This month in Bio-Med Roundup:

• Bergmann et al. showed that human cardiac muscle cells slowly renew into adulthood.
• The Bovine Genome Sequencing and Analysis Consortium et al. and the Bovine HapMap Consortium reported on the cattle genome sequence and the genetic structure of different breeds.
• Zhao et al. proposed a mechanism through which the enzyme isocitrate dehydrogenase promotes tumorigenesis.
• Donlea et al. and Gilestro et al. provided evidence that synaptic downscaling is an important function of sleep.

Jump to:

• Genetics
• Neuroscience
• Medicine
• Cell Biology
• Molecular Biology
• Development
• Immunology
• Biochemistry
• Microbiology

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GENETICS
 
Conditional Mutagenesis in Drosophila (3 April 2009)
C. M. Choi et al.
A powerful genetic technique allows dissection of gene activity at different times and locations in the Drosophila fruit fly.

Sequencing and Analyses of All Known Human Rhinovirus Genomes Reveal Structure and Evolution (3 April 2009)
A. C. Palmenberg et al.
Rhinoviruses, which are a common cause of colds, fall into three or possibly four major clades and can undergo strain recombination.

Demonstration of Genetic Exchange During Cyclical Development of Leishmania in the Sand Fly Vector (10 April 2009)
N. S. Akopyants et al.
Diversity among Leishmania parasites is not just a product of divergent mutation but also of genetic exchange.
See related Perspective.

Green Evolution and Dynamic Adaptations Revealed by Genomes of the Marine Picoeukaryotes Micromonas (10 April 2009)
A. Z. Worden et al.
An anciently derived clade of photosynthetic picoeukaryote, ubiquitous in the world’s oceans, possesses surprising genetic diversity.
See related Perspective.

Rare Variants of IFIH1, a Gene Implicated in Antiviral Responses, Protect Against Type 1 Diabetes (17 April 2009)
S. Nejentsev et al.
Deep resequencing revealed rare alleles that were significantly associated with protection from diabetes.

Local DNA Topography Correlates with Functional Noncoding Regions of the Human Genome (17 April 2009)
S. C. J. Parker et al.
The molecular shape of DNA, as well as the nucleotide sequence itself, can have functional consequences and constrain evolution.

The Genome Sequence of Taurine Cattle: A Window to Ruminant Biology and Evolution (24 April 2009)
The Bovine Genome Sequencing and Analysis Consortium et al.
Genome-Wide Survey of SNP Variation Uncovers the Genetic Structure of Cattle Breeds (24 April 2009)
The Bovine HapMap Consortium
A survey of genetic diversity of cattle suggests two domestication events in Asia and selection by husbandry.
See related Perspective.

Revealing the History of Sheep Domestication Using Retrovirus Integrations (24 April 2009)
B. Chessa et al.
Sheep retroviruses can be used to map the selective preferences of early farmers and trace livestock movements across Europe.
See related Perspective.


NEUROSCIENCE

S-Nitrosylation of Drp1 Mediates β-Amyloid–Related Mitochondrial Fission and Neuronal Injury (3 April 2009)
D.-H. Cho et al.
Biochemical modification of a neuronal protein damages mitochondria and is linked to neurodegeneration.

Use-Dependent Plasticity in Clock Neurons Regulates Sleep Need in Drosophila (3 April 2009)
J. M. Donlea et al.
Neurons involved in circadian rhythms are required for increased sleep after social experience and for consolidation of memories.

Widespread Changes in Synaptic Markers as a Function of Sleep and Wakefulness in Drosophila (3 April 2009)
G. F. Gilestro et al.
In Drosophila, neural connection proteins increase their expression after wakefulness and decrease it after sleep.

Recursive Processes in Self-Affirmation: Intervening to Close the Minority Achievement Gap (17 April 2009)
G. L. Cohen et al.
Reflecting upon and writing down one’s set of important values may buffer against recursive negative thoughts.

Mirror Neurons Differentially Encode the Peripersonal and Extrapersonal Space of Monkeys (17 April 2009)
V. Caggiano et al.
The spatial selectivity of mirror neurons suggests that their role goes beyond understanding actions and extends to generating responses.

Homeostatic Sleep Pressure and Responses to Sustained Attention in the Suprachiasmatic Area (24 April 2009)
C. Schmidt et al.
After prolonged wakefulness, people who are "night owls" do better at mental tests than those who are "early birds."

Intuition and Deliberation: Two Systems for Strategizing in the Brain (24 April 2009)
W.-J. Kuo et al.
Optimal gaming requires matching the type of neural circuitry (intuitive versus deliberative) to the type of game.


