Playing it safe - p891

doi:10.1038/nm0908-891

Dual-use research—research that could be misused to pose a threat to public safety—needs to be regulated, but the best way to do so is not straightforward at all.

Abstract - | Full Text - Playing it safe | PDF (95 KB) - Playing it safe

Bioterror experts split on recommendations for 'dual use' research - p893

Charlotte Schubert

doi:10.1038/nm0908-893

Full Text - Bioterror experts split on recommendations for 'dual use' research | PDF (246 KB) - Bioterror experts split on recommendations for 'dual use' research

Hope in Alzheimer's fight emerges from unexpected places - p894

Trisha Gura

doi:10.1038/nm0908-894

Full Text - Hope in Alzheimer's fight emerges from unexpected places | PDF (207 KB) - Hope in Alzheimer's fight emerges from unexpected places

Circumcision strategy against HIV continues to prove divisive - p895

Cassandra Willyard

doi:10.1038/nm0908-895a

Full Text - Circumcision strategy against HIV continues to prove divisive | PDF (122 KB) - Circumcision strategy against HIV continues to prove divisive

Stem cells promise to dish on diseases - p895

Coco Ballantyne

doi:10.1038/nm0908-895b

Full Text - Stem cells promise to dish on diseases | PDF (122 KB) - Stem cells promise to dish on diseases

Math and semen analyses cast doubt on Swiss HIV stance - p896

Coco Ballantyne

doi:10.1038/nm0908-896a

Full Text - Math and semen analyses cast doubt on Swiss HIV stance | PDF (173 KB) - Math and semen analyses cast doubt on Swiss HIV stance

Bigger returns sought on health initiatives - p896

Coco Ballantyne

doi:10.1038/nm0908-896b

Full Text - Bigger returns sought on health initiatives | PDF (173 KB) - Bigger returns sought on health initiatives

10 ways to transform your lab - pp897 - 899

Genevive Bjorn

doi:10.1038/nm0908-897

A tremendous amount of investment went into the construction of science facilities during the 1950s through the 1970s. And, because huge sums of money went into building up many of these laboratories, which still stand today, they can't just be bulldozed and rebuilt—it would be terribly wasteful. Yet these labs often seem ill suited for modern research. Researchers' complaints range from cluttered countertops to distracting noise to overcrowded work spaces, just to name a few. These problems create stress and drag on productivity. Others say they have simply outgrown their space, or their work has developed beyond their lab's current technical capabilities.
What happens when a scientist would like to take her research in a certain direction, but her assigned space doesn't allow it? Remodeling could be the answer. There's a growing industry in rehabilitating and modernizing research facilities. Architectural experts say a few strategic changes can bring much needed relief while boosting productivity.
James Hudspeth, director of the F.M. Kirby Center for Sensory Neuroscience at the Rockefeller University in New York, knows firsthand the challenges and rewards of remodeling a lab. As his interdisciplinary research into the biophysical aspects of hearing has expanded over the years, Hudspeth has had to undertake major lab renovations three times during his career.
The most recent remodeling of his lab, completed last year, involved revamping a workspace in an entirely different building. Hudspeth's move is a good example of creative problem-solving that employed a team of architects, engineers, his lab manager and an unflappable project manager. On the following pages, leading architects offer suggestions on how you, too, can update your lab space.

Abstract - | Full Text - 10 ways to transform your lab | PDF (914 KB) - 10 ways to transform your lab

News in brief - pp900 - 901

doi:10.1038/nm0908-900

Full Text - News in brief | PDF (689 KB) - News in brief

Straight talk with...Fotis Kafatos - pp902 - 903

doi:10.1038/nm0908-902

Biologist Fotis Kafatos has spent a career balancing his own research endeavors with efforts to create opportunities for other scientists. Born and raised in Crete, Greece, Kafatos moved to the US to study zoology at Cornell University and, later in the 1960s, biology at Harvard University, where he went on to become the university's youngest full professor at age 29. During his three decades at Harvard, Kafatos maintained close ties with Europe, teaching part-time at Greek universities and founding Crete's Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology. In 1993, he returned to Europe to direct the continent's premiere molecular biology center, the Heidelberg-based European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL), where he strived to create an equal-opportunity environment for scientists from all corners of Europe.
More recently, in late 2005, Kafatos was elected chairman of the policy-setting body for the European Research Council (ERC). Kafatos now divides his time between studying malaria-causing mosquitoes at Imperial College London and leading an organization charged with doling out some 7.5 billion ($11 billion) to Europe's most promising scientists from 2007 to 2013—an infusion of money intended to revitalize the continent's research community. Kafatos talks about his research and his stewardship of the ERC with Coco Ballantyne.

