• Sudmant et al. used data from the 1000 Genomes Project to identify copy number variants in the human genome.
• Shaw et al. reported millisecond-scale simulations that capture biologically relevant structural transitions during protein folding.
• Wang et al. and Kelly et al. showed that a critical regulator of cell division is recruited to chromosomes through the specific phosphorylation of a chromatin protein.
• Snelgrove et al. found that cigarette smoke promotes lung inflammation by hindering an enzyme that degrades an immune cell chemoattractant.
  
  

New webinar - Facts and Fiction: Careers in Industry and Academia - now available on demand.

Trying to figure out the next step in your career? Do industry and academic careers require different skill sets? How can I best prepare for either career option? Do industry jobs have better compensation? Less autonomy? Do academic scientists have less work/life balance? Are there enough academic job openings for everyone who wants one? Get some nuts and bolts advice on how to research career options, what questions to ask, and how to best prepare for various careers. View now.

GENETICS

High Frequency of Horizontal Gene Transfer in the Oceans (1 October 2010)
L. D. McDaniel et al.
Viruslike particles enable lateral gene transfer among marine microorganisms.

Sequencing of Culex quinquefasciatus Establishes a Platform for Mosquito Comparative Genomics (1 October 2010)
P. Arensburger et al.
Pathogenomics of Culex quinquefasciatus and Meta-Analysis of Infection Responses to Diverse Pathogens (1 October 2010)
L. C. Bartholomay et al.
The genome of a third mosquito species reveals distinctions related to vector capacities and habitat preferences.

Mitotic Recombination in Patients with Ichthyosis Causes Reversion of Dominant Mutations in KRT10 (1 October 2010)
K. A. Choate et al.
Patches of normal skin in patients with a rare skin disorder are due to cells that have lost the disease-causing mutation.
See related Perspective.

IDH2 Mutations in Patients with D-2-Hydroxyglutaric Aciduria (15 October 2010)
M. Kranendijk et al.
A mutation that changes the specificity of an enzyme in human cancer is also found in an inherited metabolic disorder.

Widespread Divergence Between Incipient Anopheles gambiae Species Revealed by Whole Genome Sequences (22 October 2010)
M. K. N. Lawniczak et al.
Gene flow among African malaria vectors is more restricted than previously thought.

SNP Genotyping Defines Complex Gene-Flow Boundaries Among African Malaria Vector Mosquitoes (22 October 2010)
D. E. Neafsey et al.
Populations of African malaria vectors show signs of selective sweeps and ongoing speciation in their genomes.

Diversity of Human Copy Number Variation and Multicopy Genes (29 October 2010)
P. H. Sudmant et al.
Specific gene copies can be identified in regions of high copy number variability in the human genome.


NEUROSCIENCE/PSYCHOLOGY

Piezo1 and Piezo2 Are Essential Components of Distinct Mechanically Activated Cation Channels (1 October 2010)
B. Coste et al.
Cation channel genes encode for a transducer molecule that converts mechanical stimuli into cell signaling.

Greater Neural Pattern Similarity Across Repetitions Is Associated with Better Memory (1 October 2010)
G. Xue et al.
Similarity in neural representations is associated with better memory, as well as conscious cognition.

Tau Reduction Prevents Aβ-Induced Defects in Axonal Transport (8 October 2010)
K. A. Vossel et al.
A mechanism for the protective effects of tau reduction in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease.

Why Testing Improves Memory: Mediator Effectiveness Hypothesis (15 October 2010)
M. A. Pyc and K. A. Rawson
Testing not only evaluates the state of memory, but also improves memory more than restudy.

Temperature as a Universal Resetting Cue for Mammalian Circadian Oscillators (15 October 2010)
E. D. Buhr et al.
The master pacemaker in the mammalian brain resists the resetting effect of temperature to provide a universal entraining signal.
See related Perspective.

Cell Type–Specific Loss of BDNF Signaling Mimics Optogenetic Control of Cocaine Reward (15 October 2010)
M. K. Lobo et al.
Selective manipulation of neuron subtypes produces opposite effects on behavioral responses to cocaine.

Filtering of Visual Information in the Tectum by an Identified Neural Circuit (29 October 2010)
F. Del Bene et al.
A neural circuit in zebrafi sh is preferentially activated by small visual stimuli, facilitating the capture of prey.

Cognitive Illusions of Authorship Reveal Hierarchical Error Detection in Skilled Typists (29 October 2010)
G. D. Logan and M. J. C. Crump
One error-detection mechanism monitors the correctness of one’s action, whereas a second mechanism monitors the output.

