Posts Tagged ‘naturepodcast15’

The most incompressible metal osmium at static pressures above 750 gigapascals : Nature : Nature Publishing Group

Monday, August 31st, 2015

The most incompressible metal Os at… >750 GPa
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nature14681.html Surprisingly, core rather than valence electrons affected by pressure

Endosymbiotic origin and differential loss of eukaryotic genes : Nature : Nature Publishing Group

Friday, August 28th, 2015

Endosymbiotic origin & differential loss of eukaryotic
geneshttp://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v524/n7566/full/nature14963.html For Euks, horizontal transfer is episodic (v continuous)

Lanosterol reverses protein aggregation in cataracts : Nature : Nature Publishing Group

Monday, August 17th, 2015

Lanosterol reverses protein aggregation in cataracts
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v523/n7562/full/nature14650.html A finding from rare-disease #exome sequencing cc @solvemendelian

QT:{{”
…Lanosterol is an
amphipathic molecule enriched in the lens. It is synthesized by lanosterol synthase (LSS) in a key cyclization reaction of a cholesterol synthesis pathway. Here we identify two distinct homozygousLSS missense mutations (W581R and G588S) in two families with extensive congenital cataracts. Both of these mutations affect highly conserved amino acid residues and impair key catalytic functions of LSS. Engineered expression of wild-type, but not mutant, LSSprevents intracellular protein aggregation of various
cataract-causing mutant crystallins.
“}}

Glypican-1 identifies cancer exosomes and detects early pancreatic cancer : Nature : Nature Publishing Group

Sunday, August 16th, 2015

[Protein] Glypican-1 [uniquely] identifies [circulating] cancer #exosomes & detects…cancer
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v523/n7559/full/nature14581.html Maybe also for @exRNA

QT:{{”
Exosomes are lipid-bilayer-enclosed extracellular vesicles that contain proteins and nucleic acids. They are secreted by all cells and circulate in the blood. Specific detection and isolation of
…we identify a cell surface
proteoglycan, glypican-1 (GPC1), specifically enriched on
cancer-cell-derived exosomes. GPC1+ circulating exosomes (crExos) were monitored …”}}

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v523/n7559/full/nature14581.html

A naturally occurring variant of the human prion protein completely prevents prion disease : Nature : Nature Publishing Group

Friday, August 14th, 2015

Natural variant of the…#prion protein [G127V] completely
prevents…disease
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v522/n7557/full/nature14510.html Under pos. selection for kuru afflicted

QT:{{”
A novel PrP variant, G127V, was under positive evolutionary selection during the epidemic of kuru—an acquired prion disease epidemic of the Fore population in Papua New Guinea—and appeared to provide strong protection against disease in the heterozygous state2. Here we have investigated the protective role of this variant and its interaction with the common, worldwide M129V PrP polymorphism. V127 was seen exclusively on a M129 PRNP allele. We demonstrate that transgenic mice expressing both variant and wild-type human PrP are completely resistant to both kuru…”
“}}

seasonal effects on gene expression

Sunday, August 9th, 2015

Widespread [25% genes] seasonal…expression reveals [circ]annual differences in…immunity, relevant for vaccination http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2015/150512/ncomms8000/full/ncomms8000.html

In addition to circadian rhythms, batch effects, now consider seasonal effects on gene expression