This month in Bio-Med Roundup: Koelle et al . presented an epidemiological model that allows for differences between influenza’s genetic and antigenic properties and accurately predicts actual patterns of flu infection. Suh et al . and Heo et al . offered new insights into the functions of phosphoinositides in living cells. Duerr et al . found an association between variants in the IL23R gene, which encodes a cytokine receptor, and inflammatory bowel disease. Tsushima et al. reported the unexpected finding that subtly distracting stimuli that are irrelevant to a task can be more disruptive than easily noticeable distractors. Jump to: Cell/Developmental Biology Neuroscience Genetics Medicine Microbiology Immunology Biochemistry Molecular Biology This Month’s Bio-Med Roundup is sponsored by: Open Biosystems With RNAi tools for knockdown, cDNAs and ORFs for overexpression, and antibodies for protein detection, Open Biosystems is the leading provider of resources for gene analysis. NEW for RNAi: GIPZ Lentiviral shRNAmir libraries targeting all human and mouse genes CELL/DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY WNT and DKK Determine Hair Follicle Spacing Through a Reaction-Diffusion Mechanism (1 December 2006) S. Sick, S. Reinker, J. Timmer, T. Schlake Modeling and experimental tests explain how a growth factor and its inhibitor determine the density and pattern of hair follicles in the developing mouse. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5804/1447 See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5804/1397 PI(3,4,5)P3 and PI(4,5)P2 Lipids Target Proteins with Polybasic Clusters to the Plasma Membrane ( 1 December 2006 ) W. D. Heo, T. Inoue, W. S. Park, M. L. Kim, B. O. Park, T. J. Wandless, T. Meyer Two phospholipid signaling molecules are also essential to anchor proteins that have clusters of basic amino acids to the cell membrane. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5804/1458 See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5804/1402 A Complex Oscillating Network of Signaling Genes Underlies the Mouse Segmentation Clock ( 8 December 2006 ) M.-L. Dequéant, E. Glynn, K. Gaudenz, M. Wahl, J. Chen, A. Mushegian, O. Pourquié The segmentation clock, which forms repeated body structures during development, generates many oscillating RNAs that regulate common developmental pathways. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5805/1595 ATP Release Guides Neutrophil Chemotaxis via P2Y2 and A3 Receptors ( 15 December 2006 ) Y. Chen, R. Corriden, Y. Inoue, L. Yip, N. Hashiguchi, A. Zinkernagel, V. Nizet, P. A. Insel, W. G. Junger Human leukocytes amplify a chemoattractant gradient by making their own gradient of other signaling molecules. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5806/1792 See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5806/1689 Relating Three-Dimensional Structures to Protein Networks Provides Evolutionary Insights ( 22 December 2006 ) P. M. Kim, L. J. Lu, Y. Xia, M. B. Gerstein Proteins with many simultaneous partners tend to be conserved, whereas those with one partner at a time are more likely to vary among species. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5807/1938 See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5807/1882 NEUROSCIENCE Rapid Chemically Induced Changes of PtdIns(4,5)P2 Gate KCNQ Ion Channels ( 1 December 2006 ) B.-C. Suh, T. Inoue, T. Meyer, B. Hille Neurotransmitters close a potassium channel by changing the lipid content of the surrounding plasma membrane. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5804/1454 See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5804/1402 Sequential Interplay of Nicotinic and GABAergic Signaling Guides Neuronal Development ( 8 December 2006 ) Z. Liu, R. A. Neff, D. K. Berg Acetylcholine changes chloride transporter levels, triggering a switch from excitatory to inhibitory signaling in the embryonic chick brain. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5805/1610 Greater Disruption Due to Failure of Inhibitory Control on an Ambiguous Distractor ( 15 December 2006 ) Y. Tsushima, Y. Sasaki, T. Watanabe Unexpectedly, observers trying to perform a visual task are bothered more by subthreshold, irrelevant stimuli than by stimuli they are aware of. