Biophysics articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Human multidrug resistance protein 5 (hMRP5) effluxes anticancer and antivirus drugs, driving multidrug resistance. Here, the authors present cryo-EM structures of hMRP5 in different states, showing that hMRP5 can be autoinhibited by a short peptide from its N-terminal tail, which prevents the entry of substrates into hMRP5’s transport pathway.

    • Ying Huang
    • , Chenyang Xue
    •  & Zhongmin Liu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Intracellular potassium (K+) homeostasis is achieved by activity of both ion channels and transporters. Here, the authors report structures of E. coli glutathione (GSH)-gated K+ efflux transporter KefC with bound K+ and conclude that the ion-binding site is adapted for binding a dehydrated ion.

    • Ashutosh Gulati
    • , Surabhi Kokane
    •  & David Drew

  • Article
    | Open Access

    This study explores alternative stable states in microbial communities. Focusing on a respiratory tract community of 6 species, the authors identified four distinct stable states that are predicted to be driven by cooperative growth. The findings contrast with the common association between competitive interactions and multistability in microbial communities.

    • William Lopes
    • , Daniel R. Amor
    •  & Jeff Gore

  • Article
    | Open Access

    BAX and BAK are proapoptotic proteins that directly mediate mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization (MOMP). Here, lipidomics and other data provide insight on how local lipid environment affects BAX and BAK function during apoptosis, suggesting that unsaturated lipids promote BAX pore activity.

    • Shashank Dadsena
    • , Rodrigo Cuevas Arenas
    •  & Ana J. García-Sáez

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The mechanical properties of spider silk are a consequence of the structural organisation of proteins known as spidroins. Here the authors investigate the structure of the fibers formed by a C-terminal domain of a major spidroin: the study elucidates the mechanisms by which spidroins are transformed from soluble form into a fiber.

    • Danilo Hirabae De Oliveira
    • , Vasantha Gowda
    •  & My Hedhammar

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Efflux pumps confer antibiotic resistance by coupling proton import with drug export. In this work, the authors uncover the proton-coupled transport mechanism for the clinically relevant efflux pump NorA from the pathogenic bacterium S. aureus.

    • Jianping Li
    • , Yan Li
    •  & Nathaniel J. Traaseth

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Sialin transports multiple substrates including sialic acid out of lysosomes, and neurotransmitters into synaptic vesicles. This study reports the cryo-EM structures of Sialin in multiple states revealing its transport and pH-sensing mechanisms.

    • Philip Schmiege
    • , Linda Donnelly
    •  & Xiaochun Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Biomolecular condensates form via phase separation of multivalent macromolecules. Phase separation is governed by solubility whereas multivalence drives percolation, also known as gelation. The authors in this work identify the distinct energy and length scales that influence phase separation versus percolation.

    • Mrityunjoy Kar
    • , Laura T. Vogel
    •  & Rohit V. Pappu

  • Perspective
    | Open Access

    Temporal blockade of the mononuclear phagocyte system is an approach to enhance the therapeutic efficiency of nanocarrier drug-delivery systems but the broad applicability is hindered by the complexity of optimisation and management of potential side effects. Here, the authors review the development of this technique and show its efficiency using meta-analysis of the published data and discuss essential features for its successful translation to clinic.

    • Ivan V. Zelepukin
    • , Konstantin G. Shevchenko
    •  & Sergey M. Deyev

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, authors classify genes flanking the Heliorhodopsin (HeR)-encoding genes and identify highly conserved residues for protein–protein interactions, revealing a function of HeR as regulatory rhodopsin for multidrug resistance.

    • Shin-Gyu Cho
    • , Ji-Hyun Kim
    •  & Kwang-Hwan Jung

  • Article
    | Open Access

    NCOMMS-23-44446C Vivid structural colours in butterflies are caused by photonic nanostructures scattering light, however insight into the development of such structures in vivo remains scarce. Here the authors show that actin plays a vital and direct templating role during structural colour formation in butterfly scales, providing ridge patterning mechanisms that are likely universal across lepidoptera.

    • Victoria J. Lloyd
    • , Stephanie L. Burg
    •  & Andrew J. Parnell

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The molecular system regulating cell surface mechanics remains largely unexplored at single-cell resolution. Here, the authors report a high-throughput single-cell assay, ELASTomics, which integrates mechanical phenotyping with unbiased transcriptomics.

    • Akifumi Shiomi
    • , Taikopaul Kaneko
    •  & Hirofumi Shintaku

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Skeletal ryanodine receptor controls calcium mobilization indispensable for muscle contraction. Here, authors combine cryo-EM and molecular dynamics to uncover the structural basis of the intricate regulation of this channel by calcium and magnesium.

