Nanostructures articles within Nature Communications

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  • Article
    | Open Access

    Artificial biomolecular condensates are valuable tools to study the design principles of phase separation. Here, the authors demonstrate and characterize a model system of artificial DNA condensates whose kinetic formation and dissolution depends on DNA inputs that activate or deactivate the phase separating DNA subunits.

    • Siddharth Agarwal
    • , Dino Osmanovic
    •  & Elisa Franco

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The Notch receptor is known to be activated by a pulling force, but whether it is strictly required remains to be clarified. Here, the authors demonstrate activation of Notch through soluble multivalent DNA origami constructs, showing effects in neuroepithelial-like stem cells.

    • Ioanna Smyrlaki
    • , Ferenc Fördős
    •  & Björn Högberg

  • Article
    | Open Access

    In vivo manipulation of the dynamics of nanoparticles’ is essential for disease-specific imaging and therapy, but tends to involve complex design processes. Here, the authors report a strategy for manipulating the assembly of nanoparticles in vivo through a self-catalysis-instructed dimerization of tyrosine, offering convenient fabrication, high reaction specificity and biocompatibility.

    • Mengmeng Xia
    • , Qiyue Wang
    •  & Daishun Ling

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Precise coupling of different or even contradictory material properties and biological characteristics is needed for tissue engineering but challenging. Here the authors report an all-in-one guided bone regeneration membrane that asymmetrically combines stiffness and flexibility, ingrowth barrier and ingrowth guiding, alongside anti-bacteria and cell-activation.

    • Shuyi Wu
    • , Shulu Luo
    •  & Yan Li

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Two-photon absorption (TPA) affords unparalleled spatiotemporal resolution for bioimaging, but the photo-oxidation tends to weaken the photoluminescence in vivo, limiting the usefulness of TPA probes. Here, the authors report self-assembling near-infrared cyanine dye-based nanoprobes of enhanced TPA fluorescence imaging capacity based on a photo-oxidation enhanced emission mechanism.

    • Shukun Li
    • , Rui Chang
    •  & Xuehai Yan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Nanoparticle-based drug delivery systems have shown potential for treating malignant tumors, however, limited tumor penetration of nanosystems remains a hurdle for effective tumor therapy. Here, the authors report a biomimetic bubble nanomachine with tumor-cell-membrane-derived nanovesicle secretion triggered by near-infrared laser irradiation for enhanced tumor penetration.

    • Junbin Gao
    • , Hanfeng Qin
    •  & Yingfeng Tu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Myosin transduces chemical energy into mechanical work, but the mechanism remains unclear. In this work, the authors show that force-generation precedes product release and that a mutation in the active site alters the load dependence of product release.

    • Christopher Marang
    • , Brent Scott
    •  & Edward P. Debold

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The antigen-B-cell-receptor interaction is the driving force of terminal B cell development that spans from B cell activation to antibody secreting plasma cells. Here authors determine, using DNA-PAINT super-resolution microscopy, how antigen affinity and valency define antigen binding to BCR in an in vitro system allowing precision control of these parameters.

    • Alexey Ferapontov
    • , Marjan Omer
    •  & Søren Egedal Degn

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Hybrid nucleic acid origami has potential for biomedical delivery of mRNA and fabrication of artificial ribozymes. Here, the authors use chemical footprinting and cryo-electron microscopy to reveal insights into nucleic acid origami used to fold messenger and ribosomal RNA into 3D polyhedral structures.

    • Molly F. Parsons
    • , Matthew F. Allan
    •  & Mark Bathe

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bacteriophage are natural antibiotic agents and provide natural building blocks for living biomaterials. Here, the authors crosslink self-organised bacteriophages to make sprayable microgels which preserves the natural antibacterial action, have tuneable auto-fluorescence and demonstrate application in food decontamination.

    • Lei Tian
    • , Leon He
    •  & Zeinab Hosseinidoust

  • Article
    | Open Access

    It is known that the T cell co-receptor CD4 greatly enhances the capacity of T cell receptor (TCR) signalling, triggered by the peptide-bound MHC molecule. Here authors show that the mechanistic basis for the enhancement is the co-operative binding of TCR and CD4 to the MHC-peptide complex.

    • Muaz Nik Rushdi
    • , Victor Pan
    •  & Cheng Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Cost-effective methods for long-term storage of DNA are desired. Here the authors present a method for in situ cryosilicification of whole blood cells, allowing long-term and room temperature preservation of genomic information for only approximately $0.5 per sample.

