EMBO reports Table of Contents for 1 July 2014; Vol. 15, No. 7

July 2014 | Volume 15, Number 7 Submit Table of Contents Editorial Hot off the Press Science & Society Scientific Reports Volume 15, Number 7 Editorial Laboratory without walls Navigating the jungle of the EU funding system would be a lot more worthwhile if greater emphasis was placed on projects with concrete goals, under strong leadership. Howy Jacobs Published online 01.07.2014 Hot off the Press The KCl‐cotransporter KCC2 linked to epilepsy Two papers in EMBO reports show that two variants of the neuronal KCL co‐transporter KCC2 produce dysfunctional proteins and are linked to human epilepsy and seizures. Genetically encoded impairment of KCC2 function may therefore be a risk factor for epilepsy. Christian A Hübner Published online 13.06.2014 A20: attractive without showing cleavage A20 has deubiquitinase (DUB) and ubiquitin ligase activities and regulates NF‐κB signaling. This was thought to depend on its DUB activity, but recent evidence shows that it is not involved in regulating the NF‐κB pathway in vivo. Kelly Verhelst, Geert van Loo, and Rudi Beyaert Published online 30.05.2014 Science & Society Genes, the environment and personalized medicine: We need to harness both environmental and genetic data to maximize personal and population health In their enthusiasm to implement genomics‐based personalized medicine, researchers, clinicians and policymakers have missed two crucial considerations: environmental factors and epigenetics. Both of these must be crucial components of future research into tailored health solutions for individuals. Chris Carlsten, Michael Brauer, Fiona Brinkman, Jeffrey Brook, Denise Daley, Kelly McNagny, Mandy Pui, Diana Royce, Tim Takaro, and Judah Denburg Published online 06.06.2014 Antibiotic resistance and the environment—there and back again: Science & Society series on Science and Drugs Antibiotics and their metabolized products in human and animal waste are the major cause of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Understanding what happens to drugs after their use could improve methods to remove antibiotics from rivers and soils and reduce the prevalence of resistance in bacterial populations in the environment. Silvia Berkner, Sabine Konradi, and Jens Schönfeld Published online 12.06.2014 Why exercise is good for your brain: A closer look at the underlying mechanisms suggests that some sports, especially combined with mental activity, may be more effective than others Exercising keeps you mentally fit and is a useful preventive measure against dementia and Alzheimer disease. But to effectively exercise against cognitive decline, more detailed instructions are needed. Is lifting weights in a fitness studio as good as jogging in the woods? Katrin Weigmann Published online 18.06.2014 Public communication of science 2.0: Is the communication of science via the “new media” online a genuine transformation or old wine in new bottles? As scientists continue to embrace the Internet as both producers and consumers of information, the lines between journalism, blogging and public relations become increasingly blurred. Will this trend usurp traditional media's role in science reporting, or provide new contexts and interactions that enhance it? Hans Peter Peters, Sharon Dunwoody, Joachim Allgaier, Yin‐Yueh Lo, and Dominique Brossard Published online 11.06.2014 A chasm of misunderstanding: The widening gap between public perception and scientific consensus The gulf between public perception and scientific consensus seems to be widening, with significant consequences for policy, funding and research. The science of climate change has featured prominently in this context, but profound gaps are also evident in other areas of the life sciences. Philip Hunter Published online 16.06.2014 Scientific Reports Direct action of endocrine disrupting chemicals on human