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The molecular chaperones tapasin and TAPBPR play important roles in defining the repertoire of peptides displayed by MHC class I. Here, the authors combine NMR, ITC, fluorescence polarization measurements and deep mutational scanning analyses to reveal a peptide editing mechanism, where the G24-R36 loop in TAPBPR acts as a molecular trap to promote the selection of high-affinity peptide cargo.

The authors reveal a three-domain architecture of glycoprotein clusterin and show that the hydrophobic tails are crucial for clusterin’s functions as an extracellular molecular chaperone and apolipoprotein, as well as for receptor binding and cellular uptake.

Photovoltaic devices attached to immune cells travel through the blood to inflamed brain regions.

Antarctica is increasingly popular as a site for tourism and scientific research. The growth of marine traffic and the presence of major research stations have increased the anthropogenic deposition of heavy metals into this fragile ecosystem.

The Nuclear-physics and Multi-Messenger Astrophysics framework, NMMA, combines multiple information from neutron stars and neutron star mergers. Here, the authors show an update of the NMMA framework to constrain neutron star equation of state by simultaneously analyzing multi-messenger observations.

Here, the authors show the amyloid formation of a low-complexity domain of NCAP, and its potential for guiding the design of antiviral agents.

Intermediate-depth earthquakes (30-300 km) occur in subducting oceanic slabs, but their generation mechanism remains enigmatic. Here, the authors show through high-pressure and dehydration experiments of antigorite that dehydration-driven stress transfer triggers intermediate-depth earthquakes.

CtBP is a transcriptional master co-repressor with oncogenic activity. Here, the authors use structural and biophysical methods to show that CtBP interacts with RAI2 through SLiMs that induce CtBP polymerization and inactivation.

Recent theoretical studies indicate that the Kitaev model may be realized in framework materials exhibiting extended superexchange pathways. Here the authors report experimental evidence showing that the material requirements for a Kitaev quantum spin liquid are satisfied in a inorganic framework material.

The dayside thermal emission spectrum and brightness temperature map of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-18b obtained from the NIRISS instrument on the JWST showed water emission features, an atmosphere consistent with solar metallicity, as well as a steep and symmetrical decrease in temperature towards the nightside.

Immune receptors regulate immune responses and are key cancer immunotherapy targets. Here, the authors designed helical concave scaffolds to bind convex sites in immune receptors, creating high-affinity protein binders for TGFβRII, CTLA-4, and PD-L1. Co-crystal structures confirmed their therapeutic potential.

Controlling substrate elasticity during physical vapour deposition allows access to high-density stable glasses that would otherwise be formed under prohibitively slow deposition conditions on rigid substrates.

The Omicron variant evades vaccine-induced neutralization but also fails to form syncytia, shows reduced replication in human lung cells and preferentially uses a TMPRSS2-independent cell entry pathway, which may contribute to enhanced replication in cells of the upper airway. Altered fusion and cell entry characteristics are linked to distinct regions of the Omicron spike protein.

Despite the extensive efforts to stabilize Au catalysts for industrial hydrochlorination of acetylene to vinyl chloride the deactivation is not overcome yet. Here, the authors demonstrate that the ceria promotion to Au catalysts affords enhanced activity and stability via formation of Au(0)/Au(I) as new active pairs.

How the necroptosis executioner, MLKL, converts to a killer form has been mysterious. Here, authors show RIPK3-mediated phosphorylation of human MLKL is the cue for pseudokinase domain dimerization before assembly of pro-necroptotic MLKL tetramers.

Experiments performed in the CERN CLOUD chamber show that, under upper-tropospheric conditions, new atmospheric particle formation may be initiated by the reaction of hydroxyl radicals with isoprene emitted by rainforests.

Ric-8A is guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF) that also acts as a folding chaperone for its Gα subunit. Here, the authors present the structure of Ric-8A bound to nucleotide-free Gαi1, revealing the mechanism by which Ric-8A exerts both GEF and chaperone activity.

The mechanism underlying packaging of genomic RNA into viral particles is not well understood for human parechoviruses. Here the authors identify short RNA motifs in the parechovirus genome that bind capsid proteins, providing approximately 60 specific interactions for virion assembly.

The first images of the X-ray sky have been returned by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, showing that the recently launched instrument is functioning correctly. Once it has been calibrated, Chandra is expected to deliver huge scientific dividends, in particular in detecting faint X-ray sources.

The transmission spectrum of the exoplanet WASP-39b is obtained using observations from the Single-Object Slitless Spectroscopy mode of the Near Infrared Imager and Slitless Spectrograph instrument aboard the JWST.

Aberrant mTORC1 signaling is linked to several chronic diseases. Here, the authors develop a small molecule inhibitor that binds the small G-protein Rheb and selectively blocks mTORC1 signaling, holding potential for therapeutic applications.