    • Liang Zhou
    • , Qi Lei
    •  & Wei Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Fluorescent tracers facilitate the identification and subsequent collection of tumour draining lymph node biopsies, enabling important clinical assessment. Here, the authors present a molecular gold nanocluster NIR-II fluorescent imaging probe and demonstrate its utility to visualise draining lymph nodes in breast and colon cancer mouse models.

    • Ani Baghdasaryan
    • , Feifei Wang
    •  & Hongjie Dai

  • Article
    | Open Access

    The catalytic activity of regenerable nanozymes is currently the bottle neck for their wider employment. Here, the authors report on single-atom nanozymes of RhN4, VN4, and Fe-Cu-N6 with higher catalytic activities than natural enzymes, and demonstrate the Rh/VN4 recyclability and scalp healing properties in bioactive sutures.

    • Shaofang Zhang
    • , Yonghui Li
    •  & Xiao-Dong Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Studies on mechanotransduction are limited by our ability to apply low range forces to specific mechanoreceptors on cell membranes. Here the authors report the Nano-winch, a programmable DNA origami-based molecular actuator, to manipulate multiple mechanoreceptors in parallel by exerting piconewton forces.

    • A. Mills
    • , N. Aissaoui
    •  & G. Bellot

  • Article
    | Open Access

    MUC1 is a heavily glycosylated protein on the cell surface. Here the authors show that MUC1 prefers negative over positive membrane curvature due to its bulky size, enabling MUC1 to avoid endocytosis and surface removal based on curvature preference.

    • Chih-Hao Lu
    • , Kayvon Pedram
    •  & Bianxiao Cui

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Ballistic delivery with micro/nano-particles has been successfully used to transfect plant cells, however, has failed in mammalian cells due to toxic effects. Here, the authors report on a self-assembled nano-ballistic delivery system for the delivery of functional macromolecules and demonstrate efficient transfection of mammalian cells.

    • Juan C. Fraire
    • , Elnaz Shaabani
    •  & Kevin Braeckmans

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Focus-locking improves localization precision in single-molecule microscopy, but fiducials are often deposited at random and provide limited 3D compensation. Here, the authors fabricate 3D optical fiducials with nanometer accuracy by two-photon direct laser writing, and demonstrate isotropic 3D focus locking.

    • Simao Coelho
    • , Jongho Baek
    •  & Katharina Gaus

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Placenta accreta spectrum (PAS) is a high-risk obstetrical complication associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Here the authors discover a uniquely high prevalence of circulating trophoblasts clusters in PAS and explore their diagnostic potential to augment current diagnostic modalities for the early detection of PAS.

    • Yalda Afshar
    • , Jiantong Dong
    •  & Yazhen Zhu

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Self-assembling peptides have a range of potential applications but developing self-assembling sequences can be challenging. Here, the authors report on a one-bead one-compound combinatorial library where fluorescence is used to detect the potential for self-assembly and identified candidates are evaluated.

    • Pei-Pei Yang
    • , Yi-Jing Li
    •  & Kit S. Lam

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Organising proteins in 2D and 3D is needed to develop complex bimolecular materials for a range of applications. Here, the authors report the encapsulation of ferritin and apoferritin in DNA-based voxels with programmed assembly to generate both 2D and 3D protein lattices and demonstrate the retention of protein function.

    • Shih-Ting Wang
    • , Brian Minevich
    •  & Oleg Gang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Relatively little is known about cell-matrix interactions and the intracellular transduction of an initial ligand-receptor binding event on the single-molecule level. Here authors combine ligand-decorated DNA tension sensors with DNA-PAINT super-resolution microscopy to study the mechanical engagement of single integrin receptors and the downstream influence on actin bundling.

    • Thomas Schlichthaerle
    • , Caroline Lindner
    •  & Ralf Jungmann

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs), non-replicative particles secreted by Gram-negative bacteria, are known for their immunostimulatory and adjuvant properties. Here, by employing a Plug-and-Display technology, the authors engineer OMVs to display tumor antigens on the surface, a platform that promotes anti-tumor immune responses in preclinical cancer models.

    • Keman Cheng
    • , Ruifang Zhao
    •  & Guangjun Nie

  • Article
    | Open Access

    For programmable DNA self-assembly, it is desirable to suppress spontaneous nucleation to enable all-or-nothing assembly of nanostructures far larger than a single DNA origami. Here the authors introduce crisscross polymerization of elongated slat monomers that engage beyond nearest neighbors, providing strictly seed-initiated nucleation of crisscross ribbons with distinct widths and twists.

