Bio-Med Roundup

This month in Bio-Med Roundup:
  • Sjöblom et al . sequenced >13,000 genes in human breast and colorectal cancers and found that almost 200 genes were mutated at significant frequency.
  • Wang et al ., Hummon et al ., and Whitfield et al . offered genetic insights into the honey bee Apis mellifera .
  • Caraveo et al. showed that a transcription factor has an additional, apparently unrelated cytoplasmic function regulating the insertion of calcium channels into the plasma membrane.
  • Llano et al . showed that a cellular factor is required for HIV integration and represents a potential drug target.
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This month’s Bio-Med Roundup is sponsored by: Eppendorf
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Our 5804/5810 Series benchtop Centrifuges satisfy your application needs by
offering remarkable throughput, high capacity and flexibility for a wide
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microcentrifuges; large-capacity tube and 16-place capacity microplate
centrifuges; all in one space-saving unit.
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MEDICINE

Cancer Regression in Patients After Transfer of Genetically Engineered Lymphocytes ( 6 October 2006 )
R. A. Morgan, M. E. Dudley, J. R. Wunderlich, M. S. Hughes, J. C. Yang, R. M. Sherry, R. E. Royal, S. L. Topalian, U. S. Kammula, N. P. Restifo et al.
Immune cells of cancer patients can be altered to carry genes that, in several cases, can successfully cause regression of some metastatic melanomas.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5796/126
See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5796/68

Ubiquitinated TDP-43 in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis ( 6 October 2006 )
M. Neumann, D. M. Sampathu, L. K. Kwong, A. C. Truax, M. C. Micsenyi, T. T. Chou, J. Bruce, T. Schuck, M. Grossman, C. M. Clark et al.
The protein involved in the pathology of certain neurodegenerative diseases is identified.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5796/130

The Consensus Coding Sequences of Human Breast and Colorectal Cancers ( 13 October 2006 )
T. Sjöblom, S. Jones, L. D. Wood, D. W. Parsons, J. Lin, T. D. Barber, D. Mandelker, R. J. Leary, J. Ptak, N. Silliman et al.
Sequence analysis of >13,000 genes in breast and colorectal tumors shows that almost 200, a surprisingly large number, can be mutated, complicating any simple classification.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5797/268

A Mutant Chaperone Converts a Wild-Type Protein into a Tumor-Specific Antigen ( 13 October 2006 )
A. Schietinger, M. Philip, B. A. Yoshida, P. Azadi, H. Liu, S. C. Meredith, H. Schreiber
A mutation alters the glycosylation pattern of a membrane protein, converting it to a tumor-specific antigen that could be a therapeutic target for cancer therapy.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5797/304

An Essential Role for LEDGF/p75 in HIV Integration ( 20 October 2006 )
M. Llano, D. T. Saenz, A. Meehan, P. Wongthida, M. Peretz, W. H. Walker, W. Teo, E. M. Poeschla
A cellular factor is required for HIV integration and represents a potential drug target.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5798/461

Functional Delivery of a Cytosolic tRNA into Mutant Mitochondria of Human Cells ( 20 October 2006 )
B. Mahata, S. Mukherjee, S. Mishra, A. Bandyopadhyay, S. Adhya
Proteins from a parasite can restore function of human cells with defective mitochondria, suggesting a possible therapeutic approach for certain genetic muscle diseases.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5798/471

Control of Peripheral Nerve Myelination by the β-Secretase BACE1 ( 27 October 2006 )
M. Willem, A. N. Garratt, B. Novak, M. Citron, S. Kaufmann, A. Rittger, B. DeStrooper, P. Saftig, C. Birchmeier, C. Haass
An enzyme that cleaves the precursor of the amyloid peptide that accumulates in Alzheimer’s disease unexpectedly also regulates the myelination of nerves.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5799/664
See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5799/602


