Cells articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    What regulates mRNAs transcript localization in the germ granules in Drosophila is unclear. Here Trcek et al.identify that germ plasm proteins are homogeneously distributed in germ granules but once localized, individual mRNAs form homotypic clusters, contributing structure to the germ granules.

    • Tatjana Trcek
    • , Markus Grosch
    •  & Ruth Lehmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    As oocytes age the frequency of chromosome segregation errors during meiosis I increases. Here the authors use live imaging of oocytes from naturally aged mice to provide direct evidence that bivalent separation into univalents is the primary defect responsible for age-related aneuploidy.

    • Yogo Sakakibara
    • , Shu Hashimoto
    •  & Tomoya S. Kitajima

  • Article |

    Unlike rodents, humans produce the protein Cidea in white adipose tissue, where it associates with lipid droplets. Here the authors generate mice that express human Cidea in fat tissues to show Cidea exerts beneficial metabolic effects by regulating the expansion of visceral fat in response to a high-fat diet.

    • Gustavo Abreu-Vieira
    • , Alexander W. Fischer
    •  & Natasa Petrovic

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The growth factor NELL-1 induces bone formation during development, but its role in osteoporosis is unknown. This study shows that NELL-1 binding to integrin ß1 induces Wnt/ß-catenin signalling in the bone and restores bone mineral density in osteoporotic mice and sheep, suggesting the therapeutic potential of NELL-1 for the treatment of bone loss.

    • Aaron W. James
    • , Jia Shen
    •  & Chia Soo

  • Article |

    Central to the lineage commitment of multipotent mesenchymal stem cells is the nuclear receptor PPARγ, the master regulator of adipogenesis. Here the authors use a variety of structural approaches to rationally design PPARγ inverse agonist SR2595, and demonstrate its ability to promote osteogenesis.

    • David P. Marciano
    • , Dana S. Kuruvilla
    •  & Patrick R. Griffin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The enzyme soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) regulates differentiation of brown fat. Here, Hoffman et al.show that a small molecule sGC stimulator increases brown fat activity and browning of white fat, thereby inducing energy expenditure, weight loss and partial protection from diet-induced obesity in mice.

    • Linda S. Hoffmann
    • , Jennifer Etzrodt
    •  & Alexander Pfeifer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Mutations in the FTO gene have been linked to obesity. Here, Merkestein et al. provide in vitro and in vivo evidence that FTOdirectly regulates adipogenesis in mice at the stage of mitotic clonal expansion, likely by modulating the expression of the transcription factor RUNX1T1.

    • Myrte Merkestein
    • , Samantha Laber
    •  & Roger D. Cox

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The IgG sugar moiety modulates the binding of immune complexes to their Fcγ receptors resulting in pro- or anti-inflammatory response. This study shows that IgG sialylation also affects osteoclastogenesis and bone mass in mice and humans, identifying a new link between bone and the immune system.

    • Ulrike Harre
    • , Stefanie C. Lang
    •  & Georg Schett

  • Article |

    Haematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs) transform from aortic endothelium into migratory cells that move through stroma and enter circulation to colonize haematopoietic tissues. Here the authors show that HSPCs' passage is facilitated by primitive macrophages that secrete extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes.

    • Jana Travnickova
    • , Vanessa Tran Chau
    •  & Karima Kissa

  • Article |

    Small-molecule C21 inhibits Rac GTPase activation by Dock5, which decreases osteoclast activity in vitro. Using three mouse models where bone loss is caused by hyperactive osteoclasts, Vives et al. show that C21 treatment safely and efficiently prevents osteoporosis while preserving bone formation.

    • Virginie Vives
    • , Gaëlle Cres
    •  & Anne Blangy

  • Article |

    Asymmetric spindle positioning in female mouse meiosis depends on the assembly of actin networks. Here, Chaigne et al. show by theoretical modelling and artificial manipulation of the oocyte cortex that a narrow stiffness regime is required to correctly position the spindle during meiosis I in the mouse oocyte.

