Biological sciences articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Current Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based fluorescence spectroscopy methods are suffering from some limitations in the field of structural biology. Here, the authors present an optical approach, distance-encoding photoinduced electron transfer (DEPET), capable of the simultaneous study of protein structure and function.

    • Antonios Pantazis
    • , Karin Westerberg
    •  & Riccardo Olcese

  • Article
    | Open Access

    [FeFe]-hydrogenases catalyze H2-evolution and -oxidation at very high turnover-rates. Here the authors provide experimental evidence for the proposed proton-transfer (PT) pathway by kinetically, spectroscopically, and crystallographically characterizing eleven mutants from the two [FeFe]-hydrogenases CpI and HydA1.

    • Jifu Duan
    • , Moritz Senger
    •  & Martin Winkler

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Striatal projection neurons exist as two distinct classes and are anatomically mixed in the brain. Here, Tinterri and colleagues show the developmental mechanism of this cellular mosaicism that relies on an intrinsic transcription factor for cell type specification and intermixed cellular migration.

    • Andrea Tinterri
    • , Fabien Menardy
    •  & Sonia Garel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Signalling through the endothelin receptor ETB, a class A GPCR, induces nitric oxide-mediated vasorelaxation. Here the authors present the crystal structures of the human ETB receptor bound to the peptide hormone endothelin-3 and in complex with the ETB-selective partial agonist IRL1620 and discuss mechanistic implications for receptor activation.

    • Wataru Shihoya
    • , Tamaki Izume
    •  & Osamu Nureki

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Recent studies have reported preservation of proteinaceous soft tissues within dinosaur bones. Here, Wiemann et al. combine analyses of fossil vertebrate tissues and experimentally matured modern samples to elucidate the mechanism of soft tissue preservation and the environments that favor it.

    • Jasmina Wiemann
    • , Matteo Fabbri
    •  & Derek E. G. Briggs

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Human leukocyte antigens (HLA) are multi-allelic and polymorphic genes that present antigens to immune cells for inducing protective immunity. Here, using systems biology and structural approaches, the authors show that micropolymorphism of three HLA has effects beyond the modulation of antigen diversity.

    • Patricia T. Illing
    • , Phillip Pymm
    •  & Anthony W. Purcell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The biogeographic drivers of reptile diversity are poorly understood relative to other animal groups. Here, using a dataset of distributions of African squamates, the authors show that environmental filtering explains diversity in stressful habitats while competition explains diversity in benign habitats.

    • Till Ramm
    • , Juan L. Cantalapiedra
    •  & Johannes Müller

  • Article
    | Open Access

    DNA phosphorothioation (PT-DNA) is a DNA backbone sulfur modification that is recognized by the type-IV restriction endonuclease ScoMcrA. Here the authors provide insights into sulfur recognition by solving the crystal structure of the PT-DNA bound sulfur-binding domain (SBD) from ScoMcrA and they further show that SBD homologs are widely spread among prokaryotes.

    • Guang Liu
    • , Wencheng Fu
    •  & Xinyi He

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) is a target for insulin sensitizing drugs. Here the authors combine NMR, X-ray crystallography and MD simulations and report a structural mechanism for eliciting PPARγ inverse agonism, where coactivator binding is inhibited and corepressor binding promoted, which causes PPARγ repression.

    • Richard Brust
    • , Jinsai Shang
    •  & Douglas J. Kojetin

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Potentially cancerous cells undergo live apical extrusion from normal monolayers and vSrc expression induces this in zebrafish epithelia. Here, the authors show that vSrc coordinates cytokinetic ring formation, cell cycle progression, junctional integrity, cell survival and apicobasal polarity to induce extrusion of transformed cells.

    • Katarzyna A. Anton
    • , Mihoko Kajita
    •  & Masazumi Tada

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The precise relationship between neurobehavioural effects and neurotransmitter effects of psychiatric drugs are not always understood. Here the authors develop a database documenting the neurotransmitter response in rats to 258 different neuropsychiatric drugs, and conclude that this neurotransmitter response does not, in general, reflect the current categorisation of those drugs.

    • Hamid R. Noori
    • , Lewis H. Mervin
    •  & Rainer Spanagel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Drought resistant plants typically have reduced growth. Here the authors show that overexpression of the BRL3 brassinosteroid receptor confers drought tolerance and accumulation of osmoprotectant metabolites without penalizing growth, demonstrating that drought response and growth can be uncoupled.

