Late Jan 2009 papers

Here are some interest papers.

Telomeres: Splicing uncoupled, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 10(2):86 (February 2009).

Gene expression: Common sense and antisense, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 10(2):87 (February 2009).

mRNA decay: Cutting in the middle, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 10(2):90 (February 2009).

MicroRNAs: key regulators of stem cells, Vamsi K. Gangaraju & Haifan Lin, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 10(2):116 (February 2009).
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are non-coding RNAs that bind to the 3? untranslated region of target mRNAs to repress their translation and stability. Recently, miRNAs have been shown to regulate stem cell fate and behaviour by fine-tuning the protein levels of factors that are required for their function.

Biogenesis of small RNAs in animals, V. Narry Kim, Jinju Han & Mikiko C. Siomi, Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology 10(2):126 (February 2009).
Recent progress in high-throughput sequencing has uncovered an astounding landscape of small RNAs in eukaryotic cells. Various small RNAs can be classified into three classes based on their biogenesis mechanism and the type of Argonaute protein that they are associated with.

Repression of the floral transition via histone H2B monoubiquitination, Xiaofeng Gu, Danhua Jiang, Yuqi Wang, Andreas Bachmair and Yuehui He, The Plant Journal 57(3):522 - 533.

Neurobiology: Scent slides away, Nature 457:361 (22 January 2009). A Research Highlights for following paper:
A 3′UTR Pumilio-Binding Element Directs Translational Activation in Olfactory Sensory Neurons, Julia A. Kaye, Natalie C. Rose, Brett Goldsworthy, Andrei Goga and Noelle D. L'Etoile, Neuron 61(1):57–79 (2009).

RNA silencing, Nature 457(7228):395–433 (Jan 2009).
In the past decade, the idea that RNA is just a passive carrier of information has been overturned. Small non-coding RNA molecules are now known to be important regulators of gene expression and genome integrity. With recent technological advances, the molecular mechanisms of these RNA silencing pathways are becoming clearly defined, and their components are now being tested in clinical trials.

Orgenic Food: BOOK REVIEWED
- Tomorrow's Table: Organic Farming, Genetics and the Future of Food, Jonathan Gressel, Nature Genetics 41:137 (2009).

A supersized list of obesity genes, Marten Hofker & Cisca Wijmenga, Nature Genetics 41:139 - 140 (2009).
Obesity genetics is making progress, as evidenced by the recent discovery of 15 new loci associated with body mass index. The function of the likely candidate genes in associated regions suggests a key role for the hypothalamus in the genetics of weight control.

Hair lost in translation, Lorin Weiner & Janice L Brissette, Nature Genetics 41:141 - 142 (2009)
A new study identifies mutations in the HR gene as the cause of Marie Unna hereditary hypotrichosis (MUHH). The mutations seem to disrupt an unusual leader sequence–based mechanism of translational repression, making MUHH the first example of a disease linked to this form of repression.

In humans and mice, the hairless (HR) transcription factor is essential for maintaining hair, but not for making it.

Large histone H3 lysine 9 dimethylated chromatin blocks distinguish differentiated from embryonic stem cells, Bo Wen, Hao Wu, Yoichi Shinkai, Rafael A Irizarry & Andrew P Feinberg, Nature Genetics 41:246 - 250 (2009).
Higher eukaryotes must adapt a totipotent genome to specialized cell types with stable but limited functions. One potential mechanism for lineage restriction is changes in chromatin, and differentiation-related chromatin changes have been observed for individual genes.

Evolutionary genomics: A positive becomes a negative, Laurence D. Hurst, Nature 457:543-544 (29 January 2009).
Which human genes have been hotspots for positive selection? Analyses of the top candidates reveal, not genes subject to such selection, but genes that have probably been subject to biased DNA repair.

Here is the Editor's Summary: Sorghum genome: drought tolerance in the genes Nature 457 (29 January 2009) for following 2 papers.
The Sorghum bicolor genome sequence is published this week. Sorghum is a cereal grown widely as food, animal feed, fibre and fuel. Tolerant to hot, dry conditions, it is a staple for large populations in the West African Sahel region. Comparisons of the genome with those of maize and rice shed light on the evolution of grasses and of C4 photosynthesis, which is particularly efficient at assimilating carbon at high temperatures. In addition, protein coding genes and miRNAs that could contribute to sorghum's drought tolerance may also be found. Sorghum yield improvement has lagged behind that of other crops and the availability of the genome sequence could provide a vital boost to work on its improvement.

Plant genomics: Sorghum in sequence, Takuji Sasaki & Baltazar A. Antonio, Nature 457:547-548 (29 January 2009).

The Sorghum bicolor genome and the diversification of grasses, Nature 457:551-556 (29 January 2009).

Photoactive channels obey stoplights, Amy Donner, Nature Methods 6:120 (2009).
Kinetically bi-stable channelrhodopsin-2 variants enable sensitive, step-like and reversible photoexcitability in neurons.

Red lights, camera, photoactivation! Samuel T Hess, Nature Methods 6, 124 - 125 (2009).
Two groups present new photoactivatable fluorescent proteins that will be useful for super-resolution fluorescence microscopy.
(1) Photoactivatable mCherry for high-resolution two-color fluorescence microscopy, Fedor V Subach, George H Patterson, Suliana Manley, Jennifer M Gillette, Jennifer Lippincott-Schwartz & Vladislav V Verkhusha, Nature Methods 6:153 - 159 (2009).
(2) A bright and photostable photoconvertible fluorescent protein, Sean A McKinney, Christopher S Murphy, Kristin L Hazelwood, Michael W Davidson & Loren L Looger, Nature Methods 6, 131 - 133 (2009).

NEUROSCIENCE: Fingerprints Enhance the Sense of Touch, Science 323(5914):572 - 573 (30 January 2009).
Some scientists have argued that the tiny ridges on our fingertips improve our grip on slippery objects; others have suggested that they improve our sense of touch. Online in Science this week, a team of physicists presents circumstantial evidence for the latter theory.

PLANT GENETICS: How Sorghum Withstands Heat and Drought, Science 323(5914):573 (30 January 2009).
Analysis of the genome sequence of sorghum has revealed clues about how this crop plant, a major cereal in many parts of the developing world that is also an important source of U.S. biofuel, toughs out subpar growing conditions.

PLANT SCIENCE: Pores in Place, F. D. Sack and J.-G. Chen, Science 323(5914):592 - 593 (30 January 2009).
Signals that control plant cell division and fate also control epidermal pore development and gas exchange.

OXIDATIVE STRESS 3 is a chromatin-associated factor involved in tolerance to heavy metals and oxidative stress, Robert Blanvillain, Jong Heon Kim, Shimei Wu, Amparo Lima, David W. Ow, The Plant Journal 57(4):654 - 665.