    • Ashok R. Nayak
    • , Warin Rangubpit
    •  & Montserrat Samsó

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Different environmental stressors induce different subtypes of stress granules (SGs), and each of them presumably have distinct functions. Here the authors provide a framework for understanding the compositional and functional heterogeneity of SGs, and see that TRIM25 mainly associates with anti-viral SGs.

    • Zehua Shang
    • , Sitao Zhang
    •  & Da Jia

  • Article
    | Open Access

    NADPH oxidase 5 (NOX5) is activated by Ca2+ signaling, catalyzing superoxide production by transferring electrons from intracellular NADPH to extracellular oxygen. Here the authors uncover the molecular basis of NOX5 activation and electron transfer.

    • Chenxi Cui
    • , Meiqin Jiang
    •  & Ji Sun

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Pentamidine and melarsoprol are drugs used to treat sleeping sickness caused by Trypanosoma brucei. Here, authors present cryo-EM structures of TbAQP2 with molecular dynamic simulations, revealing mechanisms shaping substrate specificity and drug permeation.

    • Wanbiao Chen
    • , Rongfeng Zou
    •  & Chongyuan Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Enabling visual proteomics with high-confidence 3D template matching (TM) in CryoET. 3D TM precisely localizes macromolecular complexes, individual subunits, and different functional states in situ, revealing molecular interactions within cells.

    • Sergio Cruz-León
    • , Tomáš Majtner
    •  & Gerhard Hummer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In eukaryotes, G-quadruplex in mRNA (RG4) 5′ UTR inhibit translation initiation. Here the authors employ single molecule assay to show that RG4 in E. coli reporter increases translation efficiency by preventing ribosome dislodging.

    • Chun-Ying Lee
    • , Meera Joshi
    •  & Sua Myong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here the authors identify a generic coupling in phase-separated liquids between motility and phase equilibria perturbations: phase-separated droplets swim to their dissolution. This suggests alternative transport mechanism for biomolecular condensates.

    • Etienne Jambon-Puillet
    • , Andrea Testa
    •  & Eric R. Dufresne

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Using computer simulations authors identify the dynamic molecular motions controlling the structural conformation of the TWIK1 ion channel, showing that its ability to transport sodium upon acidification result from the evolution of the classical potassium-selective pore.

    • Franck C. Chatelain
    • , Nicolas Gilbert
    •  & Olivier Bignucolo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Aggregated forms of α-synuclein are characteristic of Parkinson’s disease. Here the authors show that the condensation-driven aggregation pathway of α-synuclein can be inhibited using small molecules: the aminosterol claramine stabilizes α-synuclein condensates and inhibits α-synuclein primary nucleation in the aggregation process.

    • Samuel T. Dada
    • , Zenon Toprakcioglu
    •  & Michele Vendruscolo

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The main protease, a key enzyme of SARS-CoV-2, can protect itself from oxidative damage. Here, Reinke, Schubert, and colleagues used XFEL radiation to image the enzyme, revealing the disulfide and NOS/SONOS bonds that form in response to oxygen.

    • Patrick Y. A. Reinke
    • , Robin Schubert
    •  & Thomas J. Lane

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The fluctuating dynamics of a passive object suspended in an active fluid can provide fundamental insight into the fundamental non-equilibrium behavior of the fluid. Singh and Chaudhuri theoretically investigate the dynamics of a passive deformable droplet in active nematic turbulence and show how the motion of the droplet is influenced by the interplay of spatial correlations of the flow and the size of the droplet.

    • Chamkor Singh
    •  & Abhishek Chaudhuri

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Inactivation is an intrinsic property of NaV channel, but the mechanism for slow inactivation is not fully understood. Here, authors show a NaVEh structure in a potential slow-inactivated state, elucidating structural basis for slow inactivation.

    • Huiwen Chen
    • , Zhanyi Xia
    •  & Daohua Jiang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    When studying nematic ordering of cells in a monolayer, it is commonly assumed that the principal stress and cell shape axes are tightly coupled. Here, the authors measure cell shape and cell-generated contractile stresses and show that cells in monolayers form correlated, dynamic domains in which the stresses are systematically misaligned with the cell bodies.

    • Mehrana R. Nejad
    • , Liam J. Ruske
    •  & Julia M. Yeomans

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The surface charge and ζ-potential of biomolecular condensates is key to their interactions with membranes and proteins. Here, the authors developed a method to determine the ζ-potential of condensates using microelectrophoresis and single-droplet tracking.

    • Merlijn H. I. van Haren
    • , Brent S. Visser
    •  & Evan Spruijt

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