The EMBO Reports

Jacobs, Howy

doi: 10.15252/embr.201439003pmid: 24986959

Graphical AbstractNavigating the jungle of the EU funding system would be a lot more worthwhile if greater emphasis was placed on projects with concrete goals, under strong leadership.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Hübner, Christian A

doi: 10.15252/embr.201439039pmid: 24928907

In the mature brain, the neurotransmitter GABA can cause a postsynaptic hyperpolarization via activation of chloride permeant GABAA receptor channels. This hyperpolarizing response critically depends on chloride extrusion via the KCl‐cotransporter KCC2 1. Its knockdown in mice impairs synaptic inhibition by changing the electrochemical potential for chloride and thus increases neuronal excitability 2, 3. Two independent groups provide first evidence now, published in EMBO reports, that rare variants of KCC2 confer an increased risk of epilepsy in men 4, 5.

Verhelst, Kelly; van Loo, Geert; Beyaert, Rudi

doi: 10.15252/embr.201439014pmid: 24878850

A20 (also known as TNFAIP3) is a deubiquitinating enzyme (DUB) that ensures optimal immune responses in cells stimulated by cytokines, such as TNF and IL‐1, or pathogen components, such as lipopolysaccharide. Deletion of A20 in mice results in multi‐organ inflammation and death within 2 weeks 1. The anti‐inflammatory functions of A20 have been attributed to its ability to negatively regulate NF‐κB signaling 2. The picture that has emerged over the last decade is that A20 attenuates NF‐κB signaling by removing polyubiquitin chains from specific NF‐κB signaling proteins. A study published in this issue of EMBO reports by Sankar Ghosh and colleagues 3 now shows that A20 knockin mice expressing a catalytically inactive A20 mutant that can no longer remove ubiquitin are normal and do not have an inflammatory phenotype. These results challenge the notion that A20 exerts its NF‐κB inhibitory and anti‐inflammatory function by acting as a DUB.

Carlsten, Chris; Brauer, Michael; Brinkman, Fiona; Brook, Jeffrey; Daley, Denise; McNagny, Kelly; Pui, Mandy; Royce, Diana; Takaro, Tim; Denburg, Judah

doi: 10.15252/embr.201438480pmid: 24907240

Graphical AbstractIn their enthusiasm to implement genomics‐based personalized medicine, researchers, clinicians and policymakers have missed two crucial considerations: environmental factors and epigenetics. Both of these must be crucial components of future research into tailored health solutions for individuals.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Berkner, Silvia; Konradi, Sabine; Schönfeld, Jens

doi: 10.15252/embr.201438978pmid: 24925529

Graphical AbstractAntibiotics and their metabolized products in human and animal waste are the major cause of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. Understanding what happens to drugs after their use could improve methods to remove antibiotics from rivers and soils and reduce the prevalence of resistance in bacterial populations in the environment.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Weigmann, Katrin

doi: 10.15252/embr.201439051pmid: 24942284

Graphical AbstractExercising keeps you mentally fit and is a useful preventive measure against dementia and Alzheimer disease. But to effectively exercise against cognitive decline, more detailed instructions are needed. Is lifting weights in a fitness studio as good as jogging in the woods?[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Peters, Hans Peter; Dunwoody, Sharon; Allgaier, Joachim; Lo, Yin‐Yueh; Brossard, Dominique

doi: 10.15252/embr.201438979pmid: 24920610

Graphical AbstractAs scientists continue to embrace the Internet as both producers and consumers of information, the lines between journalism, blogging and public relations become increasingly blurred. Will this trend usurp traditional media's role in science reporting, or provide new contexts and interactions that enhance it?[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Hunter, Philip

doi: 10.15252/embr.201439041pmid: 24935959

Graphical AbstractThe gulf between public perception and scientific consensus seems to be widening, with significant consequences for policy, funding and research. The science of climate change has featured prominently in this context, but profound gaps are also evident in other areas of the life sciences.[graphic not available: see fulltext]

Schiffer, Christian; Müller, Astrid; Egeberg, Dorte L; Alvarez, Luis; Brenker, Christoph; Rehfeld, Anders; Frederiksen, Hanne; Wäschle, Benjamin; Kaupp, U Benjamin; Balbach, Melanie; Wachten, Dagmar; Skakkebaek, Niels E; Almstrup, Kristian; Strünker, Timo

doi: 10.15252/embr.201438869pmid: 24820036

Kahle, Kristopher T; Merner, Nancy D; Friedel, Perrine; Silayeva, Liliya; Liang, Bo; Khanna, Arjun; Shang, Yuze; Lachance‐Touchette, Pamela; Bourassa, Cynthia; Levert, Annie; Dion, Patrick A; Walcott, Brian; Spiegelman, Dan; Dionne‐Laporte, Alexandre; Hodgkinson, Alan; Awadalla, Philip; Nikbakht, Hamid; Majewski, Jacek; Cossette, Patrick;