    • Dionis Minev
    • , Christopher M. Wintersinger
    •  & William M. Shih

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Here, the authors present photonic resonator interferometric scattering microscopy, which utilises a dielectric photonic crystal as the sample substrate. The resonant near-field enhancement leads to improved signal to noise ratio without increasing illumination intensity.

    • Nantao Li
    • , Taylor D. Canady
    •  & Brian T. Cunningham

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Coiled-coil protein origami is a strategy for the de novo design of polypeptide nanostructures based on coiled-coil dimer forming peptides, where a single chain protein folds into a polyhedral cage. Here, the authors design a single-chain triangular bipyramid and also demonstrate that the bipyramid can be self-assembled as a heterodimeric complex, comprising pre-defined subunits.

    • Fabio Lapenta
    • , Jana Aupič
    •  & Roman Jerala

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Antibiotic resistance is a major global health challenge. Here, the authors report on a thermoresponsive delivery system for combined photothermal and antibiotic delivery with fluorescent tracking abilities and demonstrate application against antibiotic resistant bacteria in vitro and in vivo.

    • Guangchao Qing
    • , Xianxian Zhao
    •  & Xing-Jie Liang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Microalbuminuria, a clinical marker associated with cancer and hypertension, defined by low albumin levels in the urine, is normally detected by immunoassay. Herein, a nanosensor paint was developed using a polymer to mimic fatty acid binding to albumin, transduced by carbon nanotube fluorescence.

    • Januka Budhathoki-Uprety
    • , Janki Shah
    •  & Daniel A. Heller

  • Article
    | Open Access

    De novo protein nanostructures are typically assembled via top-down approaches. Here, the authors developed a bottom-up approach, using split inteins to ligate multiple copies of a three-helix bundle to create 2D triangular and square-shaped structures with high stability.

    • Wenqin Bai
    • , Cameron J. Sargent
    •  & Fuzhong Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Curli are bacterial functional amyloids that have gained interest as self-assembling biomaterial for biotechnology applications. Here, the authors show that DNA origami decorated with CsgB nucleator proteins induced the site-specific nucleation and subsequent fibrillization of CsgA proteins.

    • Xiuhai Mao
    • , Ke Li
    •  & Chao Zhong

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Surface enhanced Raman scattering is a bio-analytical tool and the development and optimisation of probes is an active area of investigation. Here, the authors report on the development and testing of biocompatible semiconductor zinc oxide quantum probes on a platform for cell adhesion and analysis.

    • Rupa Haldavnekar
    • , Krishnan Venkatakrishnan
    •  & Bo Tan

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Artificial compartments have been expressed in prokaryotes and yeast, but similar capabilities have been missing for mammalian cell engineering. Here the authors use bacterial encapsulins to engineer genetically controlled multifunctional orthogonal compartments in mammalian cells.

    • Felix Sigmund
    • , Christoph Massner
    •  & Gil G. Westmeyer

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Understanding the biological role of graphene in eukaryotic cells is essential for future biomedicine applications. Here, the authors investigate the interaction of neurons and fibroblasts with graphene substrates, which increase cell membrane cholesterol and potentiate neurotransmitter release and receptor signaling.

    • Kristina E. Kitko
    • , Tu Hong
    •  & Qi Zhang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    Bacteria and other pathogens entering the blood stream can have serious consequences, which can even lead to death. Here, the authors developed a sieve containing nano-sized claws that capture and hold these intruders, thus aiding their removal from patient’s blood

    • Lizhi Liu
    • , Sheng Chen
    •  & Tie Wang

  • Article
    | Open Access

    DNA-origami allows the precise recruitment of DNA-protein conjugates but lacks the dynamics found in natural protein assemblies. Here the authors present a synthetic polymer platform that combines the dynamics of supramolecular polymers with the programmability of DNA-mediated protein recruitment.

    • Sjors P. W. Wijnands
    • , Wouter Engelen
    •  & Maarten Merkx

  • Article
    | Open Access

    FRET has been used to study protein conformational changes but has never been applied to RNA aptamers. Here the authors develop a genetically encodable RNA aptamer-based FRET system on single-stranded RNA origami scaffolds, and demonstrate it can be used to study RNA conformational changes.

    • Mette D. E. Jepsen
    • , Steffen M. Sparvath
    •  & Ebbe S. Andersen

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