Volume 27 Issue 10, October 2020

During translesion synthesis, eukaryotic DNA polymerase ζ carries out extension from a wide range of DNA lesions. Elucidation of the cryo-EM structure of polymerase ζ reveals how the enzyme catalyzes DNA strand synthesis beyond the lesion.

Cryo-EM, X-ray crystallography and mutational analyses reveal how Dengue and Zika virus protein NS5 suppresses STAT2 activity and interferon response in host cells.

Fluorescence microscopy and kinetics analyses reveal that Aβ42 oligomers generated through secondary nucleation are responsible for membrane disruption.

A cryo-EM structure of mitochondrial complex I from Yarrowia lipolytica reveals structured waters involved in proton relays and energy transfer, with insights into the ‘deactive transition’ in mammalian systems.

Moderate-affinity ‘secondary’ Rbfox binding motifs regulate RNA splicing during neuronal development in a manner that is dependent on Rbfox concentration.

Cryo-EM structures of free and DNA-bound pol ζ holoenzyme from budding yeast reveal how this DNA polymerase ensures fidelity and facilitates lesion bypass during translesion DNA synthesis.

The SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein is flexible, and its receptor-binding domain (RBD) fluctuates between up or down conformations. Mutations engineered into the spike ectodomain either lock the RBD in the down state or make it adopt the up conformation more readily.

The SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein is flexible, and its receptor-binding domain (RBD) fluctuates between open and closed conformations. Disulfide bonds are engineered into the spike ectodomain to lock the RBD in the closed state, leading to a construct with high thermostability.

The conformational dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 spike are constrained by engineering a disulfide bond that locks the protein in a closed conformation, a strategy that was also applied to SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV.

EY6A, a neutralizing antibody isolated from a patient convalescing from COVID-19, binds the receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein with high affinity, at a location away from the binding site for the ACE2 receptor, similar to the one recognized by CR3022.

Cryo-EM structural analysis reveals the mechanism by which the SARS-CoV-2 protein Nsp1 inhibits global translation.

ERV-specific enhancer-based networks regulate species-specific transcriptomes in mammalian spermatogenesis.

The mapping of super-enhancers (SEs) in four stages of spermatogenesis reveals how meiotic enhancers remain ‘poised’ for activation as spermatogonia enter meiosis.

A survey of human RNA-binding proteins based on luciferase-based 3ʹ-untranslated-region tethered function assays and identification of their target mRNAs provides insights into their role in RNA metabolism.