Nature Careers Podcast |
Featured
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Outlook |
Sustainable nutrition
The world’s population is estimated to reach 10 billion by 2050. Providing everyone with a nutritious diet and protecting the planet requires a global response.
- Catherine Armitage
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Outlook |
Could a better diet improve mental health?
Brain function and food are thought to be connected through the community of microorganisms that live in the gut.
- Clare Watson
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Article |
A brainstem peptide system activated at birth protects postnatal breathing
A peptidergic brainstem circuit is identified that supports the initiation and establishment of breathing by providing a supplementary respiratory drive immediately after birth.
- Yingtang Shi
- , Daniel S. Stornetta
- & Douglas A. Bayliss
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Article |
Reprogramming to recover youthful epigenetic information and restore vision
Expression of three Yamanaka transcription factors in mouse retinal ganglion cells restores youthful DNA methylation patterns, promotes axon regeneration after injury, and reverses vision loss in a mouse model of glaucoma and in aged mice, suggesting that mammalian tissues retain a record of youthful epigenetic information that can be accessed to improve tissue function.
- Yuancheng Lu
- , Benedikt Brommer
- & David A. Sinclair
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Article |
Tension heterogeneity directs form and fate to pattern the myocardial wall
Differences in the mechanical properties of individual cardiomyocytes drive their segregation into compact versus trabecular layer, thereby transforming the myocardium in a developing heart from a simple epithelium into an intricately patterned tissue with distinct cell fates.
- Rashmi Priya
- , Srinivas Allanki
- & Didier Y. R. Stainier
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Article |
Paracrine signalling by cardiac calcitonin controls atrial fibrogenesis and arrhythmia
Heart atria produce a large pool of calcitonin (previously well-recognized as a thyroid-secreted hormone with roles in calcium and bone metabolism) that in the heart acts as a paracrine signal controlling atrial fibrosis and fibrillation.
- Lucia M. Moreira
- , Abhijit Takawale
- & Svetlana Reilly
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Article |
Values encoded in orbitofrontal cortex are causally related to economic choices
Direct electrical stimulation of the brain in rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) predictably varied subjective valuation and choices, linking valuation and economic decision making to the orbitofrontal cortex.
- Sébastien Ballesta
- , Weikang Shi
- & Camillo Padoa-Schioppa
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Article |
Enteric neurons increase maternal food intake during reproduction
A multi-organ circuit is activated in female flies after mating, leading to changes in enteric neurons that increase food intake.
- Dafni Hadjieconomou
- , George King
- & Irene Miguel-Aliaga
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Article |
Capillary cell-type specialization in the alveolus
Single-cell analysis of blood vessels in the alveolus, the site of chronic disease and virus-induced lung injury, reveals two intermingled endothelial cell types with specialized gas exchange and stem cell functions.
- Astrid Gillich
- , Fan Zhang
- & Ross J. Metzger
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Article |
SLC25A51 is a mammalian mitochondrial NAD+ transporter
SLC25A51 is identified as a transporter of intact NAD+ into mammalian mitochondria and is required to maintain the mitochondrial NAD+ pool and respiratory function.
- Timothy S. Luongo
- , Jared M. Eller
- & Joseph A. Baur
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Article |
Value-guided remapping of sensory cortex by lateral orbitofrontal cortex
Dynamic interaction of neurons in lateral orbitofrontal cortex with the sensory cortex implements value-prediction computations that are history dependent and error based, providing plasticity essential for flexible decision-making.
- Abhishek Banerjee
- , Giuseppe Parente
- & Fritjof Helmchen
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News & Views |
Light-activated neurons deep in the brain control body heat
A light-sensitive receptor protein expressed in neurons deep in the mouse brain has been shown to be stimulated by violet light, and to activate a pathway that reduces heat production in brown fat.
- Gary J. Schwartz
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Article |
Violet-light suppression of thermogenesis by opsin 5 hypothalamic neurons
Mice possess neurons in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus that are sensitive to violet light; these deep brain neurons sense light via OPN5 and regulate adaptive thermogenesis in brown fat.
- Kevin X. Zhang
- , Shane D’Souza
- & Richard A. Lang
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Article |
The calcium-permeable channel OSCA1.3 regulates plant stomatal immunity
A study in Arabidopsis thaliana shows that the immune receptor-associated cytosolic kinase BIK1 phosphorylates OSCA1.3 and identifies OSCA1.3 as the pathogen-responsive Ca2+-permeable channel that regulates stomatal closure.
- Kathrin Thor
- , Shushu Jiang
- & Cyril Zipfel
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News & Views |
Cancer cells stock up in lymph vessels to survive
A cellular condition called oxidative stress can kill cancer cells. The finding that skin cancer cells evade such destruction using lipids acquired while passing through lymphatic vessels reveals a mechanism that boosts cancer spread.
