MedWorm.com provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest items from the 'Current Biology' source. Mon, 06 Feb 2012 14:26:07 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5656441&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22285031%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Durand S, Bouché N, Perez Strand E, Loudet O, Camilleri C Abstract Epigenetic variation is currently being investigated with the aim of deciphering its importance in both adaptation and evolution [1]. In plants, epimutations can underlie heritable phenotypic diversity [2-4], and epigenetic mechanisms might contribute to reproductive barriers between [5] or within species [6]. The extent of epigenetic variation begins to be appreciated in Arabidopsis [7], but the origin of natural epialleles and their impact in the wild remain largely unknown. Here we show that a genetic incompatibility among Arabidopsis thaliana strains is related to the epigenetic control of a pair of duplicate genes involved in fitness: a transposition event results in a rearranged paralogous structure ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5656441 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5656441 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5656440&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22285032%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Watase G, Takisawa H, Kanemaki MT Abstract Eukaryotic DNA replication is initiated at multiple origins of replication, where many replication proteins assemble under the control of the cell cycle [1]. A key process of replication initiation is to convert inactive Mcm2-7 to active Cdc45-Mcm-GINS (CMG) replicative helicase [2]. However, it is not known whether the CMG assembly would automatically activate its helicase activity and thus assemble the replisome. Mcm10 is an evolutionally conserved essential protein required for the initiation of replication [3, 4]. Although the roles of many proteins involved in the initiation are understood, the role of Mcm10 remains controversial [5-9]. To characterize Mcm10 in more detail, we constructed budding yeast cells bearing a degron-... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5656440 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5656440 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5656439&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22285033%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Elsabbagh M, Mercure E, Hudry K, Chandler S, Pasco G, Charman T, Pickles A, Baron-Cohen S, Bolton P, Johnson MH, Abstract Autism spectrum disorders (henceforth autism) are diagnosed in around 1% of the population [1]. Familial liability confers risk for a broad spectrum of difficulties including the broader autism phenotype (BAP) [2, 3]. There are currently no reliable predictors of autism in infancy, but characteristic behaviors emerge during the second year, enabling diagnosis after this age [4, 5]. Because indicators of brain functioning may be sensitive predictors, and atypical eye contact is characteristic of the syndrome [6-9] and the BAP [10, 11], we examined whether neural sensitivity to eye gaze during infancy is associated with later autism outcomes [12, 13]. We... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5656439 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5656439 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637218&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22280902%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Settleman J PMID: 22280902 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637218 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637218 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637213&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22280903%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Quiroga RQ PMID: 22280903 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637213 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637205&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22280904%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wenner P Abstract Developing spinal networks are constructed through the integration of local microcircuits and the ongoing incorporation of later-developing neurons. This process is dependent on neuronal activity prior to synaptogenesis. PMID: 22280904 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637205 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637205 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637204&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22280905%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mogilner A, Zhu J Abstract A combination of biophysical perturbations and computer simulations shows that leading edge protrusion in crawling cells increases membrane tension, which constrains the protruding front to one side of the cell, thereby maintaining its polarity. PMID: 22280905 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637204 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637204 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637195&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22280906%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Seyfarth RM, Cheney DL Abstract After a wild chimpanzee encounters a model of a dangerous snake, whether or not he gives an alarm call depends on his perception of another individual's knowledge. PMID: 22280906 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637195 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637193&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22280907%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Scheffler K, Tran PT Abstract Directional transport of specific cargos is tuned to specific molecular motors and specific cytoskeletal tracks. Myosin V transports its cargo on actin cables, whereas kinesin or dynein transport their cargo on microtubules. A recent study shows that an engineered kinesin can substitute for myosin V and its cargo-specific transport and subsequent cellular functions. PMID: 22280907 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637193 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637192&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22280908%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hunter B, Hollister JD, Bomblies K Abstract Whether epigenetic variation is important in adaptive evolution has been contentious. Two recent studies in Arabidopsis thaliana significantly add to our understanding of genome-wide variation and stability of an epigenetic mark, and thus help pave the path for realistically incorporating epigenetics into evolutionary theory. PMID: 22280908 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637192 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637191&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22280909%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Köppl C Abstract Minute differences between the time of arrival of a sound at the two ears are used by humans and animals to locate the source. New in vivo recordings have shed light on how auditory neurons solve the problem of resolving microsecond time differences. PMID: 22280909 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637191 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637191 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637188&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22280910%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Verkhovsky AB Abstract Anterior-posterior polarity in the Caenorhabditis elegans zygote depends on two groups of PAR proteins, as well as on cortical flow. Recent work now demonstrates that this polarization results from a transition in a bistable reaction-diffusion system of PAR proteins that is triggered by cortical flow. PMID: 22280910 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637188 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637187&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22280911%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Vitousek MN, Dor R, Safran RJ Abstract A long term study of warblers in the Himalayas reveals a surprising contrast in the effects of warm springs as opposed to warm summers on a signaling trait, emphasizing the need to consider year-round influences of the environment on morphological variation. PMID: 22280911 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637187 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637171&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22280912%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Roy S, Vijayraghavan K Abstract Powered flight was first mastered by insects, many millions of years ago. Now, studies with the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster reveal the critical role of a conserved transcription factor in programming the development of specialized flight muscles. PMID: 22280912 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637171 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637171 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637151&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22280913%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Robertson EM Abstract Learning new facts and skills in succession can be frustrating because no sooner has new knowledge been acquired than its retention is being jeopardized by learning another set of skills or facts. Interference between memories has recently provided important new insights into the neural and psychological systems responsible for memory processing. For example, interference not only occurs between the same types of memories, but can also occur between different types of memories, which has important implications for our understanding of memory organization. Converging evidence has begun to reveal that the brain produces interference independently from other aspects of memory processing, which suggests that interference may have an important but previous... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637151 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637151 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637134&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22281223%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zich J, Sochaj AM, Syred HM, Milne L, Cook AG, Ohkura H, Rappsilber J, Hardwick KG Abstract Defects in chromosome segregation result in aneuploidy, which can lead to disease or cell death [1, 2]. The spindle checkpoint delays anaphase onset until all chromosomes are attached to spindle microtubules in a bipolar fashion [3, 4]. Mad2 is a key checkpoint component that undergoes conformational activation, catalyzed by a Mad1-Mad2 template enriched at unattached kinetochores [5]. Mad2 and Mad3 (BubR1) then bind and inhibit Cdc20 to form the mitotic checkpoint complex (MCC), which binds and inhibits the anaphase promoting complex (APC/C). Checkpoint kinases (Aurora, Bub1, and Mps1) are critical for checkpoint signaling, yet they have poorly defined roles and few substrates have... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637134 Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637134 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637238&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22264604%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Battesti M, Moreno C, Joly D, Mery F Abstract Understanding how behavioral diversity arises and is maintained is central to evolutionary biology. Genetically based inheritance has been a predominant research focus of the last century; however, nongenetic inheritance, such as social transmission, has become a topic of increasing interest [1]. How social information impacts behavior depends on the balance between information gathered directly through personal experience versus that gleaned through social interactions and on the diffusion of this information within groups [2, 3]. We investigate how female Drosophila melanogaster use social information under seminatural conditions and whether this information can spread and be maintained within a group, a prerequisite for est... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637238 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637238 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637236&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22264605%26dopt%3DAbstract We examined presence/absence of 70 homeologous loci in 59 Tragopogon miscellus plants from five natural populations of independent origin; this allotetraploid arose ∼80 years ago via hybridization between diploid parents and WGD [11]. Genes were repeatedly retained or lost in clusters, and the gene ontology categories of the missing genes correspond to those lost after ancient WGD in the same family (Asteraceae; sunflower family) [6] and with gene dosage sensitivity [8]. These results provide evidence that the outcomes of WGD are predictable, even in 40 generations, perhaps due to the connectivity of gene products [8, 10, 12]. The high frequency of single-allele losses detected and low frequency of changes fixed within populations provide evidence for ongoing evolution. PMID: 222646... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637236 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637236 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637234&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22264606%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Siegel F, Heimel JA, Peters J, Lohmann C Abstract Spontaneous network activity constitutes a central theme during the development of neuronal circuitry [1, 2]. Before the onset of vision, retinal neurons generate waves of spontaneous activity that are relayed along the ascending visual pathway [3, 4] and shape activity patterns in these regions [5, 6]. The spatiotemporal nature of retinal waves is required to establish precise functional maps in higher visual areas, and their disruption results in enlarged axonal projection areas (e.g., [7-10]). However, how retinal inputs shape network dynamics in the visual cortex on the cellular level is unknown. Using in vivo two-photon calcium imaging, we identified two independently occurring patterns of network activity in the mou... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637234 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637234 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637233&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22264607%26dopt%3DAbstract This study also provides a framework to better understand the late-onset hearing loss phenotype in patients with MYO3A mutations. PMID: 22264607 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637233 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637233 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637232&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22264608%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Smith ML, Gosselin F, Schyns PG Abstract The study of internal knowledge representations is a cornerstone of the research agenda in the interdisciplinary study of cognition. An influential proposal assumes that the brain uses its internal knowledge of the external world to constrain, in a top-down manner, high-dimensional sensory data into a lower-dimensional representation that enables perceptual decisions and other higher-level cognitive functions [1-9]. This proposal relies on a precise formulation of the observer-specific internal knowledge (i.e., the internal representations, or models) that guides reduction of the high-dimensional retinal input onto a low-dimensional code. Here, we directly revealed the content of subjective internal representations by instructing... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637232 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637232 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637231&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22264609%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Choi SH, McCollum D Abstract During mitosis, equal segregation of chromosomes depends on proper kinetochore-microtubule attachments. Merotelic kinetochore orientation, in which a single kinetochore binds microtubules from both spindle poles [1], is a major cause of chromosome instability [2], which is commonly observed in solid tumors [3, 4]. Using the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe, we show that a proper force balance between kinesin motors on interpolar spindle microtubules is critical for correcting merotelic attachments. Inhibition of the plus-end-directed spindle elongation motors kinesin-5 (Cut7) and kinesin-6 (Klp9) reduces spindle length, tension at kinetochores, and the frequency of merotelic attachments. In contrast, merotely is increased by deletion of... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637231 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637231 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637229&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22264610%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: The patients' superior memory performance betrayed a fundamental deficit in scene processing. Our findings indicate that the hippocampus supports the internal representation of scenes and extended scenes when they are not physically in view, and this may involve providing a spatial framework in scenes. We suggest that interference with the ability to internally represent space may prevent the construction of spatially coherent scenes, with possible consequences for navigation, recollection of the past, and imagination of the future, which depend on this function. PMID: 22264610 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637229 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637229 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637228&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22264611%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Stringham SA, Mulroy EE, Xing J, Record D, Guernsey MW, Aldenhoven JT, Osborne EJ, Shapiro MD Abstract Domestic pigeons are spectacularly diverse and exhibit variation in more traits than any other bird species [1]. In The Origin of Species, Charles Darwin repeatedly calls attention to the striking variation among domestic pigeon breeds-generated by thousands of years of artificial selection on a single species by human breeders-as a model for the process of natural divergence among wild populations and species [2]. Darwin proposed a morphology-based classification of domestic pigeon breeds [3], but the relationships among major groups of breeds and their geographic origins remain poorly understood [4, 5]. We used a large, geographically diverse sample of 361 individuals f... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637228 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637228 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637226&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22264612%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zaidi Q, Ennis R, Cao D, Lee B Abstract After fixating on a colored pattern, observers see a similar pattern in complementary colors when the stimulus is removed [1-6]. Afterimages were important in disproving the theory that visual rays emanate from the eye, in demonstrating interocular interactions, and in revealing the independence of binocular vision from eye movements. Afterimages also prove invaluable in exploring selective attention, filling in, and consciousness. Proposed physiological mechanisms for color afterimages range from bleaching of cone photopigments to cortical adaptation [4-9], but direct neural measurements have not been reported. We introduce a time-varying method for evoking afterimages, which provides precise measurements of adaptation and a direct ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637226 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637226 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5637225&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22264613%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Oliver PL, Sobczyk MV, Maywood ES, Edwards B, Lee S, Livieratos A, Oster H, Butler R, Godinho SI, Wulff K, Peirson SN, Fisher SP, Chesham JE, Smith JW, Hastings MH, Davies KE, Foster RG Abstract Sleep and circadian rhythm disruption has been widely observed in neuropsychiatric disorders including schizophrenia [1] and often precedes related symptoms [2]. However, mechanistic basis for this association remains unknown. Therefore, we investigated the circadian phenotype of blind-drunk (Bdr), a mouse model of synaptosomal-associated protein (Snap)-25 exocytotic disruption that displays schizophrenic endophenotypes modulated by prenatal factors and reversible by antipsychotic treatment [3, 4]. Notably, SNAP-25 has been implicated in schizophrenia from genetic [5-8], pathologic... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5637225 Wed, 18 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5637225 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5619239&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22244998%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zeng Q, Chisholm SW Abstract Phosphorus (P) availability, which often limits productivity in marine ecosystems, shapes the P-acquisition gene content of the marine cyanobacteria Prochlorococcus [1-4] and its viruses (cyanophages) [5, 6]. As in other bacteria, in Prochlorococcus these genes are regulated by the PhoR/PhoB two-component regulatory system that is used to sense and respond to P availability and is typical of signal transduction systems found in diverse organisms [7]. Replication of cyanophage genomes requires a significant amount of P, and therefore these phages could gain a fitness advantage by influencing host P acquisition in P-limited environments. Here we show that the transcription of a phage-encoded high-affinity phosphate-binding protein gene (pstS) an... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5619239 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5619239 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5619238&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22244999%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: Through this unique regulatory mechanism, TBF1 can sense the metabolic changes upon pathogen invasion and trigger the specific transcriptional reprogramming through its target genes expression. PMID: 22244999 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5619238 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5619238 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5619237&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22245000%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Morin V, Prieto S, Melines S, Hem S, Rossignol M, Lorca T, Espeut J, Morin N, Abrieu A Abstract Accurate chromosome segregation relies upon a mitotic checkpoint that monitors kinetochore attachment toward opposite spindle poles before enabling chromosome disjunction [1]. The MPS1/TTK protein kinase is a core component of the mitotic checkpoint that lies upstream of MAD2 and BubR1 both at the kinetochore and in the cytoplasm [2, 3]. To gain insight into the mechanisms underlying the regulation of MPS1 kinase, we undertook the identification of Xenopus MPS1 phosphorylation sites by mass spectrometry. We mapped several phosphorylation sites onto MPS1 and we show that phosphorylation of S283 in the noncatalytic region of MPS1 is required for full kinase activity. This phosphor... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5619237 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5619237 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5619236&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22245001%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Costa LM, Yuan J, Rouster J, Paul W, Dickinson H, Gutierrez-Marcos JF Abstract Imprinted genes are commonly expressed in mammalian placentas and in plant seed endosperms, where they exhibit preferential uniparental allelic expression. In mammals, imprinted genes directly regulate placental function and nutrient distribution from mother to fetus [1-4]; however, none of the >60 imprinted genes thus far reported in plants have been demonstrated to play an equivalent role in regulating the flow of resources to the embryo [5-7]. Here we show that imprinted Maternally expressed gene1 (Meg1) in maize [8] is both necessary and sufficient for the establishment and differentiation of the endosperm nutrient transfer cells located at the mother:seed interface. Consistent with these... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5619236 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5619236 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5619235&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22245002%26dopt%3DAbstract We examined the influence of fungal activity on lead metal and discovered that metallic lead can be transformed into chloropyromorphite, the most stable lead mineral that exists. This is of geochemical significance, not only regarding lead fate and cycling in the environment but also in relation to the phosphate cycle and linked with microbial transformations of inorganic and organic phosphorus. This paper provides the first report of mycogenic chloropyromorphite formation from metallic lead and highlights the significance of this phenomenon as a biotic component of lead biogeochemistry, with additional consequences for microbial survival in lead-contaminated environments and bioremedial treatments for Pb-contaminated land. PMID: 22245002 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Cu... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5619235 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5619235 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5619234&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22245003%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kar P, Nelson C, Parekh AB Abstract Ca(2+)-dependent gene expression is critical for cell growth, proliferation, plasticity, and adaptation [1-3]. Because a common mechanism in vertebrates linking cytoplasmic Ca(2+) signals with activation of protein synthesis involves the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) family of transcription factors [4, 5], we have quantified protein expression in single cells following physiological Ca(2+) signals by using NFAT-driven expression of a genetically encoded fluorescent protein. We find that gene expression following CRAC channel activation is an all-or-nothing event over a range of stimulus intensities. Increasing agonist concentration recruits more cells but each responding cell does so in an essentially digital manner. Furthe... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5619234 Wed, 11 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5619234 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595840&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22240469%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Garrick RC, Benavides E, Russello MA, Gibbs JP, Poulakakis N, Dion KB, Hyseni C, Kajdacsi B, Márquez L, Bahan S, Ciofi C, Tapia W, Caccone A Abstract Genes from recently extinct species can live on in the genomes of extant individuals of mixed ancestry. Recently, genetic signatures of the giant Galápagos tortoise once endemic to Floreana Island (Chelonoidis elephantopus) were detected within eleven hybrid individuals of otherwise pure Chelonoidis becki on Volcano Wolf, Isabela Island [1]. Movement of tortoises between islands by pirate and whaling ships was not uncommon during the 1800s [2], representing a likely mechanism by which individuals from Floreana were translocated to northern Isabela, despite being presumed extinct soon after Charles Darwin's historic voyage t... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595840 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595840 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595819&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22240470%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hardie RC Abstract Two new studies introduce the power of Drosophila genetics to polarization vision, revealing distinct photoreceptor inputs to polarotactic behaviour mediated by dorsal and ventral eye regions. PMID: 22240470 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595819 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595819 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595818&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22240471%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wood W Abstract What are the earliest signals produced at a wound edge that mobilise epithelial cells to heal the wound? Live analysis of wound healing in the worm Caenorhabditis elegans shows that calcium may be the key early trigger. PMID: 22240471 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595818 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595818 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595802&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22240472%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Swoap SJ Abstract The hypometabolic state of torpor is a widely utilized and well-orchestrated response to food shortage. A new study shows that the melatonin-related orphan receptor GPR50 plays an important function in metabolic regulation for entry into torpor. PMID: 22240472 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595802 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595802 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595796&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22240473%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cruz-Martín A, Huberman AD Abstract Rats can discriminate simple shapes visually, even if they are moved around, made smaller, or partially covered up; the strategy they use may help shed light on human brain mechanisms for discriminating complex features, such as faces. PMID: 22240473 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595796 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595796 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595791&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22240474%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Langille MG, Meehan CJ, Beiko RG Abstract A recent study suggests that lateral gene transfer has been particularly intense among human-associated microbes. What can this tell us about our relationship with our internal microbial world? PMID: 22240474 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595791 