    • A. Chaigne
    • , C. Campillo
    •  & M. E. Terret

  • Article |

    Berberine is contained in some plant-derived medicines and is known to have anti-diabetic effects. Here the authors show that berberine activates thermogenesis in white and brown adipose tissues, thereby increasing organismal energy expenditure and limiting weight gain in genetically obese mice.

    • Zhiguo Zhang
    • , Huizhi Zhang
    •  & Guang Ning

  • Article |

    Epigenetic changes during the differentiation of bone-resorbing cells have important implications in bone remodelling. Here the authors target this pathway with I-BET151, an inhibitor of bromo and extra-terminal proteins that inhibits expression of the MYC-NFAT axis and suppresses bone loss in multiple mouse models.

    • Kyung-Hyun Park-Min
    • , Elisha Lim
    •  & Lionel B Ivashkiv

  • Article |

    Brown adipocytes are rich in mitochondria and influence whole-body energy balance. Here, Duteil et al. show that the lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) controls mitochondrial biogenesis and the formation of brown-like adipocytes, and that LSD1 overexpression in white fat reduces weight gain of mice on a high-fat diet.

    • Delphine Duteil
    • , Eric Metzger
    •  & Roland Schüle

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Osteoclasts are bone-resorbing cells responsible for the loss of bone mass in diseases such as osteoporosis. Here the authors show that osteoclast proliferation and survival is regulated by FoxO family transcription factors, which control levels of the signalling molecule hydrogen peroxide.

    • Shoshana M. Bartell
    • , Ha-Neui Kim
    •  & Maria Almeida

  • Article |

    The resting zone of the growth plate of mammalian long bones contains stem-like chondrocytes. Here, the authors show that G-protein stimulatory alpha subunit, Gsα, and the Gq/11α G-proteins together protect stem-like chondrocytes from apoptosis and preserve chondrocyte quiescence in mouse growth plates.

    • Andrei S. Chagin
    • , Karuna K. Vuppalapati
    •  & Henry M. Kronenberg

  • Article |

    Adipocyte differentiation is accompanied by large scale changes in the actin cytoskeleton. Here, Nobusue et al.show that binding to G-actin sequesters the transcriptional coactivator MKL1 in the cytoplasm, and triggers differentiation by inducing the expression of pro-adipogenic transcription factor PPARγ.

    • Hiroyuki Nobusue
    • , Nobuyuki Onishi
    •  & Koichiro Kano

  • Article |

    Current methods to image brown adipose tissue rely on radioactive tracers and specialized imaging equipment. Here Azhdarinia et al.report a peptide-based probe that selectively binds to the vascular endothelium of brown adipose tissue and allows the near-infrared imaging of brown fat in mice.

    • Ali Azhdarinia
    • , Alexes C. Daquinag
    •  & Mikhail G. Kolonin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Some animal populations are able to shift their birth sex ratio from the expected unity. This study shows, using fluorescencein situhybridization, that in a captive population of pygmy hippopotamus the males appear to be able to adjust the ratio of X- and Y-chromosome-bearing spermatozoa in their ejaculates.

    • Joseph Saragusty
    • , Robert Hermes
    •  & Thomas B. Hildebrandt

  • Article |

    Osteoblast maturation is regulated by c-Src and IL-6, but how these signalling pathways are integrated is not known. Here c-Src is shown to induce 1GFBP5 in immature osteoblasts in a STAT3 and IL-6-dependent manner, in mature osteoblasts, which express lower levels of c-Src, this signalling is lost.

    • Barbara Peruzzi
    • , Alfredo Cappariello
    •  & Anna Teti

  • Article |

    The generation of human cell lines using somatic cell nuclear transfer has been difficult to achieve. In this study, Egliet al. show that while mouse eggs reprogram somatic cells within hours, human eggs arrest after nuclear transfer which may be due to a lack of genome transcription.

    • Dieter Egli
    • , Alice E. Chen
    •  & Kevin Eggan

  • Article |

    Pronucleus DNA becomes demethylated during zygotic development. Here, the authors demonstrate that the reduction in 5-methylcytosine levels is accompanied by an increase in the presence of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, and suggest that this has a role in developmental reprogramming.

    • Mark Wossidlo
    • , Toshinobu Nakamura
    •  & Jörn Walter

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