Nature Communications - 7 August 2013

Weekly Content Alert 07 August 2013  Featured image: Rondin et al. image magnetic vortices with a magnetometer based on nitrogen vacancies in nanodiamond. Latest content: Articles Journal homepage Recommend to library Web feed   Advertisement Nature Communications is ranked #3 in the Multidisciplinary Sciences with an Impact Factor of 10.015* Your research. Our reach. Together we make an impact. nature.com/naturecommunications  *2012 Journal Citation Reports® (Thomson Reuters, 2013)     Latest Articles View all Articles     Orbitofrontal and striatal circuits dynamically encode the shift between goal-directed and habitual actions OPEN Christina M. Gremel and Rui M. Costa Interactions between corticostriatal circuits are implicated in the shifts between habit- and goal-directed actions. Gremel and Costa show that the orbital frontal cortex and the dorsal medial striatum are necessary for goal-directed actions, whereas the dorsal lateral striatum is necessary for habitual actions. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3264 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Structured cone arrays for continuous and effective collection of micron-sized oil droplets from water Kan Li, Jie Ju, Zhongxin Xue, Jie Ma, Lin Feng, Song Gao and Lei Jiang Effective methods for the removal of micro-droplets of oil from water are sought-after to combat oil spills. Here, the authors report cactus-inspired oleophilic conical needle arrays capable of capturing micron-sized oil droplets with both high continuity and high throughput. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3276 Chemical Sciences  Fluids and plasma physics  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Placental programming of anxiety in adulthood revealed by Igf2-null models Mikael Allan Mikaelsson, Miguel Constância, Claire L. Dent, Lawrence S. Wilkinson and Trevor Humby Insulin-like growth factor-2 is implicated in foetal and placental development in mammals. Mikaelsson et al. study transgenic mice with disrupted insulin-like growth factor-2 signalling and find that their offspring are more anxious when they reach adulthood. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3311 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  A chiral-based magnetic memory device without a permanent magnet OPEN Oren Ben Dor, Shira Yochelis, Shinto P. Mathew, Ron Naaman and Yossi Paltiel Most new device concepts for random-access memory are based on inorganic spin filters, which need a permanent magnet to operate. Here, the authors exploit the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect in an organic spin filter to construct a novel type of memory device, which works without a permanent magnet. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3256 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Nanotechnology  The impact of sleep deprivation on food desire in the human brain Stephanie M. Greer, Andrea N. Goldstein and Matthew P. Walker Insufficient sleep is a known risk factor for obesity. Greer et al. show that sleep deprivation amplifies mesolimbic brain responses to food stimuli, yet impairs activity in higher cortical areas, which, together, are associated with an increased desire for high-calorie food items. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3259 Biological Sciences  Neuroscience  Prelamin A causes progeria through cell-extrinsic mechanisms and prevents cancer invasion OPEN Jorge de la Rosa, José M.P. Freije, Rubén Cabanillas, Fernando G. Osorio, Mario F. Fraga, M. Soledad Fernández-García, Roland Rad, Víctor Fanjul, Alejandro P. Ugalde, Qi Liang, Haydn M. Prosser, Allan Bradley, Juan Cadiñanos and Carlos López-Otín Mutations in the metalloproteinase Zmpste24 preclude prelamin A processing and cause premature ageing. Here, de la Rosa et al. create mosaic Zmpste24 mice, revealing that cell-extrinsic effects are essential for accelerated ageing caused by prelamin A accumulation and that prelamin A reduces invasiveness of cancer cells. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3268 Biological Sciences  Cancer  Cell biology  Medical research  Cytosolic p53 inhibits Parkin-mediated mitophagy and promotes mitochondrial dysfunction in the mouse heart Atsushi Hoshino, Yuichiro Mita, Yoshifumi Okawa, Makoto Ariyoshi, Eri Iwai-Kanai, Tomomi Ueyama, Koji Ikeda, Takehiro Ogata and Satoaki Matoba Damaged mitochondria are removed from cells through a process called mitophagy. Here, Hoshino et al. show that the cytosolic fraction of the protein p53 inhibits mitophagy by sequestering the mitophagy regulator Parkin, leading to impaired mitochondrial integrity and cardiac function in aged or damaged mouse hearts. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3308 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Medical research  Mouldable all-carbon integrated circuits OPEN Dong-Ming Sun, Marina Y. Timmermans, Antti Kaskela, Albert G. Nasibulin, Shigeru Kishimoto, Takashi Mizutani, Esko I. Kauppinen and Yutaka Ohno The incorporation of electronic circuits into various plastic products and devices is limited by the brittle nature of silicon wafers. Here, Sun et al. demonstrate flexible and high-performance all-carbon-based transistor circuits that can be thermo-moulded into various shapes. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3302 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Genome-wide deserts for copy number variation in vertebrates Takashi Makino, Aoife McLysaght and Masakado Kawata Uncovering the factors that influence the generation of copy number variation (CNV) across the genome may increase our understanding of the role of CNVs in disease. Here, Makino et al. provide insights into the mechanisms underlying CNV formation and suggest a method for identifying disease-associated CNVs. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3283 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Genetics  Genome sequence of the date palm Phoenix dactylifera L OPEN Ibrahim S. Al-Mssallem, Songnian Hu, Xiaowei Zhang, Qiang Lin, Wanfei Liu, Jun Tan, Xiaoguang Yu, Jiucheng Liu, Linlin Pan, Tongwu Zhang, Yuxin Yin, Chengqi Xin, Hao Wu, Guangyu Zhang, Mohammed M. Ba Abdullah, Dawei Huang, Yongjun Fang, Yasser O. Alnakhli, Shangang Jia, An Yin et al. The date palm is one of the most economically important plants of the palm family. Here, the authors present a high-quality genome assembly of the date palm Phoenix dactylifera, and reveal insights into the unique sugar metabolism underlying fruit ripening. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3274 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Counting motifs in the human interactome OPEN Ngoc Hieu Tran, Kwok Pui Choi and Louxin Zhang Biological network data are often incomplete, which makes it difficult to determine interaction motifs within such data sets. Here, Tran et al. present a new method to count motif numbers in large networks from noisy and incomplete biological data. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3241 Biological Sciences  Bioinformatics  A systematic analysis of the PARP protein family identifies new functions critical for cell physiology Sejal Vyas, Melissa Chesarone-Cataldo, Tanya Todorova, Yun-Han Huang and Paul Chang The poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) family includes 17 proteins in humans, many of which have no known function. Vyas et al. systematically characterize the localization and function of each human PARP and identify PARP14 as a regulator of focal adhesions. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3240 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Visualization of poly(ADP-ribose) bound to PARG reveals inherent balance between exo- and endo-glycohydrolase activities OPEN Eva Barkauskaite, Amy Brassington, Edwin S. Tan, Jim Warwicker, Mark S. Dunstan, Benito Banos, Pierre Lafite, Marijan Ahel, Timothy J. Mitchison, Ivan Ahel and David Leys Poly-ADP-ribosylation is a post-translational modification that is countered by poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolases (PARGs). In this study, the authors present the crystal structure of poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARGs) in complex with a poly(ADP-ribose) substrate, and reveal that poly(ADP-ribose) glycohydrolase (PARGs) enzymes act predominantly as exo- rather than as endo-glycohydrolases. 06 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3164 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cell biology  In-situ atomic-scale observation of irradiation-induced void formation Weizong Xu, Yongfeng Zhang, Guangming Cheng, Weiwei Jian, Paul C. Millett, Carl C. Koch, Suveen N. Mathaudhu and Yuntian Zhu The irradiation of crystalline materials is known to create various types of lattice defects, which can degrade mechanical performance. Here, Xu et al. observe the in-situ nucleation and growth of atomic-scale voids in magnesium during electron irradiation. 05 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3288 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Mapping the 3D surface potential in Bi2Se3 Chris Mann, Damien West, Ireneusz Miotkowski, Yong P. Chen, Shengbai Zhang and Chih-Kang Shih Bismuth selenide has emerged as a model topological insulator system, but in the actual material surface-state band bending introduces complications. Here, the authors use defects as sensors in scanning tunnelling measurements to investigate the band bending and achieve its reduction by copper doping. 