Anatomy articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    How mechanical forces drive fluid transport in the kidney remains unclear. Here, the authors use a microfluidic platform to show that kidney epithelial cells generate hydraulic pressure gradients across the epithelium, and that the fluid flux is from apical to basal for normal cells, and inverted in autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease cells.

    • Mohammad Ikbal Choudhury
    • , Yizeng Li
    •  & Sean X. Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Resistance exercise training (RET) is an effective countermeasure to sarcopenia, related frailty and metabolic disorders. Here, the authors show that an RET-induced increase in PGC-1α4 expression not only promotes muscle hypertrophy but also enhances glycolysis, providing a rapid supply of ATP for muscle contractions.

    • Jin-Ho Koh
    • , Mark W. Pataky
    •  & K. Sreekumaran Nair

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Limits of AAV-mediated gene therapy include targeting dominant mutations and inducing long-term transgene expression. Here, the authors show that AAV-HITI results in efficient allele-independent integration of a donor DNA in both retina and liver providing therapeutic benefit in mouse models of either a genetic form of blindness or a lysosomal storage disease, respectively.

    • Patrizia Tornabene
    • , Rita Ferla
    •  & Alberto Auricchio

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Exercise is helpful to counteract obesity and the related complications, and positive effects are associated to a switch of muscle fibres to an oxidative type. Here, the authors show that sirtuin 6 overexpression in mice induces such a switch by modulating Sox6 and CREB signalling, suggesting that sirtuin 6 may be a target for exercise mimetics.

    • Mi-Young Song
    • , Chang Yeob Han
    •  & Byung-Hyun Park

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Endoplasmic Reticulum stress induces cell non-autonomous Unfolded Protein Response (UPR) activation. Here the authors show that long-chain ceramides are secreted from muscle cells in extracellular vesicles and induce cell non-autonomous UPR activation in muscle cells in response to lipotoxcity.

    • Ben D. McNally
    • , Dean F. Ashley
    •  & Lee D. Roberts

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Obesity impairs regulation of adipocyte lipolysis, which contributes towards development of insulin resistance. Here the authors report that adipocyte Gq signaling functions as a regulator of lipolysis and systemic glucose and lipid homeostasis in mice, suggesting that agents able to stimulate this pathway may prove useful as antidiabetic drugs.

    • Takefumi Kimura
    • , Sai P. Pydi
    •  & Jürgen Wess

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Pre-existing antibodies against Cas9 proteins represent a potential issue for gene therapies, including those targeting the eye. Here the authors assess the presence of intraocular antibodies, and show that Cas9 antibodies were prevalent in human serum but not the eye, unless prior bacterial infection occurred.

    • Marcus A. Toral
    • , Carsten T. Charlesworth
    •  & Vinit B. Mahajan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bone remodeling involves a switch between bone formation and resorption, but the mechanisms is unclear. Here, the authors show that intercellular communication via extracellular vesicles secreted by mature osteoblasts is a key factor for the switching, via a microRNA-mediated mechanism.

    • Maki Uenaka
    • , Erika Yamashita
    •  & Masaru Ishii

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a leading cause of blindness and is characterised by the accumulation of lipid deposits, called drusen. Here, the authors show that mice lacking chloride intracellular channel 4 in retinal pigment epithelium have defective lipid processing in the eye and pathological features mirroring human AMD, including drusen formation.

    • Jen-Zen Chuang
    • , Nan Yang
    •  & Ching-Hwa Sung

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Disruption of CREB/CRTC2, a key gluconeogenic transcriptional complex, has been shown to ameliorate insulin resistance in mice. Here, the authors show that the inhibitor artipllin C and the synthetic compound A57, which presents with higher inhibitory activity, improve insulin sensitivity in obese mice by inhibiting CREB-CRTC2 interaction.

