This month in Bio-Med Roundup:

• Cartier et al. reported on the successful use of hematopoietic stem cell gene therapy to treat patients with a fatal brain disorder.
• Kühner et al., Yus et al., and Güell et al. described the surprising complexity of the proteome, metabolic network, and transcriptome of a genome-reduced bacterium.
• Angelo and Van Gilst reported that starvation protects germline stem cells and extends reproductive longevity in C. elegans.
• Schnable et al., and related studies by Gore et al. and Vielle-Calzada et al., discussed the sequence of the maize genome.

Jump to:

• Genetics
• Medicine
• Biochemistry
• Development
• Plant Science
• Microbiology/Virology
• Immunology
• Molecular Biology
• Neuroscience

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GENETICS

Genotype Analysis Identifies the Cause of the "Royal Disease" (6 November 2009)
E. I. Rogaev et al.
DNA from historical specimens reveals the mutation causing the hemophilia that afflicted the royal families of Europe.

Genome Sequence, Comparative Analysis, and Population Genetics of the Domestic Horse (6 November 2009)
C. M. Wade et al.
The horse genome reveals an evolutionary new centromere and conserved chromosomal sequences relative to other mammals.

Sexual Conflict Resolved by Invasion of a Novel Sex Determiner in Lake Malawi Cichlid Fishes (13 November 2009)
R. B. Roberts et al.
A color phenotype that is advantageous to females is linked to a sex-determining gene locus in cichlids.

Mutations in Two Independent Pathways Are Sufficient to Create Hermaphroditic Nematodes (13 November 2009)
C. Baldi et al.
Female nematode worms can be turned into hermaphrodites through the modification of two genes.

Haploid Genetic Screens in Human Cells Identify Host Factors Used by Pathogens (27 November 2009)
J. E. Carette et al.
A method identifies human factors required for successful microbial pathogenesis.

Extensive, Recent Intron Gains in Daphnia Populations (27 November 2009)
W. Li et al.
Interpopulation genome polymorphisms in the water flea, Daphnia, indicate multiple recent intron gains.


MEDICINE

Hematopoietic Stem Cell Gene Therapy with a Lentiviral Vector in X-Linked Adrenoleukodystrophy (6 November 2009)
N. Cartier et al.
Lentiviral-mediated gene therapy of hematopoietic stem cells delays disease progression in patients with a fatal brain disorder.
See related Perspective.

Amyloid-β Dynamics Are Regulated by Orexin and the Sleep-Wake Cycle (13 November 2009)
J.-E. Kang et al.
Sleep patterns can influence amyloid plaque formation in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Induced Chromosomal Proximity and Gene Fusions in Prostate Cancer (27 November 2009)
R.-S. Mani et al.
Androgen signaling facilitates the formation of an oncogenic fusion gene in prostate cancer cells.


BIOCHEMISTRY

Small-Molecule Activators of a Proenzyme (6 November 2009)
D. W. Wolan et al.
Small molecules that promote a procaspase conformation susceptible to activation by proteolysis have been identified.

A Periplasmic Reducing System Protects Single Cysteine Residues from Oxidation (20 November 2009)
M. Depuydt et al.
A thioredoxin-like enzyme controls the oxidation state of the bacterial periplasm.

Proteome Organization in a Genome-Reduced Bacterium (27 November 2009)
S. Kühner et al.
The simplified proteome of a bacterium provides insight into the organization of proteins into molecular machines.
See related Perspective.

Impact of Genome Reduction on Bacterial Metabolism and Its Regulation (27 November 2009)
E. Yus et al.
Reconstruction of a bacterial metabolic network reveals strategies for metabolic control with a genome of reduced size.
See related Perspective.

Crystal Structure of the Catalytic Core of an RNA-Polymerase Ribozyme (27 November 2009)
D. M. Shechner et al.
The structure of a ligase ribozyme suggests how RNA might be able to replicate itself.

A High-Resolution Structure of the Pre-microRNA Nuclear Export Machinery (27 November 2009)
C. Okada et al.
Exportin-5:RanGTP surrounds microRNAs to protect them from degradation as it exports them from the nucleus.
See related Perspective.

Crystal Structure of a Nucleocapsid-Like Nucleoprotein-RNA Complex of Respiratory Syncytial Virus (27 November 2009)
R. G. Tawar et al.
In negative-strand RNA viruses, viral RNA wraps around a nucleocapsid helix with the bases accessible to the viral polymerase.