Abstract - | Full Text - Straight talk with...Fotis Kafatos | PDF (319 KB) - Straight talk with...Fotis Kafatos

An evolving threat - pp904 - 907

Charlie Schmidt

doi:10.1038/nm0908-904

Epidemiologists at the University of Stellenbosch, near Cape Town, South Africa, have assembled a vast collection of tuberculosis strains. With it, they're revealing how drug-resistant strains evolve and spread through human populations. Charlie Schmidt reports.

Abstract - | Full Text - An evolving threat | PDF (1,170 KB) - An evolving threat

Science of addiction: lost in a labyrinth - p908

Antonello Bonci reviews The Science of Addiction: From Neurobiology to Treatment by Carlton K. Erickson

doi:10.1038/nm0908-908

Full Text - Science of addiction: lost in a labyrinth | PDF (69 KB) - Science of addiction: lost in a labyrinth

Live longer with LAMP-2 - pp909 - 910

Paul Saftig & Eeva-Liisa Eskelinen

doi:10.1038/nm0908-909

Upregulation of a protein involved in lysosomal degradation of proteins helps stave off some of the cellular decline observed with aging. The findings could lead to new approaches to fend off age-related disease or even extend lifespan (pages 959–965).

Abstract - | Full Text - Live longer with LAMP-2 | PDF (389 KB) - Live longer with LAMP-2

See also: Letter by Zhang & Cuervo

Mitochondrial missile defense - pp910 - 912

Victor Nizet & Marc E Rothenberg

doi:10.1038/nm0908-910

A relatively obscure immune cell, the eosinophil, has a dramatic way of defending against pathogens. It rapidly ejects mitochondrial DNA, ensnaring bacteria and hastening their demise (pages 949–953).

Abstract - | Full Text - Mitochondrial missile defense | PDF (320 KB) - Mitochondrial missile defense

See also: Letter by Yousefi et al.

Disarming the malaria parasite - pp912 - 913

Christian R Engwerda & Michael F Good

doi:10.1038/nm0908-912

Investigation of a genetically attenuated malaria parasite—which infects but does not kill its host—provides insight into how to develop a malaria vaccine (pages 954–958).

Abstract - | Full Text - Disarming the malaria parasite | PDF (1,100 KB) - Disarming the malaria parasite

See also: Letter by Ting et al.

Cell-free DNA resuscitated for tumor testing - pp914 - 915

Michael Fleischhacker & Bernd Schmidt

doi:10.1038/nm0908-914

Extracellular DNA floating around in blood plasma provides an accessible template for detecting mutations associated with tumors. A new technique is able to quantify such mutated DNA and predict relapse in individuals with colorectal cancer. The technique complements other approaches, such as the analysis of tumor cells in the plasma (pages 985–990).

Abstract - | Full Text - Cell-free DNA resuscitated for tumor testing | PDF (208 KB) - Cell-free DNA resuscitated for tumor testing

See also: Technical Report by Diehl et al.

Anti-inflammatory drugs fall short in Alzheimer's disease - p916

doi:10.1038/nm0908-916

Full Text - Anti-inflammatory drugs fall short in Alzheimer's disease | PDF (323 KB) - Anti-inflammatory drugs fall short in Alzheimer's disease

Boosting platelet production - pp917 - 918

Andrew Wei & Shaun P Jackson

doi:10.1038/nm0908-917

Full Text - Boosting platelet production | PDF (537 KB) - Boosting platelet production

Counteracting clotting in sepsis - pp918 - 919

Mark L. Kahn

doi:10.1038/nm0908-918

The complexity of factors that regulate bleeding and coagulation has long confounded researchers. Andrew Wei and Shaun Jackson help clear the air by examining clinical findings pointing to a mechanistic basis for a common bleeding disorder, immune thrombocytopenic purpura. Mark Kahn tackles two research studies that could lead to improved therapies for a coagulation syndrome that hits people with severe sepsis.

