Physiology articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although pyrethrum is used to repel insects for centuries, the underlying mechanism has been enigmatic. Liu et al. found that specific components of pyrethrum mediate repellency by targeting olfactory receptors and/or voltage-gated sodium channels in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

    • Feng Liu
    • , Qiang Wang
    •  & Ke Dong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The unique biophysical properties of human cortical neurons that may underlie interlaminar communication are explored. With a focus on Ih and layers 2&3, 3c, and 5, the authors show that L5 pyramidal neurons are better adapted than their superficial layer counterparts to track delta and theta frequency inputs.

    • Homeira Moradi Chameh
    • , Scott Rich
    •  & Taufik A. Valiante

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mediators of insulin signalling are targets of cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases (CRL) that mediate protein degradation, but the role of protein degradation in insulin signalling is incompletely understood. Here, the authors identified a glucose-responsive CRL4-COP1-ETV5 proteolytic axis that promotes insulin secretion, and is inhibited under hypoglycemia.

    • Hong Lin
    • , Yuan Yan
    •  & Feng Rao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The network of proteins secreted for interorgan communication is poorly understood. Here, the authors develop a method, based on protein labeling, to study cell-specific secretomes and interorgan protein trafficking, and demonstrate their approach in Drosophila and mouse models.

    • Ilia A. Droujinine
    • , Amanda S. Meyer
    •  & Norbert Perrimon

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Whether chronic inflammation contributes to metabolic disease through the dysregulation of circadian systems remains incompletely understood in humans. Here the authors show that circadian clock function is perturbed in adipose tissue from individuals with obesity, and that inhibition of NFkB improves clock function.

    • Eleonore Maury
    • , Benoit Navez
    •  & Sonia M. Brichard

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The ventromedial hypothalamus regulates systemic glucose metabolism. Here the authors show that cytosolic phospholipase A2 mediated phospholipid metabolism contributes to this regulation in healthy animals but exert deteriorating effects on glucose homeostasis under high-fat-diet feeding.

    • Ming-Liang Lee
    • , Hirokazu Matsunaga
    •  & Chitoku Toda

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Following activation, GABAA receptors (GABAARs) undergo desensitization, the impact of which on inhibitory neurotransmission remains unknown. Here the authors describe an enduring form of long-term potentiation at inhibitory synapses that elevates synaptic current amplitude for 24 h following desensitization of GABAARs.

    • Martin Field
    • , Valentina Dorovykh
    •  & Trevor G. Smart

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Beige and brown fat may influence systemic metabolism through secreted signals. Here the authors identify a panel of metabolites secreted from beige and brown fat cells, which signal to influence fat tissue and skeletal muscle metabolism and have anti-obesity effects in mouse models of obesity and diabetes.

    • Anna Whitehead
    • , Fynn N. Krause
    •  & Lee D. Roberts

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Type 2 diabetes is associated with chronic inflammation and is characterized by insulin resistance. Here, the authors identify a crucial role for endothelial BMPER function in glucose homeostasis, and BMPER overexpression was shown to alleviate insulin resistance and hyperglycemia in diabetic mice.

    • Hua Mao
    • , Luge Li
    •  & Xinchun Pi

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Glucocorticoids (GCs) inhibit bone angiogenesis and affect bone development, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, the authors show that GCs induce vascular cell senescence during bone development by inhibiting angiogenin secretion from osteoclasts, impairing angiogenesis via endothelial Plexin B2, resulting in unpaired bone growth.

    • Xiaonan Liu
    • , Yu Chai
    •  & Mei Wan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Dietary restriction (DR) can increase protein persulfidation but the tissue specificity of this process is not well understood. Here, the authors compare organ-specific protein persulfidomes in young and aged mice under DR, and show that DR-dependent persulfidome changes depend on cystathionine γ-lyase.

    • Nazmin Bithi
    • , Christopher Link
    •  & Christopher Hine

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Systemic modulation of branched-chain keto acid (BCKA) metabolism alters cardiac health. Here, the authors define the major fates of BCKA in the heart and demonstrate that acute exposure to BCKA levels found in obesity activates cardiac protein synthesis and markedly alters the heart phosphoproteome.

    • Jacquelyn M. Walejko
    • , Bridgette A. Christopher
    •  & Robert W. McGarrah

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aging is associated with declining protein homeostasis. Here, using a chemical mutagenesis screen for lifespan extension in C. elegans, the authors report that inhibition of the integrated stress response enhances longevity and protein homeostasis in a manner dependent on kin-35, without reducing protein synthesis.

