• Biochemistry/Structural Biology
• Genetics
• Cell/Developmental Biology
• Immunology
• Neuroscience
• Medicine
• Special Section: The Macaque Genome

BIOCHEMISTRY/STRUCTURAL BIOLOGY
 
Chimeras of Two Isoprenoid Synthases Catalyze All Four Coupling Reactions in Isoprenoid Biosynthesis (6 April 2007)
H. V. Thulasiram, H. K. Erickson, C. D. Poulter
A synthetic protein made from the four enzymes that synthesize isoprenoids can effectively catalyze all four reactions, suggesting their origin from a common ancestor.
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Binding of the Human Prp31 Nop Domain to a Composite RNA-Protein Platform in U4 snRNP (6 April 2007)
S. Liu, P. Li, O. Dybkov, S. Nottrott, K. Hartmuth, R. Lührmann, T. Carlomagno, M. C. Wahl
A protein within the particle that assembles mature mRNAs has both RNA and protein binding surfaces, and it achieves binding specificity by acting as a molecular ruler.

An ATP Gate Controls Tubulin Binding by the Tethered Head of Kinesin-1 (6 April 2007)
M. C. Alonso, D. R. Drummond, S. Kain, J. Hoeng, L. Amos, R. A. Cross
The two-headed motor kinesin is gated by ATP independently of the microtubule along which it moves, contrary to current models of kinesin motion.
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Structure of Fungal Fatty Acid Synthase and Implications for Iterative Substrate Shuttling (13 April 2007)
S. Jenni, M. Leibundgut, D. Boehringer, C. Frick, B. Mikolásek, N. Ban
Fatty acid synthase comprises a biosynthetic pathway in which two-carbon units are sequentially added to tethered fatty acid chains by reactions at each of four catalytic sites.

Structural Basis for Substrate Delivery by Acyl Carrier Protein in the Yeast Fatty Acid Synthase (13 April 2007)
M. Leibundgut, S. Jenni, C. Frick, N. Ban
Two flexible linkers allow a carrier protein to bounce from one catalytic site to the next as fatty acids are synthesized.

Structural Insight into Pre-B Cell Receptor Function (13 April 2007)
A. J. Bankovich, S. Raunser, Z. S. Juo, T. Walz, M. M. Davis, K. C. Garcia
The structure of receptors on developing immune cells may explain how the cells acquire specificity for certain antigens and indicate that signaling occurs by oligomerization.

Raman-Assisted Crystallography Reveals End-On Peroxide Intermediates in a Nonheme Iron Enzyme (20 April 2007)
G. Katona, P. Carpentier, V. Nivière, P. Amara, V. Adam, J. Ohana, N. Tsanov, D. Bourgeois
Intermediates in a reaction catalyzed by superoxide reductase adopt end-on configurations that promote Fe-O bond cleavage.
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Crystal Structures of Fe²⁺ Dioxygenase Superoxo, Alkylperoxo, and Bound Product Intermediates (20 April 2007)
E. G. Kovaleva and J. D. Lipscomb
Each subunit of a tetrameric, ring-cleaving dioxygenase harbors a different intermediate, showing how it transfers electrons from substrate to oxygen to initiate cleavage.
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GENETICS

A Single IGF1 Allele Is a Major Determinant of Small Size in Dogs (6 April 2007)
N. B. Sutter, C. D. Bustamante, K. Chase, M. M. Gray, K. Zhao, L. Zhu, B. Padhukasahasram, E. Karlins, S. Davis, P. G. Jones et al.
Small dogs are small because they carry a particular allele of the gene encoding insulin-like growth factor 1.

Strong Association of De Novo Copy Number Mutations with Autism (20 April 2007)
J. Sebat, B. Lakshmi, D. Malhotra, J. Troge, C. Lese-Martin, T. Walsh, B. Yamrom, S. Yoon, A. Krasnitz, J. Kendall et al.
Individuals with autism are more likely to show variations in the number of copies of certain genomic regions than are their unaffected relatives.

