• Genetics
• Cell Biology
• Neuroscience
• Psychology/Behavior
• Immunology
• Molecular Biology
• Virology
• Plant Science
• Microbiology

GENETICS
 
Genome-Wide Association Analysis Identifies Loci for Type 2 Diabetes and Triglyceride Levels (1 June 2007)
Diabetes Genetics Initiative of Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT, Lund University, and Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research

Replication of Genome-Wide Association Signals in UK Samples Reveals Risk Loci for Type 2 Diabetes (1 June 2007)
E. Zeggini, M. N. Weedon, C. M. Lindgren, T. M. Frayling, K. S. Elliott, H. Lango, N. J. Timpson, J. R. B. Perry, N. W. Rayner, R. M. Freathy et al.

A Genome-Wide Association Study of Type 2 Diabetes in Finns Detects Multiple Susceptibility Variants (1 June 2007)
L. J. Scott, K. L. Mohlke, L. L. Bonnycastle, C. J. Willer, Y. Li, W. L. Duren, M. R. Erdos, H. M. Stringham, P. S. Chines, A. U. Jackson et al.
The hereditary component of type 2 diabetes reflects the contribution of at least 10 genetic variants, each with a modest effect on risk.

RNA Maps Reveal New RNA Classes and a Possible Function for Pervasive Transcription (8 June 2007)
P. Kapranov, J. Cheng, S. Dike, D. A. Nix, R. Duttagupta, A. T. Willingham, P. F. Stadler, J. Hertel, J. Hackermüller, I. L. Hofacker et al.
Analysis of all the RNA transcribed from the human genome reveals three new classes of RNA that may be functionally important.

A Common Allele on Chromosome 9 Associated with Coronary Heart Disease (8 June 2007)
R. McPherson, A. Pertsemlidis, N. Kavaslar, A. Stewart, R. Roberts, D. R. Cox, D. A. Hinds, L. A. Pennacchio, A. Tybjaerg-Hansen, A. R. Folsom et al.

A Common Variant on Chromosome 9p21 Affects the Risk of Myocardial Infarction (8 June 2007)
A. Helgadottir, G. Thorleifsson, A. Manolescu, S. Gretarsdottir, T. Blondal, A. Jonasdottir, A. Jonasdottir, A. Sigurdsson, A. Baker, A. Palsson, G. Masson et al.
About one of every four Caucasians carries a sequence variation at a regulatory region of chromosome 9 that confers an elevated risk of heart disease.

The Release 5.1 Annotation of Drosophila melanogaster Heterochromatin (15 June 2007)
C. D. Smith, S. Shu, C. J. Mungall, G. H. Karpen
DNA near the centromeres of Drosophila chromosomes is repetitive and consists of transposons, tandem and satellite repeats, and over 200 coding and noncoding genes.

Sequence Finishing and Mapping of Drosophila melanogaster Heterochromatin (15 June 2007)
R. A. Hoskins, J. W. Carlson, C. Kennedy, D. Acevedo, M. Evans-Holm, Er. Frise, K. H. Wan, S. Park, M. Mendez-Lago, F. Rossi et al.
DNA near the centromeres of Drosophila chromosomes is repetitive and consists of transposons, tandem and satellite repeats, and over 200 coding and noncoding genes.

Genome Sequence of Aedes aegypti, a Major Arbovirus Vector (22 June 2007)
V. Nene, J. R. Wortman, D. Lawson, B. Haas, C. Kodira, Z. (Jake) Tu, B. Loftus, Z. Xi, K. Megy, M. Grabherr et al.
The genome of the mosquito that carries dengue and yellow fever consists of almost 50 percent transposable elements and over 15,000 protein-coding genes.
See related Perspective.

Sponge Paleogenomics Reveals an Ancient Role for Carbonic Anhydrase in Skeletogenesis (29 June 2007)
D. J. Jackson, L. Macis, J. Reitner, B. M. Degnan, G. Wörheide
Analysis of an extant but evolutionarily ancient reef-building sponge shows how, through duplication, one early gene gave rise to later genes for calcification.
See related Perspective.

Natural Selection Favors a Newly Derived timeless Allele in Drosophila melanogaster (29 June 2007)
E. Tauber, M. Zordan, F. Sandrelli, M. Pegoraro, N. Osterwalder, C. Breda, A. Daga, A. Selmin, K. Monger, C. Benna et al.

A Molecular Basis for Natural Selection at the timeless Locus in Drosophila melanogaster (29 June 2007)
F. Sandrelli, E. Tauber, M. Pegoraro, G. Mazzotta, P. Cisotto, J. Landskron, R. Stanewsky, A. Piccin, E. Rosato, M. Zordan et al.
A recent variant of a circadian clock gene may alter diapause timing in wild European Drosophila, and selection may explain its north-south distribution.
See related Perspective.


