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RESEARCH                                                 Successful design of oligomeric c
                                                                  transmembrane proteins
                                                                  Lu et al., p. 1042







         IN CIENCE     JOURNALS
             S
                                       Edited by Stella Hurtley

        The Arctic fox molts in the
                                                                                    ADAPTATION
        autumn from a dark summer
        to a white winter coat.                                                    Changing coats
                                                                                   with the season

                                                                                        any species of mammals
                                                                                        and birds molt from summer
                                                                                        brown to winter white coats
                                                                                        to facilitate camouflage.
                                                                                   M Mills et al. mapped global
                                                                                   patterns of seasonal coat color
                                                                                   change across eight species includ-
                                                                                   ing hares, weasels, and foxes. They
                                                                                   found regions where individuals molt
                                                                                   to white, brown, and both white and
                                                                                   brown winter coats. Greater propor-
                                                                                   tions of the populations molted to
                                                                                   white in higher latitudes.  Regions
                                                                                   where seasonal coat changes are the
                                                                                   most variable (molting to both brown
                                                                                   and white) may provide resilience
                                                                                   against the warming climate. —SNV
                                                                                   Science, this issue p. 1033



        TUBERCULOSIS               washing and emits minimal   Mudrocks appeared at the same   the nucleus in living cells. Gu
        A trehalose tool for       background fluorescence, poten-  time as did deep-rooted land   et al. developed a strategy to
                                   tially making it particularly useful   plants. The interplay between   deliver multiple RNAs to guide
        tuberculosis               for the rapid detection of meta-  plants and sedimentary rocks   inactive Cas9 to label these
        Tuberculosis is the leading infec-  bolically active M. tuberculosis in   suggests that a change in ero-  elements. Quantitative mea-
        tious killer worldwide. The   resource-limited environments.   sion rate and the chemistry   surement of their movement
        prevalence of drug- and multi-  —CC                   of sediments delivered to the   during stem cell differentia-
        drug-resistant Mycobacterium   Sci. Transl. Med. 10, eaam6310 (2018).  oceans occurred around 500   tion revealed that increased
        tuberculosis necessitates more                        million years ago. —BG     DNA loci mobility correlated
        rapid and specific diagnostics.                               Science, this issue p. 1022;   with transcriptional activation.
        Kamariza et al. designed a   GEOLOGY                                 see also p. 994  —SYM
        color-changing dye based on   Mudrocks get a                                            Science, this issue p. 1050
        trehalose, a sugar that makes
        up the outer membrane of M.   vegetative assist        MOLECULAR BIOLOGY                                    CREDITS: (FROM TOP TO BOTTOM) P. LU ET AL.; NATURE PICTURE LIBRARY/ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
        tuberculosis. The dye stained   Mudrocks such as slate and   Tracking regulatory   NEUROPHYSIOLOGY
        live bacteria within minutes,   shale are rarely found in                        The proton channel
        emitting fluorescence upon   stratigraphy older than about   DNA in action
        incorporation into the hydropho-  500 million years. McMahon   Cis-regulatory DNA elements   behind sour taste
        bic mycobacterial membrane.   and Davies compiled a large   such as enhancers and promot-  Although many proteins that
        Heat-inactivated bacteria did   database of mudrock occur-  ers are critical for transcription   form ion channels in cell mem-
        not fluoresce, and drug-treated   rence over the past 3.5 billion   regulation. Little is known   branes have been described,
        bacteria emitted reduced fluo-  years to help assess the origin   about the relationship between   none that selectively conduct
        rescence. This trehalose-based   of this ubiquitous rock type (see   these elements’ transcriptional   protons into eukaryotic cells
        dye does not require sample   the Perspective by Fischer).   activity and their mobility within   have been identified. Tu et al.

        1004    2 MARCH 2018 • VOL 359 ISSUE 6379                                              sciencemag.org  SCIENCE
                                                       Published by AAAS

   DA_0302ISIO.indd   1004                                                                                   2/28/18   10:51 AM
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