Nature Communications - 1 October 2014

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Weekly Content Alert 01 October 2014  Featured image: Comte et al. show that different mechanisms influence shifts at the leading and trailing edges of stream fish's distributional ranges. Latest content: Articles Journal homepage Recommend to library Web feed   Advertisement Nature Communications soon to be fully open access   From 20th October Nature Communications, will become fully open access for all new submissions. If an author has a manuscript they wish to submit to the journal via the subscription route, they must submit before 20th October. After this date all new submissions, if accepted, will be published open access and an article processing charge (APC) will apply. For any questions on the switch, open access or advice on policies and funding, visit our website, read the press release or contact our dedicated support team at openaccess@nature.com.     Latest Articles View all Articles     Threshold for sand mobility on Mars calibrated from seasonal variations of sand flux F. Ayoub, J.-P. Avouac, C.E. Newman, M.I. Richardson, A. Lucas, S. Leprince and N.T. Bridges Although the Martian landscape presents evidence of wind erosion, sand-moving winds on Mars were thought to be rare due to the thin atmosphere. Here, the authors show that sand transport occurs daily and that the resulting sand flux varies seasonally. 30 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6096 Earth Sciences  Geology and geophysics  Planetary sciences  A random six-phase switch regulates pneumococcal virulence via global epigenetic changes OPEN Ana Sousa Manso, Melissa H. Chai, John M. Atack, Leonardo Furi, Megan De Ste Croix, Richard Haigh, Claudia Trappetti, Abiodun D. Ogunniyi, Lucy K. Shewell, Matthew Boitano, Tyson A. Clark, Jonas Korlach, Matthew Blades, Evgeny Mirkes, Alexander N. Gorban, James C. Paton, Michael P. Jennings and Marco R. Oggioni Pneumococci can alternate between harmless and highly virulent forms. Here the authors show that such variation may be due to random rearrangements in a genetic locus encoding a restriction-modification system, resulting in epigenetic changes that affect expression of many genes. 30 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6055 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Microbiology  Dendritic cell-mediated survival signals in Eμ-Myc B-cell lymphoma depend on the transcription factor C/EBPβ Armin Rehm, Marcel Gätjen, Kerstin Gerlach, Florian Scholz, Angela Mensen, Marleen Gloger, Kristina Heinig, Björn Lamprecht, Stephan Mathas, Valérie Bégay, Achim Leutz, Martin Lipp, Bernd Dörken and Uta E. Höpken Dendritic cells (DC) are known to promote cancer progression by suppressing antitumor immunity. Here, Rehm et al. describe a mechanism whereby lymphoma cells induce C/EBPβ activation in DCs, which in turn secrete cytokines that support the proliferation and survival of lymphoma cells. 30 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6057 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Immunology  Functional annotation of colon cancer risk SNPs OPEN Lijing Yao, Yu Gyoung Tak, Benjamin P. Berman and Peggy J. Farnham Previous studies identified genetic variants associated with colorectal cancer (CRC), but the functional consequences of these genetic risk factors remain poorly understood. Here, the authors report that CRC risk variants reside in promoters and enhancers and could increase colon cancer risk through gene expression regulation. 30 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6114 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  Correlated electron–hole plasma in organometal perovskites Michele Saba, Michele Cadelano, Daniela Marongiu, Feipeng Chen, Valerio Sarritzu, Nicola Sestu, Cristiana Figus, Mauro Aresti, Roberto Piras, Alessandra Geddo Lehmann, Carla Cannas, Anna Musinu, Francesco Quochi, Andrea Mura and Giovanni Bongiovanni The pace of progress in the development of organometallic perovskite solar cells is impressive, but there is still much to learn. Saba et al. show that optical excitation of these materials generates plasma of an unbound but correlated electron–hole pairs, similar to that in inorganic photovoltaics. 30 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6049 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Optical physics  Chiral superfluidity with p-wave symmetry from an interacting s-wave atomic Fermi gas Bo Liu, Xiaopeng Li, Biao Wu and W Vincent Liu In condensed matter physics, p-wave chiral superfluidity is an unconventional topological many-body quantum state. Here, Liu et al. report a new mechanism to achieve a centre-of-mass p-wave chiral superfluid state in a spin imbalanced atomic Fermi gas with s-wave interaction. 30 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6064 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Theoretical physics  IKKα negatively regulates ASC-dependent inflammasome activation Bradley N. Martin, Chenhui Wang, Jami Willette-Brown, Tomasz Herjan, Muhammet F. Gulen, Hao Zhou, Katarzyna Bulek, Luigi Franchi, Takashi Sato, Emad S. Alnemri, Goutham Narla, Xiao-Ping Zhong, James Thomas, Dennis Klinman, Katherine A. Fitzgerald, Michael Karin, Gabriel Nuñez, George Dubyak, Yinling Hu and Xiaoxia Li et al. The molecular mechanisms mediating inflammasome activation are not fully elucidated. Here the authors show that the kinase IKKα interacts in the nucleus and perinuclear area with the adaptor molecule ASC, negatively regulating inflammasome activation. 