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Mutations in parkin, an ubiquitin ligase, cause an inherited form of Parkinson's disease. Here, Jianget al. generate induced pluripotent stem cells from two patients with parkin mutations and find that neurons derived from the stem cells have defects in dopamine release, dopamine uptake and oxidative metabolism.
The role of ephrin receptors in tumour development and progression has remained controversial. Liet al. show that kinase activation of ephrin-B3 inhibits non-small-cell lung cancer migration both in vitro and in vivo, which depends on a novel interacting partner, RACK 1, in a ternary complex with PP2A and Akt.
Beclin1 is a key regulator of VPS34-related processes, including autophagy. Liet al. solve the crystal structure of Beclin 1 CC domain, an antiparallel dimer that is rendered metastable by a series of a-d' pairings, which determines its ability to form distinct heterodimers either with Atg14L or UVRAG.
Control of light absorption in optical devices, such as solar cells, can be achieved through resonant features like whispering gallery modes. Here, these modes are exploited in spherical silicon nanoshells to enhance absorption over a broad spectral range in nanometre-scale flexible layers.
The dynamics of spin ordering in magnetic materials is of interest both from a fundamental and an applied point of view. Using a combination of numerical and experimental techniques, Ostleret al. show that the magnetization of a ferrimagnet can be reversed on a timescale of picoseconds solely by heating it.
It is thought that turnover in soil microbiota occurs very slowly in the Antarctic Dry Valleys due to the extreme cold and aridity. Now, Tiaoet al. show that a transformation of microbial communities can happen in a matter of years in soils altered by the presence of a mummified seal.
The Younger Dryas cold period is thought to have occurred mainly due to the release of fresh water into the North Atlantic from the glacial Lake Agassiz. Here, sedimentary and geochemical data from the central Arctic Ocean support the hypothesis of a northward route drainage event from Lake Agassiz during the Younger Dryas.
By controlling the flow or composition of liquids, optofluidics provides numerous possibilities for devices, and so has great potential for transformation optics. Here, a multi-mode optofluidic waveguide is presented, which manipulates light to produce controllable chirped focussing and interference.
The loss of flight in some insect lineages may promote allopatric differentiation and result in a high speciation rate. Here, using the carrion beetle, loss of flight is shown to accelerate allopatric speciation with higher genetic differentiation than for flight-capable species.
Graphene's broad bandwidth makes it promising as a photodetector, but common electronics cannot analyse the currents at high frequencies. Here, using photocurrent measurements, laser-induced carrier generation effects in freely suspended graphene and at graphene–metal interfaces are clarified up to 1 THz.
The signalling cascade involved in lung ischaemia–reperfusion-induced oedema is poorly understood. Using knockout mice, Weissmannet al. propose a model in which reactive oxygen species production by endothelial NOX2 leads to phospholipase C-γ activation, DAG kinase inhibition and subsequent TRPC6 activation.
Composite fibres made of polymers reinforced by carbon nanotubes are known for their exceptional toughness. Shinet al. make these composites even tougher, by self-aligning carbon nanotubes and reduced graphene oxide flakes within the polymer matrix.
Strategies to tune the surface properties of topological insulators are essential, if they are to find use in applications. Using a combination of theoretical and experimental techniques, this study examines how the properties of ordered ternary topological insulators vary with the content of group IV elements.
Archaeopteryxcombined features of reptiles and birds, but the colour of its feathers has remained unclear. In this study, based on data from fossilized colour-imparting melanosomes, an isolated feather specimen fromArchaeopteryxis predicted to be black, providing clues to its plumage colour and function.
With ever more experiments involving ever fewer photons, there is increasing need for detectors capable of accurately resolving low numbers of photons. By modulating the electric field on a silicon avalanche diode, Thomaset al. show a high-speed device that can discriminate signals from just a few photons.
The surface electronic structure of topological insulators is characterized by a so-called Dirac cone energy dispersion. This study shows that by tuning the compositions in the compound Bi2−xSbxTe3−ySeyone can control the precise features of its Dirac cone structure while keeping it a bulk insulator.
The influenza A virus genome consists of eight RNA segments, which permits genetic reassortment and contributes to the emergence of novel strains with pandemic potential. Here, electron tomography is used to study the three-dimensional structure of ribonucleoprotein complexes within progeny virions.
Under certain conditions, such as those found in low-dimensional systems, materials can show quantized behaviour based only on universal constants. Here, the relative optical transparency of gold nanopillar arrays is shown to change solely in units of the fine structure constant on adjusting array parameters.
A genetic variation in the horsemyostatingene is found at a very high frequency in the best Thoroughbred sprinters. This study shows, using molecular and pedigree data from modern and historic horses, that a single introduction of the variant occurred at the foundation stages of the Thoroughbred from a British native mare.
Current methods for fabricating graphene rely on its transfer from metal surfaces to substrates suitable for device applications. This study demonstrates a transfer-free approach for growing graphene on substrates such as thermally oxidized silicon and plastic that forms the material underneath a nickel film, at the nickel–substrate interface.