Abstract - | Full Text - Counteracting clotting in sepsis | PDF (673 KB) - Counteracting clotting in sepsis

Research highlights - pp920 - 921

doi:10.1038/nm0908-920

Full Text - Research highlights | PDF (311 KB) - Research highlights

Endocannabinoid signaling as a synaptic circuit breaker in neurological disease - pp923 - 930

István Katona & Tamás F Freund

doi:10.1038/nm.f.1869

Abstract - | Full Text - Endocannabinoid signaling as a synaptic circuit breaker in neurological disease | PDF (611 KB) - Endocannabinoid signaling as a synaptic circuit breaker in neurological disease | Supplementary information

The actin cytoskeleton of kidney podocytes is a direct target of the antiproteinuric effect of cyclosporine A - pp931 - 938

Christian Faul, Mary Donnelly, Sandra Merscher-Gomez, Yoon Hee Chang, Stefan Franz, Jacqueline Delfgaauw, Jer-Ming Chang, Hoon Young Choi, Kirk N Campbell, Kwanghee Kim, Jochen Reiser & Peter Mundel

doi:10.1038/nm.1857

Currently, there are few options for treating chronic kidney disease. The immunosuppressant cyclosporine A is effective, but the mechanism has been unclear. In this new report, the authors now show that the benefit of cyclosporine A is not through an effect on the immune system but rather through stabilizing the cytoskeleton, and thus the integrity, of a key cell type needed for proper kidney function.

Abstract - | Full Text - The actin cytoskeleton of kidney podocytes is a direct target of the antiproteinuric effect of cyclosporine A | PDF (726 KB) - The actin cytoskeleton of kidney podocytes is a direct target of the antiproteinuric effect of cyclosporine A | Supplementary information

RPN2 gene confers docetaxel resistance in breast cancer - pp939 - 948

Kimi Honma, Kyoko Iwao-Koizumi, Fumitaka Takeshita, Yusuke Yamamoto, Teruhiko Yoshida, Kazuto Nishio, Shunji Nagahara, Kikuya Kato & Takahiro Ochiya

doi:10.1038/nm.1858

Resistance to drugs is a clinical problem. Downregulating the gene RPN2, which encodes part of an N-oligosaccharyl transferase complex, sensitized breast cancer cells to the cancer drug docetaxel in vivo and in vitro. RPN2 might be a therapeutic target against drug resistance in cancer.

Abstract - | Full Text - RPN2 gene confers docetaxel resistance in breast cancer | PDF (457 KB) - RPN2 gene confers docetaxel resistance in breast cancer | Supplementary information

Catapult-like release of mitochondrial DNA by eosinophils contributes to antibacterial defense - pp949 - 953

Shida Yousefi, Jeffrey A Gold, Nicola Andina, James J Lee, Ann M Kelly, Evelyne Kozlowski, Inès Schmid, Alex Straumann, Janine Reichenbach, Gerald J Gleich & Hans-Uwe Simon

doi:10.1038/nm.1855

Yousefi et al. reveal a new function of eosinophils and suggest they have an antibacterial role in the gut. The cells fire spurts of mitochondrial DNA and granule proteins in response to infection, entrapping and killing the extracellular bacteria (pages 910–911).

First Paragraph - | Full Text - Catapult-like release of mitochondrial DNA by eosinophils contributes to antibacterial defense | PDF (621 KB) - Catapult-like release of mitochondrial DNA by eosinophils contributes to antibacterial defense | Supplementary information

See also: News and Views by Nizet & Rothenberg

Attenuated Plasmodium yoelii lacking purine nucleoside phosphorylase confer protective immunity - pp954 - 958

Li-Min Ting, Mathieu Gissot, Alida Coppi, Photini Sinnis & Kami Kim

doi:10.1038/nm.1867

Malaria parasites lacking an enzyme from the purine salvage pathway show attenuated replication in red blood cells and are cleared from mice. The findings suggest a strategy for the development of blood-stage malaria vaccine strains (pages 912–913).

First Paragraph - | Full Text - Attenuated Plasmodium yoelii lacking purine nucleoside phosphorylase confer protective immunity | PDF (196 KB) - Attenuated Plasmodium yoelii lacking purine nucleoside phosphorylase confer protective immunity | Supplementary information

See also: News and Views by Engwerda & Good

Restoration of chaperone-mediated autophagy in aging liver improves cellular maintenance and hepatic function - pp959 - 965

Cong Zhang & Ana Maria Cuervo

doi:10.1038/nm.1851

Chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA), a mechanism for the lysosomal degradation of proteins, declines in aging cells. Using transgenic mice in which such a decline does not occur in the liver, the authors found that preserving CMA leads to reduced accumulation of damaged proteins and improved organ function in aged mice (pages 909–910).

