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A newly developed method, NAD captureSeq, has been used to show that bacteria cap the 5′-ends of some RNAs to protect against degradation, much as happens with eukaryotic messenger RNAs, although with a different modification: nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide.
The structure and function of CetZ, a protein related to both tubulin and FtsZ (the bacterial homologue of tubulin) from the archaeon Haloferax volcanii, is reported and its involvement in the control of cell shape uncovered; it appears that this family of proteins was involved in the control of cell shape long before the evolution of eukaryotes.
Group 2 innate lymphoid cells are shown to have a critical role in energy homeostasis by producing methionine-enkephalin peptides in response to interleukin 33, thus promoting the beiging of white adipose tissue; increased numbers of beige (also known as brown-like or brite) fat cells in white adipose tissue leads to increased energy expenditure and decreased adiposity.
The structural polymorphism of intrinsically disordered protein 4E-BP2 allows it to regulate translation initiation through post-translational modification-mediated folding, exemplifying a new and potentially general mechanism of biological regulation mediated by intrinsically disordered proteins.
The orexin system regulates sleep and arousal in humans, with orexin receptor antagonists becoming promising therapeutics for insomnia; now, the X-ray crystal structure of the human OX2 receptor in the presence of the insomnia drug suvorexant is solved.
Shenzhen, a former fishing village, is something of a miracle in China's scientific development. It has become a dominant force in genomics, proteomics and bioinformatics, and is now heading for new frontiers.