SCIENCE science.org 12 NOVEMBER 2021 • VOL 374 ISSUE 6569 837-C
temperature as a diamond inclu-
sion (see the Perspective by Fei).
Structural and chemical analysis
of the mineral showed that it can
host a wide variety of elements,
not unlike fitting bulky objects
into a garbage can. Specifically,
it has a large amount of trapped
potassium. Davemaoite can thus
host three of the major heat-
producing elements (uranium
and thorium were previously
shown experimentally) affecting
heat generation in Earth’s lower
mantle. —BG
Science, abl8568, this issue p. 891;
see also abm4742, p. 820
DEVELOPMENTAL BIOLOGY
Specifying one oocyte
from many
In many animals, only one cell
from a cyst of germ cells is
selected to become the oocyte.
Using fruit flies as a model,
Nashchekin et al. identified the
microtubule minus end-binding
protein Patronin/CAMSAP as a
key factor for specifying oocyte
fate. Patronin amplifies an
initial asymmetry provided by
the fusome to form a noncen-
trosomal microtubule network
focused on one cell, along which
dynein transports oocyte fate
determinants. This mechanism
for selecting a single oocyte may
be shared in other organisms.
—BAP
Science, abj3125, this issue p. 874
FOSSIL CARBON
Coaling in the deep
Despite our current reliance
on fossil carbon for energy, the
biogeochemical reactions that
produce coal and natural gas
aren’t entirely understood. Lloyd
et al. tested the chemistry and
isotope composition in samples
ranging from wood to hard,
mature coal (see the Perspective
by Keppler). Methyoxyl groups in
this organic material, a potential
source of methane, declined with
maturity, whereas the carbon-13
fraction increased gradually.
The most plausible explana-
tion for this observed pattern is
biological demethylation under
substrate-limited conditions.
These results help us under-
stand the processes that form
coal and natural gas on geologic
time scales. —MAF
Science, abg0241, this issue p. 894;
see also abm6027, p. 821NEUROSCIENCE
Curbing neonatal seizures
with KCC2
Neonatal seizures are often
associated with reduced levels
of KCC2, a potassium/chlo-
ride cotransporter involved in
inhibitory neurotransmission.
Sullivan et al. identified KCC2
as a potential target for treating
neonatal seizures resistant to
the first-line seizure medication
phenobarbital. Administering
the drug CLP290 to acutely
enhance KCC2 activity in mice
decreased the number and dura-
tion of seizures and restored the
antiseizure efficacy of phenobar-
bital. These effects depended on
KCC2 abundance and the phos-
phorylation of a particular serine
residue within KCC2. —LKF
Sci. Signal. 14 , eabg2648 (2021).PAIN
Itching to block OSM
Inflammatory skin diseases
are often associated with
the development of chronic
itch. Although inflammation-
related cytokines have been
shown to modulate the activ-
ity of peripheral itch-selective
neurons, the involvement of
inflammatory mediators in the
pathophysiology of chronic
itch remains unclear. Tseng
and Hoon discovered that the
cytokine oncostatin M (OSM)
plays a major role in itch. OSM
is up-regulated in immune cells
during skin diseases associated
with itch. In vitro, OSM modu-
lated itch neurons’ excitability
and sensitivity to pruritogens.
In vivo data showed that OSM
depletion or inhibition reduced
itch behavior in a rodent model
of dermatitis, suggesting that
targeting OSM could be effective
in reducing itch associated with
inflammatory conditions. —MM
Sci. Transl. Med. 13 , eabe3037 (2021).