GENETICS

The 160-Kilobase Genome of the Bacterial Endosymbiont Carsonella ( 13 October 2006 )
A. Nakabachi, A. Yamashita, H. Toh, H. Ishikawa, H. E. Dunbar, N. A. Moran, M. Hattori
Although densely packed with genes, the tiny genome of an insect symbiont lacks some genes for essential functions, suggesting that it may be evolving into an organelle.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5797/267
See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5797/259

Herpes Simplex Virus Encephalitis in Human UNC-93B Deficiency ( 13 October 2006 )
A. Casrouge, S.-Y. Zhang, C. Eidenschenk, E. Jouanguy, A. Puel, K. Yang, A. Alcais, C. Picard, N. Mahfoufi, N. Nicolas et al.
Although multiple genes are generally thought to control an individual’s resistance to infection, only one gene determines susceptibility to a herpesvirus.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5797/308

A Small Microbial Genome: The End of a Long Symbiotic Relationship? (13 October 2006)
V. Pérez-Brocal, R. Gil, S. Ramos, A. Lamelas, M. Postigo, J. M. Michelena, F. J. Silva, A. Moya, A. Latorre
An aphid symbiont with a small genome has lost most metabolic functions, suggesting that it may soon be subsumed by another, more competent symbiont.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5797/312
See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5797/259

Common Kibra Alleles Are Associated with Human Memory Performance ( 20 October 2006 )
A. Papassotiropoulos, D. A. Stephan, M. J. Huentelman, F. J. Hoerndli, D. W. Craig, J. V. Pearson, K.-D. Huynh, F. Brunner, J. Corneveaux, D. Osborne et al.
Correlation of performance on a memory task with polymorphisms in the whole human genome points to a neuronal protein as one possible determinant of human memory.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5798/475

Functional CpG Methylation System in a Social Insect ( 27 October 2006 )
Y. Wang, M. Jorda, P. L. Jones, R. Maleszka, X. Ling, H. M. Robertson, C. A. Mizzen, M. A. Peinado, G. E. Robinson
The honey bee is the first insect shown to possess a functional, vertebrate-like DNA methylation system.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5799/645

From the Genome to the Proteome: Uncovering Peptides in the Apis Brain ( 27 October 2006 )
A. B. Hummon, T. A. Richmond, P. Verleyen, G. Baggerman, J. Huybrechts, M. A. Ewing, E. Vierstraete, S. L. Rodriguez-Zas, L. Schoofs, G. E. Robinson, J. V. Sweedler
The genome of the honey bee contains nearly 200 potential brain peptides, which may be important in regulating this insect’s social behavior.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5799/647

Thrice Out of Africa: Ancient and Recent Expansions of the Honey Bee, Apis mellifera ( 27 October 2006 )
C. W. Whitfield, S. K. Behura, S. H. Berlocher, A. G. Clark, J. S. Johnston, W. S. Sheppard, D. R. Smith, A. V. Suarez, D. Weaver, N. D. Tsutsui
Gene diversity in European honey bees suggests that they emerged at least twice from Africa and that American killer bee populations arose from three distinct lineages.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5799/642


CELL/DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

Action of TFII-I Outside the Nucleus as an Inhibitor of Agonist-Induced Calcium Entry ( 6 October 2006 )
G. Caraveo, D. B. van Rossum, R. L. Patterson, S. H. Snyder, S. Desiderio
A transcription factor has an additional, apparently unrelated cytoplasmic function regulating the insertion of calcium channels into the plasma membrane.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5796/122
See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5796/64

CDK2-Dependent Phosphorylation of FOXO1 as an Apoptotic Response to DNA Damage ( 13 October 2006 )
H. Huang, K. M. Regan, Z. Lou, J. Chen, D. J. Tindall
The death of cells with damaged DNA results in part from altered localization of a transcription factor, triggered by a cell cycle protein.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5797/294
See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5797/261

