Articles in 2015

The structure of insect odorant receptors (ORs) has remained elusive due to their lack of homology to other proteins and the inability to obtain OR crystals. Here, the authors use amino acid evolutionary covariation patterns to fold these proteins de novoand generate the first three-dimensional models of insect ORs.

Solution-processed blue lasers are used in many applications such as spectroscopy or material processing. Here, the authors demonstrate a borane solution-based blue laser that offers a high efficiency and a photostability that is superior to commercial laser dyes.

Kidney epithelial cells grown in 3D culture form polarized cysts in which basal membranes surround a lumen. Peng et al.show that the p110δ subunit of phosphoinositide 3-kinase contributes to the formation of these structures by influencing focal adhesion at the basal membrane.

Oldowan stone tool-making might have influenced the evolution of human language and teaching. Here the authors show that transmission of Oldowan tool-making skills improves with teaching and language, suggesting that hominin reliance on stone tool-making generated selection for teaching and language.

Pickering emulsions are particle-stabilized droplets suspended in an immiscible liquid, and the study of individual droplet coalescence has yielded many interesting findings. Here, Wu et al. move towards larger droplet numbers to investigate the influence of population on coalescence.

All-optical magnetization switching holds significant potential for future ultrafast high-density recording applications. Here, Le Guyader et al.demonstrate sub-100 ps sub-wavelength magnetization reversal by passive focussing of a single femtosecond laser pulse in micro-patterned GdFeCo thin films.

Grain boundaries between crystalline domains in solution-processed organic semiconductor thin films are believed to inhibit charge transport, but their structure is invisible to conventional characterization techniques. Wong et al. show the existence of nano-crystalline aggregates at domain interfaces.

Charge transport in organic semiconductors is highly sensitive to crystalline polymorphs. Here, He et al. manufacture the first n-channel single-crystal transistor via sublimation at ambient conditions and identify a new polymorphous phase that does not exist in its solution-processed counterpart.

Enzyme I (EI)—a component of the bacterial phosphotransferase signal transduction system—undergoes large conformational rearrangements upon substrate binding. Here the authors show that the EI open-to-closed conformational switch occurs through suppression of micro- to millisecond dynamics of C-terminal domain.

The separation of enantiomers by flows holds promise in food and pharmaceutical industries, but the feasibility remains uncertain. Here, Hermans et al.separate macroscopic particles of opposite chirality at a liquid interface using shear flows, which provides insights into the mechanism at nanoscale.

The Yes-associated protein (YAP) is a core effector of the Hippo pathway, which regulates proliferation and apoptosis in organ development, but its function in adult skeletal muscle remains poorly defined. Here the authors show that YAP is an essential regulator of myofibre size in adult skeletal muscle, via interaction with TEAD transcription factors.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that affects spinal cord motor neurons. Here the authors use induced pluripotent stem cell-derived motor neurons obtained from patients with ALS-linked mutations, and find functional deficits resulting from a progressive decrease in voltage-activated Na⁺ and K⁺currents that occur in the absence of cell death.

The brain has a central role in the regulation of organismal energy homeostasis. Here the authors show that neurons in the mediobasal hypothalamus respond to fatty acids by generating neuronal signals, relayed to the liver viavagal nerves that mediate secretion of very-low-density lipoproteins.

Adaptation of Mycobacterium tuberculosis to the host environment is principally mediated through its transcription factors. Here, the authors report the DNA binding and transcriptional profile of ~80% of all predicted M. tuberculosistranscription factors, and find wide-spread dormant DNA binding.

The ability to functionalize a C–H bond is useful in complex organic syntheses, but the scope of this approach is sometimes limited by its sensitivity to basic amines. Here, the authors achieve functionalization of amine-containing natural products by site-selective rhodium-carbene-mediated C–H insertion.

Metallic glasses are amorphous in the absence of long-range atomic packing orders, but their medium-range order may not be completely lost. Here, Wu et al.identify a number of crystalline units that are entangled in medium range and their influence on the glass-forming ability in binary glasses.

Performing radio-frequency arbitrary waveform generation in the optical domain offers advantages over electronic-based methods but suffers from lack of integration and slow speed. Here, Wang et al. propose a fast-reconfigurable, radio-frequency arbitrary waveform generator fully integrated in a silicon chip.

The absolute quantification of proteins and level of modifications between biological samples remain fraught with technical difficulties. Here, the authors present MARQUIS, a new mass spectrometry method that allows for precise absolute quantification of posttranslational modifications in complex protein samples.