- Barbara M. Grüner
- & Sarah-Maria Fendt
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News & Views |
Molecules in the blood of older people promote cancer spread
A molecule produced by the metabolism of proteins and fats has been found to accumulate in the blood of older people, and to endow cancer cells with the ability to spread from one site in the body to others.
- Hai Wang
- & Xiang H.-F. Zhang
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Article |
Age-induced accumulation of methylmalonic acid promotes tumour progression
Ageing in humans is associated with an increase in circulating methylmalonic acid, which induces expression of SOX4 and promotes tumour progression.
- Ana P. Gomes
- , Didem Ilter
- & John Blenis
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Article |
Genetic and functional insights into the fractal structure of the heart
A genome-wide association study shows that myocardial trabeculae are an important determinant of cardiac performance in the adult heart, identifies conserved pathways that regulate structural complexity and reveals the influence of trabeculae on the susceptibility to cardiovascular disease.
- Hannah V. Meyer
- , Timothy J. W. Dawes
- & Declan P. O’Regan
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Matters Arising |
Heat detection by the TRPM2 ion channel
- Bruno Vilar
- , Chun-Hsiang Tan
- & Peter A. McNaughton
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Article |
Na+ controls hypoxic signalling by the mitochondrial respiratory chain
Na+ controls the function of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system and hypoxic redox signalling through an unexpected interaction with phospholipids.
- Pablo Hernansanz-Agustín
- , Carmen Choya-Foces
- & Antonio Martínez-Ruiz
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Editorial |
Mitochondrial genome editing: another win for curiosity-driven research
A promising biomedical tool began life as part of efforts to answer a different question.
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News & Views |
How lactate links cannabis to social behaviour
An active component of cannabis has been shown to disrupt the delicate metabolic balance between neurons and non-neuronal cells called astrocytes, altering social behaviour in mice.
- Pierre J. Magistretti
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News |
Scientists make precise gene edits to mitochondrial DNA for first time
Weird enzyme enables researchers to study — and potentially treat — deadly diseases.
- Heidi Ledford
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Matters Arising |
In vivo quantification of mitochondrial membrane potential
- Nathaniel M. Alpert
- , Matthieu Pelletier-Galarneau
- & Georges El Fakhri
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Article |
Extracellular proteostasis prevents aggregation during pathogenic attack
A systematic analysis of the proteostasis network of secreted proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans identifies numerous regulators of protein homeostasis outside the cell, and highlights the contribution of extracellular proteostasis to host defence.
- Ivan Gallotta
- , Aneet Sandhu
- & Della C. David
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Article |
Fitness trade-offs incurred by ovary-to-gut steroid signalling in Drosophila
High levels of the sexually dimorphic hormone ecdysone, produced by active ovaries in Drosophila, promote the proliferation of stem cells in the female gut and maximize reproductive fitness, but also increase female susceptibility to age-dependent dysplasia and tumorigenesis.
- Sara Mahmoud H. Ahmed
- , Julieta A. Maldera
- & Bruce A. Edgar
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Article |
Irritant-evoked activation and calcium modulation of the TRPA1 receptor
Electrophiles activate the transient receptor potential ion channel TRPA1 by a two-step cysteine modification mechanism, which stabilizes a cytoplasmic loop that controls gating and calcium permeability.
- Jianhua Zhao
- , John V. Lin King
- & David Julius
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News & Views |
Unexpected amount of blood-borne protein enters the young brain
The discovery that larger quantities of blood-borne proteins enter the brains of young, healthy mice than enter those of aged animals will alter our understanding of the blood–brain barrier, and how it changes with age.
- Roeben N. Munji
- & Richard Daneman
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Outlook |
Softsonics: a device to take blood-pressure readings continuously
The flexible sensors have been developed by one of the finalists for The Spinoff Prize.
- Neil Savage
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Outlook |
Caristo Diagnostics: taking a fresh look at CT scans
A different approach that could predict the risk of having a heart attack puts company on the shortlist for The Spinoff Prize.
- Benjamin Plackett
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Outlook |
EraCal Therapeutics: a new drug candidate for obesity
The start-up that developed the compound is a finalist for The Spinoff Prize.
- Elie Dolgin
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News & Views |
Flipping the switch on the body’s thermoregulatory system
A population of excitatory neurons has been found to have a key role in controlling body temperature in rodents. The discovery adds to a body of work that is raising questions about long-standing models of thermoregulation.
- Clifford B. Saper
- & Natalia L. S. Machado
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Article |
Neurons that regulate mouse torpor
A specific neuronal population in the medial and lateral preoptic area of the hypothalamus regulates entry into torpor in mice.
- Sinisa Hrvatin
- , Senmiao Sun
- & Michael E. Greenberg
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Article |
A discrete neuronal circuit induces a hibernation-like state in rodents
In rodents, activation of a population of neurons characterized by the expression of the neuropeptide QRFP induces a hibernation-like state of long-lasting hypothermia and hypometabolism.
