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The export of mRNA to the cytosol depends on the nuclear pore complex (NPC) and the activation of the helicase DDX19, but their interplay in humans remains poorly understood. Here, the authors present a structural and functional analysis of DDX19 activation, revealing how the human NPC regulates mRNA export.

The ‘boson peak’ refers to an extra peak in the terahertz vibrational spectrum of glasses. It is now shown that for liquids of highly symmetric molecules the boson peak can be singled out by means of depolarized Raman scattering; the peak is linked to the formation of clusters of about 20 molecules.

Time-series observations from the JWST of the transiting exoplanet WASP-39b show gaseous water in the planet’s atmosphere and place an upper limit on the abundance of methane.

Heritz et al. use an orthogonal approach to identify a selective inhibitor for HIF2α that disrupts its interaction with the molecular chaperone Hsp70. This inhibitor utilizes an alternative mechanism of action to previous HIF2α antagonists, providing a promising approach in addressing kidney cancer drug resistance.

Here the authors report new human fossils from Tam Pà Ling cave, Laos, consisting of a cranial and a tibial fragment, dated to 68–86 thousand years ago. This find confirms that Homo sapiens were present in Southeast Asia by this time and the shape of the fossils indicates they may have descended from non-local populations.

Ternary organic blends using two non-fullerene acceptors are shown to improve the efficiency and stability of low-cost solar cells based on P3HT and of high-performance photovoltaic devices based on low-bandgap donor polymers.

Soft robots made of hydrogels with anisotropic and shape-change properties offer interesting design opportunities. Here, the authors report zwitterionic hydrogels and anisotropic cellulose nanocrystals composites in which the shear-induced alignment of cellulose nanocrystals allows for the development of shape-change programmable miniature robots.

Aqueous electrocatalytic reduction of CO₂ into alcohol and hydrocarbon fuels is a sustainable route towards energy-rich chemical feedstocks. A superhydrophobic surface of hierarchically structured Cu dendrites exhibits a significant increase in CO₂ reduction selectivity.

The ages and geochemical compositions of inclusions of sublithospheric diamonds indicate additions to the mantle keel of Gondwana by the underplating of buoyant subducted material, originating from 300–700-km depth, which may have contributed to supercontinent stability during long-distance migration.

MatterGen is a model that generates stable, diverse inorganic materials across the periodic table and can further be fine-tuned to steer the generation towards a broad range of property constraints.

Choosing best chemical cross-linking (XL) reagents and conditions for studying protein-protein interactions in structural biology is laborious and lacks in accuracy. The authors develop here an accurate, fast, robust and quantiative denaturing mass photometry approach for screening of XL conditions.

Treatment of KRAS^G12C-mutant cancer cells with the KRAS(G12C) inhibitor AMG 510 leads to durable response in mice, and anti-tumour activity in patients suggests that AMG 510 could be effective in patients for whom treatments are currently lacking.

Carbon capture, utilization and storage is key for climate change mitigation and developing more environmentally friendly technologies. Now it has been shown that CO₂ capture in single-component water-lean solvents is accompanied by the self-assembly of reverse-micelle-like tetrameric clusters in solution that enable the formation of various CO₂-containing compounds.

PUF proteins, conserved stem cell regulators, maintain germline stem cells with partner proteins in nematodes. Here, authors discover a complex of two FBF-2 PUF proteins and partner LST-1 that represses target mRNA via adjacent regulatory elements.

Mutations in the CHKB gene cause muscular dystrophy. Here, the authors show that in mouse models of the disease changes in lipid metabolism are associated with decreased PPAR signaling, and show PPAR agonists can rescue expression of injury markers in myocytes in vitro.

Chronic Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is associated with elevated levels of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). Here the authors characterize the T cell responses to three variants of an HBsAg, Evn371-379, to find only the most stable L6I variant eliciting HBsAg responses, while T cells specific for L6I are detectable in both control and people with chronic HBV.

Physics-based simulation, alongside deep learning methods and experimental validation, provide insights into modulation of class B1 GPCRs by plasma membrane lipids.

Cloudinomorphs were one of the few groups to survive from the Ediacaran into the Cambrian, but they are known only from their external tubes. Here, Schiffbauer et al. report soft-tissue preservation of cloudinomorphs; the internal structures are interpreted as guts characteristic of bilaterians.

PPP1R2, also known as Inhibitor-2, is a regulator of PP1 with an elusive function. Here, the authors show that PPP1R2 functions as an additional subunit of a subset of PP1 holoenzymes, thereby promoting the dephosphorylation of their substrates through stabilization of subunit interactions.

The Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor (EGFR) is frequently found to be mutated in non-small cell lung cancer. Here, the authors show that EGFR lung cancer mutations promote the assembly of kinase-active dimers within ligand-free EGFR oligomers. These dimers bind ligand with high affinity and promote tumor growth.

This study identifies a novel immune checkpoint in senescent cells that is linked to the ganglioside GD3 and that contributes to the evasion of immune clearance by these cells and to aging and age-related diseases.

This study examines the history of North Atlantic deep-water masses, as recorded in marine sediments. Major lithological changes and increased rate of deposition reveal that stronger deep-ocean circulation initiated 3.6 million years ago.

