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Neuroscience: Hot on the trail of temperature processing
Two studies investigate how information about temperature is processed in the brains of fruit flies, and reveal that different neuronal pathways transmit heating and cooling signals to higher brain regions. |
Regulated eukaryotic DNA replication origin firing with purified proteins
It has long been a goal to reconstitute eukaryotic DNA replication; here a purified in vitro system from budding yeast containing 16 factors, themselves composed of 42 polypeptides, fulfils the staged process of origin-dependent initiation, including its regulation by kinases. |
A dusty, normal galaxy in the epoch of reionization
Far-infrared measurements of galaxies in the early Universe would reveal their detailed properties, but have been lacking for the more typical galaxies where most stars form; here an archetypal, early Universe star-forming galaxy is detected at far-infrared wavelengths, allowing its dust mass, total star-formation rate and dust-to-gas ratio to be calculated. |
Regulation of star formation in giant galaxies by precipitation, feedback and conduction
Observations confirm models of galaxy cooling in which cold clouds precipitate out of hot gas via thermal instability, and the precipitation threshold is incorporated into a theoretical framework that explains how precipitation and thermal conduction regulate star formation. |
Thermosensory processing in the Drosophila brain
The mechanisms of thermosensing in the Drosophila brain are elucidated by the identification of distinct classes of projection neurons which are excited either by external cooling or warming, or both; the neurons that are excited by warming participate in complex circuits that incorporate crossover inhibition from cool receptor neurons. |
A direct GABAergic output from the basal ganglia to frontal cortex
Anatomical and functional analyses reveal the existence of two types of globus pallidus externus neurons that directly control cortex, suggesting a pathway by which dopaminergic drugs used to treat neuropsychiatric disorders may act in the basal ganglia to modulate cortex. |
Polyploidy can drive rapid adaptation in yeast
In vitro evolution experiments on haploid, diploid, and tetraploid yeast strains show that adaptation is faster in tetraploids, providing direct quantitative evidence that in some environments polyploidy can accelerate evolutionary adaptation. |
Selective corticostriatal plasticity during acquisition of an auditory discrimination task
During an auditory discrimination task in rats, synaptic inputs representing either high or low sound frequencies from the cortex to the striatum are specifically strengthened, depending on reward contingencies. |
Nuclear architecture dictates HIV-1 integration site selection
HIV-1 integration into the host cell genome occurs in the outer shell of the nucleus in close correspondence with the nuclear pore, in which a series of cellular genes are preferentially targeted by the virus. |
Multi-omics of permafrost, active layer and thermokarst bog soil microbiomes
A multi-omics approach, integrating metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics, determines the phylogenetic composition of the microbial community and assesses its functional potential and activity along a thaw transition from intact permafrost to thermokast bog. |
Pathogen-secreted proteases activate a novel plant immune pathway
In Arabidopsis thaliana, pathogen-secreted proteases trigger a previously unknown defence response involving heterotrimeric G-protein complexes upstream of a mitogen-activated protein kinase cascade. |
Temperature representation in the Drosophila brain
This study identifies distinct classes of neurons in the fly brain, which respond to external cooling, warming, or both, and contribute to behavioural response; the results illustrate how higher brain centres extract a stimulus’ quality, intensity and timing from a simple temperature map at the periphery. |
Massive migration from the steppe was a source for Indo-European languages in Europe
A genome-wide analysis of 69 ancient Europeans reveals the history of population migrations around the time that Indo-European languages arose in Europe, when there was a large migration into Europe from the Eurasian steppe in the east (providing a genetic ancestry still present in Europeans today); these findings support a ‘steppe origin’ hypothesis for how some Indo-European languages arose. |
| Corrigendum: Endocrinization of FGF1 produces a neomorphic and potent insulin sensitizer |
| Corrigendum: Human gut Bacteroidetes can utilize yeast mannan through a selfish mechanism |
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Hypothalamic POMC neurons promote cannabinoid-induced feeding
Cannabinoid-induced feeding signals are shown to enhance pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) neuronal activity in mice, causing an enhancement of β-endorphin release, which is crucial in causing this cannabinoid-induced response; these results uncover an overlooked role of hypothalamic POMC neurons in the promotion of feeding by cannabinoids.
Marco Koch, Luis Varela, Jae Geun Kim et al. |
A motor cortex circuit for motor planning and movement
During movement preparation, motor cortical neuronal subpopulations that project to downstream motor areas are more selective for the direction of upcoming movement than those that project to other cortical targets, especially immediately before movement, emphasizing the need to interpret complex neuronal responses measured during behaviour in the context of hierarchically organized cortical circuits.
Nuo Li, Tsai-Wen Chen, Zengcai V. Guo et al. |
A gp130–Src–YAP module links inflammation to epithelial regeneration
This study demonstrates the activation of a STAT3-independent healing pathway in response to mucosal injury which involves the co-receptor for IL-6 cytokines gp130 and downstream effectors Src, Yes, YAP and Notch.
Koji Taniguchi, Li-Wha Wu, Sergei I. Grivennikov et al. |
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The direct arylation of allylic sp3 C–H bonds via organic and photoredox catalysis
Photoredox and organic catalysis are combined to achieve broadly effective direct arylation of allylic carbon–hydrogen bonds under mild conditions; this carbon–carbon bond forming reaction readily accommodates a wide range of alkene and electron-deficient arene coupling partners.
