《Nature》公布08最佳论文

生物通报道：在本期（12月18日）《Nature》上，Nature编辑选出了2008年的最佳论文：

Where to look for monopoles
Nanostructures via DNA
The missing antimatter
Artificial enzymes
Atmospheres from the past
The day the temperature fell
Your tissues in colour
Enter the 'adipomyocyte'
An upheaval in ocean biology
Found horizon
An artificial tree
Cell biology revisited
Watching speciation
Turn on the insulin
Crossing the membrane
The personal touch
Cancer stem cells in the news
Neuromotor prosthetics

其中生物类包括：

Nanostructures via DNA

Nature：以DNA为基础的编织机被发明

由生物分子工程师Niles Pierce领导的一个加州理工学院的研究组创造出了一种以DNA为基础的“编织机”。这个系统能够使研究人员指定一段具有想要的形状和功能的DNA，然后在一个试管中执行一种分子程序来装配它们。例如。他们利用这会在系统构建了一段能够沿着另一段DNA行走的DNA。


就如同计算机语言能够使程序师创造出任何软件一样，研究人员利用这种生物化学程序语言创造出任何想要的分子产品和加工。其他的研究人员已经创造出了多种不同的DNA产品，包括自我复制纳米结构、活动手臂、钳子、纳米面、地图和气体结构。但是Pierce和他的研究组则在生物化学编程方面走的更远。

Artificial enzymes

利用计算蛋白设计方法生成8种新型酶（‘Nonbiological’ enzymes）

能够催化不能由天然生物催化剂催化的反应的酶的设计，对于计算蛋白设计领域来说是一个巨大的挑战。来自加州大学洛杉矶分校及华盛顿大学的化学家利用计算蛋白设计方法生成了8种新颖的酶，它们能够催化Kemp elimination反应——来自碳的质子转移的一个模型反应。试管定向演化被用来增强所设计的酶的催化活性，从而使该方法成为合成新型酶的一个强有力的策略。

Your tissues in colour

增强MRI图像颜色对比度的新方法

磁共振成像（MRI）已成为一个广泛使用的医学诊断和研究工具。它的性能经常可以通过用图像对比度增强剂使感兴趣的区域变亮或变暗而得到增强。现在，微电子行业的微型制造技术被用来设计新型对比度增强剂，它们所增强的是颜色对比度而不是灰度。新系统涉及磁性微结构，这些结构是用工程方法做出来的，具有鲜明的光谱特征。对颗粒的几何进行仔细控制，就可以获得能够产生特征颜色的谱线，而这些颜色彼此之间很容易区分。

其它关注明天的下篇。

（生物通：张迪）

原文摘要：

Nanostructures via DNA
Programming biomolecular self-assembly pathwaysP Yin , H M T Choi , C R Calvert & N A Pierce Nature 451, 318-322 (17 January 2008);
DNA-guided crystallization of colloidal nanoparticles D Nykypanchuk , M M Maye , D van der Lelie & O Gang Nature 451, 549-552 (31 January 2008).;
DNA-programmable nanoparticle crystallizationS Y Park et al. Nature 451, 553-556 (31 January 2008)


Three nanotechnology papers with DNA the common thread. First a proof-of-principle experiment that recruits DNA hairpins to program biomolecular synthesis. The eventual goal is the automated design of biomolecules with specific functions. The other two put a 10-year-old theory into practice by showing that DNA attached to gold nanoparticles can be selected to self-assemble as nanocrystalline structures of the type that may serve as the optical and electronic materials of the future.


Artificial enzymes
Kemp elimination catalysts by computational enzyme designD R thlisberger et al. Nature 453, 190-195 (8 May 2008)

This example of computational protein design is a major step towards the goal of designing artificial enzymes to catalyse reactions beyond the repertoire of natural biocatalysts. Potential enzymes comprising about 200 amino acids were synthesized and the best, at removing a proton from carbon, underwent 'directed evolution' to make them even better. The design strategy, which mobilizes the power of many thousands of home computers via the Rosetta@home project, is generally applicable.


Your tissues in colour
Micro-engineered local field control for high-sensitivity multispectral MRIG Zabow , S Dodd , J Moreland & A Koretsky Nature 453, 1058-1063 (19 June 2008)

MRI scans are one of the big success stories of medical diagnostics. This clever piece of microengineering could refine the technique by adding 'colour'. It uses tiny injectable metallic microstructures to respond to a range of radiofrequency signals that can be displayed as different colours. There's more work to be done - finding a less toxic metal than the nickel used initially for a start - but information-rich colour MRI scans are now a distinct possibility.