30 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5977 Biological Sciences  Immunology  A20 controls intestinal homeostasis through cell-specific activities Lars Vereecke, Sara Vieira-Silva, Thomas Billiet, Johan H. van Es, Conor Mc Guire, Karolina Slowicka, Mozes Sze, Maaike van den Born, Gert De Hertogh, Hans Clevers, Jeroen Raes, Paul Rutgeerts, Severine Vermeire, Rudi Beyaert and Geert van Loo Aetiology of colitis is highly complex and incompletely understood. Here the authors show in mouse models that A20 deubiquitinase limits pro-inflammatory cytokine production in myeloid cells while inhibiting proapoptotic response to these cytokines in enterocytes, and that only upon losing both functions intestinal pathologies develop. 30 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6103 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Immunology  Caste-specific RNA editomes in the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior OPEN Qiye Li, Zongji Wang, Jinmin Lian, Morten Schiøtt, Lijun Jin, Pei Zhang, Yanyan Zhang, Sanne Nygaard, Zhiyu Peng, Yang Zhou, Yuan Deng, Wenwei Zhang, Jacobus J. Boomsma and Guojie Zhang Post-translational mRNA editing has the potential to enhance the diversity of gene products and alter the functional properties of proteins. Here, Li et al. provide evidence that RNA editing is involved in generating caste-specific contrasting phenotypes in the leaf-cutting ant Acromyrmex echinatior. 30 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5943 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Zoology  Jumonji demethylases moderate precocious flowering at elevated temperature via regulation of FLC in Arabidopsis Eng-Seng Gan, Yifeng Xu, Jie-Yun Wong, Jessamine Geraldine Goh, Bo Sun, Wan-Yi Wee, Jiangbo Huang and Toshiro Ito Environmental stimuli affect flowering time in Arabidopsis by controlling expression of the FLC transcription factor. Here Gan et al. find that repressive epigenetic modifications at the FLC locus are removed by Jumonji demethylases to prevent precocious flowering at elevated temperature. 30 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6098 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  Plant sciences  Slow-light-enhanced gain in active photonic crystal waveguides Sara Ek, Per Lunnemann, Yaohui Chen, Elizaveta Semenova, Kresten Yvind and Jesper Mork Slow-light propagation provides the means to enhance and control light–matter interactions and it has been predicted to increase the gain coefficient of active waveguides. Here, Ek et al. experimentally demonstrate that the gain of a material can be enhanced using slow-light effects in photonic crystals. 30 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6039 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Nanotechnology  Optical physics  Regulated spatial organization and sensitivity of cytosolic protein oxidation in Caenorhabditis elegans Catalina Romero-Aristizabal, Debora S. Marks, Walter Fontana and Javier Apfeld Cells respond to redox changes by shifting their protein thiol–disulfide balance. Here, the authors show that this balance is spatially regulated and varies widely across individuals, challenging the concept that glutathione acts as the main cellular redox buffer. 29 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6020 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cell biology  Sensitive response of the Greenland Ice Sheet to surface melt drainage over a soft bed M. Bougamont, P. Christoffersen, A. L, Hubbard, A. A. Fitzpatrick, S. H. Doyle and S. P. Carter The delivery of meltwater to the base of the Greenland Ice Sheet has been shown to regulate ice flow, yet the role of soft basal sediment is unknown. Here, the authors use a three-dimensional ice sheet model to assess the impact of seasonal meltwater delivery on subglacial sediment shear strength and ice flow. 29 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6052 Earth Sciences  Climate science  Geology and geophysics  High-resolution structure of the Shigella type-III secretion needle by solid-state NMR and cryo-electron microscopy Jean-Philippe Demers, Birgit Habenstein, Antoine Loquet, Suresh Kumar Vasa, Karin Giller, Stefan Becker, David Baker, Adam Lange and Nikolaos G. Sgourakis Solving structures of large protein complexes remains a significant challenge for structural biologists. Demers et al. determine the atomic structure of a Shigella type-III secretion system using a Rosetta-based modelling strategy that draws on both solid-state NMR and cryo-electron microscopy data sets. 29 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5976 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Biophysics  Bottom-up approach for the low-cost synthesis of graphene-alumina nanosheet interfaces using bimetallic alloys Luca Omiciuolo, Eduardo R. Hernández, Elisa Miniussi, Fabrizio Orlando, Paolo Lacovig, Silvano Lizzit, Tevfik Onur Menteş, Andrea Locatelli, Rosanna Larciprete, Marco Bianchi, Søren Ulstrup, Philip Hofmann, Dario Alfè and Alessandro Baraldi Graphene-dielectric interfaces play a crucial role in many electronic devices, but electronic properties of graphene are inevitably degraded when the interfaces are produced. Omiciuolo et al. solve this problem using a low-cost approach based on epitaxial growth of graphene on dielectric alloys. 