    • Maxime J. Derisbourg
    • , Laura E. Wester
    •  & Martin S. Denzel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Adipose tissue is composed of a variety of cell types, including adipocyte precursor populations, that contribute to adipose tissue function upon differentiation. Here, using scRNA-sequencing of adolescent and adult mouse subcutaneous adipose tissue, the authors identify an Asc-1 positive preadipocyte population that is enriched in adolescent subcutaneous fat and demonstrate that loss of Asc-1 triggers spontaneous beige adipocyte differentiation.

    • Lisa Suwandhi
    • , Irem Altun
    •  & Siegfried Ussar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    New contractile units are required during cardiac hypertrophy, though it remains unclear precisely where and how these new sarcomeres are added. Here the authors reveal that in the heart, microtubules spatiotemporally regulate mRNAs and ribosomes to build new sarcomeres, a role which is essential for growth.

    • Emily A. Scarborough
    • , Keita Uchida
    •  & Benjamin L. Prosser

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cold acclimation has been shown to have beneficial metabolic effects, including improved insulin sensitivity in patients with type 2 diabetes. Here the authors show that a mild cold acclimation regiment during which overt shivering was prevented did not result in improved insulin sensitivity in a small group of patients with type 2 diabetes.

    • Carlijn M. E. Remie
    • , Michiel P. B. Moonen
    •  & Patrick Schrauwen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sarcopenia is the age-associated functional decline and atrophy of muscle fibers, and it has been proposed that it might be counteracted by inducing myofiber hypertrophy. Here, the authors show that expression levels of the ubiquitin ligase UBR4 are increased with ageing, and that whilst its genetic ablation rescues muscle atrophy, it is also associated with reduced protein quality and impaired force production in Drosophila and mouse models.

    • Liam C. Hunt
    • , Bronwen Schadeberg
    •  & Fabio Demontis

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Muscle atrophy is associated with ageing, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are not well understood. Here, they authors show that ablation of the E3 ubiquitin ligase Mib1 is important for myofibre maintenance via a mechanism that involves targeting and degradation of Actn3, and that Mib1 ablation in mice induces muscle atrophy which can be rescued by knockown of Actn3 expression.

    • Ji-Yun Seo
    • , Jong-Seol Kang
    •  & Young-Yun Kong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Although polycystic ovary syndrome is the most common cause of female infertility, its etiology remains poorly understood. Here, the authors report a rat model that spontaneously exhibits the clinical heterogeneity of this syndrome and demonstrate that the phenotype is developmentally programmed.

    • Camille Bourgneuf
    • , Danielle Bailbé
    •  & Chrystèle Racine

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The physiological role of GDF15 remains poorly defined. Here, the authors show that circulating GDF15 increases in response to prolonged exercise, but that this exercise-induced GDF15, unlike pharmacological GDF15, does not affect post-exercise food intake or exercise motivation.

    • Anders B. Klein
    • , Trine S. Nicolaisen
    •  & Christoffer Clemmensen

  • Review Article
    | Open Access

    Hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The kidneys, which have a very high metabolic rate, play a fundamental role in blood pressure regulation. In this review, the authors discuss recent studies on the role of renal metabolism in the development of hypertension.

    • Zhongmin Tian
    •  & Mingyu Liang

  • Review Article
    | Open Access

    The gastrointestinal tract participates in maintaining metabolic homeostasis in part through nutrient-sensing and subsequent gut-brain signalling. Here the authors review the role of small intestinal nutrient-sensing in regulation of energy intake and systemic glucose metabolism, and link high-fat diet, obesity and diabetes with perturbations in these pathways.

    • Frank A. Duca
    • , T. M. Zaved Waise
    •  & Tony K. T. Lam

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Respiratory chains generate the proton motive force used for ATP synthesis. Cryo-EM structures of functional respiratory CIII2CIV supercomplex and native CIII2 from Rhodobacter capsulatus provide insight into CIII2CIV assembly and respiratory electron transport pathways in Gram-negative bacteria.

    • Stefan Steimle
    • , Trevor van Eeuwen
    •  & Fevzi Daldal

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The beating heart adapts cardiac output to changes in mechanical load via incompletely understood mechanotransduction mechanisms. Here the authors show that the mechanosensitive Piezo1 channel serves as a mechanotransducer for directly converting mechanical stretch of cardiomyocytes into Ca2+ and ROS signaling and consequently maintaining normal heart function.