Tissue Geometry Determines Sites of Mammary Branching Morphogenesis in Organotypic Cultures ( 13 October 2006 )
C. M. Nelson, M. M. VanDuijn, J. L. Inman, D. A. Fletcher, M. J. Bissell
As the treelike mammary gland develops, branches form at geometrically defined positions where the concentration of inhibitory growth factors is minimal.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5797/298

S6K1- and βTRCP-Mediated Degradation of PDCD4 Promotes Protein Translation and Cell Growth ( 20 October 2006 )
N. V. Dorrello, A. Peschiaroli, D. Guardavaccaro, N. H. Colburn, N. E. Sherman, M. Pagano
A protein identified as a tumor suppressor controls overall protein synthesis rates through a translation initiation factor, promoting cell proliferation and growth.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5798/467
See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5798/428

A Centrosome-Independent Role for γ-TuRC Proteins in the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint ( 27 October 2006 )
H. Müller, M.-L. Fogeron, V. Lehmann, H. Lehrach, B. M. H. Lange
Centrosomal proteins are important for cell cycle progression, but their role does not require their presence in the centrosome itself.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5799/654


IMMUNOLOGY

Modulation of Cell Adhesion and Motility in the Immune System by Myo1f ( 6 October 2006 )
S. V. Kim, W. Z. Mehal, X. Dong, V. Heinrich, M. Pypaert, I. Mellman, M. Dembo, M. S. Mooseker, D. Wu, R. A. Flavell
An unconventional form of long-tailed myosin regulates the adhesion proteins of immune cells, explaining the immunological defects in mice lacking this protein.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5796/136

Dendritic Cell Stimulation by Mycobacterial Hsp70 Is Mediated Through CCR5 ( 20 October 2006 )
R. A. Floto, P. A. MacAry, J. M. Boname, T. S. Mien, B. Kampmann, J. R. Hair, O. S. Huey, E. N. G. Houben, J. Pieters, C. Day et al.
The protein through which HIV infects immune cells normally senses a heat shock protein from mycobacteria to initiate an antibacterial response.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5798/454


MICROBIOLOGY

Infectious Prions in the Saliva and Blood of Deer with Chronic Wasting Disease ( 6 October 2006 )
C. K. Mathiason, J. G. Powers, S. J. Dahmes, D. A. Osborn, K. V. Miller, R. J. Warren, G. L. Mason, S. A. Hays, J. Hayes-Klug, D. M. Seelig et al.
Body fluids from infected deer contain infectious prions, possibly explaining the ease with which chronic wasting disease passes among deer and elk.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5796/133

Long-Term Sustainability of a High-Energy, Low-Diversity Crustal Biome ( 20 October 2006 )
L.-H. Lin, P.-L. Wang, D. Rumble, J. Lippmann-Pipke, E. Boice, L. M. Pratt, B. S. Lollar, E. L. Brodie, T. C. Hazen, G. L. Andersen et al.
Nearly 3 kilometers deep in Earth’s crust, a simple bacterial community has survived for millions of years on geological sources of sulfate and hydrogen.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5798/479

Bacterial Taxa That Limit Sulfur Flux from the Ocean ( 27 October 2006 )
E. C. Howard, J. R. Henriksen, A. Buchan, C. R. Reisch, H. Bürgmann, R. Welsh, W. Ye, J. M. González, K. Mace, S. B. Joye et al.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5799/649

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate Uptake by Marine Phytoplankton ( 27 October 2006 )
M. Vila-Costa, R. Simó, H. Harada, J. M. Gasol, D. Slezak, R. P. Kiene
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5799/652
Cyanobacteria and diatoms assimilate some of the organic sulfur produced by other phytoplankton and thus prevent its release to the atmosphere where it would otherwise influence climate.
See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5799/607