CELL BIOLOGY

α-Klotho as a Regulator of Calcium Homeostasis (15 June 2007)
A. Imura, Y. Tsuji, M. Murata, R. Maeda, K. Kubota, A. Iwano, C. Obuse, K. Togashi, M. Tominaga, N. Kita et al.
A protein with several reported functions may also influence calcium metabolism by modulating the abundance of the sodium-potassium pump at the plasma membrane.

Wnt Induces LRP6 Signalosomes and Promotes Dishevelled-Dependent LRP6 Phosphorylation (15 June 2007)
J. Bilic, Y.-L. Huang, G. Davidson, T. Zimmermann, C.-M. Cruciat, M. Bienz, C. Niehrs
Large, ribosome-sized protein complexes containing receptor and adapter proteins assemble at cell membranes to detect and transducer a critical developmental signal.

Nuclear Actin Regulates Dynamic Subcellular Localization and Activity of the SRF Cofactor MAL (22 June 2007)
M. K. Vartiainen, S. Guettler, B. Larijani, R. Treisman
In cultured cells, serum regulates the interaction of nuclear actin with a transcriptional coactivator, facilitating its nuclear transport and thus stimulating gene expression.
See related Perspective.

Quantitative Morphological Signatures Define Local Signaling Networks Regulating Cell Morphology (22 June 2007)
C. Bakal, J. Aach, G. Church, N. Perrimon
A large genetic screen and automated characterization of cell morphology allowed mapping of the pathways controlling cell adhesion and membrane protrusion and tension.

Parallels Between Cytokinesis and Retroviral Budding: A Role for the ESCRT Machinery (29 June 2007)
J. G. Carlton and J. Martin-Serrano
Cytokinesis, the process by which daughter cells are physically separated during cell division, uses the same machinery as viruses such as HIV use to bud from infected cells.

Restriction of DNA Replication to the Reductive Phase of the Metabolic Cycle Protects Genome Integrity (29 June 2007)
Z. Chen, E. A. Odstrcil, B. P. Tu, S. L. McKnight
Yeast cells in alternating respiratory and glycolytic phases synthesize new DNA and divide only during glycolysis, avoiding high mutation rates that characterize respiration.


NEUROSCIENCE

Modulation of Neuronal Interactions Through Neuronal Synchronization (15 June 2007)
T. Womelsdorf, J.-M. Schoffelen, R. Oostenveld, W. Singer, R. Desimone, A. K. Engel, P. Fries
The interaction of two neuronal groups in the visual systems of cats and monkeys depends on the phase relation between their rhythmic activities.
See related Perspective.

Neural Mechanisms of Visual Attention: How Top-Down Feedback Highlights Relevant Locations (15 June 2007)
Y. B. Saalmann, I. N. Pigarev, T. R. Vidyasagar
As visual information flows from the retina to the cortex, feedback to neurons farther down the pathway increases activity in specific upstream areas to enable focused spatial attention.
See related Perspective.

Dopamine–Mushroom Body Circuit Regulates Saliency-Based Decision-Making in Drosophila (29 June 2007)
K. Zhang, JianZeng Guo, Y. Peng, W. Xi, A. Guo
Drosophila require dopamine neurons within a memory-related area of the brain to make nuanced choices between similar stimuli.


PSYCHOLOGY/BEHAVIOR
 
Neural Responses to Taxation and Voluntary Giving Reveal Motives for Charitable Donations (15 June 2007)
W. T. Harbaugh, U. Mayr, D. R. Burghart
Seeing one’s taxes spent on public services is not as rewarding as paying for them oneself.

Explaining the Relation Between Birth Order and Intelligence (22 June 2007)
P. Kristensen and T. Bjerkedal
The tendency for first-born children to have higher IQs can be explained by social interaction within the family rather than by biological effects in utero.
See related Perspective.

Via Freedom to Coercion: The Emergence of Costly Punishment (29 June 2007)
C. Hauert, A. Traulsen, H. Brandt, M. A. Nowak, K. Sigmund
Paradoxically, a stable model of a cooperative society in which noncooperators are punished emerges if individuals have the freedom to abstain from participation.
See related Perspective.


IMMUNOLOGY
 
Regulation of CD8⁺ T Cell Development by Thymus-Specific Proteasomes (1 June 2007)
S. Murata, K. Sasaki, T. Kishimoto, S. Niwa, H. Hayashi, Y. Takahama, K. Tanaka
A proteosome found only in cortical epithelial cells of the thymus has a specific protein-cleaving subunit that may contribute to positive selection of developing immune cells.
See related Perspective.

Attenuation of Allergic Contact Dermatitis Through the Endocannabinoid System (8 June 2007)
M. Karsak, E. Gaffal, R. Date, L. Wang-Eckhardt, J. Rehnelt, S. Petrosino, K. Starowicz, R. Steuder, E. Schlicker, B. Cravatt et al.
Endogenous cannabinoids released from neurons usually inhibit allergic skin responses; in mice in which they are absent, allergic reactions are exacerbated.

