Bio-Med Roundup

This month in Bio-Med Roundup:
  • Takahashi et al. showed that experiencing envy activates pain-related neural circuitry, whereas experiencing schadenfreude -- delight at someone else’s misfortune -- activates reward-related neural circuitry.
  • Bézier et al. found that virus-like particles used by parasitic wasps to manipulate host defenses are encoded by viral genes incorporated into the wasp genome.
  • Kwiatkowski et al. and Vance et al. identified mutations that implicate defects in RNA processing in contributing to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease).
  • Wegrzyn et al. found that a known nuclear transcriptional factor also controls cell respiration and metabolism in mitochondria.
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Deadline: June 15, 2009
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MEDICINE
 
The Hallucinogen N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) Is an Endogenous Sigma-1 Receptor Regulator (13 February 2009)
D. Fontanilla et al.
An endogenous compound is a ligand for a ubiquitously expressed receptor that binds many synthetic drugs and has been implicated in psychiatric disease.

The Orphan G Protein–Coupled Receptor 3 Modulates Amyloid-Beta Peptide Generation in Neurons (13 February 2009)
A. Thathiah et al.
A neuronal G protein–coupled receptor can stimulate the generation of the Aβ peptide implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. 

Mutations in the FUS/TLS Gene on Chromosome 16 Cause Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (27 February 2009)
T. J. Kwiatkowski Jr. et al.
Mutations in FUS, an RNA Processing Protein, Cause Familial Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Type 6 (27 February 2009)
C. Vance et al.
Mutations in an RNA processing protein, the second implicated, suggest that a common mechanism promotes Lou Gehrig’s disease.

Synchronous Hyperactivity and Intercellular Calcium Waves in Astrocytes in Alzheimer Mice (27 February 2009)
K. V. Kuchibhotla, C. R. Lattarulo, B.T. Hyman, B. J. Bacskai
In a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, astrocytes respond globally to plague formation.

Meropenem-Clavulanate Is Effective Against Extensively Drug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (27 February 2009)
J.-E. Hugonnet, L. W. Tremblay, H. I. Boshoff, C. E. Barry, 3rd, J. S. Blanchard
Together, two FDA-approved drugs inhibit the growth of 13 antibiotic-resistant strains of the tuberculosis pathogen. 


CELL/DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

Orc1 Controls Centriole and Centrosome Copy Number in Human Cells (6 February 2009)
A. S. Hemerly, S. G. Prasanth, K. Siddiqui, B. Stillman
A DNA replication factor ensures that only two centrioles are formed during cell division in animal cells.

Function of Mitochondrial Stat3 in Cellular Respiration (6 February 2009)
J. Wegrzyn et al.
A protein that has a nuclear function as a transcription factor also functions to support respiration in the mitochondria.
See related Perspective.

An ABC Transporter Controls Export of a Drosophila Germ Cell Attractant (13 February 2009)
S. Ricardo and R. Lehmann
Similar lipid modification and export pathways produce the attractants important in migration of budding yeast and fruit fly germ cells.
See related Perspective.

A Self-Regulatory System of Interlinked Signaling Feedback Loops Controls Mouse Limb Patterning (20 February 2009)
J.-D. Bénazet et al.
Interactions between three signaling pathways allow robust regulation of vertebrate limb development.

Stress-Inducible Regulation of Heat Shock Factor 1 by the Deacetylase SIRT1 (20 February 2009)
S. D. Westerheide, J. Anckar, S. M. Stevens, Jr., L. Sistonen, R. I. Morimoto
The longevity factor SIRT1 influences protein stability by keeping heat shock factor 1 in its active state.
See related Perspective.

Analysis of Drosophila Segmentation Network Identifies a JNK Pathway Factor Overexpressed in Kidney Cancer (27 February 2009)
J. Liu et al.
A developmental marker in fruit flies also acts as a marker of renal cell cancer in humans.

Antagonistic Actions of Msx1 and Osr2 Pattern Mammalian Teeth into a Single Row (27 February 2009)
Z. Zhang, Y. Lan, Y. Chai, R. Jiang
A pair of transcription factors controls sites of tooth formation in mice by regulating the distribution of signals. 


IMMUNOLOGY

Platelets Kill Intraerythrocytic Malarial Parasites and Mediate Survival to Infection (6 February 2009)
B. J. McMorran et al.
Mouse and human platelets bind malarial-infected red blood cells and kill the parasite within.

HIN-200 Proteins Regulate Caspase Activation in Response to Foreign Cytoplasmic DNA (20 February 2009)
T. L. Roberts et al.
A family of proteins is identified that binds to foreign cytoplasmic DNA in mammalian cells and regulates the immune response.

