Molecular medicine articles within Nature Communications

Featured

• Article
  30 September 2016 | Open Access

  An endoplasmic reticulum stress-regulated lncRNA hosting a microRNA megacluster induces early features of diabetic nephropathy

  Nephropathy is a common and hard-to-treat consequence of diabetes. Here Kato et al. show that a megacluster of microRNAs regulates early development of diabetic nephropathy in mice, and that inhibition of the cluster's host long non-coding RNA transcript attenuates disease symptoms, suggesting a new therapy for diabetic nephropathy.

  • Mitsuo Kato
  • , Mei Wang
  •  & Rama Natarajan

• Article
  29 September 2016 | Open Access

  FoxO1 in dopaminergic neurons regulates energy homeostasis and targets tyrosine hydroxylase

  Dopaminergic neurons are important for regulating energy homeostasis. Here, the authors show the transcription factor FoxO1 negatively regulates tyrosine hydroxylase expression in midbrain dopaminergic neurons, and plays an important role in regulation of glucose homeostasis, energy expenditure, and resistance to diet-induced obesity.

  • Khanh V. Doan
  • , Ann W. Kinyua
  •  & Ki Woo Kim

• Article
  27 September 2016 | Open Access

  Platelet clearance via shear-induced unfolding of a membrane mechanoreceptor

  The platelets detect and respond to shear stress generated by blood flow. Here the authors show that the binding of the soluble von Willebrand factor to its receptor GPIba under physiological shear stress induces receptor's domain unfolding on the platelet and signalling into the platelet, leading to platelets clearance.

  • Wei Deng
  • , Yan Xu
  •  & Renhao Li

• Article
  06 September 2016 | Open Access

  Neutralizing blood-borne polyphosphate in vivo provides safe thromboprotection

  The inorganic procoagulant polymer polyphosphate participates in thrombosis via factor XII. Here the authors use recombinant probes that specifically bind or degrade circulating polyphosphate to protect mice in arterial and venous thrombosis models without an increased bleeding risk, the primary complication of all currently used anticoagulants.

  • Linda Labberton
  • , Ellinor Kenne
  •  & Thomas Renné

• Article
  22 August 2016 | Open Access

  MURC deficiency in smooth muscle attenuates pulmonary hypertension

  MURC protein regulates the function of caveolae, the small invaginations of the plasma membrane in muscle cells. Here the authors show that by interacting with caveolin proteins, MURC affects RhoA/ROCK signalling and regulates proliferation and migration of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, suggesting a new target in therapy of pulmonary hypertension.

  • Naohiko Nakanishi
  • , Takehiro Ogata
  •  & Tomomi Ueyama