Bio-Med Roundup


This month in Bio-Med Roundup:
  • Wagner et al. showed that a pluripotent adult stem cell underlies flatworms’ amazing regenerative ability.
  • Bendall et al. used single-cell mass cytometry to characterize signaling in the immune system.
  • Fleishman et al. used computational approaches to design two proteins from scratch that bind to the flu virus.
  • Muegge et al. reported that the structure and function of the mammalian gut microbiome is significantly affected by diet.
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CELL/DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY

Neuronal GPCR Controls Innate Immunity by Regulating Noncanonical Unfolded Protein Response Genes (6 May 2011)
J. Sun et al.
Two nematode worm neurons “smell” disease and promote resistance to pathogens.
See related Perspective

Transient Activation of the HOG MAPK Pathway Regulates Bimodal Gene Expression (6 May 2011)

S. Pelet et al.
Bimodal expression of genes is activated in response to osmotic stress.

Clonogenic Neoblasts Are Pluripotent Adult Stem Cells That Underlie Planarian Regeneration (13 May 2011)

D. E. Wagner et al.
A pluripotent adult stem cell underlies flatworms’ amazing regenerative ability.
See related Perspective

Polarized notum Activation at Wounds Inhibits Wnt Function to Promote Planarian Head Regeneration (13 May 2011)

C. P. Petersen and P. W. Reddien
Local detection of tissue polarity results in selective feedback inhibition of signaling at posterior-facing wounds.
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Chromatin "Prepattern" and Histone Modifiers in a Fate Choice for Liver and Pancreas (20 May 2011)

C.-R. Xu et al.
Screening histone modifi cations reveals distinctive patterns of chromatin marks for liver and pancreas development.

Spatial Coupling of mTOR and Autophagy Augments Secretory Phenotypes (20 May 2011)

M. Narita et al.
A cellular compartment allows simultaneous protein synthesis and degradation.
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Initiation of Proximal-Distal Patterning in the Vertebrate Limb by Signals and Growth (27 May 2011)

K. L. Cooper et al.
Growth of limb cells in culture conditions with subsequent in vivo transplantation allows the dissection of limb patterning.
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Diffusible Signals, Not Autonomous Mechanisms, Determine the Main Proximodistal Limb Subdivision (27 May 2011)

A. Roselló-Díez et al.
Cells compare proximal and distal signals to set their identity along the vertebrate limb.
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GENETICS

Experimental Evidence Supports a Sex-Specific Selective Sieve in Mitochondrial Genome Evolution (13 May 2011)
P. Innocenti et al.
Polymorphisms in the organelle genome have little effect in female flies but do alter gene expression in males.
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Comparative Functional Genomics of the Fission Yeasts (20 May 2011)

N. Rhind et al.
A combined analysis of genome sequence, structure, and expression gives insights into fission yeast biology.

Industrial Melanism in British Peppered Moths Has a Singular and Recent Mutational Origin (20 May 2011)

A. E. van't Hof et al.
The locus responsible for the dark form of the peppered moth is identified.

The Selaginella Genome Identifies Genetic Changes Associated with the Evolution of Vascular Plants (20 May 2011)

J. A. Banks et al.
The genome sequence of a lycophyte hints at ancient evolutionary transitions.


IMMUNOLOGY

Single-Cell Mass Cytometry of Differential Immune and Drug Responses Across a Human Hematopoietic Continuum (6 May 2011)
S. C. Bendall et al.
Simultaneous measurement of more than 30 properties in individual human cells is used to characterize signaling in the immune system.
See related Perspective

A Family of IFN-y–Inducible 65-kD GTPases Protects Against Bacterial Infection (6 May 2011

B.-H. Kim et al.
Guanylate-binding proteins coordinately regulate oxidative and autophagic responses to intracellular bacteria.

The Toll-Like Receptor 2 Pathway Establishes Colonization by a Commensal of the Human Microbiota (20 May 2011)

J. L. Round et al.
Signaling through innate immune receptors promotes commensal bacteria colonization of the gut.


BIOCHEMISTRY

Computational Design of Proteins Targeting the Conserved Stem Region of Influenza Hemagglutinin (13 May 2011)
S. J. Fleishman et al.
Proteins can be designed that bind to specific patches on target proteins to alter their subsequent interactions.
See related Perspective

A Diiron Protein Autogenerates a Valine-Phenylalanine Cross-Link (20 May 2011)
R. B. Cooley et al.
An enzyme creates its own cofactor by linking two nonfunctionalized amino acid side chains.


Structures of the Bacterial Ribosome in Classical and Hybrid States of tRNA Binding (20 May 2011)
J. A. Dunkle et al.
Two crystal structures indicate how conformational changes in the ribosome assist protein synthesis.


Structural Basis for Methyl Transfer by a Radical SAM Enzyme (27 May 2011)
A. K. Boal et al.
An enzyme harnesses methyl donation and reductive cleavage of its cofactor within a single active site to methylate RNA.


MICROBIOLOGY/VIROLOGY

Single-Cell Genomics Reveals Organismal Interactions in Uncultivated Marine Protists (6 May 2011)
H. S. Yoon et al.
Marine protist cells from the wild environment contain DNA from several viruses and bacteria, but apparently lack plastids.

Natural Microbe-Mediated Refractoriness to Plasmodium Infection in Anopheles gambiae (13 May 2011)

C. M. Cirimotich et al.
Insect midgut-dwelling bacteria generate reactive oxygen species that inhibit malaria parasite development.

Diet Drives Convergence in Gut Microbiome Functions Across Mammalian Phylogeny and Within Humans (20 May 2011)

B. D. Muegge et al.
The normal range of physiological and metabolic phenotypes has been shaped by coevolution with microbial symbionts.

Human Cytomegalovirus Directly Induces the Antiviral Protein Viperin to Enhance Infectivity (27 May 2011)

J.-Y. Seo et al.
Human cytomegalovirus uses a host-encoded antiviral protein to its own advantage.

Deciphering the Rhizosphere Microbiome for Disease-Suppressive Bacteria (27 May 2011)

R. Mendes et al.
A common plant pathogen induces the growth of disease-suppressive microbes in local soil communities.


NEUROSCIENCE/PSYCHOLOGY

Normalization for Sparse Encoding of Odors by a Wide-Field Interneuron (6 May 2011)
M. Papadopoulou et al.
A single neuron is responsible for adaptive normalization in an olfactory circuit generating sparse odor representations.

Preserved Feedforward But Impaired Top-Down Processes in the Vegetative State (13 May 2011)

M. Boly et al.
Discerning the neural correlates of (un)consciousness sheds light on the mechanisms underlying vegetative states.

Differences Between Tight and Loose Cultures: A 33-Nation Study (27 May 2011)

M. J. Gelfand et al.
The differences across cultures in the enforcement of conformity may reflect their specific histories.
See related Perspective


MOLECULAR BIOLOGY

Role for piRNAs and Noncoding RNA in de Novo DNA Methylation of the Imprinted Mouse Rasgrf1 Locus (13 May 2011)
T. Watanabe et al.
Small, noncoding PIWI-interacting RNAs regulate the imprinting of a mouse gene.

A Packing Mechanism for Nucleosome Organization Reconstituted Across a Eukaryotic Genome (20 May 2011)

Z. Zhang et al.
Genome-wide nucleosome positioning is a self-organizing system amenable to in vitro reconstitution.


EPIDEMIOLOGY

Relationship Between Clinical Signs and Transmission of an Infectious Disease and the Implications for Control (6 May 2011)
B. Charleston et al.
Livestock experiments provide precise parameters for incubation and infectious periods for foot-and-mouth disease virus.


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