Multiple High-Throughput Analyses Monitor the Response of E. coli to Perturbations (27 April 2007)
N. Ishii, K. Nakahigashi, T. Baba, M. Robert, T. Soga, A. Kanai, T. Hirasawa, M. Naba, K. Hirai, A. Hoque et al.
In maintaining metabolic homeostasis, bacteria respond to genetic disruptions with large changes in metabolites but to environmental disturbance with changes in enzyme levels.
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A Synthetic Maternal-Effect Selfish Genetic Element Drives Population Replacement in Drosophila (27 April 2007)
C.-H. Chen, H. Huang, C. M. Ward, J. T. Su, L. V. Schaeffer, M. Guo, B. A. Hay
A genetic element that uses RNAi against maternal RNAs and rescue by zygotic transgenes for resistance can rapidly spread the latter throughout pest populations.

Control of Stress-Dependent Cardiac Growth and Gene Expression by a MicroRNA (27 April 2007)
E. van Rooij, L. B. Sutherland, X. Qi, J. A. Richardson, J. Hill, E. N. Olson
A microRNA coded within an intron of a myosin gene increases the pathological expression of embryonic myosin after stress.



CELL/DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

A Conserved Family of Enzymes That Phosphorylate Inositol Hexakisphosphate (6 April 2007)
S. Mulugu, W. Bai, P. C. Fridy, R. J. Bastidas, J. C. Otto, D. E. Dollins, T. A. Haystead, A. A. Ribeiro, J. D. York
A yeast enzyme is regulated by pH and can both synthesize and metabolize the inositol pyrophosphate IP₆.

Regulation of a Cyclin-CDK-CDK Inhibitor Complex by Inositol Pyrophosphates (6 April 2007)
Y.-S. Lee, S. Mulugu, J. D. York, E. K. O’Shea
When yeast are starved for the nutrient phosphate, the inositol pyrophosphate IP7 activates gene expression and a metabolic network for nutrient homeostasis.

Temperature Sex Reversal Implies Sex Gene Dosage in a Reptile (20 April 2007)
A. E. Quinn, A. Georges, S. D. Sarre, F. Guarino, T. Ezaz, J. A. Marshall Graves
Sex in a lizard with zz/zw sex determination can be determined either genetically or by high temperatures during incubation, mechanisms thought to be mutually exclusive.

Genes Required for Mitotic Spindle Assembly in Drosophila S2 Cells (20 April 2007)
G. Goshima, R. Wollman, S. S. Goodwin, N. Zhang, J. M. Scholey, R. D. Vale, N. Stuurman
A whole-genome screen identifies the 204 genes involved in assembling the mitotic spindle in flies and how they might contribute to cancer and other abnormalities.

An Evolutionarily Conserved Mechanism Delimiting SHR Movement Defines a Single Layer of Endodermis in Plants (20 April 2007)
H. Cui, M. P. Levesque, T. Vernoux, J. W. Jung, A. J. Paquette, K. L. Gallagher, J. Y. Wang, I. Blilou, B. Scheres, P. N. Benfey
A diffusible transcription factor specifies a layer exactly one cell thick in plant root tips because as it enters a cell, it is restrained permanently by a binding protein.
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NOV (CCN3) Functions as a Regulator of Human Hematopoietic Stem or Progenitor Cells (27 April 2007)
R. Gupta, D. Hong, F. Iborra, S. Sarno, T. Enver
Human blood progenitor cells, which must successfully engraft in bone marrow transplants, require a known transcription factor for their early development.



