Search

Hypercompact type V CRISPR-Cas12n nucleases target DNA sequences containing rare A-rich PAMs. Here, authors reveal the cryo-EM structure of RdCas12n, detailing its RNA-guided DNA targeting and evolutionary origins, and engineer it for effective genome editing in human cells.

Oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) play a multifaceted role in the brain. Here, the authors show that OPCs regulate neuronal metabolism by forming contacts with neuronal somata, facilitating lysosomal release from neurons.

Haifan Lin, Jamy Peng and colleagues report that the Drosophila Piwi protein is a negative regulator of PRC2 in the fly ovary, a function required for the maintenance of germline stem cells. Their results indicate that Piwi sequesters PRC2 in the nucleoplasm, thereby reducing genome-wide levels of H3K27me3.

The ASAP4 family of genetically encoded voltage indicators allows recording of action potentials and subthreshold activity with either one- or two-photon microscopy over extended periods of time.

By inducible and constitutive overexpressing ClpD-GFP to result in the accumulation of precursor proteins, this study presents comprehensive mechanistic insights in cellular responses to chloroplast precursor protein overaccumulation stress (cPOS).

Birdsong has long connected humans to nature. Historical reconstructions using bird monitoring and song recordings collected by citizen scientists reveal that the soundscape of birdsong in North America and Europe is both quieter and less varied, mirroring declines in bird diversity and abundance.

This study demonstrates a WAKL4 receptor-like kinase that is rapidly and specifically induced by Cadmium. It reveals a unique mechanism conferred by the WAKL4-NRAMP1 module that enables plants to actively respond to Cadmium and limit its uptake.

Fur farming represents an important hub of cross-species transmission for viral zoonoses.

The fabrication of singly dispersed metal cluster catalysts with atomic-level control of dopants is a long-standing challenge. Here, the authors report a strategy for the synthesis of a precisely doped single cluster catalyst which shows exceptional activity for electrochemical dinitrogen reduction.

A chemist-intuited atomic robotic probe is developed that enables autonomous site-selective manipulation of magnetic nanographenes with atomic precision and aids in reaction mechanism elucidation through the incorporation of learned knowledge and artificial intelligence, leading to the intelligent synthesis of these materials.

Zhao et al. identify an unexpected role of the nuclear export factor Nxf2 as a partner of Panoramix in mediating piRNA-guided silencing. Nxf2 counteracts Nxf1-centred nuclear RNA transport to prevent the export of transposon transcripts.

Two main mechanisms have been proposed to shape 3D genome architecture - loop extrusion and phase separation. Here the authors combine these mechanisms in polymer models in a manner that best fits 3D genome, based on both Hi-C and super-resolution locus imaging data, proposing that these two physical processes can indeed coexist simultaneously within cells to define loops and TADs.

Ferroelectrics, which exhibit excellent charge separation ability, suffer from poor photocatalytic activity. The authors unveil the limitations in charge extraction and offer strategies to design high-performance photocatalysts by eliminating surface defects.

Driven by dynamic covalent and coordinate bonding, hierarchical components are formed in situ and assembled in an ordered manner, yielding highly crystalline supramolecular nanotubular frameworks and tubular covalent organic frameworks.

A one-pot kinetically controlled synthetic framework for constructing regioselective architectures in a series of well-defined metallic heterostructures is demonstrated, in which phase and morphology regulation of Pd–Sb substrate are implemented to validate the kinetically controlled synthesis.

The mediators of bone-fat axis remain largely unknown. Here, the authors show SHN3 gene-deficiency in bone can protect mouse models from weight gain driven by diet-induced obesity through secreting a bone-derived cytokine, C-fragment of SLIT2, which could stimulate adipocyte browning.

Nonlinear interferometry based on time reversal enables entanglement-enhanced measurements without the need for low-noise detection. An alternative approach now exploits cyclic dynamics and shows performance beyond the standard quantum limit.

Nanoparticles that can disperse in a broad range of solvents are desirable. Here, the authors report nanoparticles featuring rotatable surface ligands that enable the formation of stable dispersions in a wide range of solvents.

