Research Highlights in 2019

Stereochemically defined chemical probes aid discovery of ligandable proteins.

Researchers show that mouse stem and adult cells can develop into blastocyst-like structures.

Higher-order processes can be harnessed for super-resolution CARS vibrational microscopy.

Mice implanted with human lung tissue model pathogen infection and immune responses.

An in silico approach helps researchers identify biosynthetic gene clusters coding for bioactive small molecules from metagenomic data of the human microbiome.

Researchers develop a genome-informed approach to isolate and grow targeted cells into pure cultures from microbial communities.

The hybrid voltage-indicator Voltron combines the voltage sensitivity of microbial rhodopsins with the brightness and photostability of chemical dyes.

In silico modeling and mapping of cross-species protein–protein interactions.

Independent studies introduced two distinct tools, both called ‘Pepper’, for live imaging of RNA.

Two teams develop methods for genealogy inference using large genomic datasets.

Chemomagnetics enable remote and non-invasive modulation of neural activity in behaving mice.

The CRISPR–Cas system has become a powerful tool in genome editing and now expands its footprint into materials science.

Engineering human centromeres will allow versatile applications.

BODIPY dimerization is exploited for super-resolution imaging and single-particle tracking of lipids in living cells.

T-scan allows discovery of epitopes that define T-cell-based immunity.

A DNA origami rotor amplifies and tracks DNA movements during biochemical reactions, uncovering action mechanisms of genome-processing enzymes.

Tagging and sequencing RNAs that are in close spatial proximity in the nucleus shows how the transcriptome is partitioned.

An improved method to detect coevolving residues at protein interfaces allows proteome-wide screening of PPIs.

The development of biologically compatible microdisk lasers enables massively multiplexed cell tracking.

Single-cell sequencing of Hydra results in a resource for studying differentiation trajectories, regeneration and nervous system development.