinct from those of the Neanderthal and Middle Pleistocene hominins from Sima de los Huesos because their growth processes differ markedly during the postnatal period.

The efficiency of reprogramming of fibroblasts into induced dopaminergic neurons is often low. Here, Jiang et al.demonstrate increased transdifferentiation rates by inducing cell cycle arrest, suppressing p53, Tet 1 and by adding neurotrophic factors to the media.

Changes in environment are known to alter reward system responses, although the underlying mechanisms are unclear. Here, Engmann et al.show that DARPP-32 interacts directly with β-adducin in the mouse striatum to regulate structural and behavioural plasticity in response to novel environment and drug exposure.

The structure and biological properties of RNAs are a function of changing cellular conditions. Here, Baird et al.report a high-throughput Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) method to rapidly compare RNA structure modulation by cognate and non-cognate ligands across multiplexed solution conditions.

Environmental DNA from unculturable microorganisms contains genes with useful functions that remain difficult to identify and isolate. Here Colin, Kintses et al.demonstrate the screening of millions of samples in pL volumes to directly identify new enzymatic activities and complements sequence-based approaches.

Microcavity polaritons are a fluid of coupled photonic and electronic excitations that share many of the properties of Bose–Einstein condensates. Here, the authors show that the sudden creation of these bosonic fluids at high density results in the concentration of the particles, unlike an atomic gas that would expand.

The ability to map the activity of synapses within a circuit will help in elucidating the neural basis of behaviour. Here, Macpherson et al. report new strategies to specifically label active synapses in Drosophila with multi-colour fluorescence tags.

There is intensive research effort in suppressing lithium dendrite growth in lithium batteries. Here, the authors report the use of a crosslinked nanoparticle-polymer composite membrane with high mechanical strength and ionic conductivity which enables stable cycling of lithium metal batteries.