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The most popular genes in the human genome
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00The most popular genes in the human genome
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/d41586-017-07291-9
Author: Elie Dolgin
A tour through the most studied genes in biology reveals some surprises.
Categories: Literature
Experimentalists and theorists need to talk
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Experimentalists and theorists need to talk
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-07207-7
Authors: Aaron W. Peters , Ashlee J. Howarth & Omar K. Farha
Chemists should thrash out discrepancies in modelling, synthesizing and applying porous materials, urge Aaron W. Peters, Ashlee J. Howarth and Omar K. Farha.
Categories: Literature
Maximize the impacts of space science
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Maximize the impacts of space science
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-05995-6
Authors: Ji Wu & Roger Bonnet
Put research goals first when prioritizing and managing national and international projects, urge Ji Wu and Roger Bonnet.
Categories: Literature
Perfectly normal
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Perfectly normal
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-07197-6
Author: Andrew Solomon
Andrew Solomon hails a study on how conflating ‘ideal’ and ‘average’ spawned flawed concepts of identity.
Categories: Literature
The internet that wasn’t
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00The internet that wasn’t
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-07220-w
Author: Sharon Weinberger
Sharon Weinberger weighs up a history of PLATO, a prescient but doomed 1960s US computer network.
Categories: Literature
Books in brief
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Books in brief
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-07222-8
Author: Barbara Kiser
Barbara Kiser reviews five of the week's best science picks.
Categories: Literature
Politics: Don’t put US–Cuban research at risk
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Politics: Don’t put US–Cuban research at risk
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-07230-8
Author: John D. Van Horn
Categories: Literature
PhD jobs: Revamp funding structures
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00PhD jobs: Revamp funding structures
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-07233-5
Author: Richard B. Sherley
Categories: Literature
PhD jobs: Support beyond academia
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00PhD jobs: Support beyond academia
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-07234-4
Authors: Jasmine H. Hughes , Katherine E. Scheibel & Andrew W. Bremer
Categories: Literature
PhD jobs: Explore posts abroad
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00PhD jobs: Explore posts abroad
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-07235-3
Author: Biswa Prasun Chatterji
Categories: Literature
Trailblazer: When Marie Curie went to Brazil
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Trailblazer: When Marie Curie went to Brazil
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-07236-2
Authors: Cassius Klay Nascimento & João Pedro Braga
Categories: Literature
Fatty liver disease
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Fatty liver disease
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-06927-0
Author: Herb Brody
Categories: Literature
Drug development: Sprint finish
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Drug development: Sprint finish
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-06926-1
Author: Liam Drew
Biotechnology start-ups and pharmaceutical giants alike are charging ahead to develop therapies for the most serious form of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
Categories: Literature
Diagnostics: Missing the point
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Diagnostics: Missing the point
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-06048-8
Author: Michael Eisenstein
Conventional detection of advanced fatty liver disease relies on biopsy. Less onerous methods may help to save lives.
Categories: Literature
Disease progression: Divergent paths
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Disease progression: Divergent paths
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-06925-2
Author: Sarah DeWeerdt
Not everyone with a fatty liver goes on to develop more advanced disease. Understanding what triggers the progression could lead to better treatments.
Categories: Literature
Childhood obesity: A growing concern
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Childhood obesity: A growing concern
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-05868-y
Author: Bianca Nogrady
Rising obesity means that more children are developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Categories: Literature
eLiza
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00eLiza
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). doi:10.1038/d41586-017-07228-2
Author: Aaron Moskalik
Identity crisis.
Categories: Literature
Neuroscience starts talking
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Neuroscience starts talking
Nature 551, 7681 (2017). http://www.nature.com/doifinder/10.1038/d41586-017-07264-y
Author:
Categories: Literature
Pluripotent state transitions coordinate morphogenesis in mouse and human embryos
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00Pluripotent state transitions coordinate morphogenesis in mouse and human embryos
Nature 552, 7684 (2017). doi:10.1038/nature24675
Authors: Marta N. Shahbazi, Antonio Scialdone, Natalia Skorupska, Antonia Weberling, Gaelle Recher, Meng Zhu, Agnieszka Jedrusik, Liani G. Devito, Laila Noli, Iain C. Macaulay, Christa Buecker, Yakoub Khalaf, Dusko Ilic, Thierry Voet, John C. Marioni & Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz
The foundations of mammalian development lie in a cluster of embryonic epiblast stem cells. In response to extracellular matrix signalling, these cells undergo epithelialization and create an apical surface in contact with a cavity, a fundamental event for all subsequent development. Concomitantly, epiblast cells transit through distinct pluripotent states, before lineage commitment at gastrulation. These pluripotent states have been characterized at the molecular level, but their biological importance remains unclear. Here we show that exit from an unrestricted naive pluripotent state is required for epiblast epithelialization and generation of the pro-amniotic cavity in mouse embryos. Embryonic stem cells locked in the naive state are able to initiate polarization but fail to undergo lumenogenesis. Mechanistically, exit from naive pluripotency activates an Oct4-governed transcriptional program that results in expression of glycosylated sialomucin proteins and the vesicle tethering and fusion events of lumenogenesis. Similarly, exit of epiblasts from naive pluripotency in cultured human post-implantation embryos triggers amniotic cavity formation and developmental progression. Our results add tissue-level architecture as a new criterion for the characterization of different pluripotent states, and show the relevance of transitions between these states during development of the mammalian embryo.
Categories: Literature
RNA polymerase III limits longevity downstream of TORC1
Wed, 11/29/2017 - 01:00RNA polymerase III limits longevity downstream of TORC1
Nature 552, 7684 (2017). doi:10.1038/nature25007
Authors: Danny Filer, Maximillian A. Thompson, Vakil Takhaveev, Adam J. Dobson, Ilektra Kotronaki, James W. M. Green, Matthias Heinemann, Jennifer M. A. Tullet & Nazif Alic
Three distinct RNA polymerases transcribe different classes of genes in the eukaryotic nucleus. RNA polymerase (Pol) III is the essential, evolutionarily conserved enzyme that generates short, non-coding RNAs, including tRNAs and 5S rRNA. The historical focus on transcription of protein-coding genes has left the roles of Pol III in organismal physiology relatively unexplored. Target of rapamycin kinase complex 1 (TORC1) regulates Pol III activity, and is also an important determinant of longevity. This raises the possibility that Pol III is involved in ageing. Here we show that Pol III limits lifespan downstream of TORC1. We find that a reduction in Pol III extends chronological lifespan in yeast and organismal lifespan in worms and flies. Inhibiting the activity of Pol III in the gut of adult worms or flies is sufficient to extend lifespan; in flies, longevity can be achieved by Pol III inhibition specifically in intestinal stem cells. The longevity phenotype is associated with amelioration of age-related gut pathology and functional decline, dampened protein synthesis and increased tolerance of proteostatic stress. Pol III acts on lifespan downstream of TORC1, and limiting Pol III activity in the adult gut achieves the full longevity benefit of systemic TORC1 inhibition. Hence, Pol III is a pivotal mediator of this key nutrient-signalling network for longevity; the growth-promoting anabolic activity of Pol III mediates the acceleration of ageing by TORC1. The evolutionary conservation of Pol III affirms its potential as a therapeutic target.
Categories: Literature