IMMUNOLOGY
 
Promotion of Lymphocyte Egress into Blood and Lymph by Distinct Sources of Sphingosine-1-Phosphate (13 April 2007)
R. Pappu, S. R. Schwab, I. Cornelissen, J. P. Pereira, J. B. Regard, Y. Xu, E. Camerer, Y.-W. Zheng, Y. Huang, J. G. Cyster, S. R. Coughlin
Immune cells move into the bloodstream in response to a lipid signal made in red blood cells and move into the lymphatic system when the same signal is made elsewhere.
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Regulation of the Germinal Center Response by MicroRNA-155 (27 April 2007)
T.-H. Thai, D. P. Calado, S. Casola, K. M. Ansel, C. Xiao, Y. Xue, A. Murphy, D. Frendewey, D. Valenzuela, J. L. Kutok et al.

Requirement of bic/microRNA-155 for Normal Immune Function (27 April 2007)
A. Rodriguez, E. Vigorito, S. Clare, M. V. Warren, P. Couttet, D. R. Soond, S. van Dongen, R. J. Grocock, P. P. Das, E. A. Miska et al.
Deletion of a microRNA sequence in mice impairs their immunity, causing abnormal immune responses and cytokine production, as well as gut and lung inflammation.

Distinct Pathways of Antigen Uptake and Intracellular Routing in CD4 and CD8 T Cell Activation (27 April 2007)
S. Burgdorf, A. Kautz, V. Böhnert, P. A. Knolle, C. Kurts
When immune cells process foreign antigen via the endosomes, effector T cells are stimulated, whereas antigen processed by lysosomes activates helper T cells.



NEUROSCIENCE
 
Schemas and Memory Consolidation (6 April 2007)
D. Tse, R. F. Langston, M. Kakeyama, I. Bethus, P. A. Spooner, E. R. Wood, M. P. Witter, R. G. M. Morris
Rats learn to associate a place with a taste much more rapidly if they have already been given a chance to learn the spatial context of the new location.
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Neuronal Competition and Selection During Memory Formation (20 April 2007)
J.-H. Han, S. A. Kushner, A. P. Yiu, C. J. Cole, A. Matynia, R. A. Brown, R. L. Neve, J. F. Guzowski, A. J. Silva, S. A. Josselyn
During formation of a memory in a fearful situation, rat neurons with higher amounts of the transcription factor CREB are recruited for selective enhancement.

A Selective Activity-Dependent Requirement for Dynamin 1 in Synaptic Vesicle Endocytosis (27 April 2007)
S. M. Ferguson, G. Brasnjo, M. Hayashi, M. Wölfel, C. Collesi, S. Giovedi, A. Raimondi, L.-W. Gong, P. Ariel, S. Paradise et al.
A small regulatory protein is required for recycling of synaptic vesicles during high-frequency neuronal activity, but an independent mechanism maintains basal recycling.
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MEDICINE

Lymphotoxin β Receptor–Dependent Control of Lipid Homeostasis (13 April 2007)
J. C. Lo, Y. Wang, A. V. Tumanov, M. Bamji, Z. Yao, C. A. Reardon, G. S. Getz, Y.-X. Fu
Lipid levels in the blood, which are deregulated in atherosclerosis, are in part controlled by immune cells in the liver, suggesting a therapeutic target.
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Modeling the Initiation and Progression of Human Acute Leukemia in Mice (27 April 2007)
F. Barabé, J. A. Kennedy, K. J. Hope, J. E. Dick
A new type of mouse model can be used to identify the human cell types that initiate leukemia and to study how these cells evolve as the disease progresses.



THE MACAQUE GENOME
 
Evolutionary and Biomedical Insights from the Rhesus Macaque Genome (13 April 2007)
Rhesus Macaque Genome Sequencing and Analysis Consortium

Human-Specific Changes of Genome Structure Detected by Genomic Triangulation (13 April 2007)
R. A. Harris, J. Rogers, A. Milosavljevic

Mobile DNA in Old World Monkeys: A Glimpse Through the Rhesus Macaque Genome (13 April 2007)
K. Han et al.

Demographic Histories and Patterns of Linkage Disequilibrium in Chinese and Indian Rhesus Macaques (13 April 2007)
R. D. Hernandez et al.

Evolutionary Formation of New Centromeres in Macaque (13 April 2007)
M. Ventura et al.