    • Norma Fàbregas
    • , Fidel Lozano-Elena
    •  & Ana I. Caño-Delgado

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Marine cyanophages infect oceanic cyanobacteria that are important contributors to global primary production. By using an experimental evolution approach, here the authors show that adaptation to sub-optimal cyanobacterial hosts result in genomic diversification of cyanophage populations.

    • Hagay Enav
    • , Shay Kirzner
    •  & Oded Béjà

  • Article
    | Open Access

    c-Kit receptor–Kit ligand complex signaling is known to activate c-Kit and is essential for tissue development. Here, Buono et al. show that membrane-bound KitL signaling induces proliferation via CAML-Akt-CREB pathway activation, establishing a role for bidirectional signaling in tissue expansion.

    • Mario Buono
    • , Marie-Laëtitia Thézénas
    •  & Claus Nerlov

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Group II introns are large, self-splicing RNAs that catalyze their own excision from pre-mRNA molecules. Here the authors determine the 3.7 Å crystal structure of the group II intron in the stage immediately before the second step of splicing and present a complete model for the second step of group II intron splicing.

    • Russell T. Chan
    • , Jessica K. Peters
    •  & Navtej Toor

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Elderly males are often affected by benign prostatic hyperplasia and associated lower urinary tract symptoms (BPH/LUTS), but their link to prostate cancer risk is not well defined. Here, a genome-wide association study of BPH/LUTS patients from Iceland and the UK found 23 significant variants at 14 loci, and 15 of these variants associate with prostate specific antigen, which is linked to prostate cancer risk.

    • Julius Gudmundsson
    • , Jon K. Sigurdsson
    •  & Kari Stefansson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The costimulatory T-cell receptor 4-1BB is an immuno-oncology target. Here the authors present the ligand bound 4-1BB receptor crystal structure in addition to the structures of 4-1BB bound with two therapeutic antibodies and verify the antibody binding sites by mutational analysis, which is of interest for further 4-1BB therapeutics development.

    • S. Michael Chin
    • , Christopher R. Kimberlin
    •  & Javier Chaparro-Riggers

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cilia formation requires Intraflagellar transport (IFT) to move ciliary building blocks and signaling components into the cilium. Here authors use in vitro reconstitution and electron microscopy on IFT172 and reveal its ability to remodel large membrane surfaces into small vesicles.

    • Qianmin Wang
    • , Michael Taschner
    •  & Naoko Mizuno

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Gut microbiota impact host metabolism and gut microbiome composition reflects dietary habits. Here the authors show that, in animals fed obesogenic diets, changes in gut microbiota precede changes in glucose homeostasis. Importantly, long term exposure of the host to the changed microbiota is required to impair glucose homeostasis.

    • Kevin P. Foley
    • , Soumaya Zlitni
    •  & Jonathan D. Schertzer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Complex networks can be a useful tool to investigate problems in social science. Here the authors use game theory to establish a network model and then use a machine learning approach to characterize the role of nodes within a social network.

    • Yuan Yuan
    • , Ahmad Alabdulkareem
    •  & Alex ‘Sandy’ Pentland

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Assessment of PD-1 and PD-L1 expression can be predictive of immunotherapy response in lung cancer. Here the authors assess the clinical toxicity, safety and quality of non-invasive imaging of PD-1 and PD-L1 expression in 13 patients with advanced lung cancer prior to treatment with immunotherapy and show it correlates with response.

    • A. N. Niemeijer
    • , D. Leung
    •  & A. J. de Langen

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Forgetting is ubiquitous across the animal kingdom, but neuroscience is only beginning to address its mechanisms. This study shows that rats, like humans, actively forget memories that interfere with retrieval, and that this retrieval-induced forgetting requires the prefrontal cortex.

    • Pedro Bekinschtein
    • , Noelia V. Weisstaub
    •  & Michael C. Anderson

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Head-on replication-transcription collisions occur within genes encoded on the lagging DNA strand. Here, the authors show that a large number of originally co-oriented (leading strand) genes have inverted to the head-on orientation, increasing both gene-specific mutation rates, and the overall evolvability of several bacterial pathogens.

    • Christopher N. Merrikh
    •  & Houra Merrikh

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cellular ERK activation occurs as discrete pulses but their relationship to upstream Ras signaling is still under debate. Here, the authors show that Ras signaling associated with cellular protrusions triggers pulsed ERK activation, thereby enabling cells to integrate chemical and mechanical stimuli.

    • Jr-Ming Yang
    • , Sayak Bhattacharya
    •  & Chuan-Hsiang Huang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Rare genetic variants can contribute to complex traits but this contribution is not well understood. Here, the authors analyse deep whole genome sequencing data across 1457 individuals from an isolated Greek population and find association of rare variant burdens with cardiometabolic traits.