    • Yaqiong Chen
    • , Jiang Wang
    •  & Yi Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Studies in animal models have visualized drainage of interstitial or cerebrospinal fluid via lymphatic vessels, but there is limited data on in humans. Here, the authors non-invasively visualize lymphatic structures in the human brain, including evidence of lymphatic flow from cranial nerves to cervical lymph nodes, and differences by age and sex, without use of contrast agents.

    • Mehmet Sait Albayram
    • , Garrett Smith
    •  & Onder Albayram

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Muscle undergoes hypertrophy and atrophy in response to physiological stimuli or in pathological conditions, which is partially controlled through altered gene expression. Here the authors report that m6A methyltransferase METTL3 and mRNA m6A post-transcriptional modifications as a mechanism that regulates muscle hypertrophy and atrophy via myostatin signalling in mice.

    • Jennifer M. Petrosino
    • , Scott A. Hinger
    •  & Federica Accornero

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Maturing erythroblasts become smaller with every cell division. Here, the authors show that Epo stimulation promotes cell division and also generates larger red cells, and that this occurs in mouse and human cells, suggesting that red cell size could be a diagnostic marker for hypoxic stress.

    • Daniel Hidalgo
    • , Jacob Bejder
    •  & Merav Socolovsky

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The authors introduce PharmacoSTORM single-molecule imaging that uses fluorescent ligands and immunolabeling for cellular and subcellular nanoscale molecular pharmacology. They demonstrate its capabilities by visualizing cariprazine binding to D3 dopamine receptors on Islands of Calleja granule cell axons.

    • Susanne Prokop
    • , Péter Ábrányi-Balogh
    •  & István Katona

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The first known portal system in the mammalian brain was identified in 1933. Here the authors describe a new portal system between the capillary beds of the Suprachiasmatic Nucleus master clock and a circumventricular organ, enabling humoral signals to reach targets without dilution in the systemic circulation.

    • Yifan Yao
    • , Alana B’nai Taub
    •  & Rae Silver

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although the first dissection of the human ovary dates back to the 17th century, its characterization is still limited. Here, the authors have unraveled a unique biophysical and topological phenotype of reproductive-age tissue, bridging biophysics and female fertility and providing a blueprint for the artificial ovary.

    • Emna Ouni
    • , Alexis Peaucelle
    •  & Christiani A. Amorim

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Brown adipose tissue (BAT) in infants has been studied for more than a century, however, the knowledge about its physiological features is limited. Here, the authors investigate the link between BAT thermogenesis and the regulation of temperature in human new-borns with non-invasive infrared thermography.

    • Adela Urisarri
    • , Ismael González-García
    •  & Miguel López

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Soft tissue trauma can result in aberrant osteochondral differentiation of local mesenchymal progenitor cells. Here the authors show that, in mice, soft tissue trauma results in NGF expression by perivascular cells, which leads to axonal invasion and drives abnormal osteochondral differentiation, and show that this process can be prevented by inhibition of NGF signaling.

    • Seungyong Lee
    • , Charles Hwang
    •  & Benjamin Levi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Genetic association signals for fractures have been reported at the RSPO3 locus, but the causal gene and the underlying mechanism are unknown. Here, the authors show that RSPO3 exerts an important role for vertebral trabecular bone mass and bone strength in mice and fracture risk in humans.

    • Karin H. Nilsson
    • , Petra Henning
    •  & Claes Ohlsson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The cellular identity and function of the pancreatic polypeptide (Ppy)-producing γ-cells are incompletely understood. Here the authors show that these cells are heterogeneous and display adaptive plasticity to engage in insulin production following β-cell injury, but loss of the Ppy gene or γ-cells in mice does not affect weight or glycemia under basal conditions.

    • Marta Perez-Frances
    • , Léon van Gurp
    •  & Pedro L. Herrera

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While many genetic loci have been found to be associated with disease, not many have had their causal variants and mechanisms investigated. Here, the authors experimentally dissect two loci near GDF5 which are associated with two different joint disorders and which map to independent regulatory elements.

