Research Briefing |
Featured
-
-
Article
| Open Access
Computationally designed sensors detect endogenous Ras activity and signaling effectors at subcellular resolution
Computationally designed sensors map the activity and signaling environment of Ras.
- Jason Z. Zhang
- , William H. Nguyen
- & David Baker
-
Brief Communication
| Open Access
Near-infrared co-illumination of fluorescent proteins reduces photobleaching and phototoxicity
A dual illumination method reduces photobleaching for green and yellow fluorescent proteins.
- Lucie Ludvikova
- , Emma Simon
- & Agathe Espagne
-
Article |
Spatial imaging of glycoRNA in single cells with ARPLA
GlycoRNA imaging in cells is enabled with a proximity ligation assay.
- Yuan Ma
- , Weijie Guo
- & Yi Lu
-
Article |
Time-tagged ticker tapes for intracellular recordings
Reporter gene expression history in cells is recorded with engineered fluorescent protein fibers.
- Dingchang Lin
- , Xiuyuan Li
- & Adam E. Cohen
-
Article
| Open Access
Rapid biosensor development using plant hormone receptors as reprogrammable scaffolds
Biosensors are developed from malleable hormone receptors.
- Jesús Beltrán
- , Paul J. Steiner
- & Timothy A. Whitehead
-
Article
| Open Access
A highly photostable and bright green fluorescent protein
StayGold is over one order of magnitude more photostable than current fluorescent proteins
- Masahiko Hirano
- , Ryoko Ando
- & Atsushi Miyawaki
-
Article |
Computationally designed dual-color MRI reporters for noninvasive imaging of transgene expression
MRI detection of transgene expression in animals is expanded to two colors.
- Hyla Allouche-Arnon
- , Olga Khersonsky
- & Amnon Bar-Shir
-
Article |
Wearable materials with embedded synthetic biology sensors for biomolecule detection
Wearable materials are endowed with synthetic biology circuits to detect biomolecules, including SARS-CoV-2 RNA.
- Peter Q. Nguyen
- , Luis R. Soenksen
- & James J. Collins
-
Letter |
ClampFISH detects individual nucleic acid molecules using click chemistry–based amplification
Sensitive detection of individual RNA and DNA molecules is achieved by exponentially amplifying the fluorescence signal.
- Sara H Rouhanifard
- , Ian A Mellis
- & Arjun Raj
-
News & Views |
Tagging activated neurons with light
Two new protein tools translate neuronal activity into gene expression during a light-defined time window.
- Dheeraj S Roy
- , Teruhiro Okuyama
- & Susumu Tonegawa
-
Article |
A FRET sensor enables quantitative measurements of membrane charges in live cells
The electrostatic potential of the plasma membrane of live mammalian cells is measured with a FRET-based sensor.
- Yuanqing Ma
- , Yui Yamamoto
- & Katharina Gaus
-
News & Views |
Microcantilevers track single-cell mass
An array of microfluidic cantilevers measures the mass of single cells in a population over time and detects drug-induced changes in cell growth.
- Rashid Bashir
-
-
Letter |
A split horseradish peroxidase for the detection of intercellular protein–protein interactions and sensitive visualization of synapses
Synapses can be detected with high sensitivity by a split reporter that visualizes intercellular protein–protein interactions.
- Jeffrey D Martell
- , Masahito Yamagata
- & Alice Y Ting
-
-
News & Views |
A dynamic picture of protein behavior in cells
Protein dynamics in livings cells can now be studied by fully automated, high-throughput fluorescence correlation spectroscopy.
- Mary N Teruel
- , Bo Gu
- & Michael L Zhao
-
Letter |
Generation of high-affinity DNA aptamers using an expanded genetic alphabet
In vitro selection experiments using unnatural nucleotides yield DNA aptamers with improved binding affinity to target proteins.
- Michiko Kimoto
- , Rie Yamashige
- & Ichiro Hirao
-
Article |
Tandem fluorescent protein timers for in vivo analysis of protein dynamics
Khmelinskii et al. describe tandem fluorescent protein timers for measuring protein turnover and trafficking in living cells. Data from a single time point are used to determine protein stability, allowing the authors to screen for components of protein degradation pathways.
- Anton Khmelinskii
- , Philipp J Keller
- & Michael Knop
-
News & Views |
New fluorescent probes for super-resolution imaging
Fatigue-resistant, photoswitchable fluorescent proteins facilitate sub-diffraction-limit imaging of living cells with low light intensity.
- Joshua C Vaughan
- & Xiaowei Zhuang
-
In This Issue |
In this issue
-
Article |
A reversibly photoswitchable GFP-like protein with fluorescence excitation decoupled from switching
Brakemann et al. present a reversibly photoswitchable fluorescent protein, called Dreiklang, that can be turned on and off at wavelengths distinct from those used for imaging. They show that the protein is advantageous for studying protein dynamics in living cells and for super-resolution imaging.
- Tanja Brakemann
- , Andre C Stiel
- & Stefan Jakobs
-
News & Views |
An infrared fluorescent protein for deeper imaging
A newly engineered infrared fluorescent protein will allow microscopists to peer more deeply into living animals.
- Jérôme Lecoq
- & Mark J Schnitzer
-
News & Views |
Biomarkers in aggregate
Implantable devices that measure the cumulative release of biomarkers promise new diagnostic options.
- Fred S Apple
-
Letter |
Fluorescent peptides highlight peripheral nerves during surgery in mice
The inadvertent cutting of nerves is a common adverse event during surgery. To ease visual identification of nerve fibers, Whitney et al. use phage display to develop a peptide that specifically stains peripheral nerves in living mice and in human tissue samples.
- Michael A Whitney
- , Jessica L Crisp
- & Quyen T Nguyen
-
Letter |
Scalable gene synthesis by selective amplification of DNA pools from high-fidelity microchips
Long DNA molecules, such as those encoding genes, can be assembled from short oligonucleotides created on a microarray. Kosuri et al. improve the fidelity and scalability of this process, enabling synthesis of 40 antibody fragments having repetitive regions and other challenging sequence features.
- Sriram Kosuri
- , Nikolai Eroshenko
- & George M Church
-
Article |
Rapid profiling of a microbial genome using mixtures of barcoded oligonucleotides
To identify genes affecting traits of interest in E. coli, Warner et al. describe a method to rapidly create and assay rationally mutated versions of every gene. The approach is applied to several traits, including tolerance to cellulosic hydrolysate, a biofuel precursor.
- Joseph R Warner
- , Philippa J Reeder
- & Ryan T Gill
-
Article |
Directed evolution of a magnetic resonance imaging contrast agent for noninvasive imaging of dopamine
Magnetic resonance imaging of hemoglobin in the brain can detect blood flow associated with neural activity, but direct imaging of neurotransmitters would provide a more sensitive measure of neural signal processing. Shapiro et al. use directed evolution to generate a protein probe that enables magnetic resonance imaging of the neurotransmitter dopamine.
- Mikhail G Shapiro
- , Gil G Westmeyer
- & Alan Jasanoff
Computer-based design of sensors that can monitor endogenous Ras activity
DNA cages target quantum dots
A flexible mesh to record the brain