First Paragraph - | Full Text - Restoration of chaperone-mediated autophagy in aging liver improves cellular maintenance and hepatic function | PDF (638 KB) - Restoration of chaperone-mediated autophagy in aging liver improves cellular maintenance and hepatic function | Supplementary information

See also: News and Views by Saftig & Eskelinen

Brain-type creatine kinase has a crucial role in osteoclast-mediated bone resorption - pp966 - 972

Eun-Ju Chang, Jeongim Ha, Frank Oerlemans, You Jin Lee, Soo Woong Lee, Jiyoon Ryu, Hyung Joon Kim, Youngkyun Lee, Hyun-Man Kim, Je-Yong Choi, Jin Young Kim, Chan Soo Shin, Youngmi Kim Pak, Sakae Tanaka, Bé Wieringa, Zang Hee Lee & Hong-Hee Kim

doi:10.1038/nm.1860

Brain-type creatine kinase (Ckb) has an unexpected role in bone biology. Decreasing its activity suppresses the bone-resorbing activity of osteoclasts, and mice lacking Ckb are protected from osteoporosis-inducing treatments. These findings identify Ckb as a new molecular against bone loss.

First Paragraph - | Full Text - Brain-type creatine kinase has a crucial role in osteoclast-mediated bone resorption | PDF (609 KB) - Brain-type creatine kinase has a crucial role in osteoclast-mediated bone resorption | Supplementary information

PlGF–MMP-9–expressing cells restore microcirculation and efficacy of cell therapy in aged dystrophic muscle - pp973 - 978

Cesare Gargioli, Marcello Coletta, Fabrizio De Grandis, Stefano M Cannata & Giulio Cossu

doi:10.1038/nm.1852

Promising results using cell therapy in animal models of muscular dystrophy have recently been reported. However, a limitation of this previous work is that therapeutic effects have been shown only in young animals, whereas many patients who could benefit from such therapy are at advanced stages of disease. As dystrophic muscle ages, it becomes sclerotic and is infiltrated by fat, presenting an obstacle to cell delivery. This paper reports that this obstacle can be overcome by pretreatment of the muscle with tendon fibroblasts that have been genetically modified to express an angiogenic factor and a metalloprotease.

First Paragraph - | Full Text - PlGF–MMP-9–expressing cells restore microcirculation and efficacy of cell therapy in aged dystrophic muscle | PDF (589 KB) - PlGF–MMP-9–expressing cells restore microcirculation and efficacy of cell therapy in aged dystrophic muscle | Supplementary information

An efficient and versatile system for acute and chronic modulation of renal tubular function in transgenic mice - pp979 - 984

Milena Traykova-Brauch, Kai Schönig, Oliver Greiner, Tewfik Miloud, Anna Jauch, Manja Bode, Dean W Felsher, Adam B Glick, David J Kwiatkowski, Hermann Bujard, Jürgen Horst, Magnus von Knebel Doeberitz, Felix K Niggli, Wilhelm Kriz, Hermann-Josef Gröne & Robert Koesters

doi:10.1038/nm.1865

Traykova-Brauch et al. have developed a new approach to modeling renal diseases such as polycystic kidney disease, renal fibrosis and renal cancer in transgenic mice. In contrast to currently available tools, Pax8-rtTA–transgenic mice have high levels of transgene expression in a highly kidney-specific, uniform and tetracycline–dependent manner. The usefulness of the Pax8–rtTA system, which is both inducible and reversible, has been shown in three different settings.

Abstract - | Full Text - An efficient and versatile system for acute and chronic modulation of renal tubular function in transgenic mice | PDF (1,185 KB) - An efficient and versatile system for acute and chronic modulation of renal tubular function in transgenic mice | Supplementary information

Circulating mutant DNA to assess tumor dynamics - pp985 - 990

Frank Diehl, Kerstin Schmidt, Michael A Choti, Katharine Romans, Steven Goodman, Meng Li, Katherine Thornton, Nishant Agrawal, Lori Sokoll, Steve A Szabo, Kenneth W Kinzler, Bert Vogelstein & Luis A Diaz Jr

doi:10.1038/nm.1789

Abstract - | Full Text - Circulating mutant DNA to assess tumor dynamics | PDF (450 KB) - Circulating mutant DNA to assess tumor dynamics | Supplementary information

See also: News and Views by Fleischhacker & Schmidt