Research articles

SthK, a cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel from Spirochaeta thermophila activates slowly upon cAMP increase. Here, authors investigate cAMP-induced activation in purified SthK channels using stopped-flow assays and enzymatic catalysis and reveal that the cis/trans conformation of a conserved proline in the cyclic nucleotide-binding domain determines the activation kinetics of SthK.

Histones, proteins that bind DNA, are toxic for pathogens outside cells but can also cause multi-organ damage as seen in sepsis. Here the authors develop small negatively charged molecules that can be used as histone antidotes, and show that they improve the phenotype in mouse models with histone-related pathologies.

Genetic variants discovered through genome-wide association studies for asthma together account for a small portion of the heritability. Here, the authors identify a possible epistatic relationship between coding variants in FUT2 and ABO, especially pronounced in severe and early onset asthma.

Finding effective treatments for COVID-19 depends upon understanding genetic regulation of proteins involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection and host response. Here, the authors identify genetic variants linked to expression of such proteins, data which could lead to the discovery of therapeutic targets.

The development of the all solid-state battery requires the formation of stable solid/solid interfaces between different battery components. Here the authors tailor the composition to form both electrolyte and anode from the same novel family of perovskites with shared crystal chemistry.

The potential contribution of Greenland Ice Sheet to sea level rise in the future is known to be substantial. Here, the authors undertake new modelling showing that the Greenland Ice Sheet sea level rise contribution is 7.9 cm more using the CMIP6 SSP585 scenario compared to CMIP5 using multiple RCP8.5 simulations.

Two-photon imaging in macaque V1 captured maps of tuning selectivity for four spatial parameters, all of which correlated with peak spatial frequency. These inter-map relationships reveal a common motif—they are described by uniform spatial pooling from a family of scale invariant Gabor receptive fields.

The authors present a public collection of 117 bacterial isolates from the pig gut, including the description of 38 novel taxa. Interesting functions discovered in these organisms include a new fucosyltransferease and sactipeptide-like molecules encoded by biosynthetic gene clusters.

Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions not only amplify the global climate crisis, but cause damage currently unaccounted for by food prices. Here the authors show the calculation of prices with internalized climate costs for food categories and production systems, revealing strong market distortions.

Gender inequality increases vulnerability to climate change impacts and reduces societies’ adaptive capacity. Here the authors show how gender inequality may evolve in the future in five scenarios of socioeconomic development and highlight the importance of incorporating gender inequality in climate change research and policy.

The skin of zebrafish is patterned by alternating blue stripes and yellow interstripes which arises from guanine crystal-containing cells called iridophores that reflect light. Here the authors track iridophores and see that they do not migrate between stripes and interstripes, but instead differentiate and proliferate in place based on their micro-environment.

Evergreen conifers rely on ‘sustained quenching’ to protect their photosynthetic machinery during long, cold winters. Here, Bag et al. show that direct energy transfer (spillover) from photosystem II to photosystem I triggered by loss of grana stacking in chloroplast is the major component of sustained quenching in Scots pine.

Snakebite is a life-threatening neglected tropical disease that is currently treated using different antibody-based antivenoms, each effective against bites of specific snake species, but not others. Here, the authors show that a combination of two toxin-inhibiting repurposed drugs provides broad protection in experimental animals against the lethal effects of snakebites from multiple snake species.

Here, using pattern-learning analyses of structural, functional, and diffusion brain scans in ~40,000 UK Biobank participants, the authors provide population-scale evidence that the default network is associated with perceived social isolation.

Identifying women at high risk of breast cancer has important implications for screening. Here, the authors demonstrate that polygenic risk scores improve breast cancer risk prediction in the population, in women with mutations in high-risk genes and in women with close relatives with the disease.

Remdesivir is under evaluation for treatment of COVID-19 in clinical trials. Here, the authors report results of remdesivir treatment in a patient with COVID-19 and the genetic antibody deficiency XLA. They show a temporally correlated clinical and virological response, suggesting that remdesivir can reduce SARS-CoV-2 replication in patients.

A key feature that differentiates prokaryotic cells from eukaryotes is the absence of an intracellular membrane surrounding the chromosomal DNA. Here, the authors isolate a member of the ubiquitous, yet-to-be-cultivated bacterial phylum ‘Candidatus Atribacteria’ that has an intracytoplasmic membrane apparently surrounding the nucleoid.

Eye contact is a key social behavior and its measurement could facilitate the diagnosis and treatment of autism. Here the authors show that a deep neural network model can detect eye contact as accurately has human experts.

Broadband frequency combs are a key enabling technology for frequency metrology and spectroscopy. Here, the authors demonstrate that the spectrum of a soliton microcomb can be extended by bichromatic pumping resulting in two combs that synchronize their repetition rate via cross-phase modulation.

The RNase activity of Inositol-Requiring Enzyme 1 (IRE1) can be allosterically regulated by ATP-competitive inhibitors of the IRE1 kinase domain. Here, the authors identify ATP-competitive IRE1 RNase activators with improved selectivity and cellular activity, and elucidate their mechanism of action.