Ferumoxytol (Fer) is an FDA-approved iron oxide formulation that disrupts caries-causing biofilms with high specificity but cannot interfere with enamel acid demineralization. Here, Fer is combined with stannous fluoride (SnF2), resulting in enhanced stability of SnF2 and inhibition of both biofilm accumulation and enamel damage more effectively than either alone.

Activated carbon has been widely used for PFAS adsorption, but this method generates secondary solid wastes. The flash Joule heating approach realizes mineralization of PFAS and generation of useful flash graphene in waste granular activated carbon.

Total in vitro biosynthesis can reveal unusual pathways evolved by nature to produce natural products. Here the authors report on enzymatic cascades, comprising a cryptic methylation sequence, efficiently delivering β-lactone-containing peptide proteasome inhibitors with promising anticancer activity.

SARS-CoV-2 main protease adapts a disulfide bonded inactive state to escape oxidative stress. Here, the authors report a crystal structure of an inactive conformation of the enzyme achieved through a H163A mutation, and the mechanistic details of conformational changes using atomistic simulations.

A class of nepetalactol-related short-chain dehydrogenase/reductases (NEPS) captures a reactive enol intermediate produced by iridoid synthase for cyclization and subsequent oxidation into nepetalactones, the active ingredients in catnip.

SAMHD1 catalyses the hydrolysis of dNTPs into 2′-deoxynucleosides and triphosphate and is an important regulator of cellular dNTP homeostasis. Here, the authors provide insights into the catalytic mechanism of SAMHD1 by performing kinetic measurements and determining crystal structures of α-β-imido-dNTP inhibitor complexes, which reveal a bi-metallic iron-magnesium centre and catalytic hydroxyl molecule in the active site of the enzyme.

Ultra-pure materials are essential for exploring intrinsic physics, yet achieving such purity often demands extensive crystal growth optimization. Here, the authors reveal that PtSn₄ naturally exhibits extremely low defect levels, confirmed through resistivity measurements and microscopy, establishing it as an ideal platform for studying extreme magnetoresistance and topology.

Characterizing the assembly of the nuclear pore complex (NPC) remains challenging. Here, the authors develop a set of nanobodies that recognize seven constituent nucleoporins, study their binding characteristics, and apply them to probe accessible and obstructed NPC surfaces in yeast.

Activation of the PPARγ/RXRα pathway in luminal bladder cancers has mainly been linked to PPARG gene amplifications and activating point mutations in RXRα. Here, the authors identify recurrent PPARγ mutations with similar effects and elucidate the structural basis for this mutational PPARγ activation.

A study using time-resolved cryogenic electron microscopy reveals the swinging lever mechanism of myosin, providing information on the molecular basis behind the production of force and movement by myosin.

The polymerase and histidinol phosphatase (PHP) domain in the DNA polymerase DnaE1 is essential for mycobacterial high-fidelity DNA replication. Here, the authors determine the DnaE1 crystal structure, which reveals the PHP-exonuclease mechanism that can be exploited for antibiotic development.

The mechanism of collagen heterotrimer folding is difficult to recapitulate synthetically. Now an ABC collagen mimetic heterotrimer has been designed that employs pairwise amino acid interactions, validated by X-ray crystallography, to promote composition- and register-specific assembly. The high specificity of its assembly leads to an increased rate of folding compared with similar collagen heterotrimers.

An anion and metal ion template is used to form woven polymer patches that are joined together by polymerization into a fully woven, two-dimensional, molecular patchwork.

The conversion of a soluble protein into polymeric amyloid structures is poorly understood. Here the authors report that the tumor suppressor protein p16^INK4a changes its structure upon oxidation to form aggregated amyloid fibrils, which are fully reversible upon disulfide bond reduction.

Broadly protective vaccines are needed to combat current and future human coronaviruses. Here the authors use structure-based design to engineer spike S2-only antigens that provide partial protection from sarbecovirus challenge in mice.

Aqueous zinc batteries are promising candidates for large scale energy storage systems but development of the cathode material remains a challenge. Here, the authors show a conductive 2D metal-organic framework involving intercalation pseudocapacitance mechanism for enhanced rate capability.

Implantable scaffolds rapidly generate and release anti-tumor CAR-T cells in mice.

During the 2022 Hunga Volcano eruption, 10 km³ of seafloor material was removed, fueling long-run out seafloor density currents. These powerful currents damaged seafloor cables over a length of >100 km, reshaped the seafloor, and caused mass-mortality of seafloor life.

Tumor draining lymph nodes are essential for immunotherapy efficacy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Here, the authors show that sequential tumor-directed radiotherapy and PD-1 inhibition and migratory CCR7+ dendritic cells are required for complete and durable tumor responses in HNSCC.

δ-Opioid receptors (δOR) are promising targets for pain management with reduced side effects. Here, the authors use a structure-based approach to design and characterize C6-Quino, a selective δOR partial agonist, highlighting its potential therapeutic relevance.

Interpretation of the early Cambrian fossil Protomelission gatehousei⁹ as a potential stem-group bryozoan realigns the fossil record with molecular clock estimations of the origins of Bryozoa.