Articles in 2015

DNA methylation is an important regulatory process and is essential for correct development and physiology. Here the authors show the long non-coding RNA H19regulates methylation by binding and inhibiting S-adenosylhomocysteine hydrolase.

p53 is a tumour suppressor that is mutated in a large number of cancers and its expression is controlled largely by the ubiquitin ligase MDM2. Here, the authors show that the homeoprotein, Six1, can regulate p53 in an MDM2- independent manner via regulation of miR-27a and the RNA binding protein, RPL26.

Caged signalling intermediates are powerful cell biological tools, however it can be challenging to precisely control where activation occurs. Nadler et al. develop a caging group that specifically targets the plasma membrane, and demonstrate spatially controlled activation of arachidonic acid signalling.

Halophilic organisms thrive in high salt conditions and express proteins that display desirable characteristics for industrial applications. Here, the authors use a rational design approach to transform wild-type carbonic anhydrase into a strongly halophilic enzyme.

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common cause of respiratory tract infections. Here the authors analyse cellular immune responses of individuals experimentally infected with RSV and reveal the presence of high frequencies of virus- specific resident memory CD8⁺T cells in the airway, which correlate with improved viral control.

SARD1 and CBP60g are two plant transcription factors that regulate salicylic acid biosynthesis in response to pathogens. Here, Sun et al.show that they bind a wide array of loci related to multiple defence signalling pathways suggesting a broader role as regulators of the plant immune response.

Activation-induced deoxycytidine deaminase (AID) induces somatic hypermutation and class-switch recombination during transcription of immunoglobulin genes. Here the authors use single-molecule FRET to show that AID translocates together with RNA polymerase and scans within stalled transcription bubbles.

Rabphilin 3A is a synaptic vesicle-associated protein involved in membrane trafficking at presynaptic sites. Here Stanic et al.show that Rabphilin 3A binds to the NMDA receptor GluN2A and stabilises its surface localisation at postsynaptic sites in dendritic spines.

Fanconi anaemia is an inherited disorder characterised by developmental abnormalities, bone marrow failure and predisposition to cancer. Here the authors report a de novo mutation in the DNA repair gene Rad51in an atypical subtype of Fanconi anaemia.

Histone modifying enzymes are required for cell differentiation and lineage commitment during embryonic development. By a comprehensive set of epigenome reference maps of Xenopusembryos, the authors show that H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 exert an extended maternal control well into post-gastrulation development.

Using a single catalyst to promote multiple distinct reactions without alteration in reaction conditions is an attractive synthetic goal. Here, to this end, the authors have developed a polyoxometalate-based metal-organic framework for the synthesis of cyclic carbonates from olefins.

RNA interference inadvertently represses off-target transcripts. Here, Lee et al.report that substituting nucleotide in position 6 of the seed region of the small interfering RNAs with abasic spacers can significantly decrease miRNA-like off-target repression while preserving on-target activity.

Forest fragmentation is thought to reduce carbon storage at forest edges. Here, using remote sensing datasets, the authors show that biomass is 25% lower within 500 m of the forest edge, and suggest that fragmentation results in a global reduction in tropical forest carbon stocks by nearly 10%.

Auxilliary Activity Family 5 (AA5) comprises mononuclear copper radical oxidases with catalytic diversity that is not well characterised. Here, structural, phylogenetic and biochemical analyses advance our understanding of the potential biological and biotechnology functions of these proteins.

Cyclotides are plant backbone-cyclised peptides with potential as pharmaceutical scaffolds. Here the authors report on the efficient backbone cyclization of cyclotides and unrelated peptides by a newly identified asparaginyl endopeptidase from Oldenlandia affinis.

A-kinase anchoring protein 9 (AKAP9) is a scaffold protein that binds signalling proteins and regulates microtubules. Here the authors show that during inflammation AKAP9 in T cells is required for their reactivation and retention at the inflammation site and that its deletion protects from inflammation-induced organ damage.

Our understanding of the conditions that characterised Neoproterozoic Earth are hindered by a lack of suitable proxies. Here, the authors propose and demonstrate the use of selenium isotopes as tracers of Earth's redox conditions.

Dirac semimetals possess an electronic dispersion relation which is linear in three dimensions, making them three-dimensional analogues of graphene. Here, the authors report large negative magnetoresistance in single-crystal Cd₃As₂nanowires, evidencing a sought-after chiral anomaly effect.

K_v3 potassium channels have an important role in the repolarization of action potentials in fast-spiking neurons. Here, the authors use electrophysiology and modelling to report on an interesting mechanism that might explain their gating behaviour.

Diacylglycerol kinase is a small bacterial membrane-bound trimer that catalyses diacylglycerol conversion to phosphatidic acid. Here, the authors solve the crystal structure of the kinase bound to a lipid substrate and an ATP analogue, and show that the active site arose through convergent evolution.