The Vaccine Adjuvant Monophosphoryl Lipid A as a TRIF-Biased Agonist of TLR4 (15 June 2007)
V. Mata-Haro, C. Cekic, M. Martin, P. M. Chilton, C. R. Casella, T. C. Mitchell
A bacterial lipid that can be added to vaccines to boost effectiveness is less toxic than current versions, probably because it selectively stimulates only one immune pathway.
See related Perspective.

Crystal Structures of Human MD-2 and Its Complex with Antiendotoxic Lipid IVa (15 June 2007)
U. Ohto, K. Fukase, K. Miyake, Y. Satow
The structure of a membrane protein bound to bacterial lipopolysaccharide reveals the first step in how the innate immune system senses the presence of invading bacteria.
See related Perspective.

Evolutionary Dynamics of Immune-Related Genes and Pathways in Disease-Vector Mosquitoes (22 June 2007)
R. M. Waterhouse, E. V. Kriventseva, S. Meister, Z. Xi, K. S. Alvarez, L. C. Bartholomay, C. Barillas-Mury, G. Bian, S. Blandin, B. M. Christensen et al.
Comparison among the genomes of Drosophila and two mosquito species reveals that stages of the insect innate immune response evolved via distinct mechanisms and rates.


MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Genome-Wide Mapping of in Vivo Protein-DNA System Interactions (8 June 2007)
D. S. Johnson, A. Mortazavi, R. M. Myers, B. Wold
Chromatin immunoprecipitation and high-throughput sequencing identify the nearly 2000 specific DNA binding sites for a neuronal transcription factor.
See related Perspective.

Polony Multiplex Analysis of Gene Expression (PMAGE) in Mouse Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (8 June 2007)
J. B. Kim, G. J. Porreca, L. Song, S. C. Greenway, J. M. Gorham, G. M. Church, C. E. Seidman, J. G. Seidman
Covering beads with multiple copies of a sequence tag allows precise measurement of RNA expression and can detect as little as one molecule of messenger RNAs in three cells.

An Antifungal Agent Inhibits an Aminoacyl-tRNA Synthetase by Trapping tRNA in the Editing Site (22 June 2007)
F. L. Rock, W. Mao, A. Yaremchuk, M. Tukalo, T. Crépin, H. Zhou, Y.-K. Zhang, V. Hernandez, T. Akama, S. J. Baker et al.
A boron-containing antifungal drug forms an adduct with oxygen atoms in the tRNA, inhibiting attachment of the amino acid to the tRNA and blocking protein synthesis.


VIROLOGY
 
Complex I Binding by a Virally Encoded RNA Regulates Mitochondria-Induced Cell Death (1 June 2007)
M. B. Reeves, A. A. Davies, B. P. McSharry, G. W. Wilkinson, J. H. Sinclair
An abundant viral RNA stabilizes host mitochondria and thus prevents infection-induced cell death, ensuring that the host cell survives long enough for the virus to reproduce.

Restriction of an Extinct Retrovirus by the Human TRIM5α Antiviral Protein (22 June 2007)
S. M. Kaiser, H. S. Malik, M. Emerman
Resistance that humans acquired 4 million years ago to a now extinct virus that infected chimpanzees and gorillas may have left us more sensitive to HIV infection today.

HIV-1 Proviral DNA Excision Using an Evolved Recombinase (29 June 2007)
I. Sarkar, I. Hauber, J. Hauber, F. Buchholz
Test-tube protein evolution was used to design a recombinase enzyme that can excise HIV sequences after they have been integrated into the DNA of the host cell.
See related Perspective.


PLANT SCIENCE
 
A Meta-Analysis of Effects of Bt Cotton and Maize on Nontarget Invertebrates (8 June 2007)
M. Marvier, C. McCreedy, J. Regetz, P. Kareiva
A meta-analysis of 41 studies shows that fields of cotton or corn containing a transgenic insecticide harbor lower populations of certain invertebrates compared to untreated fields.

An Ancient Mechanism Controls the Development of Cells with a Rooting Function in Land Plants (8 June 2007)
B. Menand, K. Yi, S. Jouannic, L. Hoffmann, E. Ryan, P. Linstead, D. G. Schaefer, L. Dolan
A transcription factor that controls formation of hair-like organs in haploid mosses was co-opted to form a nonhomologous but functionally similar organ in diploid land plants.


MICROBIOLOGY
 
Legumes Symbioses: Absence of Nod Genes in Photosynthetic Bradyrhizobia (1 June 2007)
E. Giraud, L. Moulin, D. Vallenet, V. Barbe, E. Cytryn, J.-C. Avarre, M. Jaubert, D. Simon, F. Cartieaux, Y. Prin et al.
Two species of nitrogen-fixing bacteria lack the usual liposaccharide signal by which they communicate with their legume hosts and instead may use a purine derivative.
See related Perspective.

Nitrite, an Electron Donor for Anoxygenic Photosynthesis (29 June 2007)
B. M. Griffin, J. Schott, B. Schink
A purple sulfur bacterium that grows in the absence of oxygen uses nitrite as an electron donor for photosynthesis, forming a nitrate product.