Featured
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Review Article |
Discoveries in structure and physiology of mechanically activated ion channels
This Review summarizes developments in the field of mechanically activated ion channels, which have been driven by the increasing breadth of structural studies.
- J. M. Kefauver
- , A. B. Ward
- & A. Patapoutian
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News |
This beetle’s stab-proof exoskeleton makes it almost indestructible
Jigsaw-puzzle-shaped seams that hold a notoriously tough insect’s wing cases together could inspire engineers.
- Davide Castelvecchi
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News Round-Up |
‘Uncrushable’ beetle and COVID’s lack of seasonality
The latest science news, in brief.
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Article |
DNA mismatches reveal conformational penalties in protein–DNA recognition
A high-throughput assay that introduces mismatched base pairs into the DNA sequence shows that mismatches can increase transcription factor binding affinity by prepaying some of the energetic cost of distorting the DNA.
- Ariel Afek
- , Honglue Shi
- & Raluca Gordân
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Article |
Red blood cell tension protects against severe malaria in the Dantu blood group
The rare blood group Dantu is known to protect against severe malaria, and a mechanism is proposed here: Dantu red blood cells have a high membrane tension that prevents invasion by malaria parasites.
- Silvia N. Kariuki
- , Alejandro Marin-Menendez
- & Julian C. Rayner
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Article |
Shared structural mechanisms of general anaesthetics and benzodiazepines
Cryo-electron microscopy structures of GABAA receptors bound to intravenous anaesthetics and benzodiazepines reveal both common and distinct transmembrane binding sites, and show that the mechanisms of action of anaesthetics partially overlap with those of benzodiazepines.
- Jeong Joo Kim
- , Anant Gharpure
- & Ryan E. Hibbs
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Article |
Chromosome clustering by Ki-67 excludes cytoplasm during nuclear assembly
The surfactant-like protein Ki-67 mediates the clustering of chromosomes during mitotic exit, which displaces large cytoplasmic molecules from the future nuclear space and thus enables the separation of cytoplasmic and nuclear components before the nuclear envelope reforms.
- Sara Cuylen-Haering
- , Mina Petrovic
- & Daniel W. Gerlich
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Article |
A prion-like domain in ELF3 functions as a thermosensor in Arabidopsis
The adaptability of the plant Arabidopsis thaliana to different temperatures is regulated by the ability of its ELF3 protein to undergo liquid–liquid phase separation, in a manner that is dependent on the protein’s prion-like domain.
- Jae-Hoon Jung
- , Antonio D. Barbosa
- & Philip A. Wigge
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Article |
Computational design of transmembrane pores
An approach for the design of protein pores is demonstrated by the computational design and subsequent experimental expression of both an ion-selective and a large transmembrane pore.
- Chunfu Xu
- , Peilong Lu
- & David Baker
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Article |
Na+ controls hypoxic signalling by the mitochondrial respiratory chain
Na+ controls the function of the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation system and hypoxic redox signalling through an unexpected interaction with phospholipids.
- Pablo Hernansanz-Agustín
- , Carmen Choya-Foces
- & Antonio Martínez-Ruiz
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Article |
MeCP2 links heterochromatin condensates and neurodevelopmental disease
The chromatin protein MeCP2 is a component of dynamic, liquid-like heterochromatin condensates, and the ability of MeCP2 to form condensates is disrupted by mutations in the MECP2 gene that occur in the neurodevelopmental disorder Rett syndrome.
- Charles H. Li
- , Eliot L. Coffey
- & Richard A. Young
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Research Highlight |
Flying snakes go far thanks to airborne wriggling
Reptiles’ writhing extends their time aloft.
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Nature Video |
How flying snakes stay stable while gliding through the air
Motion capture cameras show that winding from side to side helps snakes glide further.
- Shamini Bundell
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Article |
DNA surface exploration and operator bypassing during target search
Single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer and real-time confocal laser tracking with fluorescence correlation spectroscopy together characterize how individual lac repressor molecules bypass operator sites while exploring the DNA surface at microsecond timescales.
