Articles in 2022

Accumulation of intermittent solar energy using secondary batteries is an appealing solution for future power sources. Here, the authors propose a device comprising of perovskite solar cells and aqueous zinc metal batteries connected via the sandwich joint electrode method.

Megaripples are sand landforms found in wind-blown environments. A newly identified characteristic signature of the underlying bimodal sand transport process is found in the grain-size distribution on megaripples and could lend insight into transport conditions on Earth and other planetary bodies.

During pyroptosis, gasdermin D (GSDMD) forms plasma membrane pores that initiate cell lysis. Here, the authors develop optogenetically activatable human GSDMD to assess GSDMD pore behavior and show that they are dynamic and can close, which can be a pyroptosis regulatory mechanism.

Unveiling the effect of carbon matrix adjacent to Fe-N towards oxygen reduction reaction is important yet challenging. Here the authors investigate the carbon environment covalent-connected to FeN₄ sites on their catalytic activity using models prepared by pyrolysis-free approach.

Non-heme iron and α-ketoglutarate-dependent (Fe/αKG) oxygenases have attracted attention for their application as biocatalysts due to their flexibility and high efficiency. Here, the authors show the biochemical and structural characterizations of the versatile Fe/αKG oxygenase SptF, involved in the biosynthesis of fungal meroterpenoid emervaridones.

Muscle undergoes hypertrophy and atrophy in response to physiological stimuli or in pathological conditions, which is partially controlled through altered gene expression. Here the authors report that m⁶A methyltransferase METTL3 and mRNA m⁶A post-transcriptional modifications as a mechanism that regulates muscle hypertrophy and atrophy via myostatin signalling in mice.

Herbivores are important drivers of vegetation patterns and plant evolution. Dantas and Pausas investigate how mammal herbivores affected plant traits in South and Central America, revealing that historical herbivory substantially explains current trait and biome biogeography.

Single-atom catalysts represent a promising materials class for efficient catalytic transformations. Here, authors prepare a high surface distribution density of iridium atoms on nickel-iron sulfide nanosheet arrays to deliver high water oxidation activity and stability.

Here, we present TP-DB; a pattern-based search engine based on 1.67 million helices from the Protein Database (PDB). We demonstrate the utility of TP-DB in identifying microbe-specific antigens, as well as the design of antimicrobial peptides and Protein-protein interaction blockers.

Structural immunology is critical in understanding the interplay between the immune response and the infective agent but such studies in T cells and SARS-CoV-2 lag behind those of antibodies and B-cell receptors. Here the authors assess recognition of SARS-CoV-2 spike epitopes and their natural variants by public and private T cell receptors.

Here, the authors present the cryo-EM structure of in vitro amyloid fibrils from recombinant SAA1.1 protein that were formed by seeding with fibrils purified from systemic AA amyloidosis tissue. This in vitro fibril structure resembles the structure of the ex vivo fibrils but differs from unseeded in vitro fibrils. These findings show that fibril morphologies can be propagated in vitro by seeding.

A sustainability scenario yields major co-benefits compared to technical solution-focused scenarios, leaving 386 Tg CO2eq/yr of GHG to be released while air pollutants from open burning can be eliminated before 2050, finds study on implementation of circular municipal waste management systems.

Lithium dendrite and parasitic reactions are two major challenges for lithium metal anode. Here, the authors show suppression of lithium-dendrite and elimination of continuous parasitic reactions by tuning the reduction kinetics of lithium-ion through a uniform nano-porous separator.

Unraveling the structural origin of liquid anomalies remains a challenging topic. Xu et al. propose a folded-network structural model for molten tin and provide insights into the observed second-order-like structural transition.

What are the minimal hardware requirements for a given class of sensing problems? Here, authors investigate this while proposing a miniaturized near-infrared spectral sensor, based on an array of resonant-cavity enhanced photodetectors, and capable of operating without the need for spectral reconstruction.

The origins of deformation twins in Mg have remained unclear in the past. Here the authors, by combining in situ experimental observations and atomistic simulations, capture the rapid twinning phenomena in Mg crystals and show that twinning occurs through pure atomic shuffle.

The authors present a strategy to construct dynamic biomolecular landscapes. Here, they derive a quantitative description of the distribution timescales and amplitudes of reorientational motion of POPC membranes from the combination of NMR relaxation data and frame analysis of MD simulations.

The authors report nickel-porphyrins derivatives of chlorophyll in ~1 Gyr-old multicellular eukaryotes, preserved in low-grade metamorphic rocks. This brand new approach permits to identify early phototrophic organisms through the geological record.

Invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) is a highly metastatic rare form of breast cancer but its genomic alterations are largely unknown. Here, the authors show that monoclonal metastatic ancestors share copy-number loss of PRDM16 and IGSF9 and gain of ALDH2 in primary samples from IMPC patients.

Photoresponsive compounds have potential applications in various fields, including the development of smart materials and switches. Here the authors report a gold(I) complex that undergoes multiple photoinduced color changes upon excitation of light at specific wavelengths, offering an enhanced storage capacity towards optical memory devices.