EMBO reports Table of Contents for May 2016; Vol. 17, No. 5

May 2016 | Volume 17, Number 5 Submit Table of Contents Correspondence Science & Society Scientific Reports Articles Corrigendum Volume 17, Number 5 Correspondence Taking peer review seriously A comment on “Social influence and peer review — impact factor and citation”. Bernard Moussian Published online 07.04.2016 Response to Moussian The original authors' response. Daniel Fisher and Nikolaos Parisis Published online 07.04.2016 Science & Society Global hazards of herbal remedies: lessons from Aristolochia: The lesson from the health hazards of Aristolochia should lead to more research into the safety and efficacy of medicinal plants It took years of epidemiological and molecular research to demonstrate that Aristolochia, a widely used herbal remedy, causes cancer and kidney failure. This and similar lessons should inspire more global efforts to properly investigate the safety and efficacy of all herbal treatments. Arthur P Grollman and Donald M Marcus Published online 25.04.2016 Do you speak chemistry?: Small chemical compounds represent the evolutionary oldest form of communication between organisms Plants have evolved sophisticated chemical communication to sense and warn each other of predators, and to fight back. Understanding the details of this chemical language could aid the search for natural and sustainable methods to increase yields in agriculture. Axel Mithöfer and Wilhelm Boland Published online 20.04.2016 Rodent meat – a sustainable way to feed the world?: Using rodents as food has a long tradition in many parts of the world The idea of rearing and eating rodents as “mini‐livestock” might sound unpalatable to many Westerners, but rodent meat has a long culinary tradition in other parts of the world and could become an important component of sustainable global agriculture. Karl Gruber Published online 04.04.2016 Shining a light on optogenetics: Advances in electronics and protein engineering advance the field of optogenetics to study the activity of neuronal networks The rapidly emerging field of optogenetics merges cell science with microelectronics. Bionic implants to manipulate gene expression and cell physiology with great spatial precision are revolutionizing research and show potential for new therapeutic approaches. Philip Hunter Published online 06.04.2016 Scientific Reports The antiobesity factor WDTC1 suppresses adipogenesis via the CRL4WDTC1 E3 ligase WDTC1/Adp has demonstrated to possess fat‐suppressive functions in many organisms. This study elucidates the biochemical activity underlying the antiadipogenic function of WDTC1. Beezly S Groh, Feng Yan, Matthew D Smith, Yanbao Yu, Xian Chen, and Yue Xiong Published online 09.04.2016 miR‐10b expression in breast cancer stem cells supports self‐renewal through negative PTEN regulation and sustained AKT activation The oncogenic microRNA miR‐10b regulates the stem phenotype of breast cancer cells. This is accomplished by targeting the PTEN tumor suppressor gene, which in turns increases the activation of Akt. Ivan Bahena‐Ocampo, Magali Espinosa, Gisela Ceballos‐Cancino, Floria Lizarraga, Denise Campos‐Arroyo, Angela Schwarz, Vilma Maldonado, and Jorge Melendez‐Zajgla Published online 09.04.2016 Tousled‐like kinase 2 regulates recovery from a DNA damage‐induced G2 arrest During a DNA damage‐induced arrest in G2, Tlk2 controls the restoration of chromatin structure through the histone chaperone Asf1A. Failure to do so leads to reduced transcription of pro‐mitotic genes and subsequent loss of the competence to recover from a DNA damage‐induced arrest. Wytse Bruinsma, Jeroen van den Berg, Melinda Aprelia, and René H Medema Published online 01.03.2016 ATM/ATR‐mediated phosphorylation of PALB2 promotes RAD51 function In response to genotoxic stress, the tumor suppressor PALB2 is phosphorylated by ATM and ATR kinases to promote the