Articles

During red blood cell infection, malaria parasites export hundreds of proteins that remodel the host cell surface. Cowman and colleagues identify a putative protein translocator complex spatially associated with exported proteins, revealing the cellular domains involved in protein export.

Semaphorin 4A is implicated in photoreceptor survival. Nojima and colleagues generate transgenic mice with different mutations in the Sema4A gene and find that point mutation of F350 causes severe degeneration in photoreceptor cells, which can be rescued by virus-mediated gene therapy.

3-hydroxy-γ-butyrolactone (3HBL) is a building block for many valuable drugs and is synthesized via a costly industrial process. Martin et al. engineer a novel biosynthetic pathway for the inexpensive production of 3HBL and other 3-hydroxyacids in E. coli.

Trichoplaxis the most primitive multicellular animal on Earth and thus provides insight into the earliest stages of evolution. Delving deep into the proteome, Heck and colleagues observe a burst in tyrosine phosphorylation, confirming the hypothesis that at the onset of this new communication system a surplus of phosphorylation took place.

The electronic band structure of (Ga,Mn)As has been debated due to contrasting reports of experimental findings from samples differently synthesized. Nĕmec et al.show that a careful optimization of the synthesis protocol is necessary to evaluate the intrinsic semiconducting and magnetic properties of (Ga,Mn)As.

About 40% of human cancers carry missense mutations in the tumour suppressor protein p53. Here the authors identify a transiently open pocket in the protein, and by targeting a small molecule to it, partially restore mutant p53 tumour suppressor activity.

The neurotransmitter noradrenaline can regulate cellular processes that contribute to cancer progression, but the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here the authors identify Src as a key mediator of noradrenaline signalling networks in tumour metastasis.

Heat shock factor-1 is a transcriptional regulator of heat shock proteins that is implicated in neurodegeneration. Kondo and colleagues study the effects of deleting heat shock factor-1 in a mouse model of muscular dystrophy and find that this augments the condition via the accumulation of androgen receptors.

Agrobacterium radiobacter strain K84 generates an antibiotic targeting pathogenic strains of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, enabling its use as a biocontrol to prevent infection of crops. Here the authors show that this antibiotic inhibits leucyl-tRNA synthetases via an unusual mechanism that depends on binding of tRNALeu.

Microbial fatty acid-derived fuels represent promising alternatives to the traditionally used fossil fuels. Koffas and colleagues report that E. colicentral metabolism can be modified to produce large quantities of fatty acids through a modular pathway engineering strategy.

Metallic particles are known to etch the surface layers of graphite by catalytic hydrogenation. Here, the authors report the sub-surface etching of graphite by Ni nanoparticles, revealing the formation of networks of tunnels, which are observed microscopically and could be modified for various applications.

The bombardment of structural metals in nuclear reactors by high-energy particles causes them to develop defects, such as stacking-fault tetrahedra defects, that are difficult to cure. Yu et al.find that in nanotwinned silver such defects can be removed at room temperature by the propagation of mobile twin boundaries.

A nested pattern of interactions is thought to promote species persistence in mutualistic ecological networks. In this study, Staniczenko et al. introduce a spectral graph measure of nestedness, to show that nestedness is maximally destabilizing and demonstrate that empirical species preferences are not quantitatively nested.

The use of electric fields to control the magnetization of ferromagnetic materials could enable more efficient electronics. Lei et al.show that by applying lateral strain to a magnetostrictive nanowire with a piezoelectric, voltage-controlled gating of magnetic domain wall motion in the wire can be achieved.

Biological invasion varies under different environmental stressors. Here, using a fully controlled system of bacterial communities, De Roy et al. find that community evenness affects the level of invasion, and that the community’s response depends on specific environmental conditions as well as the community evenness.

Highly mobile electrons at the interface of two perovskite oxides are of considerable interest for electronic applications. In this work, the discovery of such an electron gas at the interface of a spinel and a perovskite oxide represents a new approach to look for oxide systems with enhanced properties.

Double-walled carbon nanotubes are a convenient system for studying quantum mechanical interactions in distinct but coupled nanostructures. Liu et al.characterize the coupling between radial-breathing mode oscillations of inner and outer walls of many double-walled nanotubes of different diameter and chirality.

Hydrogen sulphide is a signalling molecule with cytoprotective activity in mammals. Here, Kimura and colleagues identify a new biosynthetic pathway for the production of hydrogen sulphide from D-cysteine, which is shown to protect mouse kidneys from oxidative stress after ischaemia/reperfusion injury.

Understanding high temperature superconductivity in the cuprates is one of the hardest problems in physics to date. Wang et al.use state-of-the-art scanning tunnelling spectroscopy to visualize the atomic-scale electronic structure of the Mott insulator phase from which this elusive state emerges.

Specimens of the Early Cretaceous bird C. sanctuswith ornamental tail feathers are commonly interpreted as male, and those without as female. In this study, in support of this theory, medullary bone—a tissue unique to reproductively active female birds—is found in a specimen without ornamental feathers.