Overproduction of efflux pumps represents an important mechanism of Klebsiella pneumonia resistance to tigecycline. Here, the authors design TPGS- and S-thanatin functionalized nanorods loaded with tigecycline to increase drug accumulation inside bacteria and overcome bacterial resistance.

Here, the authors identify lysine-specific demethylase 1 is a homologous recombination (HR) regulator. Its inhibitor induces HR deficiency and sensitizes HR-proficient ovarian cancer cells to PARP inhibitors, which expand the use of PARP inhibitors.

Liu, Xie and colleagues profile putative cis-regulatory elements in mouse oocytes and pre-implantation embryos. They further validate putative enhancers in oocytes and identify the transcription factors TCF3 and TCF12 as key regulators of folliculogenesis.

Experiments have shown that fast ions generated in fusion plasmas improve confinement by mitigating plasma turbulence. This Review explores possible physical mechanisms to explain these experimental observations.

FGF signaling through ERK is known to promote the differentiation of embryonic stem cells (ES cells). Here, the authors demonstrate that the lncRNA Trincr1 binds and represses TRIM71 in ES cells, leading to downregulation of SHCBP1 protein, the reduction of FGF/ERK signaling and the promotion of self-renewal.

A study using a reverse genetic screen reveals that the Arabidopsis DREAM complex, including its components TCX5/6, functions as a whole in repressing DNA methylation maintenance genes and, consequently, precluding DNA hypermethylation.

The cryo-EM structure of the GSDMB pore reveals mechanisms by which GSDMB pore-forming activity is regulated by pathogenic bacteria and mRNA splicing.

Inhibitory receptors antagonize natural killer cell cytotoxicity. Ge and colleagues show that the scaffold protein β-arrestin 2 recruits the phosphatases SHP-1 and SHP-2 to the inhibitory receptor KIR2DL1 to enhance 'downstream' inhibitory signaling.

Fu, Sun, Xue, Zhou et al. show that the mitoprotease LONP1 selectively degrades a complex II component to control intracellular succinate levels, which is needed for white-to-beige adipocyte cell fate programming during adipocyte thermogenic remodelling.

Following interaction with antigen-presenting cells, T cell receptors (TCR) can be internalized via endocytosis. In contrast to this established mechanism, this study shows that T cell activation can be followed by TCR shedding, leading to enhanced TCR expression, metabolic activity and proliferation.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

This study combines model and powder catalyst studies to elucidate the atomic-scale structure-reactivity relationships in ceria-catalyzed CO hydrogenation, optimizing ceria catalysts for syngas conversion and advancing model-guided catalyst design.

Targeted protein degradation is a promising approach for basic research and therapeutic applications. Here, the authors develop a targeted protein degradation platform called AUTOTAC to degrade oncoproteins and neurodegeneration-associated proteins via the p62-dependent autophagy-lysosome system.

Most miniature Cas12f nucleases have T-rich PAM specificity, restricting their targeting scopes. The cryo-EM structure of the Clostridium novyi Cas12f1 reveals the molecular basis for rare C-rich PAM recognition and enables optimization of sgRNA scaffold to improve CnCas12f1 activity.

Fusion devices like tokamaks require plasma current to generate magnetic field for plasma confinement. Here the authors report an observation of a self-generated anomalous current that contributes up to 30% of the total current in the fusion plasma at KSTAR.

The molecular and physical mechanisms underlying chromatin folding at the single DNA molecule level remain poorly understood. Here, the authors use polymer modeling to investigate the conformations of two 2Mb-wide DNA loci in normal and cohesin depleted cells, and provide evidence that the architecture of the studied loci is controlled by a thermodynamics mechanism of polymer phase separation whereby chromatin self-assembles in segregated globules.

Unlike diffusion-mediated chemical short-range orders (SROs) in multi-principal element alloys, diffusionless SROs and their impact on alloys have been elusive. Here, the authors show the formation of strain-induced SROs by crystalline lattice defects, upon external loading at 77 K.