MEDICINE

Exomic Sequencing Identifies PALB2 as a Pancreatic Cancer Susceptibility Gene (10 April 2009)
S. Jones et al.
Mutations in a gene previously implicated in breast cancer are a contributing factor in hereditary pancreatic cancer.

Glioma-Derived Mutations in IDH1 Dominantly Inhibit IDH1 Catalytic Activity and Induce HIF-1α (10 April 2009)
S. Zhao et al.
Mutations in isocitrate dehydrogenase-1 compromise enzyme function and activate a signaling pathway that helps brain tumors grow when oxygen is limited.
See related Perspective.

Optical Deconstruction of Parkinsonian Neural Circuitry (17 April 2009)
V. Gradinaru et al.
The therapeutic effects of high-frequency stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus result from direct effects on afferent axons.


CELL BIOLOGY

Pulsatile Stimulation Determines Timing and Specificity of NF-κB–Dependent Transcription (10 April 2009)
L. Ashall et al.
The frequency of pulses of cytokine simulation of a cell can determine the spectrum of genes whose transcription is regulated.

Protection of C. elegans from Anoxia by HYL-2 Ceramide Synthase (17 April 2009)
V. Menuz et al.
Enzymes that catalyze synthesis of ceramide lipids influence survival of worms during anoxia.
See related Perspective.

Sequential Regulation of DOCK2 Dynamics by Two Phospholipids During Neutrophil Chemotaxis (17 April 2009)
A. Nishikimi et al.
The signaling lipid phosphatidic acid links chemoattractant signals to directional movement of neutrophils.
See related Perspective.

Tuning the Activation Threshold of a Kinase Network by Nested Feedback Loops (24 April 2009)
Q. A. Justman et al.
Interacting negative feedback loops control the sensitivity of amphibian oocytes to the hormone progesterone.
See related Perspective.


MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

RNA Pol II Accumulates at Promoters of Growth Genes During Developmental Arrest (3 April 2009)
L. R. Baugh et al.
Growth and development genes, poised for expression during developmental arrest in nematodes, respond rapidly to feeding.

Genome-Wide Analysis in Vivo of Translation with Nucleotide Resolution Using Ribosome Profiling (10 April 2009)
N. T. Ingolia et al.
Profiling the position of ribosomes on messenger RNA allows rapid, high-precision investigation of cellular protein translation.

Coding-Sequence Determinants of Gene Expression in Escherichia coli (10 April 2009)
G. Kudla et al.
RNA structure, rather than optimal codon usage, determines translation efficiency in Escherichia coli.

DNA Binding Site Sequence Directs Glucocorticoid Receptor Structure and Activity (17 April 2009)
S. H. Meijsing et al.
DNA is a sequence-specific ligand for the glucocorticoid receptor that allosterically modulates this transcription factor’s activity.


DEVELOPMENT

Nuclear Hormone Receptor Regulation of MicroRNAs Controls Developmental Progression (3 April 2009)
A. Bethke et al.
During Caenorhabditis elegans development, a hormone-coupled microRNA molecular switch turns off earlier programs to allow for later ones.

Evidence for Cardiomyocyte Renewal in Humans (3 April 2009)
O. Bergmann et al.
Analyses of human heart cells labeled by a worldwide pulse-chase event reveal that some heart cells are younger than their owner.
See related Perspective.


IMMUNOLOGY

Leucine-Rich Repeat Protein Complex Activates Mosquito Complement in Defense Against Plasmodium Parasites (10 April 2009)
M. Povelones et al.
A family of molecules, apparently unique to mosquitoes, binds to invading parasites and initiates innate immune responses.

In Vivo Analysis of Dendritic Cell Development and Homeostasis (17 April 2009)
K. Liu et al.
The developmental pathway of lymphoid dendritic cells from myeloid progenitors is traced in mice.

Priming in Systemic Plant Immunity (3 April 2009)
H. W. Jung et al.
Azelaic acid is a long-distance signal conferring immunity against infection in plants.


BIOCHEMISTRY

Antibody Recognition of a Highly Conserved Influenza Virus Epitope (10 April 2009)
D. C. Ekiert et al.
A broadly neutralizing antibody binds the hemagglutinin stalk of pathogenic influenza viruses to block membrane fusion.

Catalytic Core of a Membrane-Associated Eukaryotic Polyphosphate Polymerase (24 April 2009)
M. Hothorn et al.
A yeast membrane protein complex contains a domain that generates linear phosphate polymers from adenosine triphosphate.


MICROBIOLOGY

A Contemporary Microbially Maintained Subglacial Ferrous "Ocean" (17 April 2009)
J. A. Mikucki et al.
Coupled iron-sulfur metabolism has allowed a microbial community to persist for millions of years beneath the Antarctic ice.

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