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5806/1786 See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5806/1694 Maternal Oxytocin Triggers a Transient Inhibitory Switch in GABA Signaling in the Fetal Brain During Delivery ( 15 December 2006 ) R. Tyzio, R. Cossart, I. Khalilov, M. Minlebaev, C. A. Hübner, A. Represa, Y. Ben-Ari, R. Khazipov A burst of maternal oxytocin activates an inhibitory system during labor, thus protecting the neonatal rat brain from injury resulting from oxygen deprivation. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5806/1788 Characterizing a Mammalian Circannual Pacemaker ( 22 December 2006 ) G. A. Lincoln, I. J. Clarke, R. A. Hut, D. G. Hazlerigg Annual molting cycles in sheep are controlled by timing cells within the pituitary that trigger hormone secretion from adjacent cells. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5807/1941 GENETICS A Genome-Wide Association Study Identifies IL23R as an Inflammatory Bowel Disease Gene ( 1 December 2006 ) R. H. Duerr, K. D. Taylor, S. R. Brant, J. D. Rioux, M. S. Silverberg, M. J. Daly, A. H. Steinhart, C. Abraham, M. Regueiro, A. Griffiths et al. People with a rare sequence variant of the gene encoding the receptor for an immunological cytokine have a reduced risk of inflammatory bowel disease. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5804/1461 See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5804/1403 P[acman]: A BAC Transgenic Platform for Targeted Insertion of Large DNA Fragments in D. melanogaster ( 15 December 2006 ) K. J. T. Venken, Y. He, R. A. Hoskins, H. J. Bellen A method allows efficient site-specific integration of large DNA sequences and thus manipulation of proteins in vivo in Drosophila and potentially other organisms. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5806/1747 Ancient Noncoding Elements Conserved in the Human Genome ( 22 December 2006 ) B. Venkatesh, E. F. Kirkness, Y.-H. Loh, A. L. Halpern, A. P. Lee, J. Johnson, N. Dandona, L. D. Viswanathan, A. Tay, J. C. Venter et al. A whole-genome comparison between human and a cartilaginous fish that occupies a basal phylogenetic position reveals conserved noncoding elements not seen in the bony fishes. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5807/1892 Human Catechol- O -Methyltransferase Haplotypes Modulate Protein Expression by Altering mRNA Secondary Structure ( 22 December 2006 ) A. G. Nackley, S. A. Shabalina, I. E. Tchivileva, K. Satterfield, O. Korchynskyi, S. S. Makarov, W. Maixner, L. Diatchenko Variants of a human gene that affect pain sensitivity produce dissimilar amounts of protein because of nucleotide differences that affect mRNA secondary structure and after translation. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5807/1930 MEDICINE Prevention of Brca1 -Mediated Mammary Tumorigenesis in Mice by a Progesterone Antagonist ( 1 December 2006 ) A. J. Poole, Y . Li, Y. Kim, S.-C. J. Lin, W.-H. Lee, E. Y.-H. P. Lee Experiments in mice suggest that a mutation leading to breast cancer acts in part by altering signaling by the steroid hormone progesterone. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5804/1467 Dual Infection with HIV and Malaria Fuels the Spread of Both Diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa ( 8 December 2006 ) L. J. Abu-Raddad, P. Patnaik, J. G. Kublin Malaria infection increases HIV blood levels and HIV patients are more susceptible to malaria, a synergy that probably contributes to the HIV epidemic in Africa . http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5805/1603 Epochal Evolution Shapes the Phylodynamics of Interpandemic Influenza A (H3N2) in Humans ( 22 December 2006 ) K. Koelle, S. Cobey, B. Grenfell, M. Pascual An epidemiological model that allows for differences between influenza’s genetic and antigenic properties accurately predicts actual patterns of flu infection. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5807/1898 See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5807/1884 MICROBIOLOGY Microfluidic Digital PCR Enables Multigene Analysis of Individual Environmental Bacteria ( 1 December 2006 ) E. A. Ottesen, J. W. Hong, S. R. Quake, J. R. Leadbetter A DNA analysis method that can link genes to individual organisms collected in the wild is used to identify a gut symbiont of the termite. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5804/1464 Engineering Yeast Transcription Machinery for Improved Ethanol Tolerance and Production ( 8 December 2006 ) H. Alper, J. Moxley, E. Nevoigt, G. R. Fink, G. Stephanopoulos Yeast genetically altered to tolerate higher ethanol and glucose concentrations may prove useful for biofuel production. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5805/1565 A Positive Feedback Loop Promotes Transcription Surge That Jump-Starts Salmonella Virulence Circuit ( 8 December 2006 ) D. Shin, E.-J. Lee, H. Huang, E. A. Groisman Activation of a two-component signaling pathway required for Salmonella virulence triggers a burst of transcription that may allow rapid adaptation to new conditions. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5805/1607 A Secreted Serine-Threonine Kinase Determines Virulence in the Eukaryotic Pathogen Toxoplasma gondii ( 15 December 2006 ) S. Taylor, A. Barragan, C. Su, B. Fux, S. J. Fentress, K. Tang, W. L. Beatty, H. El Hajj, M. Jerome, M. S. Behnke et al. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5806/1776 Polymorphic Secreted Kinases Are Key Virulence Factors in Toxoplasmosis ( 15 December 2006 ) J. P. J. Saeij, J. P. Boyle, S. Coller, S. Taylor, L. D. Sibley, E. T. Brooke-Powell, J. W. Ajioka, J. C. Boothroyd http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5806/1780 Genetic mapping identifies the proteins that cause toxoplasmosis when injected by the parasite, one of which is a kinase that interferes with the host signaling pathways. Nitrogen Fixation at 92°C by a Hydrothermal Vent Archaeon ( 15 December 2006 ) M. P. Mehta and J. A. Baross An ancient microorganism from a deep-sea vent can fix nitrogen at an unusually high temperature. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5806/1783 See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5806/1691 Lineages of Acidophilic Archaea Revealed by Community Genomic Analysis (22 December 2006) B. J. Baker, G. W. Tyson, R. I. Webb, J. Flanagan, P. Hugenholtz, E. E. Allen, J. F. Banfield Direct cloning of an unusual 16 S rRNA in biofilms from acid mine drainage reveals a distinct lineage of small archaeons that may subsist on pyrite. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5807/1933 IMMUNOLOGY Amphiregulin, a TH2 Cytokine Enhancing Resistance to Nematodes (15 December 2006) D. M. Zaiss, L. Yang, P. R. Shah, J. J. Kobie, J. F. Urban, T. R. Mosmann The immune cells that cause allergies also produce a growth factor that helps to expel parasitic worms by increasing epithelial cell turnover. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5806/1746 Adjuvant-Enhanced Antibody Responses in the Absence of Toll-Like Receptor Signaling (22 December 2006) A. L. Gavin, K. Hoebe, B. Duong, T. Ota, C. Martin, B. Beutler, D. Nemazee Adjuvants added to vaccines boost responses, surprisingly, without acting through known innate immunity receptors, indicating a need for vaccine development strategies. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5807/1936 BIOCHEMISTRY Structural Basis for Ribosome Recruitment and Manipulation by a Viral IRES RNA (1 December 2006) J. S. Pfingsten, D. A. Costantino, J. S. Kieft The structure of a viral RNA containing an internal ribosomal entry site suggests how translation can begin in the middle of a messenger RNA. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5804/1450 Structure of Dual Function Iron Regulatory Protein 1 Complexed with Ferritin IRE-RNA (22 December 2006) W. E. Walden, A. I. Selezneva, J. Dupuy, A. Volbeda, J. C. Fontecilla-Camps, E. C. Theil, K. Volz A dual function protein switches from its compact enzymatic form to an extended RNA binding form through extensive domain rearrangements. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5807/1903 See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5807/1886 MOLECULAR BIOLOGY Synthesis-Mediated Release of a Small RNA Inhibitor of RNA Polymerase (8 December 2006) K. M. Wassarman and R. M. Saecker When bacteria are starved, a small RNA inhibits transcription by folding to mimic a legitimate promoter target, after which adding nucleotides can restart transcription. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5805/1601 Untemplated Oligoadenylation Promotes Degradation of RISC-Cleaved Transcripts ( 22 December 2006 ) F. Ibrahim, J. Rohr, W.-J. Jeong, J. Hesson, H. Cerutti In an algal species, a polyadenylate polymerase adds adenines to RNA fragments, stimulating RNA degradation. http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5807/1893 This Month’s Bio-Med Roundup is sponsored by: Open Biosystems With RNAi tools for knockdown, cDNAs and ORFs for overexpression, and antibodies for protein detection, Open Biosystems is the leading provider of resources for gene analysis. NEW for RNAi: GIPZ Lentiviral shRNAmir libraries targeting all human and mouse genes