29 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6062 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  A bistable genetic switch based on designable DNA-binding domains Tina Lebar, Urban Bezeljak, Anja Golob, Miha Jerala, Lucija Kadunc, Boštjan Pirš, Martin Stražar, Dušan Vučko, Uroš Zupančič, Mojca Benčina, Vida Forstnerič, Rok Gaber, Jan Lonzarić, Andreja Majerle, Alja Oblak, Anže Smole and Roman Jerala Toggle switches can be engineered using pairs of transcriptional repressors; however, their bistability depends on nonlinear DNA-binding properties. Lebar et al. design a circuit that ensures bistability by artificially generating nonlinearity and use it to construct a toggle from programmable DNA-binding domains. 29 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6007 Biological Sciences  Bioengineering  Molecular biology  Conformational flexibility and changes underlying activation of the SUMO-specific protease SENP1 by remote substrate binding Chih-Hong Chen, Andrew T. Namanja and Yuan Chen The SUMO-specific protease SENP1 is activated by binding of its substrate, SUMO1, to a site remote from the catalytic cleft. Chen et al. characterise the dynamic changes in SENP1 conformation associated with substrate binding, and reveal how they influence the catalytic activity of the enzyme. 29 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5968 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Highly deformable liquid-state heterojunction sensors Hiroki Ota, Kevin Chen, Yongjing Lin, Daisuke Kiriya, Hiroshi Shiraki, Zhibin Yu, Tae-Jun Ha and Ali Javey Electronic devices and sensors that can sustain large amounts of mechanical deformability enable new applications. Here, the authors present a new type of highly deformable liquid-state electronic device, taking advantage of the inherent property of the liquid phase. 29 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6032 Physical Sciences  Fluids and plasma physics  Materials science  XTACC3–XMAP215 association reveals an asymmetric interaction promoting microtubule elongation OPEN Gulnahar B. Mortuza, Tommaso Cavazza, Maria Flor Garcia-Mayoral, Dario Hermida, Isabel Peset, Juan G. Pedrero, Nekane Merino, Francisco J. Blanco, Jeppe Lyngsø, Marta Bruix, Jan Skov Pedersen, Isabelle Vernos and Guillermo Montoya chTOG, a microtubule polymerase, interacts with TACC3 during mitosis to regulate spindle formation. By studying their Xenopus homologues, Mortuza et al. discover that one TACC3 recruits two chTOG molecules to the spindle, increasing its local concentration and promoting microtubule elongation. 29 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6072 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cell biology  Molecular basis of transmembrane beta-barrel formation of staphylococcal pore-forming toxins Daichi Yamashita, Takaki Sugawara, Miyu Takeshita, Jun Kaneko, Yoshiyuki Kamio, Isao Tanaka, Yoshikazu Tanaka and Min Yao Pore-forming toxins secreted by pathogenic bacteria attack target cells by forming openings that span the plasma membrane. Here, Yamashita et al. shed light on the mechanism of pore assembly by solving the crystal structures of two staphylococcal toxins in their prepore conformations. 29 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5897 Biological Sciences  Microbiology  Antarctic contribution to meltwater pulse 1A from reduced Southern Ocean overturning N. R. Golledge, L. Menviel, L. Carter, C. J. Fogwill, M. H. England, G. Cortese and R. H. Levy The Antarctic ice sheets contribution to rising sea levels at the end of the last ice age remains a matter of debate. Here, the authors present a suite of ice-sheet modelling experiments and conclude that the retreating Antarctic ice sheet may have contributed as much as 0.7 m per century to meltwater pulse 1A. 29 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6107 Earth Sciences  Climate science  The tumour suppressor LKB1 regulates myelination through mitochondrial metabolism Shabnam Pooya, Xiaona Liu, V.B. Sameer Kumar, Jane Anderson, Fumiyasu Imai, Wujuan Zhang, Georgianne Ciraolo, Nancy Ratner, Kenneth D.R. Setchell, Yoshida Yutaka, Michael P. Jankowski and Biplab Dasgupta Myelination of peripheral axons by Schwann cells is essential for proper transmission of nerve signals but the underlying mechanisms are not completely understood. Here the authors show that metabolic changes are required to ensure Schwann cell differentiation and proper myelination, and involve the tumour suppressor Lkb1 in regulating this process. 26 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5993 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Is wave–particle objectivity compatible with determinism and locality? Radu Ionicioiu, Thomas Jennewein, Robert B. Mann and Daniel R. Terno Arguably, the most counterintuitive aspects of quantum mechanics are indeterminacy of physical quantities and ambiguity of wave/particle behaviour prior to measurement. Terno et al. propose an experiment to test hidden-variable models that aim to restore objectivity and determinism in quantum theory. 