function of RAD51 in DNA repair, with potential implications for tumorigenesis. Johanna K Ahlskog, Brian D Larsen, Kavya Achanta, and Claus S Sørensen Published online 04.04.2016 Sonic hedgehog is a regulator of extracellular glutamate levels and epilepsy This study shows that sonic hedgehog (Shh) can regulate extracellular glutamate levels, which has implications for neuronal activity and epilepsy. Shengjie Feng, Shaorong Ma, Caixia Jia, Yujuan Su, Shenglian Yang, Kechun Zhou, Yani Liu, Ju Cheng, Dunguo Lu, Liu Fan, and Yizheng Wang Published online 04.04.2016 Articles Sororin loads to the synaptonemal complex central region independently of meiotic cohesin complexes This study analyses the distribution of Sororin, a regulatory factor of the cohesin complex, during male mouse meiosis. The results suggest different functions of Sororin at the synaptonemal complex and at the centromere. Rocío Gómez, Natalia Felipe‐Medina, Miguel Ruiz‐Torres, Inés Berenguer, Alberto Viera, Sara Pérez, José Luis Barbero, Elena Llano, Tomoyuki Fukuda, Manfred Alsheimer, Alberto M Pendás, Ana Losada, and José A Suja Published online 07.03.2016 Cyclic expression of the voltage‐gated potassium channel KV10.1 promotes disassembly of the primary cilium This study shows that KV10.1 voltage‐gated potassium channels localize to the centrosome/primary cilium, where they participate in ciliary disassembly. Abnormal expression decouples the ciliary cycle from the cell cycle, explaining the pro‐tumorigenic effects of the channel. Araceli Sánchez, Diana Urrego, and Luis A Pardo Published online 20.04.2016 The deubiquitinase Usp27x stabilizes the BH3‐only protein Bim and enhances apoptosis This study shows that the deubiquitinase Usp27x binds to the pro‐apoptotic BH3‐only protein Bim and counter‐regulates Bim degradation through the Raf/ERK pathway. Levels of Usp27x determine the apoptotic outcome and might be relevant for the treatment response in such cells. Arnim Weber, Melanie Heinlein, Jörn Dengjel, Claudia Alber, Prafull Kumar Singh, and Georg Häcker Published online 24.03.2016 An essential role for Grk2 in Hedgehog signalling downstream of Smoothened Loss of zebrafish Grk2 eliminates all responses to Hh signalling during embryogenesis, but phospho‐null mutants of Smo retain significant activity, suggesting that Smo is not the principal target of Grk2. Zhonghua Zhao, Raymond Teck Ho Lee, Ganesh V Pusapati, Audrey Iyu, Rajat Rohatgi, and Philip W Ingham Published online 04.04.2016 Regulating retrotransposon activity through the use of alternative transcription start sites Retrotransposons can be activated under cellular stress conditions or at specific developmental stages. This study reveals a new mechanism of dynamic retrotransposon regulation by alternative transcription start site (TSS) selection. Jenna Persson, Babett Steglich, Agata Smialowska, Mette Boyd, Jette Bornholdt, Robin Andersson, Catherine Schurra, Benoit Arcangioli, Albin Sandelin, Olaf Nielsen, and Karl Ekwall Published online 22.02.2016 R‐spondin 1 and noggin facilitate expansion of resident stem cells from non‐damaged gallbladders Stem/progenitor cells isolated from healthy gallbladders can be expanded for more than one year as organoids in vitro in the presence of R‐spondin 1 and noggin. These cells can be induced to differentiate toward the hepatocyte fate and can be transplanted in mouse livers. Natalia Lugli, Irene Kamileri, Adrian Keogh, Thomas Malinka, Michalis E Sarris, Iannis Talianidis, Olivier Schaad, Daniel Candinas, Deborah Stroka, and Thanos D Halazonetis Published online 18.03.2016 Corrigendum Exploiting dominant‐negative toxins to combat Staphylococcus aureus pathogenesis Tamara Reyes‐Robles, Ashira Lubkin, Francis Alonzo III, D Borden Lacy, and Victor J Torres Published online 02.05.2016   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 © 2016 by the European Molecular Biology Organisation.