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CBASS systems trigger bacterial suicide via membrane disruption. Here, authors show that effector CapV relocates to the cell pole upon sensing 3’3’-cGAMP, where it cleaves phospholipids and ruptures membranes, revealing a filament-dependent activation mechanism for antiviral defense

Low temperature is a major factor limiting productivity in rice. Here the authors show that theCTB4a gene confers cold tolerance to japonicavarieties adapted to cold habitats at the booting stage of development, and propose that CTB4a acts via an interaction with the beta subunit of ATP synthase.

A new artificial intelligence model, DeepSeek-R1, is introduced, demonstrating that the reasoning abilities of large language models can be incentivized through pure reinforcement learning, removing the need for human-annotated demonstrations.

Hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) plays a central role in the hydrolysis of triacylglycerols stored in lipid droplets (LDs). Here, the authors identify two LD-binding motifs in HSL, and the binding is independent of HSL phosphorylation catalyzed by PKA.

RNF213 is a key player in fighting against various invasive pathogens in mammals. Here, the authors show that pathogenic Shigella flexneri can use its effector IpaH1.4 to directly target and subvert RNF213 to evade host antibacterial immunity.

RNF214 ubiquitin ligase is understudied. Here the authors show RNF214 promotes hepatocellular carcinoma progression by inducing non-proteolytic ubiquitylation of TEADs and activating YAP signaling pathway.

A structural study of native dystrophin glycoprotein complex from mouse skeletal muscle reveals an extended tower-like architecture that provides multiple binding sites on both sides of the membrane for signalling and effector molecules, reshaping our understanding of how the complex is assembled.

Dai et al. show that in response to low glucose levels, AMP-activated protein kinase-mediated phosphorylation of WDR24, a component of the GATOR2 complex, leads to suppression of mTORC1 activation.

N⁶-methyladenosine and ubiquitination modifications play crucial roles in plant-virus interaction. Here, E3 ligase TaHAKAI is found to target the WYMV P2 for degradation and inhibit viral infection in wheat while increasing yield through m⁶A.

Using cryo-EM structures and electrophysiological analysis of Arabidopsis CNGC1 and CNGC5, this study characterizes plant CNGCs as a class of CNBD channels that feature Ca²⁺ selectivity and are not regulated by cyclic nucleotide monophosphate binding.

Photonic sensing is a method for detecting individual chemical species, but can fail when they are sufficiently similar in physical properties. Here, the authors report a method that can distinguish even very closely related species, such as homologues and chemical isomers.

Maskless high-resolution patterning of structural colours is demonstrated using a new material called ‘M-Ink’. The period of the material is patterned magnetically and a photochemical process immobilizes the structure in a polymer network.

This paper reports a customizable CRISPR ribonucleoprotein delivery tool, dubbed RIDE, for the treatment of Huntington’s disease in mice, non-human primates and patients’ iPSC neurons.

Su, Zhao, Jiang and colleagues identify IGFBP6 as an intrinsic downregulator of the inflammatory response lost in disturbed flow-induced atherosclerotic plaque development, suggesting that its restoration may represent a viable therapeutic strategy.

Zhang, Xu, Liu, Wang et al. identify an inhibitory mechanism for RIPK1 kinase through EGLN1/pVHL-mediated proline hydroxylation, which is disrupted upon prolonged hypoxia that activates RIPK1 activity to promote cell death and inflammation.

Although dry reforming of methane can convert CO₂ to valuable chemicals, the reaction requires near-equivalent amounts of CH₄. Now it has been demonstrated that an electro-thermocatalytic CH₄ reforming process, when combined with the reverse water–gas shift and H₂O electrolysis reactions, can efficiently catalyse CO₂-rich natural gas into syngas.

A cryo-EM structure of the human 26S proteasome in a resting state at an average resolution of 3.5 Å reveals details in the interactions between subunits. An additional structure of the proteasome with USP14 bound suggests a mechanism for its activation.

ZAC is a Zn²⁺ and H⁺-activated cation channel. Here, the authors report the structures of human ZAC and identify an unusual C-tail that functions in auto-inhibition. This work provides insights into the gating and activation mechanisms of ZAC.

Cryo-EM analysis of the quinolone transporter NorA in complex with synthetic antigen-binding fragments (Fabs) inspired peptide mimics of the Fabs that inhibit methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in combination with the antibiotic norfloxacin.

Myosin VI can facilitate the maturation of autophagosomes in autophagy through interactions with Tom1 and autophagy receptors. Here authors report the structure of the cargobinding domain of Myosin VI in complex with Tom1, which provides insights into Myosin IV’s cargo recognition modes.

While most broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAb) against Influenza virus target conserved conformational epitopes of the glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA), Sun et al. characterize a lineage of bnAbs that neutralize group 1 and 2 strains. Structural characterization shows that antibody 28-12 binds a continuous epitope within H3 (group 2) but requires a conformational epitope for H1 (group 1) binding. Comparison of germline-reverted Ab and intermediate mutants provides evidence for an evolutionary adaptation from group 2 to group 1 strain.

A broad-range human antibody with neutralizing activity against various coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, targets a unique epitope within the highly conserved S2’ site and the fusion peptide of the spike protein that is exposed during interaction with the host cell. The pan-coronavirus antibody protects mice against infection with SARS-CoV-2 and HCoV-OC43 following prophylactic and therapeutic treatment.