sperm A plethora of endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs)—omnipresent in food, household, and personal care products—interfere with various human sperm functions and thus might impair fertilization. Christian Schiffer, Astrid Müller, Dorte L Egeberg, Luis Alvarez, Christoph Brenker, Anders Rehfeld, Hanne Frederiksen, Benjamin Wäschle, U Benjamin Kaupp, Melanie Balbach, Dagmar Wachten, Niels E Skakkebaek, Kristian Almstrup, and Timo Strünker Published online 12.05.2014 Genetically encoded impairment of neuronal KCC2 cotransporter function in human idiopathic generalized epilepsy Two variants of the neuronal chloride cotransporter KCC2—R952H and R1049C—are found to be associated with human idiopathic generalized epilepsy and to impair transporter function and regulatory phosphorylation. Genetically encoded impairment of KCC2 function may therefore be a risk factor for human epilepsy. Kristopher T Kahle, Nancy D Merner, Perrine Friedel, Liliya Silayeva, Bo Liang, Arjun Khanna, Yuze Shang, Pamela Lachance‐Touchette, Cynthia Bourassa, Annie Levert, Patrick A Dion, Brian Walcott, Dan Spiegelman, Alexandre Dionne‐Laporte, Alan Hodgkinson, Philip Awadalla, Hamid Nikbakht, Jacek Majewski, Patrick Cossette, Tarek Z Deeb, Stephen J Moss, Igor Medina, and Guy A Rouleau Published online 13.06.2014 The deubiquitinase activity of A20 is dispensable for NF‐κB signaling The deubiquitinase activity of the ubiquitin‐editing enzyme A20 has been suggested to regulate NF‐κB activation. This study shows, through the use of knock‐in mice, that A20 deubiquitinase activity is in fact dispensable for NF‐κB signaling. Arnab De, Teruki Dainichi, Chozha Vendan Rathinam, and Sankar Ghosh Published online 30.05.2014 Transport activity and presence of ClC‐7/Ostm1 complex account for different cellular functions Comparison of ClC‐7‐deficient, ClC‐7unc and ClC‐7td mice suggests that a pure Cl− conductance partially rescues the lack of Cl−/H+ exchange in osteoclasts, whereas normal pigmentation requires ClC‐7 protein interactions, but not ClC‐7 ion transport activity. The study also shows that the ion transport‐deficient ClC‐7td/Ostm1 complex was beneficial for neurons, whereas the Cl− conductance of ClC‐7unc may have detrimental effects on CNS neurons. Stefanie Weinert, Sabrina Jabs, Svea Hohensee, Wing Lee Chan, Uwe Kornak, and Thomas J Jentsch Published online 12.05.2014 S‐sulfhydration of MEK1 leads to PARP‐1 activation and DNA damage repair Hydrogen sulfide—known to protect cells from aging—is shown to modify MEK1, which is necessary for ERK1/2 phosphorylation, nuclear translocation and PARP‐1 activation. Thus, H2S stimulates DNA damage repair and prevents cellular senescence. Kexin Zhao, YoungJun Ju, Shuangshuang Li, Zaid Altaany, Rui Wang, and Guangdong Yang Published online 28.04.2014 Clusterin/ApoJ enhances central leptin signaling through Lrp2‐mediated endocytosis Clusterin/ApoJ regulates hypothalamic leptin signaling by inducing Lrp2‐dependent leptin internalization, thereby potentiating leptin‐induced Stat3 activation. These findings propose a novel, clusterin‐ and Lrp2‐dependent regulatory mechanism of leptin‐mediated feeding regulation. Kyunghee Byun, So Young Gil, Churl Namkoong, Byung‐Soo Youn, Hu Huang, Mi‐Seon Shin, Gil Myoung Kang, Hyun‐Kyong Kim, Bonghee Lee, Young‐Bum Kim, and Min‐Seon Kim Published online 12.05.2014 sAPP modulates iron efflux from brain microvascular endothelial cells by stabilizing the ferrous iron exporter ferroportin sAPP binds to ferroportin in the basal membrane of human brain microvascular endothelial cells of the blood‐brain barrier. This stabilizes ferroportin in the membrane and stimulates iron efflux at the brain side of these cells. Ryan C McCarthy, Yun‐Hee Park, and Daniel J Kosman Published online 27.05.2014   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 © 2014 by the European Molecular Biology Organisation.