- Emil Marklund
- , Brad van Oosten
- & Sebastian Deindl
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Article |
Structure of a D2 dopamine receptor–G-protein complex in a lipid membrane
The structure of the D2 dopamine receptor in complex with its G protein reveals how dopamine receptors are activated and, importantly, how a G-protein-coupled receptor can interact with its G protein in a phospholipid membrane.
- Jie Yin
- , Kuang-Yui M. Chen
- & Daniel M. Rosenbaum
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Article |
Electromechanical coupling in the hyperpolarization-activated K+ channel KAT1
The cryo-electron microscopy structure of the hyperpolarization-activated K+ channel KAT1 points to a direct-coupling mechanism between S4 movement and the reorientation of the C-linker.
- Michael David Clark
- , Gustavo F. Contreras
- & Eduardo Perozo
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Article |
Femtosecond-to-millisecond structural changes in a light-driven sodium pump
Crystallographic ‘snapshots’ taken at intervals of femtoseconds to milliseconds after activation show how a light-activated sodium pump carries sodium ions across the cell membrane.
- Petr Skopintsev
- , David Ehrenberg
- & Jörg Standfuss
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News & Views |
Formation of liquid-like cellular organelles depends on their composition
Liquid-like organelles in cells form when key constituents reach a certain concentration and then condense. Evidence now indicates that the concentration at which condensation occurs can vary, contrary to previous assumptions.
- Chiu Fan Lee
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Article |
Composition-dependent thermodynamics of intracellular phase separation
Heterotypic multicomponent interactions are shown to dominate the liquid–liquid phase separation that enables the formation of intracellular condensates.
- Joshua A. Riback
- , Lian Zhu
- & Clifford P. Brangwynne
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Article |
LEM2 phase separation promotes ESCRT-mediated nuclear envelope reformation
Following cell division, phase separation of the transmembrane adaptor LEM2 ensures that the ESCRT machinery remodels microtubules and seals the nuclear envelope.
- Alexander von Appen
- , Dollie LaJoie
- & Adam Frost
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Article |
The architecture of the Gram-positive bacterial cell wall
Using high-resolution atomic force microscopy of live cells, the authors present an updated view of the cell walls of both Staphylococcus aureus and Bacillus subtilis.
- L. Pasquina-Lemonche
- , J. Burns
- & J. K. Hobbs
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Article |
Loopy Lévy flights enhance tracer diffusion in active suspensions
A theoretical framework describing the hydrodynamic interactions between a passive particle and an active medium in out-of-equilibrium systems predicts long-range Lévy flights for the diffusing particle driven by the density of the active component.
- Kiyoshi Kanazawa
- , Tomohiko G. Sano
- & Adrian Baule
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Article |
Ball-and-chain inactivation in a calcium-gated potassium channel
Cryo-electron microscopy structures and molecular dynamics simulations of the calcium-activated potassium channel MthK from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum are used to show that gating of this channel involves a ball-and-chain inactivation mechanism mediated by a previously unresolved N-terminal peptide.
- Chen Fan
- , Nattakan Sukomon
- & Crina M. Nimigean
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News & Views |
Chromatin modified in a molecular reaction chamber
Chromatin, the complex of DNA and protein in cell nuclei, can be modified by ubiquitin molecules. It emerges that this modification occurs in a molecular reaction chamber formed from an enzyme and a scaffold protein.
- Nick Gilbert
- & Fred van Leeuwen
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Article |
Cryo-EM structure of SWI/SNF complex bound to a nucleosome
The cryo-electron microscopy structure of the yeast SWI/SNF complex bound to a nucleosome substrate provides insights into the chromatin-remodelling function of this family of protein complexes and suggests mechanisms by which the mutated proteins may cause cancer.