05 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3277 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  A poly(A)-specific ribonuclease directly regulates the poly(A) status of mitochondrial mRNA in Arabidopsis Takashi Hirayama, Takakazu Matsuura, Sho Ushiyama, Mari Narusaka, Yukio Kurihara, Michiko Yasuda, Misato Ohtani, Motoaki Seki, Taku Demura, Hideo Nakashita, Yoshihiro Narusaka and Shimpei Hayashi The control of RNA stability is essential for gene regulation in eukaryotes. Hirayama et al. demonstrate that poly(A)-specific ribonuclease and bacterial-type poly(A) polymerase control mitochondrial mRNA poly(A) status in Arabidopsis, showing that a unique system regulating mitochondrial function operates in plants. 05 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3247 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  Plant sciences  DPP6 regulation of dendritic morphogenesis impacts hippocampal synaptic development Lin Lin, Wei Sun, Ben Throesch, Faith Kung, Jameice T. Decoster, Cory J. Berner, Richard E. Cheney, Bernardo Rudy and Dax A. Hoffman Dipeptidyl-peptidase 6 is implicated in different neuropsychiatric pathologies. Lin and colleagues genetically delete dipeptidyl-peptidase 6 in mice and find that this results in impaired development of dendritic filopodia, as well as a reduction in the dendritic tree size, spine density and functional synapses. 05 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3270 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Developmental biology  Neuroscience  Noise-resilient quantum evolution steered by dynamical decoupling OPEN Gang-Qin Liu, Hoi Chun Po, Jiangfeng Du, Ren-Bao Liu and Xin-Yu Pan Realistic quantum computers require a high degree of qubit control and must also be resilient to noise. Using dynamical decoupling control techniques, Liu et al. implement a self-protected controlled-NOT gate for electron and nuclear spins that retains a high final state fidelity. 05 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3254 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Condensed matter  Conventional tree height–diameter relationships significantly overestimate aboveground carbon stocks in the Central Congo Basin Elizabeth Kearsley, Thales de Haulleville, Koen Hufkens, Alidé Kidimbu, Benjamin Toirambe, Geert Baert, Dries Huygens, Yodit Kebede, Pierre Defourny, Jan Bogaert, Hans Beeckman, Kathy Steppe, Pascal Boeckx and Hans Verbeeck Accurate estimates of tropical forest carbon stocks are needed for policies to reduce emissions from loss of forests. By looking at a central area in the Congo Basin, Kearsley et al. find that inconsistencies in height–diameter relationships across Central Africa cause overestimations between regions. 05 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3269 Earth Sciences  Biogeochemistry  Climate science  PPARγ-induced PARylation promotes local DNA demethylation by production of 5-hydroxymethylcytosine Katsunori Fujiki, Akihiro Shinoda, Fumi Kano, Ryuichiro Sato, Katsuhiko Shirahige and Masayuki Murata Tet proteins control DNA demethylation, but how the DNA target regions are determined is unclear. Here, the authors report that during adipocyte differentiation, PPARγ binds to the PPAR-response element and recruits Tet proteins, thereby inducing local DNA demethylation. 05 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3262 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  Controlling frustrated liquids and solids with an applied field in a kagome Heisenberg antiferromagnet Satoshi Nishimoto, Naokazu Shibata and Chisa Hotta Quantum spin liquids—quantum states in which spins show no order even at very low temperatures—are possibly hosted in a kagome Heisenberg antiferromagnet. Using a powerful numerical method, the authors show that applying a magnetic field leads to various exotic plateau states, including two spin liquids. 05 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3287 Physical Sciences  Condensed matter  Theoretical physics  Human endonuclease V is a ribonuclease specific for inosine-containing RNA OPEN Yoko Morita, Toshihiro Shibutani, Nozomi Nakanishi, Kazuko Nishikura, Shigenori Iwai and Isao Kuraoka In Escherichia coli, the highly conserved enzyme endonuclease V has a role in DNA repair. Here, the authors show that human endonuclease V is an inosine 3' endoribonuclease and that Tudor Staphylococcal nuclease enhances this activity, suggesting a role for human endonuclease V in RNA metabolism. 