- Tohru M. Takahashi
- , Genshiro A. Sunagawa
- & Takeshi Sakurai
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News & Views |
Tumour metabolites hinder DNA repair
Altered metabolism and genome instability are hallmarks of cancer. A mechanism now explains how three small molecules that accumulate in tumours connect abnormal metabolism to genomic problems by hindering DNA repair.
- Lei-Lei Chen
- & Yue Xiong
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News Feature |
Survival of the littlest: the long-term impacts of being born extremely early
Babies born before 28 weeks of gestation are surviving into adulthood at higher rates than ever, and scientists are checking in on their health.
- Amber Dance
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Article |
Feedback generates a second receptive field in neurons of the visual cortex
Feedback projections onto neurons of the mouse primary visual cortex generate a second excitatory receptive field that is driven by stimuli outside of the classical feedforward receptive field, with responses mediated by higher visual areas.
- Andreas J. Keller
- , Morgane M. Roth
- & Massimo Scanziani
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Article |
Viral and host factors related to the clinical outcome of COVID-19
Genome sequences from 112 patients with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection showed two clades of SARS-CoV-2 virus with similar virulence and clinical outcome, and clinical data from 326 cases suggest that T cell depletion and cytokine bursts are associated with a worse prognosis.
- Xiaonan Zhang
- , Yun Tan
- & Hongzhou Lu
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News |
Autopsy slowdown hinders quest to determine how coronavirus kills
Strained health-care systems, lockdowns and safety requirements have hampered efforts to collect tissue from patients that is crucial to research.
- Heidi Ledford
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News & Views |
Statin drugs might boost healthy gut microbes
An analysis of faecal samples reveals that obese people who take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs have a ‘healthier’ community of gut microorganisms than would be expected. What are the implications of this surprising finding?
- Peter Libby
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News & Views |
AI tracks a beating heart’s function over time
Clinicians use ultrasound videos of heartbeats to assess subtle changes in the heart’s pumping function. A method that uses artificial intelligence might simplify these complex assessments when heartbeats are out of rhythm.
- Partho P. Sengupta
- & Donald A. Adjeroh
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Nature Podcast |
Podcast: Ultra-fast electrical switches, and computing heart health
Hear the latest science news, with Shamini Bundell and Nick Howe.
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News & Views |
A zinc-sensing protein gives flies a gut feeling for growth
A zinc-sensing ion channel, Hodor, has now been found in the intestine of fruit flies. Hodor activates the TORC1 signalling pathway, and in doing so, influences organism-wide growth and metabolism.
- Y. Rose Citron
- & Roberto Zoncu
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Article |
Dietary fructose feeds hepatic lipogenesis via microbiota-derived acetate
A genetic mouse model is used to reveal a two-pronged mechanism of fructose-induced de novo lipogenesis in the liver, in which fructose catabolism in hepatocytes provides a signal to promote lipogenesis, whereas fructose metabolism by the gut microbiota provides acetate as a substrate to feed lipogenesis.
- Steven Zhao
- , Cholsoon Jang
- & Kathryn E. Wellen
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Article |
Dopamine D2 receptors in discrimination learning and spine enlargement
Detection of dopamine dips by neurons that express dopamine D2 receptors in the striatum is used to refine generalized reward conditioning mediated by dopamine D1 receptors.
- Yusuke Iino
- , Takeshi Sawada
- & Sho Yagishita
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Article |
An intestinal zinc sensor regulates food intake and developmental growth
Hodor, an intestinal zinc-gated chloride channel, controls systemic growth in Drosophila by promoting food intake and by modulating Tor signalling and lysosomal homeostasis within enterocytes.
- Siamak Redhai
- , Clare Pilgrim
- & Irene Miguel-Aliaga
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Article |
Glucagon stimulates gluconeogenesis by INSP3R1-mediated hepatic lipolysis
A role and mechanism of action are identified for INSP3R1 in the stimulation of hepatic gluconeogenesis and mitochondrial oxidation by glucagon, suggesting that INSP3R1 may be a target for ameliorating dysregulation of hepatic glucose metabolism.
- Rachel J. Perry
- , Dongyan Zhang
- & Gerald I. Shulman
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Research Highlight |
The bitter effects of mixing low-calorie sweeteners with carbs
After a regimen combining carbohydrates and sucralose, the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar falters.
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Article |
Two conserved epigenetic regulators prevent healthy ageing
Two epigenetic regulators—identified in an RNA interference screen in Caenhorhabditis elegans, and conserved in mammals—diminish mitochondrial function and accelerate the age-related deterioration of behaviour.
- Jie Yuan
- , Si-Yuan Chang
- & Shi-Qing Cai