In Brief |
Featured
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Research Highlight |
Touch-and-go sensing
A protein nanopore sensor detects transient protein–protein interactions at single-molecule resolution.
- Karin Kuehnel
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This Month |
Yamuna Krishnan
A probe for a journey into bubbles and why it’s good to be both inventor and discoverer.
- Vivien Marx
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Article |
A pH-correctable, DNA-based fluorescent reporter for organellar calcium
The DNA-based, ratiometric fluorescent reporter CalipHluor enables quantitative imaging of pH and calcium in acidic organelles with single-organelle resolution. The probe was used to identify a lysosome-specific Ca2+ importer in animals.
- Nagarjun Narayanaswamy
- , Kasturi Chakraborty
- & Yamuna Krishnan
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Review Article |
Acoustic tweezers for the life sciences
This review discusses and contrasts different acoustic-tweezer technologies and their applications in biology.
- Adem Ozcelik
- , Joseph Rufo
- & Tony Jun Huang
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Brief Communication |
Single-DNA electron spin resonance spectroscopy in aqueous solutions
Single DNA molecules can be detected in aqueous solutions at ambient temperatures by electron spin resonance spectroscopy with diamond sensors.
- Fazhan Shi
- , Fei Kong
- & Jiangfeng Du
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Research Highlights |
Minimally invasive optogenetics
Upconversion nanoparticles can serve as intermediaries to illuminate optogenetic tools in the mouse brain.
- Nina Vogt
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Brief Communication |
A hybridization-chain-reaction-based method for amplifying immunosignals
isHCR allows multiplexed, sensitive detection of immunostained proteins in cultured cells, as well as in dense and cleared tissue.
- Rui Lin
- , Qiru Feng
- & Minmin Luo
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Research Highlights |
Glow-in-the-dark nanoparticles for deep imaging
A class of semiconductor polymer particles can be used for afterglow imaging to avoid autofluorescence when imaging deep structures in living animals.
- Christian Schnell
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Methods in Brief |
Freestyle fluidics
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Technology Feature |
Probes: FRET sensor design and optimization
Trial, error and the art of optimizing 'molecular rulers' that sense molecules or interactions.
- Vivien Marx
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Research Highlights |
Gold glitters in transparent tissue
Through scattering, in situ metal particle growth enables biomolecule visualization within tissue.
- Zachary J Lapin
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Research Highlights |
A community repository for microfluidics
The Metafluidics initiative encourages researchers to upload and share open-source microfluidics designs.
- Tal Nawy
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This Month |
Melike Lakadamyali
DNA origami, super-resolution microscopy and creative flashes on a bike.
- Vivien Marx
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Methods in Brief |
Ultrafast thermal cycling
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Brief Communication |
A DNA origami platform for quantifying protein copy number in super-resolution
A DNA-origami-based calibration method determines and accounts for labeling stoichiometry and fluorophore photophysics to improve protein counting in quantitative super-resolution imaging.
- Francesca Cella Zanacchi
- , Carlo Manzo
- & Melike Lakadamyali
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Tools in Brief |
Electrophysiology in intact Caenorhabditis elegans
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Methods in Brief |
Measuring single-molecule charges
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Research Highlights |
A magnetic alternative to FRET
A new approach measures nanoscale distances based on magnetic resonance tuning.
- Allison Doerr
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Tools in Brief |
Genome scaffolding while you sequence
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Article |
Genetically encoded biosensors for visualizing live-cell biochemical activity at super-resolution
New fluorescent biosensors enable the first super-resolution imaging of enzyme activity in live cells via fluorescence fluctuation increase by contact (FLINC).
- Gary C H Mo
- , Brian Ross
- & Jin Zhang
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Tools in Brief |
Microbial genomes on a chip
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Brief Communication |
Mapping DNA methylation with high-throughput nanopore sequencing
A tool based on hidden Markov model and hierarchical Dirichlet process (HMM-HDP) can call two methylated cytosine variants and a methylated adenine variant directly from genomic DNA using nanopore sequencing data.
- Arthur C Rand
- , Miten Jain
- & Benedict Paten
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Brief Communication |
Detecting DNA cytosine methylation using nanopore sequencing
A hidden Markov model (HMM)-based tool enables detection of 5-methylcytosine (5-mC) from single-molecule nanopore-sequencing data generated directly from human genomic DNA without chemical treatment.
