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Here, Urzi et al. pioneered a 2D self-organizing neuromuscular junction (soNMJ) model from human pluripotent stem cells, with implications for neuromuscular disease modeling and drug screening approaches.
The nuclear dot protein 52 (NDP52) is an autophagy receptor known to trigger autophagy following bacterial infection. Here, Cui et al. show that NDP52 also triggers an anti-viral response following hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. NDP52 forms a tripartite complex with Rab9 and envelope proteins of HBV and targets the virus to Rab9-dependent lysosomal degradation pathway.
Here, the solar-cycle forcing and response are used to constrain climate sensitivity. Solar forcing does not involve aerosols and thus provides an independent and tighter constraint, reducing current uncertainty range by 2/3.
The role of alternative splicing in pancreatic cancer (PDAC) development remains to be explored. Here, RBFOX2 is shown to regulate exon splicing events in transcripts encoding proteins involved in cytoskeletal remodelling programs and its downregulation promotes PDAC progression and liver metastasis.
Targeted protein degradation (TPD) is an emerging therapeutic that can lead to proteasomal degradation of target proteins. Here, the authors combine nano-scale, automated synthesis and cell-based, direct-to-biology screening, allowing them to discover and profile Molecular Glues (MGs) degrading substrates via the Cereblon E3 ubiquitin ligase.
Designing optogenetically functionalized G protein-coupled receptors (optoXRs) to mimic endogenous signaling in vivo is challenging. Here, the authors optimize the design of optoXRs by considering evolutionary conserved protein interactions, and they employ this approach in fruit flies.
Excited conformation state of biomolecule is transient and high-energy conformation state. Here the authors use NMR spectroscopy and computational modeling to reveal the 3D structure of HIV-1 TAR RNA excited conformational state.
Paeniclostridium sordellii lethal toxin (TcsL) is a potent toxin that can cause toxic shock syndrome. TcsL contains a unique CROPs domain with unclear functions. Here, the authors provide evidence of the CROPs domain’s role in stability and toxicity of TcsL.
The true number of human-driven bird extinctions is likely larger than we think. Here, the authors combine recorded extinctions with estimates from the fossil record to suggest that ~1400 bird species have gone extinct since the Late Pleistocene.
Marking of recently activated T cells may help further our understanding of immunity against Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb). Here the authors use Nur77-GFP reporter mice infected with Mtb and systems data approaches to implicate OX40 as a marker for recently activated, functionally and transcriptome-wise distinct CD4 T cells, and as a potential target for immunotherapy.
Several solid-state defect platforms have been proposed for application as a spin-photon interface in quantum communication networks. Here the authors report spin-selective optical transitions and narrow inhomogeneous spectral distribution of V centers in isotopically-enriched SiC emitting in the telecom O-band.
LIM domain kinases are key regulators of cofilin and consequently actin severing. Here, the authors show that the LIMK PDZ domain is important for autoregulation using a conserved surface distal to the canonical PDZ-binding cleft.
The authors previously reported the primary outcomes of a randomized phase II trial comparing neoadjuvant durvalumab (anti-PD-L1) alone or in combination with stereotactic radiotherapy in patients with early-stage NSCLC. Here, the authors report the secondary outcomes of the trial and post hoc analysis.
Neutron stars contain matter at extremely high densities, the properties of which are reflected in the corresponding equation of state (EoS). Here, the authors argue that the inferred properties of the neutron-star-matter EoS point to the likely presence of deconfined quark matter in the cores of the most massive stable neutron stars.
Body colour may be an important factor in insect phenology. Here, the authors show that colour lightness of dragonfly assemblages from the UK, collected between May and October from 1990-2020, varies in response to seasonal changes in solar radiation, suggesting a link between colour-based thermoregulation and insect phenology.
Power factor and figure-of-merit values are normally low in flexible thermoelectric materials. Here, the authors fabricate high-performance ductile thermoelectric materials with high power factor and figure-of-merit values near the morphotropic phase boundary in Ag2Se-Ag2S pseudobinary compound.
Magnetite-apatite (MtAp) deposits are an important source of iron and critical metals, yet their ore genesis is poorly understood. Here, authors propose that the separation of multiple melts during magma ascent leads to the formation of MtAp deposits.
A challenge for understanding plasticity is connecting macroevolutionary patterns to molecular mechanisms. Using a nematode model, this study identifies a mediator of nongenetic inheritance which is linked to multigenerational shifts in plasticity and morphology.
Here Garrett et al. describe a toxin, TslA, secreted by type VII secretion system that has a reverse domain arrangement compared to other previously characterised substrates. The authors show that TslA is a lipase with antibacterial activity.
Selective autophagy helps to degrade aggregated proteins accumulating in neurodegenerative diseases. Here, the authors show that NEMO, a ubiquitin binding protein previously linked to innate immune signaling, is recruited to misfolded proteins and promotes their autophagic clearance by forming condensates with the autophagy receptor p62.