26 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5997 Physical Sciences  Theoretical physics  Systemic autophagy insufficiency compromises adaptation to metabolic stress and facilitates progression from obesity to diabetes Yu-Mi Lim, Hyejin Lim, Kyu Yeon Hur, Wenying Quan, Hae-Youn Lee, Hwanju Cheon, Dongryeol Ryu, Seung-Hoi Koo, Hong Lim Kim, Jin Kim, Masaaki Komatsu and Myung-Shik Lee The mechanisms underlying the relationship between autophagy and metabolism remain unclear. Here, the authors demonstrate that mice with a systemic reduction in the autophagy pathway have an impaired response to metabolic stress, developing insulin resistance and an increase in intracellular lipid content. 26 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5934 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Fringing-field dielectrophoretic assembly of ultrahigh-density semiconducting nanotube arrays with a self-limited pitch Qing Cao, Shu-jen Han and George S. Tulevski Carbon nanotubes offer a route to further reducing the size of electronic components. Here, the authors demonstrate a method to assemble semiconducting nanotubes into well-aligned, ultrahigh-density and uniform arrays using an alternating electric field between surface microelectrodes and the substrate. 26 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6071 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Spin–orbit proximity effect in graphene A. Avsar, J. Y. Tan, T. Taychatanapat, J. Balakrishnan, G.K.W. Koon, Y. Yeo, J. Lahiri, A. Carvalho, A. S. Rodin, E.C.T. O’Farrell, G. Eda, A. H. Castro Neto and B. Özyilmaz Spin–orbit coupling in graphene is small, which makes controlling spin currents in this otherwise useful spintronic material difficult. Avsar et al. now demonstrate that combining graphene with few-layer tungsten disulphide increases its spin–orbit coupling by three orders of magnitude 26 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5875 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Arabidopsis cell expansion is controlled by a photothermal switch OPEN Henrik Johansson, Harriet J. Jones, Julia Foreman, Joseph R. Hemsted, Kelly Stewart, Ramon Grima and Karen J. Halliday Light and temperature interact to control hypocotyl elongation in Arabidopsis. Here, Johansson et al. use experimental data and mathematical modelling to describe a photothermal molecular switch where temperature governs whether light represses or activates elongation. 26 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5848 Biological Sciences  Plant sciences  Phosphorylation of LKB1/Par-4 establishes Schwann cell polarity to initiate and control myelin extent Yun-An A. Shen, Yan Chen, Dang Q. Dao, Sonia R. Mayoral, Laiman Wu, Dies Meijer, Erik M. Ullian, Jonah R. Chan and Q. Richard Lu Specific Schwann cell-axon interactions control the initiation of myelination in the peripheral nervous system. Here the authors show that the tumour suppressor protein Lkb1 is asymmetrically localized to the Schwann cell-axon interface and co-localizes with the polarity protein Par-3 to establish the initiation of myelination. 26 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5991 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  TRPV4 channel activity is modulated by direct interaction of the ankyrin domain to PI(4,5)P2 Nobuaki Takahashi, Sayaka Hamada-Nakahara, Yuzuru Itoh, Kazuhiro Takemura, Atsushi Shimada, Yoshifumi Ueda, Manabu Kitamata, Rei Matsuoka, Kyoko Hanawa-Suetsugu, Yosuke Senju, Masayuki X. Mori, Shigeki Kiyonaka, Daisuke Kohda, Akio Kitao, Yasuo Mori and Shiro Suetsugu Mutations in the ankyrin repeat domain (ARD) of TRPV4 are responsible for several channelopathies but little is known about the physiological function of this domain. Here the authors show that phosphoinositide binding to TRPV4 ARD leads to suppression of the channel activity, and obtain the crystal structure of the domain in complex with inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate. 26 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5994 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Molecular biology  Global profiling of co- and post-translationally N-myristoylated proteomes in human cells OPEN Emmanuelle Thinon, Remigiusz A. Serwa, Malgorzata Broncel, James A. Brannigan, Ute Brassat, Megan H. Wright, William P. Heal, Anthony J. Wilkinson, David J. Mann and Edward W. Tate Protein N-myristoylation is a ubiquitous modification implicated in the regulation of multiple cellular processes. Here, Thinon et al. report the development of a general method to identify N-myristoylated proteins in human cells and identify over 100 endogenous post- and co-translational substrates of N-myristoyltransferase. 26 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5919 Biological Sciences  Chemical biology  A non-inactivating high-voltage-activated two-pore Na+ channel that supports ultra-long action potentials and membrane bistability Chunlei Cang, Kimberly Aranda and Dejian Ren Our understanding of the function and molecular origin of ultra-long action potentials—which can last a few seconds to several minutes—is extremely limited. Here, Cang et al. show that ultra-long action potentials are generated by a novel type of voltage-gated sodium channel. 