Biophysics

Histone deacetylation at the onset of mitosis induces a chromatin-intrinsic phase transition that endows chromosomes with the physical characteristics necessary for their precise movement during cell division.

A nanoscale rotary motor made of DNA origami, driven by ratcheting and powered by an external electric field, shows the ability to wind up a spring and has mechanical capabilities approaching those of biological motors.

Small intestinal crypts contain twice as many effective stem cells as large intestinal crypts, and this difference is determined by the degree of Wnt-driven retrograde cell movement—which is largely absent in the large intestine—counteracting conveyor-belt-like upward movement.

Single-molecule spectroscopy and structural studies were used to examine the dynamics of association of eIF1A and eIF5B with the human translation initiation complex and their role in presenting tRNA to the complex to initiate translation.

Peptidoglycan stem peptides in the Gram-negative bacterial cell wall regulate the insertion of essential outer membrane proteins, thus representing a potential target for antibiotic design.

Common protonophores—previously known as protein-independent proton translocators—activate mitochondrial heat production due to H⁺ leak through the ADP/ATP carrier and uncoupling protein 1.

The human immune system naturally edits cancers of high-quality neoantigens.

Cryo-electron microscopy and crystal structures of Arabidopsis NPR1—a bird-shaped homodimer—and its complex with the transcription factor TGA3 provide an explanation for a direct role of salicylic acid and enhanceosome assembly in regulating NPR1-dependent gene expression.

Structural studies of human Na⁺–taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide in complex with nanobodies reveal mechanisms for bile salts transport and HBV recognition involving an open-pore intermediate state.

A method that uses a combination of optical trapping, fluorescence microscopy and microfluidics to analyse the internal structure of chromosomes shows that there is a distinct nonlinear stiffening of the chromosome in response to tension.

The CO₂-concentrating mechanism of the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is dependent on pH gradients generated by both cyclic electron flow and O₂ photoreduction.

In zebrafish embryos, initial somite anteroposterior lengths and positions are imprecise and, as a consequence, many somite pairs form left–right asymmetrically.

Cryo-EM structures of AMPA receptor with the subunit γ2 in non-desensitizing conditions at low glutamate concentrations disprove the one-to-one link between the number of glutamate-bound subunits and ionotropic glutamate receptor conductance.

Cryo-electron microscopy structures of the bacterial O-antigen ligase WaaL, combined with genetics, biochemistry and molecular dynamics simulations, provide insight into the mechanism by which WaaL catalyses the biosynthesis of lipopolysaccharide.

The rhodopsin signalling cascade, initiated by light, is captured using mass spectrometry of a native membrane.

Bacteria swimming in colloidal suspensions are shown to behave similarly to those in polymer solutions revealing a mechanism for motile behaviour in complex fluids.

Modelling by SCUBA of the backbone-centred energy surface extends the diversity of designable proteins.

Three-dimensional reconstructions of morphology and flight mechanics of the beetle Paratuposa placentis reveal adaptations that enable extremely small insects to fly at speeds similar to those of much larger insects.

Using high-resolution NMR characterization, the kinetics and dynamics of the catalytic function of a DNAzyme are shown.

HELQ is differentially regulated by RAD51, which stimulates helicase activity, and RPA, which inhibits helicase activity and stimulates annealing.

A mechanism involving intracellular recycling of the morphogen Decapentaplegic (Dpp) underlies the scaling of the Dpp gradient in the Drosophila wing disc, and this is modulated by the extracellular factors Pentagone and Dally.

The structure of the human NALCN channelosome and a model of the gating mechanism are determined.

Cryo-electron microscopy structures of the photosystem I–NADH dehydrogenase-like supercomplex in barley provide structural details to elucidate the functions and regulation of photosystem I-dependent cyclic electron transport in chloroplasts.

Cryo-electron microscopy structures of the sodium–glucose cotransporter SGLT1 and a related transporter SMCT1 define the architecture of this protein family and provide insights into substrate binding and transport function.

A mechanism of mechanosensation and transduction in the presynaptic boutons is identified, in which sensing of fine pressure leads to enhanced neurotransmitter release.

Cryo-electron microscopy studies show that dynamic coordination of Na⁺ in the ion channel of Dispatched homologue 1 and the transmembrane Na⁺ gradient have key roles in exporting lipid-modified Hedgehog protein signal.

Interface mutations in the GTPase switch protein Gsp1 (the yeast homologue of human RAN) allosterically affect the kinetics of the switch cycle, revealing a systems-level mechanism of multi-specificity.

SCAF1 is solely required for supercomplex CIII₂CIV assembly and is not involved in the formation of the respirasome (supercomplex CICIII₂CIV)

Colour contrast is added to unstained histological samples by using surface plasmon polaritons whose properties depend on the sample’s dielectric constant.

Cryo-electron microscopy structures of pig glycine receptors indicate that they are predominantly assembled with 4α:1β stoichiometry via α-homotrimer and homotetramer intermediates.

Experiments using endogenous and biomimetic condensates in cells show that nucleation in cells resembles the physical process in inanimate materials, but is tuned by biomolecular features.

Phase separation properties are a major determinant of UTX activity in chromatin regulation in tumour suppression, and are dependent on a core intrinsically disordered region of the protein.

Structural, functional and localization studies reveal that Geobacter sulfurreducens pili cannot behave as microbial nanowires, instead functioning in a similar way to secretion pseudopili to export cytochrome nanowires that are essential for extracellular electron transfer.

Cryo-electron microscopy has been used to determine the structure of the Tetrahymena ribozyme (a catalytic RNA) at sufficiently high resolution to model side chains and metal ions.

AlphaFold predicts protein structures with an accuracy competitive with experimental structures in the majority of cases using a novel deep learning architecture.

Cryo-EM structures of complexes between GRK1 and rhodopsin shed light on how a small number of GRKs can selectively recognize and be activated by hundreds of different G-protein-coupled receptors.

Cryo-electron microscopy and single-molecule fluorescence methods are used to elucidate the mechanism of early translocation events on the bacterial ribosome.

A structure of the sperm-specific CatSper complex features a number of additional components; together, these components and the CatSper complex are termed the CatSpermasome.

Direct monitoring of individual cAMP molecules binding to HCN ion channels reveals the binding dynamics underlying the distinct physiological responses of ion channel isoforms.

Cryptochrome 4 from the night-migratory European robin displays magnetically sensitive photochemistry in vitro, in which four successive flavin–tryptophan radical pairs generate magnetic-field effects and stabilize potential signalling states.

A localization algorithm is applied to datasets obtained with conventional and high-speed atomic force microscopy to increase image resolution beyond the limits set by the radius of the tip used.

Cryo-electron microscopy and molecular dynamics simulations reveal how MFSD2A transports essential omega-3 fatty acids across the blood–brain and blood–retina barriers as lysolipids.

Inanimate matter is beginning to show some signs of basic intelligence—the ability to sense, actuate and use memory, as controlled by an internal communication network in functional materials.

The noncoding RNA NORAD maintains genome stability in mammalian cells by sequestering Pumilio proteins in phase-separated compartments.

Cryo-electron microscopy structures of PCFT in a substrate-free state and bound to the antifolate drug pemetrexed provide insights into how this protein recognizes folates and mediates their transport into cells.

Mitochondrial fission at the organelle periphery generates small daughter mitochondria that are removed by mitophagy whereas fission at the midzone leads to proliferation.