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Among the first-row p-block elements that can form neutral triple-bonded species (boron, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen), all combinations have been realized except that of boron and carbon. Here the synthesis of a neutral, uncoordinated boryne is described, closing the remaining gap in neutral first-row p-block compounds with triple bonds.

Molecular analyses of longitudinal kidney biopsies from a phase 2 trial testing an anti-CD38 antibody for kidney transplant rejection show temporary suppression of antibody-mediated rejection during treatment, with molecular recurrence at 52 weeks.

The lysosomal aspartic protease Cathepsin D (CTSD) is associated with breast cancer progression. Here the authors show that selective inactivation of CTSD in mammary epithelium delays tumor onset due to impaired mTORC1 signaling, but resumes malignant growth due to compensatory oncogenic pathways

Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are prodrugs that are activated by protonation in the highly acidic environment of the stomach lining. Now, coordination of PPIs to protein-bound zinc ions is revealed as another pathway to PPI activation. Acting as a Lewis acid, the zinc ion facilitates conjugation of the drug to zinc-coordinating cysteine residues.

The paratympanic organ in the avian middle ear is similar to the fish spiracular organ, but its developmental origin is unresolved. O'Neillet al. use fate mapping techniques to show that the avian paratympanic organ and its afferent neurons arise from a previously undiscovered neurogenic placode.

Small heat shock proteins (sHsps) contribute to cellular recovery and survival following stress causing elevated levels of misfolded or unfolded proteins. Here the authors demonstrate that sHsps function by maintaining aggregating proteins in close-to-native conformations to facilitate chaperone-mediated refolding.

Realizing wearable sensors for blood pressure (BP) monitoring with clinically-acceptable performance remains a significant challenge. Here, the authors report a continuous noninvasive blood pressure measurement system featuring a volume control technique for small wearable sensors.

Designing gentle sinusoidal nanotextures enables the realization of high-efficiency perovskite–silicon solar cells

Inflammatory processes in atherosclerotic lesions promote disease progression and plaque rupture. Here the authors load the drug statin into nanoparticles made of recombinant high-density lipoprotein and show that these accumulate in atherosclerotic plaques and reduce plaque inflammation in mice.

Severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection is different in adults and children which involves the immune response. Here using a parent and children cohort with 4 month and 12 month sampling times, the authors show enhanced levels and increased breadth of anti-spike antibody level over time but reduced specific T cell and B cell numbers in children.

In this largest whole-exome sequencing study of epilepsies to date, the Epi25 Collaborative identified extremely rare variants that confer risk for diverse epilepsy subtypes, highlighting roles in synaptic transmission and neuronal excitability.

Using bulk heart transcriptomics of rat models of right and left ventricle failure, Jurida et al. examined transcriptional changes in cardiomyocytes during the progression of heart failure and the overlap with transcriptomics from humans with chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH), identifying more than 50 genes whose expression levels correlate with the severity of right heart disease.

Hsp70 chaperones are essential for cellular proteostasis, and their function depends on allosteric communication between their nucleotide- and substrate-binding domains. Here, Kityk et al.provide a mechanical model of allostery and demonstrate that ATP-induced substrate release is more important for chaperone activity than substrate-stimulated ATP hydrolysis.

Hsp70 chaperones interact with many proteins through a substrate-trapping mechanism that requires ATP. Hsp70s have a lid over the substrate-binding cleft, whose function is controversial. Using cysteine cross-linking and EPR in the Escherichia coli Hsp70 DnaK, it is now shown that helix B of the lid subdomain can adopt three major conformational states and that it does not necessarily close over bound substrates, allowing binding of natively folded states.

A chromosome-scale genome assembly of rye inbred line ‘Lo7’ provides insights into its incomplete genetic isolation from wild relatives, mechanisms of genome structural evolution and the yield benefits of rye–wheat introgressions.

An efficient protein disaggregation system uncovered in metazoan cells requires transient interactions between J-protein co-chaperones of classes A and B, which synergistically boost HSP70-dependent disaggregation activity, providing a flexible further level of regulation for metazoan protein quality control, with direct relevance to human diseases such as age-related neurodegeneration.

Land use explains ~60% of fish species richness from eDNA in a large river catchment in Thailand and modeling suggests that future land use may affect fish species richness overall but could threaten species of conservation interest.

Here, the authors perform a meta-analysis in 26,699 people with seizures and 492,324 controls to identify 25 genome-wide significant copy-number variants. The discovered loci point to known disease genes and associations with clinical annotations.

Nascent polypeptides undergo various cotranslational maturation steps, including N-terminal enzymatic processing, chaperone-assisted folding and membrane targeting. Kinetic analyses now demonstrate that N-terminal processing enzymes have fast ribosome binding kinetics, and premature chaperone recruitment or folding negatively affects processing efficiency, thereby separating nascent chain processing from later events.

People with mutations in ATGL, a gene involved in lipid catabolism, suffer from neutral lipid storage disease and often from cardiomyopathy. Rudolf Zechner and his colleagues now show in mice that Atgl activity in cardiac muscle produces key lipid ligands for PPAR-α, a transcription factor that regulates proper lipid metabolism and fuel burning in this tissue. These results may explain the mechanisms responsible for the cardiomyopathy and offer a potential target for treatment.

While separase is implicated in centrosome disjunction as well as in chromosome separation, its precise role at the centrosome has been uncertain. The proteolytic activity of separase is demonstrated to induce centriole disengagement through cleavage of cohesin.

Hsp70 binds unfolded protein segments in its groove, but can also bind and stabilize folded protein structures, owing to its moveable lid, with ATP hydrolysis and co-chaperones allowing control of these contrasting effects.

A reference genome from the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi is presented, along with sequences from 13 additional isolates, revealing a pan genome comprising core genes and genes variably distributed between strains: E. huxleyi is found to harbour extensive genetic variability under different metabolic repertoires, explaining its ability to thrive under a diverse range of environmental conditions.

The Hsp70 chaperones regulate protein metabolism, including folding, unfolding, subcellular localization, aggregation/disaggregation and incorporation into protein complexes. Recent studies have revealed the mechanisms of functions of Hsp70s and their co-chaperones, highlighting new opportunities for modulating disease-related Hsp70 roles.