Early-Nov 2008 papers

There are many interesting papers about many things.

Colouring in cells, Nature Cell Biology 10(11):1233 (November 2008).
This year's Nobel Prizes mark the most significant technological advance in cell biology, GFP et al., as well as two discoveries in virology with major health implications.

DNA damage and ageing: new-age ideas for an age-old problem, George A. Garinis, Gijsbertus T.J. van der Horst1, Jan Vijg & Jan H.J. Hoeijmakers, Nature Cell Biology 10:1241 - 1247 (November 2008).
Loss of genome maintenance may causally contribute to ageing, as exemplified by the premature appearance of multiple symptoms of ageing in a growing family of human syndromes and in mice with genetic defects in genome maintenance pathways.

A model for transmission of the H3K27me3 epigenetic mark, Klaus H. Hansen1, Adrian P. Bracken, Diego Pasini, Nikolaj Dietrich, Simmi S. Gehani, Astrid Monrad, Juri Rappsilber, Mads Lerdrup & Kristian Helin, Nature Cell Biology 10:1291 - 1300 (2008).
Organization of chromatin by epigenetic mechanisms is essential for establishing and maintaining cellular identity in developing and adult organisms.

Epigenetic restriction of embryonic cell lineage fate by methylation of Elf5, Ray Kit Ng, Wendy Dean, Claire Dawson, Diana Lucifero, Zofia Madeja, Wolf Reik & Myriam Hemberger, Nature Cell Biology 10:1280 - 1290 (2008).
Here we show that ES cells deficient in DNA methylation can differentiate efficiently into trophoblast derivatives.

Ubiquitylation of the COMPASS component Swd2 links H2B ubiquitylation to H3K4 trimethylation, Adeline Vitaliano-Prunier, Alexandra Menant, Maria Hobeika, Vincent Géli, Carole Gwizdek & Catherine Dargemont, Nature Cell Biology 10:1365 - 1371 (2008).
Here we show that mono-ubiquitylation of histone H2B promotes ubiquitylation at Lys 68 and Lys 69 of Swd2, the essential component of SET1/COMPASS in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

SELF-EXPERIMENTATION: Eat, Drink, and Be Wary: A Sugar's Sour Side, Jon Cohen, Science 322(5902):659 - 661 (31 October 2008).
A new study being reported online this week strongly ties a sialic acid called Neu5Gc, made by chimpanzees and many other mammals but not humans, to a human disease and ingestion of red meat.

Structural Insights into a Circadian Oscillator, Carl Hirschie Johnson, Martin Egli, Phoebe L. Stewart, Science 322(5902):697 - 701 (31 October 2008).
An endogenous circadian system in cyanobacteria exerts pervasive control over cellular processes, including global gene expression.

Evolving a better-expressing GPCR, Allison Doerr, Nature Methods 5, 918 - 919 (2008).
Researchers describe a method for evolving G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) with greater stability and enhanced expression.

Native mass spectrometry: a bridge between interactomics and structural biology, Albert J R Heck1, Nature Methods 5, 927 - 933 (2008).
Native mass spectrometry is an emerging technology that allows the topological investigation of intact protein complexes with high sensitivity and a theoretically unrestricted mass range.

Inaugural Article: A PHD-Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 triggers the epigenetic silencing of FLC during vernalization, Filomena De Lucia, Pedro Crevillen, Alexandra M. E. Jones, Thomas Greb, and Caroline Dean, PNAS 105(44):16831-16836 (November 4, 2008).

Human genes are multitaskers: Up to 94% of human genes can generate different products, Heidi Ledford, Nature 456(7218):9 (2 November 2008).
Although people often struggle to master more than one discipline, our genes are accomplished polymaths. Genome-wide surveys of gene expression in 15 different tissues and cell lines have revealed that up to 94% of human genes generate more than one product.

How to get the most from a gene test: New tools squeeze more research out of personal genomics, Erika Check Hayden, Nature 456(7218):11 (2 November 2008).
According to two commercial gene-testing services — 23andMe and deCODEme — US Army medic Timothy Richard Gall of Fort Belvoir, Virginia, has a higher-than-average risk of basal cell carcinoma, type 2 diabetes and psoriasis. But much more enlightening than these results, which cost Gall more than $1,400, was a free online program called Promethease that he used to further analyse the data.

Diversification of Photoperiodic Response Patterns in a Collection of Early-Flowering Mutants of Arabidopsis, Sylvie Pouteau, Isabelle Carré, Valérie Gaudin, Valérie Ferret, Delphine Lefebvre and Melanie Wilson, Plant Physiology 148:1465-1473 (2008).

Acceleration of Flowering during Shade Avoidance in Arabidopsis Alters the Balance between FLOWERING LOCUS C-Mediated Repression and Photoperiodic Induction of Flowering, Amanda C. Wollenberg, Bárbara Strasser, Pablo D. Cerdán and Richard M. Amasino, Plant Physiology 148:1681-1694 (2008).