Evidence for a Collective Intelligence Factor in the Performance of Human Groups (29 October 2010)
A. W. Woolley et al.
A metric for group performance on a battery of cognitive tasks yields a group intelligence quantity: collective intelligence.


BIOCHEMISTRY

Isoprenoid Pathway Optimization for Taxol Precursor Overproduction in Escherichia coli (1 October 2010)
P. K. Ajikumar et al.
Engineered bacteria synthesize a precursor to a potent cancer drug, raising prospects for efficient production of analogs.
See related Perspective.

Cellodextrin Transport in Yeast for Improved Biofuel Production (1 October 2010)
J. M. Galazka et al.
Reconstitution of a fungal transport system allows yeast to grow on sugars derived from cellulose.

An Oxidative Enzyme Boosting the Enzymatic Conversion of Recalcitrant Polysaccharides (8 October 2010)
G. Vaaje-Kolstad et al.
Initial hydrolysis and oxidation disrupts crystalline chitin to promote its degradation.

Atomic-Level Characterization of the Structural Dynamics of Proteins (15 October 2010)
D. E. Shaw et al.
Millisecond-scale simulations capture biologically relevant structural transitions during protein folding.

Mechanisms of Proton Conduction and Gating in Influenza M2 Proton Channels from Solid-State NMR (22 October 2010)
F. Hu et al.
Histidine side-chain dynamics regulate proton conduction in an influenza proton channel.
See the related Perspective.

Insight into the Mechanism of the Influenza A Proton Channel from a Structure in a Lipid Bilayer (22 October 2010)
M. Sharma et al.
A tetrameric cluster of histidine and tryptophan residues, through its unique chemistry, shepherds protons through the M2 channel.
See related Perspective.

Structure of a Eukaryotic CLC Transporter Defines an Intermediate State in the Transport Cycle (29 October 2010)
L. Feng et al.
The structure of a chloride transporter and its regulatory domain provides insight into the ion-exchange mechanism.
See the related Perspective.

Visualizing Ribosome Biogenesis: Parallel Assembly Pathways for the 30S Subunit (29 October 2010)
A. M. Mulder et al.
A time-resolved electron microscopy method provides snapshots that reveal the mechanism of ribosome self-assembly.


CELL/DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

The CRAC Channel Activator STIM1 Binds and Inhibits L-Type Voltage-Gated Calcium Channels (1 October 2010)
C. Y. Park et al.
The Calcium Store Sensor, STIM1, Reciprocally Controls Orai and Ca_v1.2 Channels (1 October 2010)
Y. Wang et al.
The sensor protein that monitors depletion of intracellular calcium regulates two classes of calcium entry channels.
See related Perspective.

Granulosa Cell Ligand NPPC and Its Receptor NPR2 Maintain Meiotic Arrest in Mouse Oocytes (15 October 2010)
M. Zhang et al.
A peptide from follicle cells contributes to timing of chromosome segregation in meiosis.

Impeding Xist Expression from the Active X Chromosome Improves Mouse Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer (22 October 2010)
K. Inoue et al.
Efficiency of mouse nuclear transfer was improved by correcting aberrant gene expression on the active X chromosome.

Two Pairs of Neurons in the Central Brain Control Drosophila Innate Light Preference (22 October 2010)
Z. Gong et al.
A neural circuit connects perceptual inputs to behavioral outputs.
See related Perspective.

Fast Vesicle Fusion in Living Cells Requires at Least Three SNARE Complexes (22 October 2010)
R. Mohrmann et al.
Membrane fusion proteins cooperate to promote rapid secretory vesicle exocytosis from neuroendocrine cells.

Polarized Myosin Produces Unequal-Size Daughters During Asymmetric Cell Division (29 October 2010)
G. Ou et al.
Motor proteins help to produce developmentally distinct daughter cells during development.
See related Perspective.

A Size Threshold Limits Prion Transmission and Establishes Phenotypic Diversity (29 October 2010)
A. Derdowski et al.
Yeast prion conformations specify phenotypes by affecting the size distribution of aggregates.


MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Histone H3 Thr-3 Phosphorylation by Haspin Positions Aurora B at Centromeres in Mitosis (8 October 2010)
F. Wang et al.
Survivin Reads Phosphorylated Histone H3 Threonine 3 to Activate the Mitotic Kinase Aurora B (8 October 2010)
A. E. Kelly et al.
A critical regulator of cell division is recruited to chromosomes through the specific phosphorylation of a chromatin protein.

