Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
The cover is an artistic depiction of cellular rolling along vascular endothelial cells. Three-dimensional reconstructions of quantitative 'footprint' data from neutrophils were provided by Klaus Ley and Prithu Sundd. Cover design by Erin Dewalt. Brief Communication p821
The recent move to halt federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research in the US is a serious blow. Ironically, unless reversed, it will also cripple US participation in the development of induced pluripotent stem cells as a viable alternative.
Optogenetic stimulation by ultrashort laser pulses could allow neural circuits in the living brain to be probed with cellular resolution, despite pervasive light scattering. Now sophisticated new multiphoton stimulation systems that strike a better balance between lateral and axial resolution help realize this potential by matching the illumination volume to the soma's dimensions.
This resource describes a human MAP kinase interactome. Yeast two hybrid-derived protein interaction maps of MAP kinase pathway members are refined using multiple criteria, tested against reference sets, and functionally validated using knockdown with siRNA.
Compared in this Analysis are two widely used procedures for ribosomal RNA removal in metatranscriptomic samples, and the authors present recommendations to prevent misleading analyses of microbial communities.
A comparison of ordination analysis methods used to reveal gradients or clusters in sequence data from microbial communities reveals which methods are best suited for which community structure at different sequencing depth.
Adaptations to total internal reflection microscopy permit visualization of the 'footprint' of rolling cells. Applied to neutrophils rolling in whole blood at physiological levels of shear stress, this approach reveals previously unappreciated features of rolling cell biology.
Random and targeted mutagenesis of the far-red fluorescent protein Katushka followed by screening for low toxicity and red-shifted emission resulted in two near-infrared fluorescent proteins, eqFP650 and eqFP670, that display desirable properties for in vivo imaging compared to existing near-infrared fluorescent proteins.
Single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) is a useful technique for monitoring biomolecular dynamics. A new method, termed switchable FRET, facilitates monitoring of multiple distances in single molecules, using a single donor and multiple spectrally identical acceptors that are switched on and off between a fluorescent state and a dark state.
MicroRNA targets predicted by a variety of computational tools can be validated using a quantitative targeted proteomics approach, using stable isotope labeling and selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry. The authors used this method to confirm predicted let-7 and miR-58 targets in Caenorhabditis elegans.
Alternative expression analysis by sequencing (ALEXA-seq) aligns RNA-seq reads from different cell types to a database of alternative expression sequence features and quantifies isoforms that are differentially expressed between samples.
Generalized phase contrast and temporal focusing are combined to shape two-photon excitation patterns that elicit large photocurrents in ChR2-expressing neurons in culture and slices. This method allows precise aiming of the stimulating light at single neuronal processes, neurons or groups of neurons and can elicit simultaneous excitation of multiple cells using optogenetics.