    • Pushpanathan Muthuirulan
    • , Dewei Zhao
    •  & Terence D. Capellini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The gene regulatory network controlling the bifurcation of common progenitors into the neural retina and retinal-pigmented epithelium programs remains poorly understood. Here the authors study transcriptome dynamics and chromatin accessibility during this process in zebrafish, revealing network redundancy, as well as context-dependent and sequential transcription factor activity.

    • Lorena Buono
    • , Jorge Corbacho
    •  & Juan-Ramón Martínez-Morales

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Many animals, including mammals and insects, like slightly acidic yet dislike highly acidic foods, but how animals discriminate low from high acidity is unclear. Here the authors demonstrate that the fruit fly uses an evolutionarily conserved taste receptor to distinguish low from high concentrations of acid.

    • Tingwei Mi
    • , John O. Mack
    •  & Yali V. Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Regular exercise promotes overall health and prevents non-communicable diseases, but the adaptation mechanisms are unclear. Here, the authors perform a meta-analysis to reveal time-specific patterns of the acute and long-term exercise response in human skeletal muscle, and identify sex- and age-specific changes.

    • David Amar
    • , Malene E. Lindholm
    •  & Euan A. Ashley

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Antibody-based Wnt agonists are able to phenocopy Wnt signaling in vivo resulting in increased bone density, repair, and strength. Here, the authors show that Wnt agonists can reverse bone loss associated with ovariectomy and build stronger bone when administered after fracture.

    • Tristan W. Fowler
    • , Troy L. Mitchell
    •  & Yang Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) combines the high tissue penetration of X-rays with specificity to periodic nanostructures. The authors use SAXS tensor tomography (SAXS-TT) on intact mouse and human brain tissue samples, to quantify myelin levels and determine myelin integrity, myelinated axon orientation, and fibre tracts non-destructively.

    • Marios Georgiadis
    • , Aileen Schroeter
    •  & Markus Rudin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Differences in thalamic structure have been observed in several psychiatric disorders, but the genetic overlap has not been explored. Here, the authors perform a genome-wide association study on thalamic nuclei volume and find genetic loci in common between thalamic volumes and brain disorders.

    • Torbjørn Elvsåshagen
    • , Alexey Shadrin
    •  & Tobias Kaufmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Supplementation of magnesium (Mg2+) or its inclusion in biomaterials has beneficial effects for bone formation, but it has also been reported that it can have detrimental effects. Here, the authors analyse dose- and time-dependent effects of Mg2+ on bone regeneration and show that it can stimulate monocyte-macrophage lineage cells to support bone formation in the early phases of repair, but inhibit bone repair and mineralization in later stages by promoting a pro-inflammatory environment.

    • Wei Qiao
    • , Karen H. M. Wong
    •  & Kelvin W. K. Yeung

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Osteocytes are the master regulatory cells within the skeleton. Here, the authors map the transcriptome of osteocytes from diverse skeletal sites, ages and between sexes and identify an osteocyte transcriptome signature associated with rare skeletal disorders and common complex skeletal diseases.

    • Scott E. Youlten
    • , John P. Kemp
    •  & Peter I. Croucher

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mechanism by which parathyroid hormone mediates the switch from bone resorption to bone formation is unclear. Here, the authors show that SLPI regulates the communication between osteoblasts and osteoclasts to promote the anabolic effect of parathyroid hormone.

    • Akito Morimoto
    • , Junichi Kikuta
    •  & Masaru Ishii

  • Article
    | Open Access

    As human skeletal muscle ages, gene expression programs change and reflect damage accumulation and homeostatic resilience mechanisms. Here, the authors present a detailed framework of the global transcriptome that characterizes skeletal muscle during aging in healthy individuals.

    • Robert A. Tumasian III
    • , Abhinav Harish
    •  & Luigi Ferrucci

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The functional relationship between subchondral bone and articular cartilage is unclear. Here, the authors show that transforming growth factor-beta propagates the mechanical impact of subchondral bone on articular cartilage through αV integrin–talin mechanical transduction system in chondrocytes.

    • Gehua Zhen
    • , Qiaoyue Guo
    •  & Xu Cao

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