05 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3273 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Molecular biology  Gene copy number is differentially regulated in a multipartite virus Anne Sicard, Michel Yvon, Tatiana Timchenko, Bruno Gronenborn, Yannis Michalakis, Serafin Gutierrez and Stéphane Blanc The potential evolutionary advantage associated with genome segmentation in multipartite viruses is not well established. Here, Sicard et al. demonstrate that genome segmentation can allow a differential regulation of the copy number of each gene in a multipartite plant nanovirus during host infection. 05 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3248 Biological Sciences  Evolution  Virology  Endonuclease V cleaves at inosines in RNA OPEN Erik Sebastian Vik, Meh Sameen Nawaz, Pernille Strøm Andersen, Cathrine Fladeby, Magnar Bjørås, Bjørn Dalhus and Ingrun Alseth Bacterial endonuclease V enzymes are characterized as DNA repair proteins. Here, the authors show that human endonuclease V is an inosine-specific ribonuclease, indicating a role for this enzyme in normal RNA metabolism rather than DNA repair. 05 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3271 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Molecular biology  Alzheimer's disease mutations in APP but not γ-secretase modulators affect epsilon-cleavage-dependent AICD production Mitko Dimitrov, Jean-René Alattia, Thomas Lemmin, Rajwinder Lehal, Andrzej Fligier, Jemila Houacine, Ishrut Hussain, Freddy Radtke, Matteo Dal Peraro, Dirk Beher and Patrick C. Fraering Clinical trials of γ-secretase inhibitors to treat Alzheimer's disease show that side effects occur from their non-selective action. Dimitrov et al. show that improved second generation γ-secretase modulators spare cleavage sites of substrate proteins that are implicated in the side effects. 02 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3246 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Neuroscience  Disrupting malaria parasite AMA1–RON2 interaction with a small molecule prevents erythrocyte invasion Prakash Srinivasan, Adam Yasgar, Diane K. Luci, Wandy L. Beatty, Xin Hu, John Andersen, David L. Narum, J. Kathleen Moch, Hongmao Sun, J. David Haynes, David J. Maloney, Ajit Jadhav, Anton Simeonov and Louis H. Miller Invasion of host erythrocytes is an essential step in the life cycle of Plasmodium falciparum. Srinivasan et al. demonstrate that small-molecule inhibitors can block the entry of the parasite into erythrocytes, highlighting the potential of invasion inhibitors as antimalarials. 02 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3261 Biological Sciences  Chemical biology  Medical research  Microbiology  A digital laser for on-demand laser modes Sandile Ngcobo, Igor Litvin, Liesl Burger and Andrew Forbes Customizing the output from a laser is typically done by appropriate optical elements. Here, Ngcobo et al. show that a digitally controlled holographic mirror placed within the laser cavity can be used to dynamically select the desired laser output modes. 02 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3289 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Optical physics  Tuning organic magnetoresistance in polymer-fullerene blends by controlling spin reaction pathways P. Janssen, M. Cox, S.H.W. Wouters, M. Kemerink, M.M. Wienk and B. Koopmans Organic semiconductors could be useful in spintronic devices if their reactions to magnetic fields can be controlled appropriately. Here, the authors show that the exact choice of materials alters the dominant mechanism of the spin interactions, thus tuning the organic magnetoresistance. 02 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3286 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  Reversible patterning and actuation of hydrogels by electrically assisted ionoprinting Etienne Palleau, Daniel Morales, Michael D. Dickey and Orlin D. Velev Techniques for shape-controlling of hydrogels, that is, crosslinked networks of polymers, could make possible various biomimetic applications. Palleau et al. propose a strategy to pattern three-dimensional hydrogels using electric potential, which allows directed bending and fast controllable actuation. 02 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3257 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Physical chemistry  Phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate regulates sorting and processing of amyloid precursor protein through the endosomal system Etienne Morel, Zeina Chamoun, Zofia M. Lasiecka, Robin B. Chan, Rebecca L. Williamson, Christopher Vetanovetz, Claudia Dall'Armi, Sabrina Simoes, Kimberly S. Point Du Jour, Brian D. McCabe, Scott A. Small and Gilbert Di Paolo Endosomal sorting is regulated by phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate and anomalies in this process are implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Here, the authors show that deficiency of phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate in vitro enhances the pathological trafficking and processing of amyloid precursor protein. 