- Jared T Simpson
- , Rachael E Workman
- & Winston Timp
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Tools in Brief |
Nanopore-based protein fingerprinting
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Article |
Scalable whole-genome single-cell library preparation without preamplification
Direct library preparation (DLP) is a robust and economic method for preparing large numbers of single-cell whole-genome sequencing libraries without preamplification, to study copy-number heterogeneity at the cell level and other variant types at the clone or population level.
- Hans Zahn
- , Adi Steif
- & Carl L Hansen
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Tools in Brief |
Nanokits for single cells
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Research Highlights |
Single-molecule force analysis, unplugged
A nanoscopic force clamp enables high-throughput single-molecule analysis of DNA under tension without connection to a macroscopic instrument.
- Allison Doerr
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Research Highlights |
Teaching nanopores to speak protein
A proof-of-concept platform demonstrates the feasibility of nanopore-based sequencing of polypeptide chains.
- Michael Eisenstein
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Article |
Stable long-term chronic brain mapping at the single-neuron level
Flexible mesh electronics facilitate stable long-term recordings of the same single neurons in mouse brains over months, enabling chronic recordings in behaving animals and longitudinal studies to resolve aging-dependent changes in neural activity.
- Tian-Ming Fu
- , Guosong Hong
- & Charles M Lieber
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Research Highlights |
Making sense of NAD+ subcellular localization
A fluorescent NAD+ biosensor targeted to specific cellular compartments detects local fluctuation in NAD+ concentration.
- Vesna Todorovic
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Research Highlights |
Luciferase gets deep and sensitive
A luciferin analog enables highly sensitive bioluminescent imaging from deep within biological tissue samples.
- Richard Pattison
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Research Highlights |
Miniature magnetic force probes
Magnetoplasmonic nanoparticles can manipulate cell surface receptors with single-molecule precision to clarify the effects of force application and receptor clustering.
- Nina Vogt
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Methods in Brief |
Nanopores for multiplexed protein sensing
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Tools in Brief |
Mapping nanopore sequence reads
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Research Highlights |
Coral-on-a-chip
A miniature platform for studying corals at microscale resolution sheds new light on their biology.
- Vesna Todorovic
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Research Highlights |
Yes to genetically encoded NO• sensors
Researchers have developed a set of fluorescent-protein-based sensors for endogenous nitric oxide.
- Rita Strack
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Brief Communication |
Quantitative super-resolution imaging with qPAINT
Quantitative points accumulation in nanoscale topography (qPAINT) makes use of predictable binding kinetics between DNA-PAINT imager and docking strands to achieve accurate and precise counting of molecules in spatially unresolved complexes.
- Ralf Jungmann
- , Maier S Avendaño
- & Peng Yin
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This Month |
Hasan DeMirci
The connection between snowboarding and getting more data from protein crystals.
- Vivien Marx
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Brief Communication |
Nanoscale optomechanical actuators for controlling mechanotransduction in living cells
Optomechanical actuator nanoparticles collapse upon illumination with near-infrared light. Appropriately coated, they can be used to mechanically trigger cellular processes such as focal adhesion formation or T cell activation.
- Zheng Liu
- , Yang Liu
- & Khalid Salaita
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Research Highlights |
Nanopores and the helicase two-step
A nanopore used for sequencing gives a detailed view of how motor proteins behave on DNA.
- Tal Nawy
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Brief Communication |
Concentric-flow electrokinetic injector enables serial crystallography of ribosome and photosystem II
A concentric-flow microfluidic electrokinetic sample injector enables efficient delivery of microcrystals in their mother liquor for serial femtosecond X-ray crystallography with minimal sample consumption.
- Raymond G Sierra
- , Cornelius Gati
- & Hasan DeMirci
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Methods in Brief |
Designing protein-DNA nanowires
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Advertising Feature: Application Note |
Automated live cell imaging of cell migration across a microfluidic-controlled chemoattractant gradient
- Philip Lee
- , Cindy S Y Chen
- & Paul J Hung
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Technology Feature |
Nanopores: a sequencer in your backpack
It's been a long wait for nanopore sequencing technology. Over 1,000 labs are testing the first commercial device and publishing results. Researchers tell Nature Methods about their experiences putting these early instruments through their paces. And more technology is in the works.
- Vivien Marx