One of the challenges of synthetic self-assembled capsules is achieving selective recognition of specific cargoes. Here, authors synthesize a self-assembled porphyrin cubic cage that is capable of sequestering imidazole and thiazole-containing small molecules and peptides, protecting them from proteolysis.

In this study, the authors report the small molecule inhibitor EDP-235 as a potent inhibitor of SARS-CoV-2 and show that it is effective against a range of variants and other coronaviruses and that it suppresses virus replication, reduces lung damage, and prevents transmission in small animal models.

The ability to sequence oligonucleotides which consist entirely of artificial bases will facilitate their ongoing development and use. Here authors demonstrate de novo nanopore sequencing of DNA oligomers composed of “P” “Z” “S” and “B” bases with high sequencing accuracy.

PU.1^low CD28-expressing microglia may act as suppressive cells in Alzheimer’s disease, mitigating its progression by reducing neuroinflammation and amyloid plaque load, indicating potential immunotherapeutic approaches for treatment.

Brain folds emerge in the womb and deepen throughout the first year of infant life. Early folds are deeper at birth but deepen slowly post-birth. Deepening is complex: folds widen, thicken, become more concave, and get denser with tissue after birth.

Here, the authors dissect the fuzzy interaction between the prokaryote transcription factor HigA2 and its DNA target and show that specific, transient interactions drive specificity despite HigA2 remaining mostly disordered.

Phase-resolved mid-infrared observations from JWST of the hot gas giant WASP-43b detect a day–night difference of 659 ± 19 K. Comparison with climate models shows that the observations are compatible with cloudy skies, at least on the nightside, and the lack of methane detection suggests the presence of disequilibrium chemistry.

Metal–organic framework capture materials could reduce the environmental impact of SO₂ emissions but can have limited stability and poor reversibility. Here, a metal–organic framework with open Cu(ii) sites with fully reversible SO₂ uptake of 17.5 mmol g⁻¹ under ambient conditions is reported.

Dye-sensitized solar cells rely on molecular dyes to absorb light and conduct electrons. Parlane et al. show that weak forces such as hydrogen bonding can be responsible for the dye regeneration step of solar cells and have an impact on the photovoltage and the efficiency.

BURP-domain proteins are an unexplored family of plant-specific, copper-dependent peptide cyclases. Here the authors show that a BURP-domain protein has a particular protein fold, investigate its mechanism and provide evidence for intramolecular modification in RiPP biosynthesis.

Fluorescent sensors that are responsive only in a specific subcellular location have remained elusive. Now, a chemogenetic sensing platform has been developed to sense glutathione in a user-defined organelle of interest. These tools enable quantitative studies of subcellular glutathione homeostasis using visible or near-infrared wavelengths.

The strength of the Southern Hemisphere westerly winds varied throughout the Holocene, according to a reconstruction from lake sediments, with periods of stronger winds coincident with higher atmospheric CO₂ levels.

The authors determined crystal structures of the main protease (Mpro) of SARS-CoV-2 bound to substrate peptides. These structures define the substrate envelope and enable identification of sites that may be susceptible to drug resistance.

Exsolved metal nanoparticles are widely believed to exhibit an exceptional robustness against coarsening. Here, the authors demonstrate that the coarsening behavior depends on the surface defect chemistry of the respective oxide support as well as the oxophilicity of the exsolved metal.

RSV and hMPV infections pose significant health risks in vulnerable populations. Here, the authors used a systematic approach to identify mutations critical for fusion protein metastability and rationally design uncleaved prefusion-closed trimers for RSV and hMPV F proteins that induce robust antibody responses in vivo.

Swarm Learning is a decentralized machine learning approach that outperforms classifiers developed at individual sites for COVID-19 and other diseases while preserving confidentiality and privacy.

Guest clusters within confined nanospaces have a significant impact on molecular recognition. Here authors highlight the potential to systematically control gas-cluster rearrangement, leading to tunable sorption and separation behaviour in a MOF.

Hailong, an anti-phage defence system, synthesizes an oligodeoxyadenylate signal that blocks effector activity in the absence of phage infection but is degraded by phage-encoded DNA exonucleases, leading to protective growth arrest of infected cells.

Understanding how materials respond to impacts at extreme strain rates is crucial, yet current approaches present significant challenges. Here, the authors report the use of a mechanophore-functionalized block copolymer to encode and report energy dissipation mechanisms in response to impacts.

Proteins have been used in the synthesis of magnetic nanoparticles but issues with aggregation limit this application. Here, the authors report on the synthesis of coiled proteins that display the active loop of the natural proteins to avoid aggregation and investigate the application in nanoparticle synthesis.

The recently introduced glass and liquid states of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) provide opportunities to design and explore new properties for this class of material. Here, the authors show that a MOF liquid can be blended with another MOF component to produce domain-structured MOF glasses with single, tailorable glass transitions.

Dysferlin is essential for plasma membrane repair, and mutations in this protein cause various muscle diseases. Here the authors report the structure of dysferlin, offering insights into its molecular mechanisms and how mutations impair its function.