26 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6015 Biological Sciences  Biophysics  Neuroscience  Tuning the band structure and superconductivity in single-layer FeSe by interface engineering R. Peng, H. C. Xu, S. Y. Tan, H. Y. Cao, M. Xia, X. P. Shen, Z. C. Huang, C.H.P. Wen, Q. Song, T. Zhang, B. P. Xie, X. G. Gong and D. L. Feng Individual layers of FeSe grown on SrTiO3 superconduct at far higher temperatures than in bulk, but the effect of the film-substrate interface is poorly understood. Peng et al. find that modifying this interface has a significant non-trivial effect on the superconducting characteristics of FeSe films. 26 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6044 Physical Sciences  Site occupancy of interstitial deuterium atoms in face-centred cubic iron OPEN Akihiko Machida, Hiroyuki Saitoh, Hidehiko Sugimoto, Takanori Hattori, Asami Sano-Furukawa, Naruki Endo, Yoshinori Katayama, Riko Iizuka, Toyoto Sato, Motoaki Matsuo, Shin-ichi Orimo and Katsutoshi Aoki Knowledge of hydrogen content and coordination in deuterized metals is of importance. Here, the authors study the deuterization of face-centred cubic iron in-situ via neutron diffraction, observing the occupation by hydrogen of both octahedral and tetrahedral interstitial sites. 26 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6063 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Multiscale cardiac modelling reveals the origins of notched T waves in long QT syndrome type 2 Arash Sadrieh, Luke Domanski, Joe Pitt-Francis, Stefan A Mann, Emily C Hodkinson, Chai-Ann Ng, Matthew D Perry, John A Taylor, David Gavaghan, Rajesh N Subbiah, Jamie I Vandenberg and Adam P Hill Patients with the Long QT Syndrome type 2 have abnormal cardiac electrical activity, which is diagnosed by an electrocardiogram (ECG) that shows a prolonged QT interval and a notched T wave. Here the authors uncover the origins of this signature ECG phenotype by using a multi-scale cardiac modelling. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6069 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Systems biology  Sea-level variability over five glacial cycles K. M. Grant, E. J. Rohling, C. Bronk Ramsey, H. Cheng, R. L. Edwards, F. Florindo, D. Heslop, F. Marra, A. P. Roberts, M. E. Tamisiea and F. Williams Detailed sea-level records beyond ~150,000 years ago are limited. Here, the authors present a radiometrically constrained sea-level record from the Red Sea, spanning five glacial cycles and examine sea-level rise rates and the effects of past global ice-volume changes on monsoon intensity. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6076 Earth Sciences  Climate science  Oceanography  Sphingosine-1-phosphate promotes expansion of cancer stem cells via S1PR3 by a ligand-independent Notch activation Naoya Hirata, Shigeru Yamada, Takuji Shoda, Masaaki Kurihara, Yuko Sekino and Yasunari Kanda Many tumours originate from cancer stem cells (CSCs), a small population of cells that display stem cell properties. Here Kanda and colleagues show that the lipid mediator, sphingosine-1 phosphate (S1P), enhances expansion of ALDH-positive CSCs via S1P receptor 3 (S1PR3) and subsequent Notch activation, providing a rationale for targeting S1PR3 in cancer. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5806 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Molecular biology  Liquid crystal-enabled electro-osmosis through spatial charge separation in distorted regions as a novel mechanism of electrokinetics OPEN Israel Lazo, Chenhui Peng, Jie Xiang, Sergij V. Shiyanovskii and Oleg D. Lavrentovich Electro-osmosis is the control of fluid motion through application of an electrical field. Here, the authors present a new method of electro-osmosis using electrically conductive liquid crystals, and show tunable electro-osmotic flow using director liquid-crystal patterns. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6033 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Fluids and plasma physics  Materials science  Hypothalamic S1P/S1PR1 axis controls energy homeostasis Vagner R. R. Silva, Thayana O. Micheletti, Gustavo D. Pimentel, Carlos K. Katashima, Luciene Lenhare, Joseane Morari, Maria Carolina S. Mendes, Daniela S. Razolli, Guilherme Z. Rocha, Claudio T. de Souza, Dongryeol Ryu, Patrícia O. Prada, Lício A. Velloso, José B. C. Carvalheira, José Rodrigo Pauli, Dennys E. Cintra and Eduardo R. Ropelle Sphingosine-1-phosphate is a bioactive lipid with various physiological roles. Here, Silva et al. show that sphingosine-1-phosphate signalling in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus regulates food intake of rodents, and that this process is altered in animal models of obesity and cancer anorexia. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5859 Biological Sciences  Two-dimensional layered transition metal disulphides for effective encapsulation of high-capacity lithium sulphide cathodes Zhi Wei Seh, Jung Ho Yu, Weiyang Li, Po-Chun Hsu, Haotian Wang, Yongming Sun, Hongbin Yao, Qianfan Zhang and Yi Cui Lithium sulphide is a promising battery cathode material, but it suffers from fast capacity decay. Here, the authors demonstrate the use of two-dimensional transition metal disulphides, in contrast to conventional carbon-based materials, for effective encapsulation of the cathode. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6017 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Assessing technical performance in differential gene expression experiments with external spike-in RNA control ratio mixtures Sarah A. Munro, Steven P. Lund, P. Scott Pine, Hans Binder, Djork-Arné Clevert, Ana Conesa, Joaquin Dopazo, Mario Fasold, Sepp Hochreiter, Huixiao Hong, Nadereh Jafari, David P. Kreil, Paweł P. Łabaj, Sheng Li, Yang Liao, Simon M. Lin, Joseph Meehan, Christopher E. Mason, Javier Santoyo-Lopez, Robert A. Setterquist et al. Differential gene expression experiments yield quantitative insight into biological activity and may be important in disease classification and treatment. Here, the authors analyse external spike-in RNA controls to provide a standard method to assess and compare experiment performance. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6125 Biological Sciences  Bioinformatics  Genetics  Complex MSH2 and MSH6 mutations in hypermutated microsatellite unstable advanced prostate cancer OPEN Colin C. Pritchard, Colm Morrissey, Akash Kumar, Xiaotun Zhang, Christina Smith, Ilsa Coleman, Stephen J. Salipante, Jennifer Milbank, Ming Yu, William M. Grady, Jonathan F. Tait, Eva Corey, Robert L. Vessella, Tom Walsh, Jay Shendure and Peter S. Nelson Several patients with metastatic prostate cancer have been shown to harbour tumours with markedly high mutation rates. Here, the authors characterise hypermutation in advanced prostate cancer samples and show that these samples have somatic mismatch repair gene mutations and microsatellite instability. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5988 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Genetics  Tenfold increase in the lifetime of blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes Yifan Zhang, Jaesang Lee and Stephen R. Forrest Short device lifetime of blue phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes currently prevents their use. Here, Zhang et al. prove that the triplet-polaron annihilation mechanism is responsible for the degraded blue emitters and show how this finding can be used to improve the device lifetime. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6008 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Enhancing lithium–sulphur battery performance by strongly binding the discharge products on amino-functionalized reduced graphene oxide Zhiyu Wang, Yanfeng Dong, Hongjiang Li, Zongbin Zhao, Hao Bin Wu, Ce Hao, Shaohong Liu, Jieshan Qiu and Xiong Wen (David) Lou Lithium–sulphur batteries are a promising candidate for next-generation electrochemical energy storage. Here, the authors report a facile strategy for covalent stabilization of sulphur and its discharge products on amino-functionalized reduced graphene oxide, which enhances the cycling stability. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6002 Chemical Sciences  Nanotechnology  Physical chemistry  How shorter black carbon lifetime alters its climate effect Øivind Hodnebrog, Gunnar Myhre and Bjørn H. Samset Unlike most aerosols, black carbon absorbs solar radiation, potentially warming the atmosphere, yet its total climate effect remains uncertain. Here, the authors use a chemical transport and global circulation model to investigate the impact of black carbon emissions on global, annual mean radiative forcing. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6065 Earth Sciences  Atmospheric science  Climate science  Glutamine deprivation stimulates mTOR-JNK-dependent chemokine secretion OPEN Naval P. Shanware, Kevin Bray, Christina H. Eng, Fang Wang, Maximillian Follettie, Jeremy Myers, Valeria R. Fantin and Robert T. Abraham Glutamine deprivation is currently being tested as a therapeutic strategy in cancer. Shanware et al. show that in cultured cells, glutamine deprivation stimulates IL-8 secretion by triggering endoplasmic reticulum stress, and suggest that the potential of this effect to influence tumour development should be examined. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5900 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Cell biology  Unexpected regioselective carbon–hydrogen bond activation/cyclization of indolyl aldehydes or ketones with alkynes to benzo-fused oxindoles Xingyan Liu, Gaocan Li, Feijie Song and Jingsong You Activation of carbon–hydrogen bonds is a rapidly growing area in organic synthesis. Here the authors form benzo-fused oxindoles through a process that involves carbon–hydrogen activation of indoles at the 4-position and apparent oxygen transposition via dehydration–rehydration. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6030 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Organic chemistry  Benzene construction via organocatalytic formal [3+3] cycloaddition reaction Tingshun Zhu, Pengcheng Zheng, Chengli Mou, Song Yang, Bao-An Song and Yonggui Robin Chi The benzene unit is a common scaffold in natural products and appears in most best selling drugs. Here, the authors report the efficient synthesis of substituted benzenes through a carbene-catalyzed formal [3+3] reaction, which does not require a pre-existing aromatic ring. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6027 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Organic chemistry  Sgs1 and Sae2 promote telomere replication by limiting accumulation of ssDNA Julien Hardy, Dmitri Churikov, Vincent Géli and Marie-Noëlle Simon The enzymes Sae2 and Sgs1 regulate telomere maintenance in yeast cells that are telomerase-positive or -negative, but how they do this is unclear. Here the authors show that Sae2 and Sgs1 facilitate telomere replication in telomerase-positive cells, but generate single-stranded DNA at eroded telomeres in telomerase-negative cells. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6004 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Molecular biology  Room-temperature electronically-controlled ferromagnetism at the LaAlO3/SrTiO3 interface Feng Bi, Mengchen Huang, Sangwoo Ryu, Hyungwoo Lee, Chung-Wung Bark, Chang-Beom Eom, Patrick Irvin and Jeremy Levy The interface between complex oxides can show effects such as superconductivity or magnetism that can be controlled through parameters such as carrier density. Here, the authors use magnetic force microscopy to study the magnetism at the interface between LaAlO3/SrTiO3 and its dependency on charge carriers. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6019 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Nanotechnology  High-resolution liquid patterns via three-dimensional droplet shape control Rishi Raj, Solomon Adera, Ryan Enright and Evelyn N. Wang The shape of a droplet is governed by the interaction between the liquid and contact with the surface. Here, the authors present a method to tune this droplet–surface interaction via the design of structure or chemical heterogeneity to produce various droplet shapes. 25 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5975 Physical Sciences  Fluids and plasma physics  Nanotechnology  How thermally activated deformation starts in metallic glass Yue Fan, Takuya Iwashita and Takeshi Egami Understanding the atomic-scale processes by which deformation occurs in a metallic glass remains a challenge. Here, the authors apply atomic-scale simulations to study the mechanism by which thermally activated deformation initiates in a model binary metallic glass. 24 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6083 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Retro-biosynthetic screening of a modular pathway design achieves selective route for microbial synthesis of 4-methyl-pentanol Micah J. Sheppard, Aditya M. Kunjapur, Spencer J. Wenck and Kristala L. J. Prather Microbial pathways can be engineered for the sustainable production of chemical products such as transportation fuels. Here the authors design and implement a de novo biosynthetic pathway in E. coli that is capable of producing the gasoline replacement, 4-methyl-pentanol. 24 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6031 Biological Sciences  Bioengineering  Biotechnology  Causality-driven slow-down and speed-up of diffusion in non-Markovian temporal networks Ingo Scholtes, Nicolas Wider, René Pfitzner, Antonios Garas, Claudio J. Tessone and Frank Schweitzer In complex networks, non-Markovianity is an important mechanism affecting causality and the dynamics of a process. Here, Scholtes et al. introduce an analytical approach to study non-Markovian temporal networks, allowing to predict causality-driven changes of diffusion speed. 24 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6024 Physical Sciences  Theoretical physics  Structural basis for biomolecular recognition in overlapping binding sites in a diiron enzyme system OPEN Justin F. Acheson, Lucas J. Bailey, Nathaniel L. Elsen and Brian G. Fox The ability of a protein to interact with multiple other proteins is an intriguing problem. Here, the authors use crystallography to show how a diiron hydroxylase achieves two distinct steps in the catalytic reaction, by using an overlapping binding site to recognize two different binding partners. 24 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6009 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Combinatorial molecular optimization of cement hydrates OPEN M.J. Abdolhosseini Qomi, K.J. Krakowiak, M. Bauchy, K.L. Stewart, R. Shahsavari, D. Jagannathan, D.B. Brommer, A. Baronnet, M.J. Buehler, S. Yip, F.-J Ulm, K.J. Van Vliet and R.J-.M. Pellenq Concrete is a vital material in meeting present day construction demands. Here, the authors report a computational combinatorial approach to understand how molecular level characteristics influence the mechanical properties of cement hydrates, via screening against distinct defect types. 24 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5960 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Resolution of deep angiosperm phylogeny using conserved nuclear genes and estimates of early divergence times OPEN Liping Zeng, Qiang Zhang, Renran Sun, Hongzhi Kong, Ning Zhang and Hong Ma The phylogenetic relationships of Angiosperms remain uncertain. Here, the authors reconstruct well-supported phylogenetic relationships of the five major groups of Mesangiospermae and estimate divergence times and evolutionary patterns of plant morphological characters. 