Two Histone Marks Establish the Inner Centromere and Chromosome Bi-Orientation (8 October 2010)
Y. Yamagishi et al.
Phosphorylation of histones recruits proteins critical for the segregation of chromosomes during cell division.
See related Perspective.

Dom34:Hbs1 Promotes Subunit Dissociation and Peptidyl-tRNA Drop-Off to Initiate No-Go Decay (15 October 2010)
C. J. Shoemaker et al.
A eukaryotic protein complex helps detect and destroy "aberrant" messenger RNAs stalled on ribosomes.

Rapid Construction of Empirical RNA Fitness Landscapes (15 October 2010)
J. N. Pitt and A. R. Ferré-D’Amaré
Mapping between phenotype and genotype can be resolved by deep sequencing.
See related Perspective.

ATM Activation by Oxidative Stress (22 October 2010)
Z. Guo et al.
The protein kinase ATM is a sensor for reactive oxygen species.


MICROBIOLOGY

Bacteria Use Type IV Pili to Walk Upright and Detach from Surfaces (8 October 2010)
M. L. Gibiansky et al.
A searchable database of images allows detailed analysis of bacterial motility.

Species Interactions in a Parasite Community Drive Infection Risk in a Wildlife Population (8 October 2010)
S. Telfer et al.
Coinfecting pathogens have specific interacting effects on host resources, immune responses, and other pathogens.
See related Perspective.

Salmonella Pathogenesis and Processing of Secreted Effectors by Caspase-3 (15 October 2010)
C. V. Srikanth et al.
A food-poisoning pathogen uses a host enzyme to activate its virulence factors.


MEDICINE

A Critical Role for LTA₄H in Limiting Chronic Pulmonary Neutrophilic Inflammation (1 October 2010)
R. J. Snelgrove et al.
Cigarette smoke promotes lung inflammation by hindering an enzyme that degrades an immune cell chemoattractant.
See related Perspective.

Frequent Mutations of Chromatin Remodeling Gene ARID1A in Ovarian Clear Cell Carcinoma (8 October 2010)
S. Jones et al.
Genetic analysis of a rare but aggressive form of ovarian cancer implicates a chromatin remodeling defect in disease development.

Crystal Growth Inhibitors for the Prevention of L-Cystine Kidney Stones Through Molecular Design (15 October 2010)
J. D. Rimer et al.
Structural mimics for L-cystine may provide drug treatments for certain types of kidney stones.
See related Perspective.


IMMUNOLOGY

Intravascular Danger Signals Guide Neutrophils to Sites of Sterile Inflammation (15 October 2010)
B. McDonald et al.
In vivo dynamic imaging reveals the underlying mechanisms of recruitment of neutrophils into injured tissue.

The Ligase PIAS1 Restricts Natural Regulatory T Cell Differentiation by Epigenetic Repression (22 October 2010)
B. Liu et al.
A ligase regulates repression of the Foxp3 promoter to restrict differentiation of natural regulatory T cells.

Lineage Relationship Analysis of RORγt⁺ Innate Lymphoid Cells (29 October 2010)
S. Sawa et al.
Immune cells develop to preempt intestinal colonization by microbial symbionts.
See related Perspective.


PLANT SCIENCE

Areawide Suppression of European Corn Borer with Bt Maize Reaps Savings to Non-Bt Maize Growers (8 October 2010)
W. D. Hutchison et al.
Genetically modified maize generally reduces insect populations to relieve pest pressure on unmodified neighboring crops.
See related Perspective.

Freezing Tolerance in Plants Requires Lipid Remodeling at the Outer Chloroplast Membrane (8 October 2010)
E. R. Moellering et al.
An enzyme that remodels galactolipids protects chloroplasts against freeze damage in Arabidopsis thaliana.
See related Perspective.

Species Selection Maintains Self-Incompatibility (22 October 2010)
E. E. Goldberg et al.
Self-incompatibility in a family of plants is associated with appreciably higher rates of speciation.
See related Perspective.

New webinar - Facts and Fiction: Careers in Industry and Academia - now available on demand.

Trying to figure out the next step in your career? Do industry and academic careers require different skill sets? How can I best prepare for either career option? Do industry jobs have better compensation? Less autonomy? Do academic scientists have less work/life balance? Are there enough academic job openings for everyone who wants one? Get some nuts and bolts advice on how to research career options, what questions to ask, and how to best prepare for various careers. View now.