Traditional protein engineering methods are often slow and labor-intensive. Here, authors develop an automatic protein evolution platform enabled by a protein language model. Using this platform, they significantly improved the activity of a tRNA synthetase within ten days.

While it is known that the El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) influences tropical cyclones, but little is known about a reverse effect. Here, data and model output shows that tropical cyclones can affect ENSO with a lead of 3 months, especially contributing to a significantly more intense El Niño in the winter months.

Nie et al. describe a mechanism underlying the degradation of the histone methyltransferase NSD2 through the recruitment of FBXO22 E3 ligase, providing a chemical probe for NSD2 function study and targeted protein degradation.

Mutations in optineurin that cause defects in the interaction with TBK1 are associated with neurodegenerative diseases. Here, the authors report the structure of this complex, and outline a general binding mode for these proteins.

The adaptor protein TRADD is a regulator of both cellular homeostasis and apoptosis, and represents a potential therapeutic target for human diseases.

Here, the authors report the discovery of a redox switch for AcrIIC1, which regulates AcrIIC1’s monomer-dimer interconversion and inhibitory activity on Cas9. By reporting the structures of different redox states of NmeAcrIIC1, they identify a pair of conserved cysteines which mediate the redox switch. The replacement of the redox-sensitive cysteines allows the generation of a more stable and robust variant under various cellular environments.

Identical twins from a single embryo are formed in multiple species, albeit rarely. It is not clear how such twinning is suppressed during early development. Here they show that calcium signalling activity is propagated through the extraembryonic tissue to prevent ectopic primitive streak formation during gastrulation.

Embolization is one of the most promising strategies for clinical disease treatments, however, the existing embolic materials normally have poor embolization effectiveness. Here, the authors report Janus particle-engineered structural lipiodol droplets by programming the self-assembly of Janus particles at the lipiodol-water interface to achieve highly efficient renal embolization.

Soil-borne wheat yellow mosaic virus (WYMV) poses a serious threat to global wheat production. Here, the authors report that the nuclear inclusion protease-a produced by WYMV interacts with a small peptide catalyzed by TaRD21A protease activity to mediate WYMV resistance through activating MAPK signaling pathway.

The metabolic pathways used by microbes to degrade guanidine or mitigate its toxicity remain unclear. Here, the authors report a guanidine degrading enzyme that controls genomic stability of ethylene producing cyanobacterial strains.

Using electron cryomicroscopy, the structure of the closed-state rabbit ryanodine receptor RyR1 in complex with its modulator FKBP12 is solved at 3.8 Å; in addition to determining structural details of the ion-conducting channel domain, three previously uncharacterized domains help to reveal a molecular scaffold that allows long-range allosteric regulation of channel activities.

Treatment of influenza A viruses with broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies is an area of active research. Here, the authors characterise a human monoclonal antibody called 3E1 that was reactive against both H1 and H5 viruses in vitroand demonstrated some treatment efficacy in mice.

Insect salivary protein (BISP) targets OsRLCK185 to suppress defence in susceptible plants, whereas in resistant plants BISP binds BPH14 to activate host plant resistance. To restore cellular homeostasis, the resistance mechanism is fine-tuned by selective autophagy.

Cooperation between the ULK complex and autophagy receptors mediates targeting cargoes to autophagosomes. Here, the authors show that interactions of ULK subunit FIP200 with autophagy receptors CCPG1 and Optineurin can be regulated by phosphorylation, suggesting a general binding mode shared by autophagy receptors.

Plant viruses adopt diverse strategies to inhibit host antiviral defense. Here the authors show that multiple different effectors from various rice viruses interfere with host gibberellin signaling by targeting the DELLA protein SLR1.

All-solid-state lithium batteries performance is affected by the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) and electrically disconnected (“dead”) Li metal. Here, via operando NMR measurements, the authors quantify the Li metal in the SEI and “dead” regions using various inorganic solid-state electrolytes.

The structure of human GLUT1 in an inward-open conformation is reported; access to the structure of the human protein, instead of just a bacterial homologue, made it possible to map (inactivating) mutations associated with GLUT1 deficiency syndrome onto the structure.

Bulk high-temperature superconductivity observed in pressurized tetragonal La₂PrNi₂O₇ was testified by detecting clear diamagnetic signals below about 75 K with appreciable superconducting shielding volume fractions at a pressure of above 15 GPa.

Derivation of human primordial germ cell-like cells (hPGCLCs) is critical for reproductive medicine. Here, authors report the induction of hPGCLCs in a bioengineered human pluripotent stem cell culture that mimics peri-implantation human development.

C⁵-glyceryl-methylcytosine is a DNA modification that plays a role in the regulation of green alga photosynthesis and is catalysed by CMD1, using vitamin C (VC) as a co-substrate. Here, the authors provide insights into the catalytic mechanism of CMD1 by determining the crystal structures of apo CMD1 and CMD1 bound to either VC or DNA, as well as the ternary CMD1/VC/DNA complex structure.

A structure of the sperm-specific CatSper complex features a number of additional components; together, these components and the CatSper complex are termed the CatSpermasome.