24 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5956 Biological Sciences  Evolution  ATR/Chk1/Smurf1 pathway determines cell fate after DNA damage by controlling RhoB abundance Meilin Wang, Lei Guo, Qingang Wu, Taoling Zeng, Qi Lin, Yikai Qiao, Qun Wang, Mingdong Liu, Xin Zhang, Lan Ren, Sheng Zhang, Yihua Pei, Zhenyu Yin, Feng Ding and Hong-Rui Wang In response to DNA single-strand breaks, the ATR/Chk1 pathway plays a crucial role in determining whether the lesion is repaired, or whether the cell is eliminated by apoptosis. Wang et al. show that ATR/Chk1 promotes apoptosis through a pathway involving RhoB and the E3 ubiquitin ligase Smurf1. 24 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5901 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Molecular biology  Species traits and phylogenetic conservatism of climate-induced range shifts in stream fishes Lise Comte, Jérôme Murienne and Gaël Grenouillet Climate change is causing many species to shift their distributional ranges. Here, Comte et al. show that, among stream fish, shifts at the leading edge and the trailing edge of the range are influenced by different mechanisms related to individual species traits and their phylogenetic history. 24 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6053 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Polymersome magneto-valves for reversible capture and release of nanoparticles OPEN P.G. van Rhee, R.S.M. Rikken, L.K.E.A. Abdelmohsen, J.C. Maan, R.J.M. Nolte, J.C.M. van Hest, P.C.M. Christianen and D.A. Wilson The structure of polymersome vesicles can be controlled during water dialysis, and this can result in the formation of bowl-shaped somatocytes with hollow interiors. Here, the authors show how these somatocytes can be magnetically controlled to capture and release cargo. 24 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6010 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Theory of low-power ultra-broadband terahertz sideband generation in bi-layer graphene OPEN J. A. Crosse, Xiaodong Xu, Mark S. Sherwin and R. B. Liu In terahertz sideband generation, an electron–hole pair is accelerated in a semiconductor by a terahertz field to then recombines forming a frequency comb, but so far experimental realizations have relied on the large fields of free electron lasers. Here, Crosse et al. propose bi-layer graphene for sideband generation at lower fields. 24 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5854 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Optical physics  Dynamic GATA4 enhancers shape the chromatin landscape central to heart development and disease Aibin He, Fei Gu, Yong Hu, Qing Ma, Lillian Yi Ye, Jennifer A. Akiyama, Axel Visel, Len A. Pennacchio and William T. Pu Transcription factors (TFs) drive spatiotemporal patterns of gene expression that control organ development and disease responses. Here, He et al. show that chromatin occupancy of GATA4 varies between fetal, adult and hypertrophic heart to direct developmental stage- and disease-specific transcriptional programs. 24 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms5907 Biological Sciences  Medical research  Nanomotor lithography Jinxing Li, Wei Gao, Renfeng Dong, Allen Pei, Sirilak Sattayasamitsathit and Joseph Wang Miniaturization of devices and machines requires advanced lithographic techniques, whilst the high cost and complexity are the bottlenecks. Li et al. now show an approach for direct, arbitrary nano-patterning using self-propelled nanomotors acting as mobile nanomasks and near-field lenses. 24 September 2014 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms6026 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology    Nature Communications JOBS of the week Research Associate / Fellow The University of Nottingham PhD fellowship Imperial College London Two Post doctoral researchers The Sainsbury Laboratory (TSL) Nutrition Scientist Nestlé Research Center (NRC) 3 PhD Positions Heinrich Heine University, Düsseldorf Postdoctoral research fellows The Norwegian School of Sport Sciences Postdoctoral Research University of Arizona in Tucson Postdoc position University of Southern California SPIN PhD Fellowship Neuroscience Innsbruck Medical University (IMU) Post Doctoral Research Scientist Rothamsted Research More Science jobs from Nature Communications EVENT Pharmacology 2014 16.12.14 London, UK More science events from     Advertisement Nature Outlook Lung Cancer Lung cancer is the mortality king of malignancy, killing 1.6 million people yearly, with a five-year survival rate under 20%. With such grim statistics in mind, researchers are examining the causes of lung cancer with the aim of creating better treatments or even preventing it.  Access the Outlook free online for six months. Produced with support from Boehringer Ingelheim and Cancer Research UK.     Natureevents is a fully searchable, multi-disciplinary database designed to maximise exposure for events organisers. The contents of the Natureevents Directory are now live. The digital version is available here. Find the latest scientific conferences, courses, meetings and symposia on natureevents.com. For event advertising opportunities across the Nature Publishing Group portfolio please contact natureevents@nature.com  More Nature Events You have been sent this Table of Contents Alert because you have opted in to receive it. 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