Cytosolic Viral Sensor RIG-I Is a 5’-Triphosphate–Dependent Translocase on Double-Stranded RNA (20 February 2009)
S. Myong et al.
A host protein that recognizes invading viruses activates innate immunity defenses only when it senses both double-stranded RNA and a 5’ triphosphate.


NEUROSCIENCE

Changes in Cortical Dopamine D1 Receptor Binding Associated with Cognitive Training (6 February 2009)
F. McNab et al.
Training of working memory alters brain biochemistry by changing the density of cortical dopamine receptors.

Axon Regeneration Requires a Conserved MAP Kinase Pathway (6 February 2009)
M. Hammarlund, P. Nix, L. Hauth, E. M. Jorgensen, M. Bastiani
Axon regeneration in adult nematode worms has distinct signals that are independent of earlier developmental programs.

When Your Gain Is My Pain and Your Pain Is My Gain: Neural Correlates of Envy and Schadenfreude (13 February 2009)
H. Takahashi et al.
Envy is strongest against those with similar attributes, and the most joy is gained from the pain of those envied the most.
See related Perspective.

A Neural Mechanism for Microsaccade Generation in the Primate Superior Colliculus (13 February 2009)
Z. M. Hafed, L. Goffart, R. J. Krauzlis
The same neural structure involved in voluntary fast eye movements controls small involuntary movements that occur during gaze fixation.

Neuronal Activity-Induced Gadd45b Promotes Epigenetic DNA Demethylation and Adult Neurogenesis (20 February 2009)
D. K. Ma et al.
Neural activity induces an immediate early gene that triggers epigenetic modifications needed for neurogenesis.

Harmonic Convergence in the Love Songs of the Dengue Vector Mosquito (20 February 2009)
L. J. Cator, B. J. Arthur, L. C. Harrington, R. R. Hoy
Male and female mosquitoes change their wing beat frequencies to match each other as a prelude to mating.


PSYCHOLOGY/SOCIOLOGY
 
Open Access and Global Participation in Science (20 February 2009)
J. A. Evans and J. Reimer
Making articles available free online increases the rate at which they are cited, especially by authors in poorer countries.

Predicting Elections: Child’s Play! (27 February 2009)
J. Antonakis and O. Dalgas
Children’s choices of a ship’s captain reflect adults’ choices of a parliamentarian.

In Bad Taste: Evidence for the Oral Origins of Moral Disgust (27 February 2009)
H. A. Chapman, D. A. Kim, J. M. Susskind, A. K. Anderson
Responses to bad-tasting foods and morally repugnant actions are processed in overlapping regions of the brain.
See related Perspective.

Blue or Red? Exploring the Effect of Color on Cognitive Task Performances (27 February 2009)
R. Mehta and R. ( J.) Zhu
Blue favors creativity in humans, whereas red improves attention to detail.


PLANT SCIENCE

Effects of Genetic Perturbation on Seasonal Life History Plasticity (13 February 2009)
A. M. Wilczek et al.
Interactions among mutation, germination timing, and climate alter flowering patterns in Arabidopsis.

Trifurcate Feed-Forward Regulation of Age-Dependent Cell Death Involving miR164 in Arabidopsis (20 February 2009)
J. H. Kim et al.
A logic circuit involving microRNA and transcription factors ensures the timely demise of plant leaves.

A Genetic Defect Caused by a Triplet Repeat Expansion in Arabidopsis thaliana (20 February 2009)
S. Sureshkumar et al.
A strain of Arabidopsis provides a plant model for the harmful effects of repeat nucleotide expansions in populations.

RNA Polymerase IV Functions in Paramutation in Zea mays (27 February 2009)
K. F. Erhard Jr. et al.
In maize, a derivative RNA polymerase is responsible for passing on epigenetic changes to the next generation.


VIROLOGY

Polydnaviruses of Braconid Wasps Derive from an Ancestral Nudivirus (13 February 2009)
A. Bézier et al.
Virus-like particles used by parasitic wasps to manipulate host defenses are encoded by virus-related genes incorporated into the wasp genome. 
See related Perspective.


MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Self-Sustained Replication of an RNA Enzyme (27 February 2009)
T. A. Lincoln and G. F. Joyce
Two ribozymes synthesize each other from oligonucleotide substrates to give a self-replicating system.


Sponsored by:
$25,000 Prize for Neurobiology
Now accepting entries for the $25,000
Eppendorf & Science Prize for Neurobiology
Deadline: June 15, 2009
Visit www.eppendorf.com/prize2009