    • Arthur Gilly
    • , Daniel Suveges
    •  & Eleftheria Zeggini

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Acquired resistance to targeted drugs remains a major clinical challenge in lung adenocarcinoma patients. Here, the authors show how the acquired EGFRG724S mutation induces resistance to third-generation EGFR inhibitors and why the mutant kinase remains susceptible to second-generation inhibitors.

    • Jana Fassunke
    • , Fabienne Müller
    •  & Martin L. Sos

  • Article
    | Open Access

    While proinflammatory signalling is preventive to axon regrowth, activated macrophages can be beneficial, for example by limiting the inflammation. This study uses mutant zebrafish lines that lack macrophages and/or microglia to show that peripheral macrophages are necessary in axon regrowth following complete transection of spinal cord.

    • Themistoklis M. Tsarouchas
    • , Daniel Wehner
    •  & Catherina G. Becker

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Organisms could respond to essential resource limitation by increasing metabolic efficiency or resource acquisition ability. Here, the authors experimentally evolve green algae under different resource limitations and show convergent evolution of core metabolism rather than resource specialization.

    • Manu Tamminen
    • , Alexander Betz
    •  & Anita Narwani

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Conventional human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) fail to contribute to interspecies chimaeras when injected into mouse blastocysts. Here the authors show that forced expression of BMI1 overcomes apoptosis of hPSCs in blastocysts of mouse, rabbit and pig allowing them to contribute to chimaeras.

    • Ke Huang
    • , Yanling Zhu
    •  & Guangjin Pan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Guaianolides are pharmaceutically interesting molecules. Here, the authors isolate the enzyme kauniolide synthase from feverfew, show that it converts constunolide into a guaianolide via an unusual mechanism of action, and reconstruct the full kauniolide biosynthesis pathway in host organisms.

    • Qing Liu
    • , Arman Beyraghdar Kashkooli
    •  & Harro Bouwmeester

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Transcription preinitiation complex assembly begins with the recognition of the gene promoter by the TATA-box Binding Protein-containing TFIID complex. Here the authors present a Cryo-EM structure of promoter-bound yeast TFIID complex, providing a detailed view of its subunit organization and promoter DNA contacts.

    • Olga Kolesnikova
    • , Adam Ben-Shem
    •  & Gabor Papai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In vertebrate multiciliated cells, most centrioles are synthesized and released by poorly characterized structures called deuterosomes. Here, the authors report that the previously-uncharacterized Cdc20b in mouse and Xenopus associates with deuterosomes and contributes to centriole release.

    • Diego R. Revinski
    • , Laure-Emmanuelle Zaragosi
    •  & Pascal Barbry

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Identification of response biomarkers is a key step towards the development of personalised care. Here, Jayson et al. identify plasma Tie2 as a biomarker for the response of the tumor vasculature to anti-angiogenics in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, suggesting that monitoring Tie2 levels may help guide therapy in the clinics.

    • Gordon C. Jayson
    • , Cong Zhou
    •  & Caroline Dive

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The lack of appropriate models restricts pre-clinical research for nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). Here the authors report the development and characterization of NPC patient-derived xenografts (PDXs), and EBV positive NPC cell line from patient tumor, and suggest their potential use in future NPC research.

    • Weitao Lin
    • , Yim Ling Yip
    •  & Sai Wah Tsao

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Solid state nanopores are robust but the sizing can be variable, whereas protein nanopores are precisely sized but lack robustness. Here the authors cork a solid state nanopore with the DNA-translocating portal protein from the virus G20c to obtain a lipid-free hybrid nanopore that can sense various biopolymers.

    • Benjamin Cressiot
    • , Sandra J. Greive
    •  & Meni Wanunu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In vivo studies on the regulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) within a physiological context are lacking. Here it is shown that miR-200 ablation in the Rip-Tag2 insulinoma mouse model induces beta-cell dedifferentiation, EMT and tumor invasion, and that disruption of Zeb1 regulation by miR-200c is sufficient to drive EMT.

    • Alexandra C. Title
    • , Sue-Jean Hong
    •  & Markus Stoffel

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Increased glycolysis and inflammatory responses have been observed in endothelial cells exposed to disturbed flow. However, the role of endothelial glycolysis in atherosclerosis is unclear. Here the authors unveil a protective role for glycolysis by showing that endothelial deletion of Prkaa1 accelerates atherosclerosis in hyperlipidemic mice through a reduction of glycolytic metabolism.

    • Qiuhua Yang
    • , Jiean Xu
    •  & Yuqing Huo

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