    • Fan Jiang
    • , Kunlun Yin
    •  & Bailong Xiao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The analysis of AMPA-type glutamate receptor (AMPAR) trafficking is essential for understanding molecular mechanisms of learning and memory, but the analytical tools are currently limited. Here, the authors report a method that combines affinity-based receptor labeling and bioorthogonal click chemistry to quantify AMPAR distribution and trafficking under physiological conditions.

    • Kento Ojima
    • , Kazuki Shiraiwa
    •  & Shigeki Kiyonaka

  • Article
    | Open Access

    After complete spinal cord injury, spinal segments below the lesion maintain inter-segmental communication via the intraspinal propriospinal network. Here, the authors show that neurons in these circuits can be chemogenetically modulated to improve locomotor function in mice after spinal cord injury.

    • Benedikt Brommer
    • , Miao He
    •  & Zhigang He

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cellular models are needed to study disease in vitro and to screen drugs for toxicity and efficacy. Here the authors develop a bioprinting approach to transfer spheroids into self-healing support hydrogels at high resolution, which enables their patterning and fusion into high-cell density microtissues of prescribed spatial organization.

    • Andrew C. Daly
    • , Matthew D. Davidson
    •  & Jason A. Burdick

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Beta cell subpopulations with low expression in PDX1, MAFA, and insulin might contribute to islet function and insulin release. Here the authors show that altering the proportion of PDX1LOW MAFALOW to PDX1HIGH MAFAHIGH cells impairs islet function.

    • Daniela Nasteska
    • , Nicholas H. F. Fine
    •  & David J. Hodson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are characterized by their self-renewal potential and associated dormancy. Here the authors show that niche produced netrin-1 preserves HSC quiescence and self-renewal via neogenin-1, and that decline of netrin-1 production during ageing leads to decreased Neo1 mediated HSC self-renewal.

    • Simon Renders
    • , Arthur Flohr Svendsen
    •  & Andreas Trumpp

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Osteoarthritis is a chronic, heritable disease with no available treatment. Here, the authors show that a validated, rapid-throughput joint phenotyping pipeline detects osteoarthritis in the mouse knee following surgical provocation, in aging and after single gene deletion or point mutation.

    • Natalie C. Butterfield
    • , Katherine F. Curry
    •  & J. H. Duncan Bassett

  • Review Article
    | Open Access

    Loss of muscle mass is associated with ageing and with a number of diseases such as cancer. Here, the authors review the signaling pathways that modulate protein synthesis and degradation and gain or loss of muscle mass, and discuss therapeutic implications and future directions for the field.

    • Roberta Sartori
    • , Vanina Romanello
    •  & Marco Sandri

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The environmental contaminant 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) causes hepatic toxicity associated with prominent lipid accumulation in humans. Here, the authors report that the lysosomal copper transporter SLC46A3 is induced by TCDD and underlies the hepatic lipid accumulation in mice, potentially via effects on mitochondrial function.

    • Jung-Hwan Kim
    • , Tsutomu Matsubara
    •  & Frank J. Gonzalez

  • Article
    | Open Access

    GLP-1 is a gastrointestinal peptide that regulates gastric acid secretion and emptying, and due to the rapid degradation of intestinally secreted GLP-1 local gastric production has been suggested. Here the authors report the presence of GLP-1 expressing cells in the rat and human stomach, which contribute to the circulating GLP-1 levels and are affected by weight loss surgeries.

    • Lara Ribeiro-Parenti
    • , Anne-Charlotte Jarry
    •  & André Bado

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Anterior vaginal prolapse (AVP), the most common form of pelvic organ prolapse, has deleterious effects on women’s health. Here the authors employ single-cell RNA-seq to construct a transcriptomic atlas of vaginal wall cells from AVP patients, and find that extracellular matrix dysregulation and immune reaction are associated with AVP.

    • Yaqian Li
    • , Qing-Yang Zhang
    •  & Lan Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The genetic determinants of sex-specific differences in obesity are still incompletely understood. Here, the authors demonstrate that adipocyte specific loss of Trim28 in committed adipocytes leads to sex specific differences in the development of obesity, and that this phenotype is associated with altered metabolic flexibility and lipid metabolism.

    • Simon T. Bond
    • , Emily J. King
    •  & Brian G. Drew

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