DEVELOPMENT

Starvation Protects Germline Stem Cells and Extends Reproductive Longevity in C. elegans (13 November 2009)
G. Angelo and M. R. Van Gilst
During starvation, germline stem cells are saved for regeneration when food is restored.
See related Perspective.

A Spindle Assembly Checkpoint Protein Functions in Prophase I Arrest and Prometaphase Progression (13 November 2009)
H. Homer et al.
A protein vital for correct segregation of chromosomes in mitosis is also needed to complete meiosis in mouse oocytes.

Two Chemoreceptors Mediate Developmental Effects of Dauer Pheromone in C. elegans (13 November 2009)
K. Kim et al.
Chemical signals that determine alternative nematode developmental programs act via two G protein–coupled receptors.
See related Perspective.


PLANT SCIENCE

A Type I–Secreted, Sulfated Peptide Triggers XA21-Mediated Innate Immunity (6 November 2009)
S.-W. Lee
The bacterial trigger for a rice innate immune response is identified.

The Palomero Genome Suggests Metal Effects on Domestication (20 November 2009)
J.-P. Vielle-Calzada et al.
Genes involved in metal tolerance likely played a role in maize domestication.
See related Perspective.

The B73 Maize Genome: Complexity, Diversity, and Dynamics (20 November 2009)
P. S. Schnable et al.
The sequence of the maize genome reveals it to be the most complex genome known to date.
See related Perspective.

A First-Generation Haplotype Map of Maize (20 November 2009)
M. A. Gore et al.
In maize, recombination in the genome has been a limiting factor affecting evolution and breeding efforts.
See related Perspective.

Paternal Dominance of Trans-eQTL Influences Gene Expression Patterns in Maize Hybrids (20 November 2009)
R. A. Swanson-Wagner et al.
Gene expression variation in maize hybrids is influenced by distant DNA sequences subject to paternal genomic imprinting.
See related Perspective.


MICROBIOLOGY/VIROLOGY

High Diversity of the Viral Community from an Antarctic Lake (6 November 2009)
A. López-Bueno et al.
Virus populations in polar freshwater lakes show marked shifts in composition during ice melt.

Viral Glycosphingolipids Induce Lytic Infection and Cell Death in Marine Phytoplankton (6 November 2009)
A. Vardi et al.
A specific virus encodes membrane components that broadcast cell death and population demise of its coccolithophore host.

Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation in the Fungus Gardens of Leaf-Cutter Ants (20 November 2009)
A. A. Pinto-Tomás et al.
Leaf-cutting ants engage in a mutualism with nitrogen-fixing bacteria that help fertilize their fungus gardens.


IMMUNOLOGY

MafB/c-Maf Deficiency Enables Self-Renewal of Differentiated Functional Macrophages (6 November 2009)
A. Aziz et al.
The absence of two transcription factors allows long-term propagation of a differentiated immune cell population that is nontumorigenic.

A Single Peptide–MHC Complex Positively Selects a Diverse and Specific CD8 T Cell Repertoire (6 November 2009)
B. Wang et al.
Positive selection by a single peptide–MHC complex imparts exquisite specificity to developing T cells.

CD4⁺ Regulatory T Cells Control T_H17 Responses in a Stat3-Dependent Manner (13 November 2009)
A. Chaudhry et al.
Suppressor T cells regulate different classes of immune responses through induction of specific transcription factors.

Structural Basis of Immune Evasion at the Site of CD4 Attachment on HIV-1 gp120 (20 November 2009)
L. Chen et al.
Conformational variability in an HIV coat protein complicates the therapeutic targeting of HIV-1.


MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Widespread Occurrence of Self-Cleaving Ribozymes (13 November 2009)
C.-H. T. Webb et al.
Once thought to be an oddity, small catalytic RNAs have been found in a wide range of organisms.

Transcriptome Complexity in a Genome-Reduced Bacterium (27 November 2009)
M. Güell et al.
Sequencing of a tiny bacterium's RNA reveals many noncoding RNAs and complex gene regulation reminiscent of eukaryotes.
See related Perspective.


NEUROSCIENCE

Strengthening Individual Memories by Reactivating Them During Sleep (20 November 2009)
J. D. Rudoy et al.
During sleep, memories can be influenced in a specific and systematic manner.

The Schizophrenia Susceptibility Gene dysbindin Controls Synaptic Homeostasis (20 November 2009)
D. K. Dickman and G. W. Davis
The dysbindin protein is required for the modulation of presynaptic neurotransmitter release in Drosophila.

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