- Yan Han
- , Alexis A Reyes
- & Yuan He
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Article |
DNA-loop extruding condensin complexes can traverse one another
Single-molecule visualization shows that condensin—a motor protein that extrudes DNA in one direction only—can encounter and pass a second condensin molecule to form a new type of DNA loop that gathers DNA from both sides.
- Eugene Kim
- , Jacob Kerssemakers
- & Cees Dekker
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Research Highlight |
Stealth flyers: moths’ fuzz is superior acoustic camouflage
Furry coating hides moths from echolocating bats.
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Article |
Bacterial coexistence driven by motility and spatial competition
In mixed bacterial populations that colonize nutrient patches, a growth–migration trade-off can lead to spatial exclusion that provides an advantage to populations that become rare, thereby stabilizing the community.
- Sebastian Gude
- , Erçağ Pinçe
- & Sander J. Tans
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Article |
Selective loading and processing of prespacers for precise CRISPR adaptation
Cas1–Cas2 selects precursor prespacers from DNA fragments in a length- and PAM-sequence-dependent manner, and these precursors are trimmed by DnaQ exonucleases to enable integration into the CRISPR locus in the correct orientation.
- Sungchul Kim
- , Luuk Loeff
- & Chirlmin Joo
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Article |
Phase separation organizes the site of autophagosome formation
The pre-autophagosomal structure in yeast is a liquid-like condensate of Atg proteins whose phase separation may have a critical, active role in autophagy.
- Yuko Fujioka
- , Jahangir Md. Alam
- & Nobuo N. Noda
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Research Highlight |
Rubber ‘leaves’ reveal the physics of the floating lotus
Scientists explore why some lotus leaves lie smooth and flat, but others are deeply ruffled.
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Article |
Processive extrusion of polypeptide loops by a Hsp100 disaggregase
A combination of optical tweezers and fluorescent-particle tracking is used to dissect the dynamics of the Hsp100 disaggregase ClpB, and show that the processive extrusion of polypeptide loops is the mechanistic basis of its activity.
- Mario J. Avellaneda
- , Kamila B. Franke
- & Sander J. Tans
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Article |
Mechanism of adrenergic CaV1.2 stimulation revealed by proximity proteomics
An in vivo approach to identify proteins whose enrichment near cardiac CaV1.2 channels changes upon β-adrenergic stimulation finds the G protein Rad, which is phosphorylated by protein kinase A, thereby relieving channel inhibition by Rad and causing an increased Ca2+ current.
- Guoxia Liu
- , Arianne Papa
- & Steven O. Marx
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Research Highlight |
The body electric: soft tissue makes electricity under stress
Ultrasound pulses trigger an electrifying effect in samples of Achilles tendon, heart valve and more.
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Article |
Cryo-EM structures of apo and antagonist-bound human Cav3.1
Partial structures are reported for Cav3.1 both on its own and in complex with a phase II drug candidate for seizure and neuropathic pain; this presents the overall architecture of T-type Ca2+ channels, insights into their gating and permeation mechanisms, and how they are modulated by small-molecule blockers.
- Yanyu Zhao
- , Gaoxingyu Huang
- & Nieng Yan
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Article |
Quantifying secondary transport at single-molecule resolution
Imaging of substrate transport by individual MhsT transporters, members of the neurotransmitter:sodium symporter family of secondary transporters, at single- and multi-turnover resolution reveals that the rate-limiting step varies with the identity of the transported substrate.
- Gabriel A. Fitzgerald
- , Daniel S. Terry
- & Scott C. Blanchard
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Article |
Cryo-EM structure of the spinach cytochrome b6 f complex at 3.6 Å resolution
A 3.6 Å resolution cryo-electron microscopy structure of the dimeric cytochrome b6f complex from spinach reveals the structural basis for operation of the quinol cycle and its redox-sensing function.
- Lorna A. Malone
- , Pu Qian
- & Matthew P. Johnson
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Article |
Structural basis for enzymatic photocatalysis in chlorophyll biosynthesis
Crystal structures of cyanobacterial protochlorophyllide oxidoreductases reveal the basis of the photocatalytic activities of this enzyme, through the role of its active site in enabling the light-driven reduction of protochlorophyllide.
