Search

An approach that combines single-nucleus RNA sequencing and multiplexed perturbation identifies genes that enable the biosynthesis of direct precursors of the anti-cancer drug Taxol, whose current production involves a laborious extraction process from yew trees.

How biodiversity is linked to multiple ecosystem functions is not fully understood. Here, the authors show that a new mechanism, which they term the 'jack-of-all-trades' effect, best explains patterns of tree diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality in European forests.

The gut commensal Akkermansia muciniphila regulates food allergy symptoms in a diet-dependent manner in mice.

Mannosyl-queuosine (manQ) is a non-canonical RNA nucleoside present in the anticodon loop of certain tRNAs. Here, the authors use a combination of total synthesis and mass spectrometry to contradict the literature-reported structure and show that manQ features an alpha-allyl connectivity of its mannose moiety.

Plant species share a core metabolome, however the extent to which metabolic responses to environmental cues are also conserved remains unclear. Schweiger et al.describe shifts in the leaf metabolomes of five plant species during mycorrhizal fungal infection, and uncover high species-specificity.

This study describes the second, shortened chloroplast variant of the ribosome-associated molecular chaperone termed trigger factor. While lacking chaperone activity, it rather contributes to maturation of the 50S ribosome subunit, particularly during plant cold acclimation.

Nucleotide sugars are transported from the cytoplasm to the Golgi lumen where they are incorporated into cell wall polysaccharides and used for glycosylation of proteins and lipids. Here the authors identify GFT1, an ArabidopsisGolgi-localized GDP-fucose transporter that is required for plant growth and development

Mechanical stiffness and self-healing properties are difficult to combine in synthetic hydrogels. Using polymer entanglements in co-planar nanoconfinement, stiff and self-healing hydrogels are fabricated, with applications in biology and engineering.

Hofer et al. show that fasting promotes the synthesis of spermidine, which stimulates eIF5A hypusination to induce autophagy and increase lifespan in various species in a conserved manner.

Homeostasis of the intestinal epithelium is crucial for the maintenance of the epithelial barrier. Here, the authors show that mir-802 ablation in the mouse intestine impairs enterocyte differentiation and glucose absorption, enhances Paneth cell function by increasing Tmed9-mediated defensin secretion, and increases epithelial cell turnover.

In summer 2022 an enormous fish kill was observed in the Oder River as a consequence of prymnesins produced by an algal bloom. An investigation of the exposure of aquatic life and human cells to the contaminated Oder water revealed the presence of neurotoxicants, which are attributed to B-type prymnesins, with minor contributions by organic micropollutants.

A disturbed microbial network characterizes relapsing refractory Crohn’s disease and antedates disease recurrence after surgical removal of the active disease segment.

USP30 has been proposed to regulate mitophagy, a relevant Parkinson’s disease mechanism. Here, the authors show that Usp30 knockout mice and USP30 inhibitors like MTX115325 demonstrate neuroprotective responses in an alpha-synuclein mouse model of Parkinson’s disease.

Collagen is an important structural protein in connective tissue, but the effect of location and type of micro-ruptures in the structure on the overall tissue is not well understood. Here, the authors use scale-bridging simulations to determine the breakage points in collagen, and how the failure mode helps to prevent material ageing

Smut fungi secrete effector proteins that suppress host plant immunity. Here the authors show that the corn smut effector Erc1 has 1,3-β-glucanase activity and promotes virulence in maize leaves by attenuating β-glucan-induced defense responses.

Innate lymphoid cells (ILC) are involved with different immune responses. Here the authors show that Interferon regulatory factor 1 (IRF1) is important for intestinal ILC3 accumulation during Citrobacter rodentium infection and promotes release of the protective cytokine IL-22 and response to IL-23.

Short-term exposure to a high-fat diet reduces colonization resistance to Salmonella Typhimurium infection in mice and is associated with increase bile salts and plasmid transfer; however, E. coli can provide a protective effect under these conditions.

The authors measure numerous ecosystem functions across an elevational gradient on Mt Kilimanjaro and find that species richness impacts function more than species turnover across sites. They also show that variation in species richness impacts ecosystem functioning more strongly at the landscape scale than at the local scale.

The ribosome-assembly factor Mrt4 prevents untimely recruitment of the RNA-export receptor Mex67–Mtr2 to the nascent 60S ribosomal subunit, thereby ensuring appropriately timed nuclear export.

Analysis of genotyping-by-sequencing data for more than 20,000 barley accessions from a German genebank provides a framework for genomics-assisted genebank management and analysis of large germplasm collections for important crops.

Nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of several yeast mRNA decay factors regulates transcription and initiates a novel mRNA decay pathway; shuttling is controlled by the decaying RNA and is critical for coping with environmental changes.

The CsrA protein binds to and represses translation of certain bacterial mRNAs. Here, Dugar et al. show for the human pathogen Campylobacter jejunithat the major flagellin mRNA acts as both a target and a regulatory 'sponge' for CsrA, and is localized at the cell poles in a translation-dependent manner.

Direct conversion of 5-fdC into dC by C–C bond breakage is revealed by metabolic tracing studies through incorporation of synthetic stable isotope- and (R)-2′-fluorine-labeled dC and fdC derivatives into the genome of cultured mammalian cells.

Bullet-proof materials made of nanostructured composites outperform conventional materials, yet little is known of their nanoscale response to high-speed impact. Using laser-propelled microscopic projectiles, Lee et al.directly visualize this process in layered nanocomposites.

Novel Quantum-probe Field Microscopy (QFIM) captures ultrafast movies of Terahertz electric waveforms inside microstructures using fluorescent quantum dots.

Elevational trends in biodiversity and ecosystem functions across natural and anthropogenic habitats on Mount Kilimanjaro show that the effects of land use are strongly mediated by climate.

The free EMOPEC web tool enables precise tuning of bacterial protein expression on the basis of small changes to the Shine-Dalgarno sequence; oligos can be generated to engineer expression of any Escherichia coli gene.

In addition to canonical nucleotides, DNA contains various modified bases that contribute to the developmental and disease state of the organism. UHPLC–MS/MS with isotopically labeled standards is used in this protocol to quantify modified bases.