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595790&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22240475%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kingdom FA Abstract Our two eyes' views of the outside world are slightly different, providing the basis for stereopsis. A new study has found evidence that the human visual system has separately adaptable channels for adding and subtracting the neural signals from the two eyes, supporting an unconventional view of the initial stages of stereopsis. PMID: 22240475 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595790 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595790 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595789&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22240476%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Stevens CF Abstract The highest-resolution test to date of the wire minimization hypothesis has found that this principle works well for brain regions with a volume just over 400 μm(3). What is the wire minimization hypothesis, and why should anyone care about it? PMID: 22240476 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595789 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595789 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595787&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22240477%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Singh P, Cabernard C Abstract Mutations in the gene microcephalin/MCPH1 result in the neurodevelopmental disease microcephaly. A recent report provides evidence that MCPH1 controls neuroprogenitor entry into mitosis via the Chk1-Cdc25b centrosome maturation pathway. PMID: 22240477 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595787 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595787 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595756&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22240478%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rubinsztein DC, Shpilka T, Elazar Z Abstract Autophagy is a unique membrane trafficking process whereby newly formed membranes, termed phagophores, engulf parts of the cytoplasm leading to the production of double-membraned autophagosomes that get delivered to lysosomes for degradation. This catabolic pathway has been linked to numerous physiological and pathological conditions, such as development, programmed cell death, cancer, pathogen infection, neurodegenerative disorders, and myopathies. In this review, we will focus on recent studies in yeast and mammalian systems that have provided insights into two critical areas of autophagosome biogenesis - the source of the autophagosomal membranes, and the mechanisms regulating the fusion of the edges of the double-membraned ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595756 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595756 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595747&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22240479%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Orr TJ, Zuk M PMID: 22240479 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595747 Tue, 10 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595747 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595936&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22225775%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: Together, these results suggest that eye-position signals in the dorsal visual system are updated rapidly across eye movements and play a direct role in perceptual localization, even when they are erroneous. PMID: 22225775 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595936 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595929&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22226744%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Téglás E, Gergely A, Kupán K, Miklósi A, Topál J Abstract Recent evidence suggests that preverbal infants' gaze following can be triggered only if an actor's head turn is preceded by the expression of communicative intent [1]. Such connectedness between ostensive and referential signals may be uniquely human, enabling infants to effectively respond to referential communication directed to them. In the light of increasing evidence of dogs' social communicative skills [2], an intriguing question is whether dogs' responsiveness to human directional gestures [3] is associated with the situational context in an infant-like manner. Borrowing a method used in infant studies [1], dogs watched video presentations of a human actor turning toward one of two objects, and their ey... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595929 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595929 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595906&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22226745%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Soubannier V, McLelland GL, Zunino R, Braschi E, Rippstein P, Fon EA, McBride HM Abstract Mitochondrial respiration relies on electron transport, an essential yet dangerous process in that it leads to the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS can be neutralized within the mitochondria through enzymatic activity, yet the mechanism for steady-state removal of oxidized mitochondrial protein complexes and lipids is not well understood. We have previously characterized vesicular profiles budding from the mitochondria that carry selected cargo [1]. At least one population of these mitochondria-derived vesicles (MDVs) targets the peroxisomes; however, the fate of the majority of MDVs was unclear. Here, we demonstrate that MDVs carry selected cargo to the lysosomes. Usi... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595906 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595906 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595905&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22226746%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chesneau L, Dambournet D, Machicoane M, Kouranti I, Fukuda M, Goud B, Echard A Abstract Cytokinesis bridge instability leads to binucleated cells that can promote tumorigenesis in vivo [1]. Membrane trafficking is crucial for animal cell cytokinesis [2-8], and several endocytic pathways regulated by distinct GTPases (Rab11, Rab21, Rab35, ARF6, RalA/B) [9-16] contribute to the postfurrowing steps of cytokinesis. However, little is known about how these pathways are coordinated for successful cytokinesis. The Rab35 GTPase controls a fast endocytic recycling pathway and must be activated for SEPTIN cytoskeleton localization at the intercellular bridge, and thus for completion of cytokinesis [12]. Here, we report that the ARF6 GTPase [17, 18] negatively regulates Rab35 activa... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595905 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595905 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595872&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22226747%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Long TA, Agrawal AF, Rowe L Abstract Whether the changes brought about by sexual selection are, on the whole, congruent or incongruent with the changes favored by natural selection is a fundamentally important question in evolutionary biology. Although a number of theoretical models have assumed that sexual selection reinforces natural selection [1, 2], others assume these forces are in opposition [3-5]. Empirical results have been mixed (see reviews in [1, 6-8]) and the reasons for the differences among studies are unclear. Variable outcomes are expected if populations differ in their evolutionary histories and therefore harbor different amounts and types of segregating genetic variation. Here, we constructed populations of Drosophila melanogaster that differed in this re... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595872 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595872 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595862&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22226748%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Loria A, Longhini KM, Glotzer M Abstract Cytokinesis in animal cells is mediated by a cortical actomyosin-based contractile ring. The GTPase RhoA is a critical regulator of this process as it activates both nonmuscle myosin and a nucleator of actin filaments [1]. The site at which active RhoA and its effectors accumulate is controlled by the microtubule-based spindle during anaphase [2]. ECT-2, the guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that activates RhoA during cytokinesis, is regulated by phosphorylation and subcellular localization [3-5]. ECT2 localization depends on interactions with CYK-4/MgcRacGAP, a Rho GTPase-activating protein (GAP) domain containing protein [5, 6]. Here we show that, contrary to expectations, the Rho GTPase-activating protein (GAP) domain of C... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595862 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595862 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5595852&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22226749%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kechad A, Jananji S, Ruella Y, Hickson GR Abstract Animal cell cytokinesis proceeds via constriction of an actomyosin-based contractile ring (CR) [1, 2]. Upon reaching a diameter of ∼1 μm [3], a midbody ring (MR) forms to stabilize the intercellular bridge until abscission [4-6]. How MR formation is coupled to CR closure and how plasma membrane anchoring is maintained at this key transition is unknown. Time-lapse microscopy of Drosophila S2 cells depleted of the scaffold protein Anillin [7-9] revealed that Anillin is required for complete closure of the CR and formation of the MR. Truncation analysis revealed that Anillin N termini connected with the actomyosin CR and supported formation of stable MR-like structures, but these could not maintain anchoring of the plasma... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5595852 Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:00:00 +0100 5595852 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5558017&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22206705%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Todesco M, Balasubramanian S, Cao J, Ott F, Sureshkumar S, Schneeberger K, Meyer RC, Altmann T, Weigel D Abstract Like protein-coding genes, loci that produce microRNAs (miRNAs) are generally considered to be under purifying selection [1-3], consistent with miRNA polymorphisms being able to cause disease [4]. Nevertheless, it has been hypothesized that variation in miRNA genes may contribute to phenotypic diversity [1, 3, 5, 6]. Here we demonstrate that a naturally occurring polymorphism in the MIR164A gene affects leaf shape and shoot architecture in Arabidopsis thaliana, with the effects being modified by additional loci in the genome. A single base pair substitution in the miRNA complementary sequence alters the predicted stability of the miRNA:miRNA(∗) duplex. It the... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5558017 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5558017 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5558016&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22209527%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kunda P, Rodrigues NT, Moeendarbary E, Liu T, Ivetic A, Charras G, Baum B Abstract Animal cells undergo dramatic actin-dependent changes in shape as they progress through mitosis; they round up upon mitotic entry and elongate during chromosome segregation before dividing into two [1-3]. Moesin, the sole Drosophila ERM-family protein [4], plays a critical role in this process, through the construction of a stiff, rounded metaphase cortex [5-7]. At mitotic exit, this rigid cortex must be dismantled to allow for anaphase elongation and cytokinesis through the loss of the active pool of phospho-Thr559moesin from cell poles. Here, in an RNA interference (RNAi) screen for phosphatases involved in the temporal and spatial control of moesin, we identify PP1-87B RNAi as having elev... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5558016 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5558016 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5558015&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22209528%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that Mad3 is required for the stable binding of Mad2 to Cdc20 in vivo, which is sufficient to inhibit APC activity and is the most downstream event in spindle checkpoint activation. PMID: 22209528 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5558015 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5558015 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5558014&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22209529%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: de Graaf BH, Vatovec S, Juárez-Díaz JA, Chai L, Kooblall K, Wilkins KA, Zou H, Forbes T, Franklin FC, Franklin-Tong VE Abstract Many angiosperms use specific interactions between pollen and pistil proteins as "self" recognition and/or rejection mechanisms to prevent self-fertilization. Self-incompatibility (SI) is encoded by a multiallelic S locus, comprising pollen and pistil S-determinants [1, 2]. In Papaver rhoeas, cognate pistil and pollen S-determinants, PrpS, a pollen-expressed transmembrane protein, and PrsS, a pistil-expressed secreted protein [3, 4], interact to trigger a Ca(2+)-dependent signaling network [5-10], resulting in inhibition of pollen tube growth, cytoskeletal alterations [11-13], and programmed cell death (PCD) [14, 15] in incompatible pollen. We ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5558014 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5558014 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5558013&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22209530%26dopt%3DAbstract In conclusion, this study illustrates the feasibility of investigating visual cognition in rats with multivariate behavioral paradigms, with the ultimate aim to use a comparative approach to explore the anatomical and neurophysiological basis of vision, also for those visual abilities that are traditionally studied in humans and monkeys. VIDEO ABSTRACT: PMID: 22209530 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5558013 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5558013 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5558012&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22209531%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Crockford C, Wittig RM, Mundry R, Zuberbühler K Abstract The ability to recognize other individuals' mental states-their knowledge and beliefs, for example-is a fundamental part of human cognition and may be unique to our species. Tests of a "theory of mind" in animals have yielded conflicting results [1-3]. Some nonhuman primates can read others' intentions and know what others see, but they may not understand that, in others, perception can lead to knowledge [1-3]. Using an alarm-call-based field experiment, we show that chimpanzees were more likely to alarm call in response to a snake in the presence of unaware group members than in the presence of aware group members, suggesting that they recognize knowledge and ignorance in others. We monitored the behavior of 33 ind... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5558012 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5558012 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5558011&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22209532%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Garrido MI, Barnes GR, Sahani M, Dolan RJ Abstract The amygdala plays a central role in evaluating the behavioral importance of sensory information. Anatomical subcortical pathways provide direct input to the amygdala from early sensory systems and may support an adaptively valuable rapid appraisal of salient information [1-3]. However, the functional significance of these subcortical inputs remains controversial [4]. We recorded magnetoencephalographic activity evoked by tones in the context of emotionally valent faces and tested two competing biologically motivated dynamic causal models [5, 6] against these data: the dual and cortical models. The dual model comprised two parallel (cortical and subcortical) routes to the amygdala, whereas the cortical model excluded the s... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5558011 Wed, 28 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5558011 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545043&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192822%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Erwin DH Abstract The fossil record typically exhibits very dynamic patterns of innovation, diversification and extinction. In contrast, molecular phylogenies suggest smoother patterns of evolutionary change. Several new studies reconcile this difference and reveal more about the mechanisms behind macroevolutionary change. PMID: 22192822 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545043 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545043 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545042&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192823%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lalueza-Fox C, Gilbert MT Abstract In order to understand the genetic basis for the evolutionary success of modern humans, it is necessary to compare their genetic makeup to that of closely related species. Unfortunately, our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees, are evolutionarily quite distant. With the advent of ancient DNA study and more recently paleogenomics - the study of the genomes of ancient organisms - it has become possible to compare human genomes to those of much more closely related groups. Our closest known relatives are the Neanderthals, which evolved and lived in Europe and Western Asia, from about 600,000 years ago until their disappearance around 30,000 years ago following the expansion of anatomically modern humans into their range. The closely r... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545042 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545042 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545041&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192824%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bekkers JM PMID: 22192824 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545041 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545041 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545040&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192825%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Miller AL PMID: 22192825 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545040 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545040 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545039&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192826%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Anderson BL Abstract The visual system relies on patterns of light to provide information about the layout of objects that populate our environment. Light is structured by the way it interacts with the three-dimensional shape, reflectance, and transmittance properties of objects. The input for vision is therefore a complex, conflated mixture of different sources of physical variation that the brain must somehow disentangle to recover the intrinsic properties of the objects and materials that fill the world. PMID: 22192826 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545039 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545038&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192827%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Schwarz J, Lewandrowski I, Bringmann H Abstract Sleep-like states occur in the life of all animals carefully studied and are characterized by reduced behavioral and neural activity as well as reduced responsiveness to stimulation [1]. How is reduced responsiveness to stimulation generated? We used calcium imaging to investigate a sleep-like state in larvae of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. We found that overall spontaneous neural activity was reduced during the sleep-like state in many neurons, including the mechanosensory neuron ALM. Stimulus-evoked calcium transients and behavior were reduced in ALM during the sleep-like state. Thus, reduced activity of ALM may contribute to reduce responsiveness during a sleep-like state. PMID: 22192827 [PubMed - in process] (... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545038 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545038 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545037&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192828%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Eckenhoff RG Abstract In the nematode C. elegans, immobility induced by the anesthetic halothane is coupled to its ability to modulate neuronal resting membrane potential, perhaps through effects on leak channels; a similar anesthetic, isoflurane, appears to work a different way. PMID: 22192828 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545037 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545036&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192829%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kastenhuber E, Neuhauss SC Abstract An elegant new study has correlated the generation of sound patterns in the red-bellied piranha (Pygocentrus nattereri) with three distinct behaviours. PMID: 22192829 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545036 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545036 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545035&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192830%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tuck S Abstract Recent work on a Caenorhabditis elegans transmembrane ATPase reveals a central role for the aminophospholipid phosphatidylethanolamine in the production of a class of extracellular vesicles. PMID: 22192830 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545035 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545035 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545034&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192831%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Borst A Abstract The Reichardt detector model for fly motion vision has been around for more than 50 years, but a cellular implementation of the model has not yet been discovered. Detailed reconstruction of serial electron-microscopy sections has now revealed a circuit that might well provide the cellular basis for directional selectivity in motion vision. PMID: 22192831 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545034 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545034 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545033&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192832%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Herre EA, Shuker DM, West SA Abstract A recent study comparing sex ratios produced by experimental evolution in spider mites with those predicted by Hamilton's Local Mate Competition Theory clearly demonstrates Evolutionary Theory's success as a quantitatively predictive science. PMID: 22192832 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545033 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545033 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545032&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192833%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Frith U, Frith C Abstract A recent study has found that autistic people donate the same to charity regardless of whether they are observed. This is not because they are oblivious to others, but because they are free of hypocrisy. PMID: 22192833 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545032 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545032 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545030&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192834%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Davis CC, Schaefer H Abstract Living gymnosperms represent the survivors of ancient seed plant lineages whose fossil record reaches back 270 million years. Two recent studies find that recent pulses of extinction and speciation have shaped today's gymnosperm diversity, contradicting the widespread assumption that gymnosperms have remained largely unchanged for tens of millions of years. PMID: 22192834 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545030 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545029&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22192835%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Koh TW, Carlson JR Abstract The vomeronasal organ detects chemical cues that trigger sexual, aggressive and defensive behaviors. An in situ hybridization analysis has identified the specificities of nearly a hundred VNO receptors and elucidated the logic by which they encode these cues. PMID: 22192835 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545029 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545029 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545028&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22197240%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bechtold DA, Sidibe A, Saer BR, Li J, Hand LE, Ivanova EA, Darras VM, Dam J, Jockers R, Luckman SM, Loudon AS Abstract The ability of mammals to maintain a constant body temperature has proven to be a profound evolutionary advantage, allowing members of this class to thrive in most environments on earth. Intriguingly, some mammals employ bouts of deep hypothermia (torpor) to cope with reduced food supply and harsh climates [1, 2]. During torpor, physiological processes such as respiration, cardiac function, and metabolic rate are severely depressed, yet the neural mechanisms that regulate torpor remain unclear [3]. Hypothalamic responses to energy signals, such as leptin, influence the expression of torpor [4-7]. We show that the orphan receptor GPR50 plays an important ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545028 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545028 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545027&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22197241%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Macdonald EN, Johnson EK, Forsythe J, Plante P, Munhall KG Abstract Species-specific vocalizations fall into two broad categories: those that emerge during maturation, independent of experience, and those that depend on early life interactions with conspecifics. Human language and the communication systems of a small number of other species, including songbirds, fall into this latter class of vocal learning. Self-monitoring has been assumed to play an important role in the vocal learning of speech [1-3] and studies demonstrate that perception of your own voice is crucial for both the development and lifelong maintenance of vocalizations in humans and songbirds [4-8]. Experimental modifications of auditory feedback can also change vocalizations in both humans and songbirds ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545027 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545026&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22197242%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: The Eph receptor mediates cellular extensions required for bridge formation, independently facilitates P cell migration to the midline, and functions redundantly with PLX-2/plexin to prevent gaps in the bridge used for P9/10 cell migration in body wall closure. PMID: 22197242 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545026 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545026 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545025&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22197243%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: These findings show that the CPG in the zebrafish spinal cord emerges directly from a sporadically active network as functional connectivity strengthens between local and then more distal neurons. These results also reveal that early, sporadic activity in a subset of ventral spinal neurons is required for the integration of maturing neurons into the coordinated CPG network. PMID: 22197243 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545025 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545025 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545024&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22197244%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Jones FC, Chan YF, Schmutz J, Grimwood J, Brady SD, Southwick AM, Absher DM, Myers RM, Reimchen TE, Deagle BE, Schluter D, Kingsley DM Abstract Genes underlying repeated adaptive evolution in natural populations are still largely unknown. Stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus) have undergone a recent dramatic evolutionary radiation, generating numerous examples of marine-freshwater species pairs and a small number of benthic-limnetic species pairs found within single lakes [1]. We have developed a new genome-wide SNP genotyping array to study patterns of genetic variation in sticklebacks over a wide geographic range, and to scan the genome for regions that contribute to repeated evolution of marine-freshwater or benthic-limnetic species pairs. Surveying 34 global popula... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545024 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545024 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545023&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22197245%26dopt%3DAbstract We report that the PH domain of anillin interacts with phosphatidylinositol phosphate lipids (PIPs), including PI(4,5)P(2), which is enriched in the furrow. Reduction of cellular PI(4,5)P(2) or mutations in the PH domain of anillin that specifically disrupt the interaction with PI(4,5)P(2), interfere with the localization of anillin to the furrow. Reduced expression of anillin disrupts symmetric furrow ingression that can be restored by targeting ectopically expressed anillin to the furrow using an alternate PI(4,5)P(2) binding module, a condition where the septin cytoskeleton is not recruited to the plasma membrane. These data demonstrate that the anillin PH domain has two functions: targeting anillin to the furrow by binding to PI(4,5)P(2) to maintain furrow organization and recruiting ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545023 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545023 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5545022&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22197246%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hirayama K, Gillette R Abstract Concrete examples of computation and implementation of cost/benefit decisions at the level of neuronal circuits are largely lacking. Such decisions are based on appetitive state, which is the integration of sensation, internal state, and memory. Value-based decisions are accessible in neuronal circuitry of simple systems [1]. In one such system, the predatory sea slug Pleurobranchaea, appetite is readily quantified in behavior [2] and related to approach/avoidance decision [3]. Moreover, motor aspects of feeding and turning can be observed as fictive motor output in the isolated central nervous system (CNS) [4, 5]. Here we found that the excitation state of the feeding motor network both manifested appetitive state and controlled expressio... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5545022 Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5545022 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5527097&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22177115%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Chen XF, Kuryan B, Kitada T, Tran N, Li JY, Kurdistani S, Grunstein M, Li B, Carey M Abstract The S. cerevisiae Rpd3 large (Rpd3L) and small (Rpd3S) histone deacetylase (HDAC) complexes are prototypes for understanding transcriptional repression in eukaryotes [1]. The current view is that they function by deacetylating chromatin, thereby limiting accessibility of transcriptional factors to the underlying DNA. However, an Rpd3 catalytic mutant retains substantial repression capability when targeted to a promoter as a LexA fusion protein [2]. We investigated the HDAC-independent properties of the Rpd3 complexes biochemically and discovered a chaperone function, which promotes histone deposition onto DNA, and a novel activity, which prevents nucleosome eviction but not remod... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5527097 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5527097 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5527096&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22177899%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Parise CV, Spence C, Ernst MO Abstract Inferring which signals have a common underlying cause, and hence should be integrated, represents a primary challenge for a perceptual system dealing with multiple sensory inputs [1-3]. This challenge is often referred to as the correspondence problem or causal inference. Previous research has demonstrated that spatiotemporal cues, along with prior knowledge, are exploited by the human brain to solve this problem [4-9]. Here we explore the role of correlation between the fine temporal structure of auditory and visual signals in causal inference. Specifically, we investigated whether correlated signals are inferred to originate from the same distal event and hence are integrated optimally [10]. In a localization task with visual, audi... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5527096 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5527096 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5527095&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22177900%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lahondère C, Lazzari CR Abstract Temperature is one of the most important factors affecting the life of insects [1]. For instance, high temperatures can have deleterious effects on insects' physiology. Therefore, many of them have developed various strategies to avoid the risk of thermal stress [2]. They can seek a fresher environment or adjust their water loss, but hematophagous insects, such as mosquitoes, must confront the issue of thermal stress at each feeding event on a warm-blooded host [3]. To better understand to what extent mosquitoes are exposed to thermal stress while feeding, we conducted a real-time infrared thermographic analysis of mosquitoes' body temperature during feeding on both warm blood and sugar solution. First, our results highlighted differences ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5527095 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5527095 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5527094&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22177901%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: May KA, Zhaoping L, Hibbard PB Abstract In Li and Atick's [1, 2] theory of efficient stereo coding, the two eyes' signals are transformed into uncorrelated binocular summation and difference signals, and gain control is applied to the summation and differencing channels to optimize their sensitivities. In natural vision, the optimal channel sensitivities vary from moment to moment, depending on the strengths of the summation and difference signals; these channels should therefore be separately adaptable, whereby a channel's sensitivity is reduced following overexposure to adaptation stimuli that selectively stimulate that channel. This predicts a remarkable effect of binocular adaptation on perceived direction of a dichoptic motion stimulus [3]. For this stimulus, the summ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5527094 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5527094 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5527093&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22177902%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Beyer T, Danilchik M, Thumberger T, Vick P, Tisler M, Schneider I, Bogusch S, Andre P, Ulmer B, Walentek P, Niesler B, Blum M, Schweickert A Abstract In vertebrates, most inner organs are asymmetrically arranged with respect to the main body axis [1]. Symmetry breakage in fish, amphibian, and mammalian embryos depends on cilia-driven leftward flow of extracellular fluid during neurulation [2-5]. Flow induces the asymmetric nodal cascade that governs asymmetric organ morphogenesis and placement [1, 6, 7]. In the frog Xenopus, an alternative laterality-generating mechanism involving asymmetric localization of serotonin at the 32-cell stage has been proposed [8]. However, no functional linkage between this early localization and flow at neurula stage has emerged. Here, we rep... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5527093 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5527093 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5527092&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22177903%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Scordato ES, Bontrager AL, Price TD Abstract Sexually selected traits and early breeding are often correlated with quality in birds: individuals that breed earlier in the season have more elaborate traits and raise more surviving offspring [1, 2]. As global climate warms, breeding date for many temperate birds is advancing [3, 4], but we lack corresponding information on climate-induced variation in sexual selection. Here, we investigated influences of climate on a sexually selected plumage trait in a Himalayan warbler (Phylloscopus humei). We found that when spring is warm, birds breed early. Subsequent to an early-breeding year, adults express relatively large sexually selected traits and rear offspring that also develop large traits. The positive effects of early breedi... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5527092 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5527092 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5527091&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22177904%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: Drosophila uses separate retinal pathways for the detection of linearly polarized light emanating from the sky or from shiny surfaces. This work establishes a behavioral paradigm that will enable genetic dissection of the circuits underlying polarization vision. PMID: 22177904 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5527091 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5527091 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5527090&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22177905%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Weir PT, Dickinson MH Abstract Insects maintain a constant bearing across a wide range of spatial scales. Monarch butterflies and locusts traverse continents [1, 2], and foraging bees and ants travel hundreds of meters to return to their nests [1, 3, 4], whereas many other insects fly straight for only a few centimeters before changing direction. Despite this variation in spatial scale, the brain region thought to underlie long-distance navigation is remarkably conserved [5, 6], suggesting that the use of a celestial compass is a general and perhaps ancient capability of insects. Laboratory studies of Drosophila have identified a local search mode in which short, straight segments are interspersed with rapid turns [7, 8]. However, this flight mode is inconsistent with meas... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5527090 Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5527090 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507201&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22119524%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Swayne TC, Zhou C, Boldogh IR, Charalel JK, McFaline-Figueroa JR, Thoms S, Yang C, Leung G, McInnes J, Erdmann R, Pon LA Abstract Mitochondria accumulate at neuronal and immunological synapses [1, 2] and yeast bud tips [3] and associate with the ER during phospholipid biosynthesis, calcium homeostasis, and mitochondrial fission [4, 5]. Here we show that mitochondria are associated with cortical ER (cER) sheets [6, 7] underlying the plasma membrane in the bud tip and confirm that a deletion in YPT11, which inhibits cER accumulation in the bud tip [8], also inhibits bud tip anchorage of mitochondria [9]. Time-lapse imaging reveals that mitochondria are anchored at specific sites in the bud tip. Mmr1p, a member of the DSL1 family of tethering proteins, localizes to punctate s... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507201 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507201 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507200&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22119525%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: Because Cdc7p does not bind to GDP-Spg1p, we propose that the SIP-mediated Cdc11p dephosphorylation and the resulting recruitment of Byr4p are among the earliest steps in the establishment of SIN asymmetry. PMID: 22119525 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507200 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507200 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507199&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22119526%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: van der Helm E, Yao J, Dutt S, Rao V, Saletin JM, Walker MP Abstract Clinical evidence suggests a potentially causal interaction between sleep and affective brain function; nearly all mood disorders display co-occurring sleep abnormalities, commonly involving rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep [1-4]. Building on this clinical evidence, recent neurobiological frameworks have hypothesized a benefit of REM sleep in palliatively decreasing next-day brain reactivity to recent waking emotional experiences [5, 6]. Specifically, the marked suppression of central adrenergic neurotransmitters during REM (commonly implicated in arousal and stress), coupled with activation in amygdala-hippocampal networks that encode salient events, is proposed to (re)process and depotentiate previous aff... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507199 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507199 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507198&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22119527%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rivera-Alba M, Vitaladevuni SN, Mischenko Y, Lu Z, Takemura SY, Scheffer L, Meinertzhagen IA, Chklovskii DB, de Polavieja GG Abstract Wiring economy has successfully explained the individual placement of neurons in simple nervous systems like that of Caenorhabditis elegans [1-3] and the locations of coarser structures like cortical areas in complex vertebrate brains [4]. However, it remains unclear whether wiring economy can explain the placement of individual neurons in brains larger than that of C. elegans. Indeed, given the greater number of neuronal interconnections in larger brains, simply minimizing the length of connections results in unrealistic configurations, with multiple neurons occupying the same position in space. Avoiding such configurations, or volume excl... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507198 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507198 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507197&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22119528%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: WNK1 is a novel regulator of PLC-β that acts by controlling substrate availability. WNK1 thereby coordinates signaling between G protein and Akt kinase pathways. Because PIP(2) is itself a signaling molecule, regulation of PIP(2) synthesis by WNK1 also allows the cell to initiate PLC signaling while independently controlling the effects of PIP(2) on other targets. These findings describe a new signaling pathway for Akt-activating growth factors, a mechanism for G protein-growth factor crosstalk, and a means to independently control PLC signaling and PIP(2) availability. PMID: 22119528 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507197 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507197 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507196&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22119529%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Doerschner K, Fleming RW, Yilmaz O, Schrater PR, Hartung B, Kersten D Abstract Many critical perceptual judgments, from telling whether fruit is ripe to determining whether the ground is slippery, involve estimating the material properties of surfaces. Very little is known about how the brain recognizes materials, even though the problem is likely as important for survival as navigating or recognizing objects. Though previous research has focused nearly exclusively on the properties of static images [1-16], recent evidence suggests that motion may affect the appearance of surface material [17-19]. However, what kind of information motion conveys and how this information may be used by the brain is still unknown. Here, we identify three motion cues that the brain could rely... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507196 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507196 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507190&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153156%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Hedges JH, Gartshteyn Y, Kohn A, Rust NC, Shadlen MN, Newsome WT, Movshon JA Abstract Most neurons in cortical area MT (V5) are strongly direction selective [1-4], and their activity is closely associated with the perception of visual motion [reviewed in 5]. These neurons have large receptive fields built by combining inputs with smaller receptive fields that respond to local motion [6]. Humans integrate motion over large areas and can perceive what has been referred to as global motion. The large size and direction selectivity of MT receptive fields suggests that MT neurons may represent global motion. We have explored this possibility by measuring responses to a stimulus in which the directions of simultaneously presented local and global motion are independently cont... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507190 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507190 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507189&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153157%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Cocucci E, Meldolesi J PMID: 22153157 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507189 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507189 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507188&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153158%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sharot T Abstract The ability to anticipate is a hallmark of cognition. Inferences about what will occur in the future are critical to decision making, enabling us to prepare our actions so as to avoid harm and gain reward. Given the importance of these future projections, one might expect the brain to possess accurate, unbiased foresight. Humans, however, exhibit a pervasive and surprising bias: when it comes to predicting what will happen to us tomorrow, next week, or fifty years from now, we overestimate the likelihood of positive events, and underestimate the likelihood of negative events. For example, we underrate our chances of getting divorced, being in a car accident, or suffering from cancer. We also expect to live longer than objective measures would warrant, ove... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507188 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507188 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507187&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153159%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Barnsley N, McAuley JH, Mohan R, Dey A, Thomas P, Moseley GL Abstract Most people are convinced that their body parts are in fact their own, but in some clinical conditions, this sense of ownership can be lost [1]. Perceptual illusions, most famously the rubber hand illusion (RHI) [2], demonstrate that a sense of ownership over a body part (or an entire body [3]) that is not in fact ours can be easily induced in healthy volunteers. But does illusory ownership over an artificial body part have consequences for the real body part, the one that has been 'replaced'? Recent data show the RHI induces a small but robust drop in skin temperature of the real hand. That is, blood flow to the 'disowned' hand seems to be selectively reduced [1]. Such a finding is particularly relevant... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507187 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507187 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507186&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153160%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: McCrory EJ, De Brito SA, Sebastian CL, Mechelli A, Bird G, Kelly PA, Viding E Abstract Exposure to family violence affects a significant minority of children: estimates of physical abuse range from 4 to 16%, while intimate partner violence affects between 8 and 25% of children [1]. These maltreatment experiences represent a form of environmental stress that significantly increases risk of later psychopathology, including anxiety [1,2]. To date, no functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have probed the neural correlates of emotional processing in children exposed to family violence. Previous psychological and electrophysiological studies indicate a selective hypervigilance to angry cues in physically abused children, which is in turn associated with elevated l... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507186 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507186 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507185&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153161%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: McBride HM Abstract A new study uncovers a novel role for the endoplasmic reticulum in tethering mitochondria specifically at the tip of the growing bud in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mitochondrial anchoring to the bud tip requires the tethering factor Mmr1, and the link to the ER is coupled to the cell cycle through a phosphorylation-dependent mechanism. PMID: 22153161 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507185 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507185 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507184&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153162%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Santos LR Abstract Humans engage in collaborative activities far more often than do members of any other species. Two recent studies explore why this is the case. Are humans uniquely motivated to work together? PMID: 22153162 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507184 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507184 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507183&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153163%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Price TD Abstract A phylogenetic tree for the extant Hawaiian honeycreepers charts their diversification over the past 6 million years. PMID: 22153163 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507183 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507183 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507182&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153164%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Siegle JH, Moore CI Abstract Maintaining the right balance between excitation and inhibition is crucial to healthy brain function. A recent study has used optogenetics to show how quickly and effectively inhibition clamps down a novel burst of excitation in the neocortex. PMID: 22153164 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507182 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507182 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507181&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153165%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Schink KO, Stenmark H Abstract The midbody is an electron-dense structure that forms between two dividing daughter cells, and a midbody remnant is left after completion of cell separation. This structure has been regarded as a piece of cellular debris, but two recent papers suggest an unexpected function for the midbody remnant in promoting an undifferentiated cellular phenotype. PMID: 22153165 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507181 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507181 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507180&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153166%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rezával C, Fabre CC, Goodwin SF Abstract How do animals perceive their environment and make appropriate behavioral choices based on those perceptions? New data have uncovered a novel sensory pathway that promotes Drosophila male courtship behavior in response to food. PMID: 22153166 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507180 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507180 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507179&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153167%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Giocomo LM, Moser EI Abstract It has been suggested that the matrix-like firing structure of entorhinal grid cells is caused by interference between membrane oscillations at slightly different theta frequencies. A recent report suggests that grid signals can be generated in the absence of theta oscillations. PMID: 22153167 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507179 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507179 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507178&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153168%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Telford MJ, Budd GE Abstract While the seven classes within the phylum Mollusca are clearly defined morphologically and molecularly, relationships between them have long been contentious. Two recent phylogenomic studies take an important step forward with intriguing implications for their evolution. PMID: 22153168 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507178 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507178 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507177&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22153169%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Rabinowitz NC, King AJ Abstract A recent study provides intriguing insights into how we recognize the sound of everyday objects from the statistical properties of the textures they produce. PMID: 22153169 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507177 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507177 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507176&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22169532%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: Our results directly demonstrate opening of the TGF-β1 straitjacket by application of mechanical force in the order of magnitude of what can be transmitted by single integrins. For this mechanism to be in place, binding of latent TGF-β1 to LTBP-1 is mandatory. Interfering with mechanical activation of latent TGF-β1 by reducing integrin affinity, cell contractility, and binding of latent TGF-β1 to the ECM provides new possibilities to therapeutically modulate TGF-β1 actions. PMID: 22169532 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507176 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507176 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507175&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22169533%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: The DDK-dependent limited association between origins and Sld3-Sld7-Cdc45 is a key step for determining the timing of origin firing. PMID: 22169533 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507175 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507175 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507174&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22169534%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Siton O, Ideses Y, Albeck S, Unger T, Bershadsky AD, Gov NS, Bernheim-Groswasser A Abstract Cortactin is involved in invadopodia and podosome formation [1], pathogens and endosome motility [2], and persistent lamellipodia protrusion [3, 4]; its overexpression enhances cellular motility and metastatic activity [5-8]. Several mechanisms have been proposed to explain cortactin's role in Arp2/3-driven actin polymerization [9, 10], yet its direct role in cell movement remains unclear. We use a biomimetic system to study the mechanism of cortactin-mediated regulation of actin-driven motility [11]. We tested the role of different cortactin variants that interact with Arp2/3 complex and actin filaments distinctively. We show that wild-type cortactin significantly enhances the bead... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507174 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507174 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507173&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22169535%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Wickett NJ, Honaas LA, Wafula EK, Das M, Huang K, Wu B, Landherr L, Timko MP, Yoder J, Westwood JH, Depamphilis CW Abstract Parasitism in flowering plants has evolved at least 11 times [1]. Only one family, Orobanchaceae, comprises all major nutritional types of parasites: facultative, hemiparasitic (partially photosynthetic), and holoparasitic (nonphotosynthetic) [2]. Additionally, the family includes Lindenbergia, a nonparasitic genus sister to all parasitic Orobanchaceae [3-6]. Parasitic Orobanchaceae include species with severe economic impacts: Striga (witchweed), for example, affects over 50 million hectares of crops in sub-Saharan Africa, causing more than $3 billion in damage annually [7]. Although gene losses and increased substitution rates have been characterize... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507173 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507173 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507172&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22169536%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Teeter CM, Stevens CF Abstract The tree-like structures of a neuron that are responsible for distributing (axons) or collecting (dendrites) information over a region of the brain are called arbors. The size of the territory occupied by an arbor and the density of the arbor branches within that territory are important for computation because these factors determine what fraction of a neural map is sampled by a single cell and at what resolution [1]. Arbor territory size and branch density can vary by many orders of magnitude; however, we have identified a universal relationship between these two physical properties revealing a general neural architectural design principle. All of the arbors (axons and dendrites) we have studied (including fish retinal ganglion cells, roden... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507172 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507172 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507171&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22169537%26dopt%3DAbstract Acquiring "the Knowledge" of London's Layout Drives Structural Brain Changes. Curr Biol. 2011 Dec 6; Authors: Woollett K, Maguire EA Abstract The last decade has seen a burgeoning of reports associating brain structure with specific skills and traits (e.g., [1-8]). Although these cross-sectional studies are informative, cause and effect are impossible to establish without longitudinal investigation of the same individuals before and after an intervention. Several longitudinal studies have been conducted (e.g., [9-18]); some involved children or young adults, potentially conflating brain development with learning, most were restricted to the motor domain, and all concerned relatively short timescales (weeks or months). Here, by contrast, we utilized a unique opportunity to s... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507171 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507171 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507170&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22169538%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ungar L, Harari Y, Toren A, Kupiec M Abstract Telomeres are specialized DNA-protein structures at the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes. Telomeric DNA is synthesized by telomerase, which is expressed only at the early stages of development [1, 2]. To become malignant, any cell has to be able to replenish telomeres [3]. Thus, understanding how telomere length is monitored has significant medical implications, especially in the fields of aging and cancer. In yeast, telomerase is constitutively active. A large network of genes participates in controlling telomere length [4-8]. Tor1 and Tor2 (targets of rapamycin [9]) are two similar kinases that regulate cell growth [10]. Both can be found as part of the TOR complex 1 (TORC1 [11]), which coordinates the response to nutrient sta... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507170 Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507170 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507195&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22137471%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Takemura SY, Karuppudurai T, Ting CY, Lu Z, Lee CH, Meinertzhagen IA Abstract Detecting motion is a feature of all advanced visual systems [1], nowhere more so than in flying animals, like insects [2, 3]. In flies, an influential autocorrelation model for motion detection, the elementary motion detector circuit (EMD; [4, 5]), compares visual signals from neighboring photoreceptors to derive information on motion direction and velocity. This information is fed by two types of interneuron, L1 and L2, in the first optic neuropile, or lamina, to downstream local motion detectors in columns of the second neuropile, the medulla. Despite receiving carefully matched photoreceptor inputs, L1 and L2 drive distinct, separable pathways responding preferentially to moving "on" and "o... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507195 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507195 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507194&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22137472%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Mseka T, Cramer LP Abstract In migrating cells, the relative importance of myosin II contractility for cell rear retraction varies [1-12]. However, in myosin II-inhibited polarizing cells, actin organization is compromised [13-18]; thus it remains unclear whether myosin II is simply required for correct actin arrangement or also directly drives rear retraction [9]. Ascaris sperm cells lack actin and associated motors, and depolymerization of major sperm protein is instead thought to pull the cell rear forward [19, 20]. Opposing views exist on whether actin could also have this function [19, 20] and has not been directly experimentally sought. We probe function at high temporal resolution in polarizing fibroblasts that establish migration by forming the cell rear first [9, ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507194 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507194 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507193&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22137473%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lo Presti L, Martin SG Abstract Kinesins and myosins transport cargos to specific locations along microtubules and actin filaments, respectively. The relative contribution of the two transport systems for cell polarization varies extensively in different cell types, with some cells relying exclusively on actin-based transport while others mainly use microtubules. Using fission yeast, we asked whether one transport system can substitute for the other. In this organism, microtubules and actin cables both contribute to polarized growth by transporting cargos to cell poles, but with distinct roles: microtubules transport landmarks to label cell poles for growth and actin assembly but do not directly contribute to the growth process [1]. Actin cables serve as tracks for myosin ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507193 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507193 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507192&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22137474%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that rising and falling levels of LIN-42A allow the start and completion, respectively, of larval molts. We propose that LIN-42A and affiliated factors regulate molting cycles in much the same way that PER-based oscillators drive rhythmic behaviors and metabolic processes in mature mammals. Further, the combination of reiterative and stage-specific functions of LIN-42 may coordinate periodic molts with successive development of the epidermis. PMID: 22137474 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507192 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507192 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5507191&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22137475%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Singaram VK, Somerlot BH, Falk SA, Falk MJ, Sedensky MM, Morgan PG Abstract Volatile anesthetics (VAs) cause profound neurological effects, including reversible loss of consciousness and immobility. Despite their widespread use, the mechanism of action of VAs remains one of the unsolved puzzles of neuroscience [1, 2]. Genetic studies in Caenorhabditis elegans [3, 4], Drosophila [3, 5], and mice [6-9] indicate that ion channels controlling the neuronal resting membrane potential (RMP) also control anesthetic sensitivity. Leak channels selective for K(+) [10-13] or permeable to Na(+) [14] are critical for establishing RMP. We hypothesized that halothane, a VA, caused immobility by altering the neuronal RMP. In C. elegans, halothane-induced immobility is acutely and complete... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5507191 Wed, 30 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5507191 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453883&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22115453%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Procko C, Shaham S PMID: 22115453 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453883 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453883 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453882&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22115454%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Arrighi R, Cartocci G, Burr D Abstract Many physiological and psychophysical studies suggest that the perception and execution of movement may be linked [1-4]. Here we ask whether severe impairment of locomotion could impact on the capacity to perceive human locomotion. We measured sensitivity for the perception of point-light walkers - animation sequences of human biological motion portrayed by only the joints - in patients with severe spinal injury. These patients showed a huge (nearly three-fold) reduction of sensitivity for detecting and for discriminating the direction of biological motion compared with healthy controls, and also a smaller (∼40%) reduction in sensitivity to simple translational motion. However, they showed no statistically significant reduction in c... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453882 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453882 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453881&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22115455%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Soto D, Mäntylä T, Silvanto J Abstract Working memory allows individuals to maintain information in the focus of the mind's eye in the service of goal-directed behavior. Current psychological theories (for example, Baddeley's influential model of working memory) [1], computational models [2] and neurobiological accounts of working memory are based on the assumption that working memory operates on consciously represented information. Models of the capacity limits of working memory [3] are silent on this issue. While there has been some suggestion that working memory may be engaged by incidental exposure to visible items [4], current understanding indicates that the encoding of information in working memory, maintenance, retrieval and use in decision making of working memo... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453881 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453881 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453880&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22115456%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Graham DJ Abstract How the visual system detects surface reflectance - lightness - has puzzled researchers for centuries. A new study of contexts that capture the characteristic luminance range of natural scenes rules out a long-standing theory of lightness perception. PMID: 22115456 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453880 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453838&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22115457%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lynch CD, Sheetz MP Abstract A new study suggests that mechanical strain through the actin-binding protein filamin A leads to increased linkage between the extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton and decreased actin dynamics. PMID: 22115457 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453838 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453838 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453816&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22115458%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Land MF, Osorio DC Abstract Survival in the deep sea depends on seeing others without being seen yourself. A recent study examined two switchable camouflage strategies in cephalopods: transparency and dark pigmentation. PMID: 22115458 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453816 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453816 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453815&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22115459%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Subramanian VV, Hochwagen A Abstract Centromeres congregate into a large cluster called the chromocenter during Drosophila oogenesis. Two recent studies now define a function and a genetic basis for this remarkable structure. PMID: 22115459 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453815 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453815 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453814&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22115460%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Westermann B Abstract The endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria are engaged in an intimate relationship: they establish extensive contacts, exchange lipids and calcium, and coordinate their activities in cell life and death. Recent research has revealed a new role for the endoplasmic reticulum in promoting mitochondrial division. PMID: 22115460 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453814 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453814 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453813&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22115461%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Franklin DW, Wolpert DM Abstract A recent study demonstrates involvement of primary motor cortex in task-dependent modulation of rapid feedback responses; cortical neurons resolve locally ambiguous sensory information, producing sophisticated responses to disturbances. PMID: 22115461 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453813 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453813 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453812&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22115462%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Lloyd C Abstract The current model of the plant cytokinetic apparatus, describing it as being composed of treadmilling microtubules, is challenged by a new study showing that these microtubules display dynamic instability. PMID: 22115462 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453812 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453812 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453809&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22115463%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Kay LM Abstract Stimulating arbitrary collections of as few as 300 neurons in the primary olfactory cortex of mice suffices for associative learning independent of any odor stimulation. Thus, programmed spatial relationships may not exist in piriform cortex, making flexible random associations the rule. PMID: 22115463 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453809 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453809 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453794&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22115464%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Brill JA, Wong R, Wilde A Abstract In systems as diverse as yeast, slime mold and animal cells, the levels and distribution of phosphatidylinositol phosphates (PIPs) must be strictly regulated for successful cell cleavage. The precise mechanism by which PIPs function in this process remains unknown. Recent experiments are beginning to shed light on the cellular pathways in which PIPs make key contributions during cytokinesis. In particular, PIPs promote proper actin cytoskeletal organization and direct membrane trafficking in dividing cells. Future research will uncover temporal and spatial regulation of the different PIPs, thus elucidating their role in cytoskeletal and membrane events that drive cell cleavage. PMID: 22115464 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Bio... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453794 Tue, 22 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453794 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453884&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22100064%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: TAT-5 is the first protein identified to regulate ECV budding. TAT-5 provides a potential molecular link between loss of phosphatidylethanolamine asymmetry and the dynamic budding of vesicles from the plasma membrane, supporting the hypothesis that lipid asymmetry regulates budding. Our results also suggest that viral budding and ECV budding may share common molecular mechanisms. PMID: 22100064 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453884 Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453884 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453888&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22100060%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Terhune DB, Tai S, Cowey A, Popescu T, Cohen Kadosh R Abstract Synesthesia is an unusual condition characterized by the over-binding of two or more features and the concomitant automatic and conscious experience of atypical, ancillary images or perceptions [1-3]. Previous research suggests that synesthetes display enhanced modality-specific perceptual processing [4-7], but it remains unclear whether enhanced processing contributes to conscious awareness of color photisms. In three experiments, we investigated whether grapheme-color synesthesia is characterized by enhanced cortical excitability in primary visual cortex and the role played by this hyperexcitability in the expression of synesthesia. Using transcranial magnetic stimulation, we show that synesthetes display 3-f... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453888 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453888 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453887&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22100061%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSIONS: Skin wounding in C. elegans triggers a Ca(2+)-dependent signaling cascade that promotes wound closure, in parallel to the innate immune response to damage. Wound closure requires actin polymerization and is negatively regulated by nonmuscle myosin. PMID: 22100061 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453887 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453887 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453886&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22100062%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Torriani SF, Stukenbrock EH, Brunner PC, McDonald BA, Croll D Abstract Though spliceosomal introns are a major structural component of most eukaryotic genes and intron density varies by more than three orders of magnitude among eukaryotes [1-3], the origins of introns are poorly understood, and only a few cases of unambiguous intron gain are known [4-8]. We utilized population genomic comparisons of three closely related fungi to identify crucial transitory phases of intron gain and loss. We found 74 intron positions showing intraspecific presence-absence polymorphisms (PAPs) for the entire intron. Population genetic analyses identified intron PAPs at different stages of fixation and showed that intron gain or loss was very recent. We found direct support for extensive int... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453886 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5453885&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22100063%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Supp GG, Siegel M, Hipp JF, Engel AK Abstract Intrinsic cortical dynamics modulates the processing of sensory information and therefore may be critical for conscious perception [1-3]. We tested this hypothesis by electroencephalographic recording of ongoing and stimulus-related brain activity during stepwise drug-induced loss of consciousness in healthy human volunteers. We found that progressive loss of consciousness was tightly linked to the emergence of a hypersynchronous cortical state in the alpha frequency range (8-14 Hz). This drug-induced ongoing alpha activity was widely distributed across the frontal cortex. Stimulus-related responses to median nerve stimulation consisted of early and midlatency response components in primary somatosensory cortex (S1) and a late... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5453885 Wed, 16 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5453885 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414552&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22079110%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Nachtrab G, Czerwinski M, Poss KD Abstract Certain fish and amphibians regenerate entire fins and limbs after amputation, whereas such potential is absent in birds and limited in mammals to digit tips [1, 2]. Additionally, regenerative success can change during life stages. Anuran tadpoles gradually lose the capacity to regenerate limbs [3, 4], and digit regeneration occurs more effectively in fetal mice and human children than adults [5-8]. Little is known about mechanisms that control regenerative capacity. Here, we identify an unexpected difference between male and female zebrafish in the regenerative potential of a major appendage. Males display regenerative defects in amputated pectoral fins, caused by impaired blastemal proliferation. This regenerative failure emerg... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414552 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414552 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414551&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22079111%26dopt%3DAbstract CONCLUSION: We show here that Cdc20 fluctuates through the cell cycle via a distinct form of APC-mediated ubiquitination. This in cis autoubiquitination may preferentially occur in early anaphase, following depletion of Cdc20 substrates. This suggests that distinct mechanisms are able to target Cdc20 for ubiquitination at different points during the cell cycle. PMID: 22079111 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414551 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414551 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414550&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22079112%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Santuari L, Scacchi E, Rodriguez-Villalon A, Salinas P, Dohmann EM, Brunoud G, Vernoux T, Smith RS, Hardtke CS Abstract In the Arabidopsis root meristem, polar auxin transport creates a transcriptional auxin response gradient that peaks at the stem cell niche and gradually decreases as stem cell daughters divide and differentiate [1-3]. The amplitude and extent of this gradient are essential for both stem cell maintenance and root meristem growth [4, 5]. To investigate why expression of some auxin-responsive genes, such as the essential root meristem growth regulator BREVIS RADIX (BRX) [6], deviates from this gradient, we combined experimental and computational approaches. We created cellular-level root meristem models that accurately reproduce distribution of nuclear auxi... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414550 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414550 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414549&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22079113%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zylinski S, Johnsen S Abstract Animals in the lower mesopelagic zone (600-1,000 m depth) of the oceans have converged on two major strategies for camouflage: transparency and red or black pigmentation [1]. Transparency conveys excellent camouflage under ambient light conditions, greatly reducing the conspicuousness of the animal's silhouette [1, 2]. Transparent tissues are seldom perfectly so, resulting in unavoidable internal light scattering [2]. Under directed light, such as that emitted from photophores thought to function as searchlights [3-8], the scattered light returning to a viewer will be brighter than the background, rendering the animal conspicuous [2, 4]. At depths where bioluminescence becomes the dominant source of light, most animals are pigmented red or ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414549 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414549 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414548&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22079114%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Smertenko AP, Piette B, Hussey PJ Abstract The phragmoplast coordinates cytokinesis in plants [1]. It directs vesicles to the midzone, the site where they coalesce to form the new cell plate. Failure in phragmoplast function results in aborted or incomplete cytokinesis leading to embryo lethality, morphological defects, or multinucleate cells [2, 3]. The asymmetry of vesicular traffic is regulated by microtubules [1, 4, 5, 6], and the current model suggests that this asymmetry is established and maintained through treadmilling of parallel microtubules. However, we have analyzed the behavior of microtubules in the phragmoplast using live-cell imaging coupled with mathematical modeling and dynamic simulations and report that microtubules initiate randomly in the phragmoplast... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414548 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414548 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414547&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22079115%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Herwig L, Blum Y, Krudewig A, Ellertsdottir E, Lenard A, Belting HG, Affolter M Abstract Although many of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of angiogenesis have been intensely studied [1], little is known about the processes that underlie vascular anastomosis. We have generated transgenic fish lines expressing an EGFP-tagged version of the junctional protein zona occludens 1 (ZO1) to visualize individual cell behaviors that occur during vessel fusion and lumen formation in vivo. These life observations show that endothelial cells (ECs) use two distinct morphogenetic mechanisms, cell membrane invagination and cord hollowing to generate different types of vascular tubes. During initial steps of anastomosis, cell junctions that have formed at the initial site of cell con... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414547 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414547 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414546&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22079116%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Radonjić A, Allred SR, Gilchrist AL, Brainard DH Abstract Natural viewing challenges the visual system with images that have a dynamic range of light intensity (luminance) that can approach 1,000,000:1 and that often exceeds 10,000:1 [1, 2]. The range of perceived surface reflectance (lightness), however, can be well approximated by the Munsell matte neutral scale (N 2.0/ to N 9.5/), consisting of surfaces whose reflectance varies by about 30:1. Thus, the visual system must map a large range of surface luminance onto a much smaller range of surface lightness. We measured this mapping in images with a dynamic range close to that of natural images. We studied simple images that lacked segmentation cues that would indicate multiple regions of illumination. We found a remarka... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414546 Wed, 09 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414546 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414563&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22075423%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Verbruggen H, Tribollet A PMID: 22075423 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414563 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414562&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22075424%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Festa RA, Thiele DJ Abstract Life on Earth has evolved within a complex mixture of organic and inorganic compounds. While organic molecules such as amino acids, carbohydrates and nucleotides form the backbone of proteins and genetic material, these fundamental components of macromolecules are enzymatically synthesized and ultimately degraded. Inorganic elements, such as copper (Cu), iron and zinc, once solubilized from the Earth's crust, are neither created nor destroyed and therefore their homeostatic regulation is under strict control. In the fascinating field of 'metals in biology', by virtue of direct interactions with amino acid side-chains within polypeptide chains, metals play unique and critical roles in biology, promoting structures and chemistries that would not ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414562 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414562 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414561&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22075425%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Sotiropoulos G, Seitz AR, Seriès P Abstract Our perceptions are fundamentally altered by our knowledge of the world. When cloud-gazing, for example, we tend spontaneously to recognize known objects in the random configurations of evaporated moisture. How our brains acquire such knowledge and how it impacts our perceptions is a matter of heated discussion. A topic of recent debate has concerned the hypothesis that our visual system 'assumes' that objects are static or move slowly [1] rather than more quickly [1-3]. This hypothesis, or 'prior on slow speeds', was postulated because it could elegantly explain a number of perceptual biases observed in situations of uncertainty [2]. Interestingly, those biases affect not only the perception of speed, but also the direction of ... Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414561 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414561 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414560&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22075426%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Zuk M Abstract Mate guarding - a male staying near a female for a while after mating - has traditionally been interpreted in the context of sexual conflict. New observations of wild field crickets suggest instead that guarding males provide protection from predators, enhancing female fitness. PMID: 22075426 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414560 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414560 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414559&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22075427%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Ulanovsky N Abstract A recent study in the rat has shown that hippocampal place cells and entorhinal grid cells exhibit vertically-elongated firing fields, indicating that the rat's brain may encode the animal's elevation less accurately than its horizontal position. PMID: 22075427 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414559 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414559 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414558&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22075428%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Tang H, Kreiman G Abstract A new study of how neurons in the human amygdala represent faces and their component features argues for a holistic representation. PMID: 22075428 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414558 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414558 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414557&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22075429%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Robinson BS, Moberg KH Abstract Metazoan cells translate adhesive events with neighbors into anti-proliferative signals in the nucleus. The cadherin-catenin adhesion complex has long been suspected of playing a key role in this process, and three recent papers suggest that it does so by modulating subcellular localization of the Hippo pathway component Yap1. PMID: 22075429 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414557 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414557 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5414556&cid=s_35488_62_f&fid=35488&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov%2Fentrez%2Fquery.fcgi%3Ftmpl%3DNoSidebarfile%26db%3DPubMed%26cmd%3DRetrieve%26list_uids%3D22075430%26dopt%3DAbstract Authors: Bestmann S Abstract Recent work in humans suggests that strong static magnets can modulate cortical excitability for a limited period of time. Can this provide an alternative to current neurostimulation approaches? PMID: 22075430 [PubMed - in process] (Source: Current Biology) Current Biology journals http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5414556 Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:00:00 +0100 5414556