02 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3250 Biological Sciences  Cell biology  Neuroscience  Octapod iron oxide nanoparticles as high-performance T2 contrast agents for magnetic resonance imaging Zhenghuan Zhao, Zijian Zhou, Jianfeng Bao, Zhenyu Wang, Juan Hu, Xiaoqin Chi, Kaiyuan Ni, Ruifang Wang, Xiaoyuan Chen, Zhong Chen and Jinhao Gao Spherical superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles are potentially attractive MRI contrast agents, but their low transverse relaxivity has hindered their application. Here, the authors report size and shape control of octapod iron oxide nanoparticles with extremely high transverse relaxivity. 01 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3266 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Medicinal chemistry  Nanotechnology  Evolutionary instability of zero-determinant strategies demonstrates that winning is not everything OPEN Christoph Adami and Arend Hintze In iterated Prisoner's Dilemma games, zero-determinant strategies are able to define the opponent's payoff regardless of the opponent's strategy. Here, the authors show that zero-determinant strategies are not evolutionary stable in adapting populations, and instead evolve into non-coercive strategies. 01 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3193 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Evolution  Dissecting the role of H3K64me3 in mouse pericentromeric heterochromatin Ulrike C. Lange, Stéphanie Siebert, Mark Wossidlo, Thomas Weiss, Céline Ziegler-Birling, Jörn Walter, Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla, Sylvain Daujat and Robert Schneider H3K64 trimethylation on the nucleosome lateral surface marks pericentric heterochromatin. Here, Lange et al. show that H3K64me3 enrichment ensures heterochromatin integrity and occurs in an H3K9me3-dependent, but an H4K20me3- and heterochromatin protein 1-independent manner. 01 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3233 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  Angiomotin prevents pluripotent lineage differentiation in mouse embryos via Hippo pathway-dependent and -independent mechanisms OPEN Chuen Yan Leung and Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz Angiomotins retain the transcription co-activator YAP in the cytoplasm and thereby regulate the Hippo pathway in mammalian cultured cells. Here, Leung and Zernicka-Goetz show that Angiomotin family members prevent the differentiation of inner cell mass cells in the mouse blastocyst, via both Hippo pathway-dependent and -independent mechanisms. 01 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3251 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Tertiary structural elements determine the extent and specificity of messenger RNA editing Leila E. Rieder, Cynthia J. Staber, Barry Hoopengardner and Robert A. Reenan A central, imperfect duplex RNA secondary structure is generally required for site-specific adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing by ADAR enzymes. Rieder et al. show in Drosophila that conserved and complex long-range RNA tertiary structures form in vivo and can also regulate specific RNA-editing events by ADAR enzymes. 01 August 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3232 Biological Sciences  Molecular biology  Transparency and damage tolerance of patternable omniphobic lubricated surfaces based on inverse colloidal monolayers Nicolas Vogel, Rebecca A. Belisle, Benjamin Hatton, Tak-Sing Wong and Joanna Aizenberg It is challenging to design transparent, water-repellent and mechanical robust coatings for a broad range of technological applications. Vogel et al. develop a lubricant-infused surface coating, which satisfies all these requirements and is compatible with conventional patterning processes. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3176 Physical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Nano-structured smart hydrogels with rapid response and high elasticity OPEN Lie-Wen Xia, Rui Xie, Xiao-Jie Ju, Wei Wang, Qianming Chen and Liang-Yin Chu Smart hydrogels are 3D networks composed of cross-linked polymer chains that can alter their shape and properties in response to environmental stimuli. Xia et al. demonstrate a smart hydrogel with rapid response and high elasticity, due to its nano-scale structure. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3226 Chemical Sciences  Materials science  Nanotechnology  Genome-wide search for exonic variants affecting translational efficiency Quan Li, Angeliki Makri, Yang Lu, Luc Marchand, Rosemarie Grabs, Marylene Rousseau, Houria Ounissi-Benkalha, Jerry Pelletier, Francis Robert, Eef Harmsen, Thomas J. Hudson, Tomi Pastinen, Constantin Polychronakos and Hui-Qi Qu Genetic effects on gene expression by variants at expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs), can contribute to human genetic diseases. Here, Li et al. present a method to study eQTLs with effects on protein translation on a transcriptome-wide scale. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3260 Biological Sciences  Genetics  Molecular biology  Reductive glutamine metabolism is a function of the α-ketoglutarate to citrate ratio in cells Sarah-Maria Fendt, Eric L. Bell, Mark A. Keibler, Benjamin A. Olenchock, Jared R. Mayers, Thomas M. Wasylenko, Natalie I. Vokes, Leonard Guarente, Matthew G. Vander Heiden and Gregory Stephanopoulos Reductive glutamine metabolism supports cell proliferation under stress conditions such as hypoxia. Here, Fendt et al. report that the ratio between the two metabolites α-ketoglutarate and citrate determines whether glutamine is metabolized oxidatively or reductively. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3236 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cell biology  Silicon-in-silica spheres via axial thermal gradient in-fibre capillary instabilities Alexander Gumennik, Lei Wei, Guillaume Lestoquoy, Alexander M. Stolyarov, Xiaoting Jia, Paul H. Rekemeyer, Matthew J. Smith, Xiangdong Liang, Benjamin J.-B. Grena, Steven G. Johnson, Silvija Gradečak, Ayman F. Abouraddy, John D. Joannopoulos and Yoel Fink Silicon nanospheres could be of interest for applications in electronics and optoelectronics. Here, Gumennik et al. demonstrate a nanosphere fabrication process based on an optical fibre drawing technique that is able to produce p and n-type spheres paired into rectifying bispherical junctions. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3216 Physical Sciences  Nanotechnology  Optical physics  Nitrate formation from atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen photocatalysed by nano-sized titanium dioxide Shi-Jie Yuan, Jie-Jie Chen, Zhi-Qi Lin, Wen-Wei Li, Guo-Ping Sheng and Han-Qing Yu Nitrate pollutants are known to contribute to a variety of environmental problems. Here, the authors suggest that nano-sized titanium dioxide, as used in numerous surface coatings, may catalyze the formation of nitrate via the photochemical reaction of atmospheric nitrogen and oxygen. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3249 Chemical Sciences  Atmospheric science  Catalysis  Physical chemistry  Mechanism of carrier accumulation in perovskite thin-absorber solar cells Hui-Seon Kim, Ivan Mora-Sero, Victoria Gonzalez-Pedro, Francisco Fabregat-Santiago, Emilio J. Juarez-Perez, Nam-Gyu Park and Juan Bisquert Understanding the accumulation of photogenerated charges in photovoltaics is crucial to developing more efficient structures. Kim et al. use impedence spectroscopy to observe charge accumulation in thin lead halide perovskite solar cells, finding a high density of states that differs from other types of cells. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3242 Physical Sciences  Applied physics  Materials science  The RAG2 C-terminus and ATM protect genome integrity by controlling antigen receptor gene cleavage Julie Chaumeil, Mariann Micsinai, Panagiotis Ntziachristos, David B. Roth, Iannis Aifantis, Yuval Kluger, Ludovic Deriano and Jane A. Skok Mice lacking the C-terminal non-core domain of RAG2 and ATM mutant mice develop thymic lymphomas harbouring recurrent Tcra/d–Igh translocations. Here, the authors show that ATM and the non-core domain of RAG2 prevent bi-locus recombination by modulating higher-order chromatin structure. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3231 Biological Sciences  Developmental biology  Immunology  Molecular biology  The effects of carbon dioxide and temperature on microRNA expression in Arabidopsis development Patrick May, Will Liao, Yijin Wu, Bin Shuai, W. Richard McCombie, Michael Q. Zhang and Qiong A. Liu An increase in the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide and warmer temperatures can alter plant growth and development. Here, the authors show that these conditions can also elicit significant changes in microRNAs expression, including some which might induce early flowering in Arabidopsis. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3145 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Genetics  Plant sciences  Stable platinum nanoclusters on genomic DNA–graphene oxide with a high oxygen reduction reaction activity OPEN Jitendra N. Tiwari, Krishna Nath, Susheel Kumar, Rajanish N. Tiwari, K. Christian Kemp, Nhien H. Le, Duck Hyun Youn, Jae Sung Lee and Kwang S. Kim Platinum nanoclusters are well-known catalysts for the oxygen reduction reaction, although the performance of clusters smaller than 2 nm is poorly studied. Here, the authors report 1.4 nm platinum clusters supported on DNA–graphene oxide composites and demonstrate promising electrochemical activity and stability. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3221 Chemical Sciences  Catalysis  Nanotechnology  Highly self-reactive naive CD4 T cells are prone to differentiate into regulatory T cells Bruno Martin, Cédric Auffray, Arnaud Delpoux, Arnaud Pommier, Aurélie Durand, Céline Charvet, Philippe Yakonowsky, Hubert de Boysson, Nelly Bonilla, Alexandra Audemard, Tim Sparwasser, Benoit L. Salomon, Bernard Malissen and Bruno Lucas The differentiation of naive CD4 T cells into T-helper-cell subsets is thought to be influenced by factors in the T-cell environment. Martin et al. reveal that cell intrinsic differences also determine lineage commitment and show that cells with the highest avidity for self are most likely to become induced regulatory T cells. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3209 Biological Sciences  Immunology  Molecular origin of high field-effect mobility in an indacenodithiophene–benzothiadiazole copolymer Xinran Zhang, Hugo Bronstein, Auke J. Kronemeijer, Jeremy Smith, Youngju Kim, R. Joseph Kline, Lee J. Richter, Thomas D. Anthopoulos, Henning Sirringhaus, Kigook Song, Martin Heeney, Weimin Zhang, Iain McCulloch and Dean M. DeLongchamp Some of the best-performing semiconducting polymers for electronic devices show a surprising lack of long-range order to support their electrical conductivity. Here, Zhang et al. find a common alignment of the structural backbones of these polymers, explaining their superior charge transport. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3238 Chemical Sciences  Condensed matter  Materials science  Stray-field imaging of magnetic vortices with a single diamond spin L. Rondin, J. -P. Tetienne, S. Rohart, A. Thiaville, T. Hingant, P. Spinicelli, J. -F. Roch and V. Jacques Obtaining quantitative information on nanoscale magnetic structures is a challenge. Here, the authors apply scanning probe magnetometry based on a single nitrogen-vacancy defect in diamond to quantitatively map the stray magnetic field emitted by a vortex state in a ferromagnetic dot. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3279 Physical Sciences  Nanotechnology  Group A PP2Cs evolved in land plants as key regulators of intrinsic desiccation tolerance OPEN Kenji Komatsu, Norihiro Suzuki, Mayuri Kuwamura, Yuri Nishikawa, Mao Nakatani, Hitomi Ohtawa, Daisuke Takezawa, Motoaki Seki, Maho Tanaka, Teruaki Taji, Takahisa Hayashi and Yoichi Sakata Abscisic acid plays an essential role in the induction of vegetative desiccation tolerance in bryophytes. Here, the authors show that elimination of protein phosphatases 2C is sufficient for the moss Physcomitrella patens to survive desiccation without the assistance of abscisic acid. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3219 Biological Sciences  Ecology  Evolution  Plant sciences  Involvement of Bag6 and the TRC pathway in proteasome assembly Takashi Akahane, Kazutaka Sahara, Hideki Yashiroda, Keiji Tanaka and Shigeo Murata The 26S proteasome comprises over 33 different subunits that must be correctly assembled by dedicated chaperones for efficient protein degradation. Here, the authors find that general chaperone proteins are also vital for proper proteasome assembly. 31 July 2013 | doi: 10.1038/ncomms3234 Biological Sciences  Biochemistry  Cell biology    Nature Communications JOBS of the week Postdoctoral Research Fellow Tulane University Health Sciences Center Postdoctoral Research Associate University of Oxford (Department of Biochemistry) PhD Position Heidelberg University, Institute of Physiology and Pathophysiology Biostatistician Medical Research Council Postdoctoral Fellow Cancer Science Institute of Singapore (CSI Singapore) Postdoctoral Fellowship Baylor College of Medicine (BCM)/ Texas Children's Hospital (TCH) Postdoctoral Research Assistant Queen Mary Uni of London Junior Professorship Freie Universitat Berlin Surgical Pathologist The Miriam and the Rhode Island Hospitals PhD position National University of Ireland, Galway More Science jobs from Nature Communications EVENT Enhanced rare cell analysis – Visualize the invisible 30.10.13 Germany, Cologne More science events from     Advertisement LEARNING IN THE DIGITAL AGE Nature and Scientific American collaborate to probe the revolution underway in education and discuss what it means for learning, teaching and research.  Access the Special online or via specials in the NatureJournals app    Natureevents is a fully searchable, multi-disciplinary database designed to maximise exposure for events organisers. 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