James D. Cuthbertson, David W. C. MacMillan |
Drought impact on forest carbon dynamics and fluxes in Amazonia
Severe drought in a tropical forest ecosystem suppresses photosynthetic carbon uptake and plant maintenance respiration, but growth is maintained, suggesting that, overall, less carbon is available for tree tissue maintenance and defence, which may cause the subsequent observed increase in tree mortality.
Christopher E. Doughty, D. B. Metcalfe, C. A. J. Girardin et al. |
Reconstructed Homo habilis type OH 7 suggests deep-rooted species diversity in early Homo
Virtually reconstructing the jaw of OH 7 reveals a remarkably primitive shape, suggesting that the Homo habilislineage originated before 2.3 million years ago; marking deep-rooted species diversity in the genus Homo.
Fred Spoor, Philipp Gunz, Simon Neubauer et al. |
AAV-expressed eCD4-Ig provides durable protection from multiple SHIV challenges
The new entry inhibitor eCD4-Ig, consisting of the immunoadhesin form of CD4 (CD4-Ig) fused to a small CCR5-mimetic sulfopeptide, avidly binds two highly conserved sites of the HIV-1 Env protein; the inhibitor has high potency and breadth and can neutralize 100% of a diverse panel of neutralization-resistant HIV-1 viruses, and when delivered to macaques using an adeno-associated virus vector, it can provide effective long-term protection from multiple challenges with simian/human immunodeficiency virus.
Matthew R. Gardner, Lisa M. Kattenhorn, Hema R. Kondur et al. |
Dietary emulsifiers impact the mouse gut microbiota promoting colitis and metabolic syndrome
Emulsifying agents, which are common food additives in the human diet, induce low-grade inflammation and obesity/metabolic syndrome in mice, suggesting that further investigation into the potential impact of dietary emulsifiers on the gut microbiota and human heath are warranted.
Benoit Chassaing, Omry Koren, Julia K. Goodrich et al. |
The double-degenerate, super-Chandrasekhar nucleus of the planetary nebula Henize 2-428
The probable evolution of the planetary nebula Henize 2-428 is examined, from a close binary system in which both stars ejected their envelopes to the white dwarf stage with a short orbital period and combined mass above the Chandrasekhar limit, suggesting that the system should merge in about 700 million years and trigger a type Ia supernova.
M. Santander-García, P. Rodríguez-Gil, R. L. M. Corradi et al. |
State preservation by repetitive error detection in a superconducting quantum circuit
A quantum error correction scheme is demonstrated in a system of superconducting qubits, and repeated quantum non-demolition measurements are used to track errors and reduce the failure rate; increasing the system size from five to nine qubits improves the failure rate further.
J. Kelly, R. Barends, A. G. Fowler et al. |
Liquid-based gating mechanism with tunable multiphase selectivity and antifouling behaviour
A rapid, reversible, non-fouling gating mechanism is created by infusing a porous membrane with a capillary-stabilized liquid that reconfigures under pressure to form a liquid-lined pathway, enabling selective multiphase transport with rationally tunable differential response profiles for a variety of liquids and gases.
Xu Hou, Yuhang Hu, Alison Grinthal et al. |
Dauer-independent insulin/IGF-1-signalling implicates collagen remodelling in longevity
In Caenorhabditis elegans, reduced insulin/IGF-1 signalling can promote longevity through a program that is genetically distinct from the dauer developmental pathway, and requires SKN-1-dependent collagen remodelling that is a broadly essential feature of longevity assurance pathways.
Collin Y. Ewald, Jess N. Landis, Jess Porter Abate et al. |
Axitinib effectively inhibits BCR-ABL1(T315I) with a distinct binding conformation
A large ex vivo screen of approved and investigational anti-cancer drugs in primary cells derived from CML and ALL patients identifies axitinib, a VEGFR inhibitor approved for the treatment of kidney cancer, as a potent inhibitor of BCR–ABL1(T315I) with unique binding interactions that overcome the gatekeeper resistance mutation, highlighting the potential of repurposing existing drugs for additional cancer types.
Tea Pemovska, Eric Johnson, Mika Kontro et al. |
Folding of an intrinsically disordered protein by phosphorylation as a regulatory switch
The structural polymorphism of intrinsically disordered protein 4E-BP2 allows it to regulate translation initiation through post-translational modification-mediated folding, exemplifying a new and potentially general mechanism of biological regulation mediated by intrinsically disordered proteins.
Alaji Bah, Robert M. Vernon, Zeba Siddiqui et al. |
Initiation of translation in bacteria by a structured eukaryotic IRES RNA
A eukaryotic viral internal ribosome entry site (IRES) element is described that binds both bacterial and eukaryotic ribosomes and initiates translation in both, demonstrating that RNA structure-based initiation can occur in both these domains of life, although in bacteria the element uses a mechanism that differs from that in eukaryotes.
Timothy M. Colussi, David A. Costantino, Jianyu Zhu et al. |
Structure of the F-actin––tropomyosin complex
Electron cryomicroscopy reveals the three-dimensional structure of F-actin at a resolution of 3.7 Å in complex with tropomyosin at a resolution of 6.5 Å; the stabilizing interactions and the effects of disease-causing mutants are also investigated.
Julian von der Ecken, Mirco Müller, William Lehman et al. |
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