VIROLOGY

Generation of Simian-Tropic HIV-1 by Restriction Factor Evasion ( 6 October 2006 )
T. Hatziioannou, M. Princiotta, M. Piatak, Jr., F. Yuan, F. Zhang, J. D. Lifson, P. D. Bieniasz
A modified HIV-1 resistant to certain enzymes can replicate in macaque T cells, potentially allowing the use of nonhuman primates to study AIDS.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5796/95

Dynamic Nuclear Actin Assembly by Arp2/3 Complex and a Baculovirus WASP-Like Protein ( 20 October 2006 )
E. D. Goley, T. Ohkawa, J. Mancuso, J. B. Woodruff, J. A. D’Alessio, W. Z. Cande, L. E. Volkman, M. D. Welch
A virus triggers actin assembly in the nucleus of infected cells in order to begin its own replication.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5798/464


MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Large Punctuational Contribution of Speciation to Evolutionary Divergence at the Molecular Level ( 6 October 2006 )
M. Pagel, C. Venditti, A. Meade
About one-fifth of the amino acid changes producing genetic differences among species groups occur during rapid bursts of evolution; the rest accumulate during gradual divergence.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5796/119

Tandem Riboswitch Architectures Exhibit Complex Gene Control Functions ( 13 October 2006 )
N. Sudarsan, M. C. Hammond, K. F. Block, R. Welz, J. E. Barrick, A. Roth, R. R. Breaker
Multiple untranslated RNA sequences can occur in series upstream of genes to create complex genetic switches that are regulated by metabolites rather than proteins.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5797/300


NEUROSCIENCE

Genetic Variant BDNF (Val66Met) Polymorphism Alters Anxiety-Related Behavior ( 6 October 2006 )
Z.-Y. Chen, D. Jing, K. G. Bath, A. Ieraci, T. Khan, C.-J. Siao, D. G. Herrera, M. Toth, C. Yang, B. S. McEwen et al.
Mice carrying a neurotransmitter with one defective amino acid display memory and mood problems similar to those of humans with the same variant.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5796/140

Activity- and mTOR-Dependent Suppression of Kv1.1 Channel mRNA Translation in Dendrites ( 6 October 2006 )
K. F. Raab-Graham, P. C. G. Haddick, Y. N. Jan, L. Y. Jan
The synthesis of a potassium channel is decreased by neuronal activity near synapses of hippocampal cells, providing a local feedback circuit.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5796/144

BK Ca -Cav Channel Complexes Mediate Rapid and Localized Ca 2+ -Activated K + Signaling ( 27 October 2006 )
H. Berkefeld. C. A. Sailer, W. Bildl, V. Rohde, J.-O. Thumfart, S. Eble, N. Klugbauer, E. Reisinger, J. Bischofberger, D. Oliver et al.
Calcium channels are bound to potassium channels, allowing direct delivery of calcium to trigger potassium currents that control firing patterns and neurotransmitter release.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5799/615

Odorant Receptor-Derived cAMP Signals Direct Axonal Targeting ( 27 October 2006 )
T. Imai, M. Suzuki, H. Sakano
The organization of the developing mouse olfactory bulb along the anterior-posterior axis is controlled by cyclic AMP signaling, which then affects gene expression.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5799/657
See related Perspective at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/summary/314/5799/606


PSYCHOLOGY

Exposure to Scientific Theories Affects Women’s Math Performance ( 20 October 2006 )
I. Dar-Nimrod and S. J. Heine
Ascribing gender differences in performance on math tests to genetics adversely affects girls’ scores on subsequent tests, but ascribing such differences to experience does not.
http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/314/5798/435


This month’s Bio-Med Roundup is sponsored by: Eppendorf
One size spins all!
Our 5804/5810 Series benchtop Centrifuges satisfy your application needs by
offering remarkable throughput, high capacity and flexibility for a wide
range of sample containers. Your 3-in-1 Centrifuges. Versatile, high speed
microcentrifuges; large-capacity tube and 16-place capacity microplate
centrifuges; all in one space-saving unit.
More info >>