- Shaowei Zhang
- , Derren J. Heyes
- & Nigel S. Scrutton
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Article |
HP1 reshapes nucleosome core to promote phase separation of heterochromatin
The S. pombe HP1 protein Swi6 couples chromatin compaction to phase separation by dynamically exposing buried histone residues within nucleosomes.
- S. Sanulli
- , M. J. Trnka
- & G. J. Narlikar
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Books & Arts |
The social-media war, reclaiming classics from the alt-right, and a fusion of physics and dance: New in paperback
Mary Craig reviews the highlights of this season’s releases.
- Mary Craig
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Letter |
Crystal structure of heliorhodopsin
A crystal structure of Thermoplasmatales archaeon heliorhodopsin at 2.4 Å resolution shows that it adopts a similar fold to that of type I rhodopsin—despite the low sequence identity—but there are also several marked differences that provide insights into heliorhodopsin function.
- Wataru Shihoya
- , Keiichi Inoue
- & Osamu Nureki
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Letter |
An actin-based viscoplastic lock ensures progressive body-axis elongation
Molecular analysis and mathematical modelling are combined to identify a network of factors that account for viscoplastic deformation in elongation of Caenorhabditis elegans during embryonic development.
- Alicia Lardennois
- , Gabriella Pásti
- & Michel Labouesse
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Letter |
Emergence of tissue-like mechanics from fibrous networks confined by close-packed cells
Tissue rheology emerges from the interplay between fibrous networks and cell inclusions, and the mechanical properties of tissues are modulated by restricting the relaxation modes of fibres close to volume-conserving cells.
- Anne S. G. van Oosten
- , Xingyu Chen
- & Paul A. Janmey
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News & Views |
A mechanism for touch
Piezo proteins mediate the sense of touch. A near-complete structure of one such protein has been obtained, and the mechanism for converting mechanical signals into electrical ones has been probed in another.
- Edwin W. McCleskey
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Article |
Force-induced conformational changes in PIEZO1
Cryo-electron microscopy and high-speed atomic force microscopy reveal that PIEZO1 can reversibly deform its shape towards a planar structure, which may explain how the PIEZO1 channel is gated in response to mechanical stimulation.
- Yi-Chih Lin
- , Yusong R. Guo
- & Simon Scheuring
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Article |
Structure and mechanism of the cation–chloride cotransporter NKCC1
The cryo-EM structure of the zebrafish cation–chloride cotransporter NKCC1 reveals the domain organization, ion translocation pathway, ion-binding sites and key residues for binding activity, providing insights into the activity of this family of transporter proteins with key roles in physiology.
- Thomas A. Chew
- , Benjamin J. Orlando
- & Liang Feng
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Article |
H+ transport is an integral function of the mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier
The mitochondrial ADP/ATP carrier mediates the proton leak in mitochondria from all tissues that lack UCP1, thereby linking coupled (ATP production) and uncoupled (thermogenesis) energy conversion.
- Ambre M. Bertholet
- , Edward T. Chouchani
- & Yuriy Kirichok
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Letter |
Rotation tracking of genome-processing enzymes using DNA origami rotors
ORBIT (origami-rotor-based imaging and tracking) is used to track the DNA rotation that results from DNA unwinding by RecBCD helicase and transcription by RNAP at a single-molecule scale and millisecond time resolution.
- Pallav Kosuri
- , Benjamin D. Altheimer
- & Xiaowei Zhuang
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Letter |
Structure and assembly of the mitochondrial membrane remodelling GTPase Mgm1
Crystal and electron cryo-tomography structures of Mgm1 from Chaetomium thermophilum reveal that Mgm1 forms bent tetramers, which further assemble into helical filaments on both positively and negatively curved membranes.
- Katja Faelber
- , Lea Dietrich
- & Oliver Daumke