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Förster resonance energy transfer, where energy is transferred between luminescent states, is a mechanism used for applications in photovoltaics or bio-imaging. Here, the authors show that these energy transfer rates are independent of the photonic environment, providing valuable feedback for applications.

The authors demonstrate Förster resonant energy transfer (FRET) behavior with assistance of engineered metamaterial surface plasmons. Deep subwavelength microwave regime was explored by the comparison with the perfect electric conductor case, showing the strong influence of the excitation of surface waves on both local density of optical states and FRET.

The function of transcription factors is conveyed through intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs) containing activation or repression domains, but the lack of quantitative structural ensemble models prevents their mechanistic decoding. Here, the authors use several methods to demonstrate that DNA binding can lead to complex changes in the IDR ensemble and accessibility on the example of the C-terminal IDR of pioneer factor Sox2.

An array of ⁸⁷Rb atoms with inter-atomic distances of 1.5 μm is prepared by holographic optical tweezers. When a pair of nearby ⁸⁷Rb atoms is optically excited to a Rydberg state, the energy exchange between the atoms is observed on a timescale of nanoseconds.

The combination of single-molecule fluorescence detection with Förster resonance energy transfer provides a powerful probe of biomolecular dynamics on timescales ranging from nanoseconds to days. This Review outlines single-molecule Förster resonance energy transfer spectroscopy with a focus on dynamics and highlights future developments and enhanced capabilities.

The power-conversion efficiency of dye-sensitized solar cells is increased by 26% by using energy relay dyes. The scheme aids the absorption of high-energy photons that undergo Förster resonant energy transfer to a sensitizing dye, and may offer a viable pathway for developing more efficient dye-sensitized solar cells.

Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET) is essential for studying molecular interactions, yet challenges remain in mapping complex interactions in cellular environments. Here, the authors employ a three-fluorophore FRET-cascade system with time-correlated single photon counting fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy to elucidate Rap1-interacting adaptor molecule (RIAM)-vinculin interactions in focal adhesions, revealing mechanosensitive roles of vinculin and its interaction with RIAM in a force-independent manner.

The transfer of electronic energy through a photosystem can harm the photosynthetic apparatus when not balanced with CO₂ fixation. Here, the authors show that CO₂ modulates electronic energy transfer in cyanobacteria by binding to and enhancing the activity of the light-harvesting complex.

A label-free, DNA-based proximity ligation assay that uses ligatable staple pairs enables the longitudinal quantification of DNA origami structural stability dynamics in vivo, with single-helix resolution for both wireframe and lattice designs.

A multi-laboratory study finds that single-molecule FRET is a reproducible and reliable approach for determining accurate distances in dye-labeled DNA duplexes.

The interaction between the polyelectrolytic IDP ProTα and a highly charged folded protein domain is investigated by integrating NMR, single-molecule FRET and MD simulations. Net charge and charge distribution are implicated in binding and selectivity.

Pan-expansion microscopy of tissue combines staining of proteins and lipids with immunolabeling.

Thin films of carbon nanotubes are been considered for energy harvesting and optoelectronic devices but their energy transfer pathways are largely unknown. Here, Mehlenbacher et al. use two-dimensional white-light spectroscopy to investigate the ultrafast energy redistribution in carbon nanotube films.

It remains challenging to gauge the gas-phase structure of biomolecular ions and assess to what extent native-like structures are maintained. Here, the authors utilize Förster resonance energy transfer and ion mobility spectrometry for more stringent structural characterization of biomolecular ions.

The principal mid-visible light-harvesting system in cyanobacteria is the phycobilisome. Now, using broadband multidimensional spectroscopy, delocalized vibronic excitations and sub-picosecond excitation transfer pathways have been observed in the rods of intact phycobilisomes. An observed kinetic bottleneck in the phycobilisome’s core arises from the intramolecular charge-transfer character of the bilin chromophores, enabling photoregulatory processes to operate on the >10-ps timescale.

Two highly charged disordered human proteins phase-separate into viscous complex coacervates while retaining their rapid conformational dynamics through pico- to nanosecond exchange of short-lived side-chain interactions.

Accurate quantification of intracellular ATP is essential for comparing ATP levels across different organelles, cell types, and samples. Here, authors develop a fluorescence lifetime indicator called qMaLioffG for quantifying ATP, with demonstrations including spheroids and the Drosophila brain.

Protein-mediated transport is implicated in trafficking fatty acids at contact sites of lipid droplets and mitochondria. Here, the authors use proteomics to catalogue the proteins at this contact site and report a mechanism of fatty acid transfer that regulates fatty acid oxidation and lipid homeostasis.

There is growing evidence that quantum coherence enhances energy transfer through individual photosynthetic light-harvesting protein complexes. This idea is now extended to complicated networks of such proteins and chemical reaction centres. A mathematical analysis reveals that coherence lengths up to 5 nm are possible.

A new riboswitch-based RNA sensor called Riboglow binds to quenched fluorescent probes to induce fluorescence turn-on. Riboglow enables tagging and tracking of mRNA and short noncoding RNAs with different colored fluorophores in live mammalian cells.

The morphology of organic solar cells is crucial to their performance but is difficult to measure. Using a variety of probes, Hedley et al.map the morphology of polymer-fullerene solar cells and find that elongated fibre-like polymer- and fullerene-rich domains are desirable for high performance.

Mutations in genes critical for proper intra-Golgi transport can cause human syndromes due to defects in glycosylation of proteins. Here, the authors identify a human variant of Syntaxin-5 that causes fatal multisystem disease and mislocalization of glycosyltransferases due to altered Golgi transport.

The development of antimalarials against the human liver and asexual blood stages is one of the top public health challenges. Here, the authors report a single-step biochemical assay for the characterization of prolyl-tRNA synthetase inhibitors, and develop high-affinity inhibitors for the enzyme, including elusive triple-site ligands.

The Panoptes antiphage system defends bacteria by detecting phage-encoded counter-defences that sequester cyclic nucleotide signals, triggering membrane disruption and highlighting a broader strategy of sensing immune evasion through second-messenger surveillance.

Using fluorescence lifetime as the readout modality offers more reproducible and quantitative outputs compared to conventional fluorescent barcoding, being independent of sample concentration and measurement methods. Here, the authors design a photo-switchable nanogel exhibiting variable fluorescence lifetime, and demonstrate visual mapping by using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy on a sub-cellular scale.

Preparing room temperature phosphorescent materials from biomass is important but challenging. Here, the authors report the use of liquid monomer 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate for dissolution of lignin and subsequent solvent-free preparation of lignin-based RTP materials.

A mass spectrometry-based approach globally identifies protein regulators of metabolism and reveals the role of LRRC58 in controlling cysteine catabolism.

Single-molecule FRET studies have resulted in an experimentally derived model of a synaptotagmin–SNARE complex. In this complex of SNARE with synaptotagmin 1, the arrangement of the Ca²⁺-binding loops is similar to that of the structure of SNARE-induced Ca²⁺-bound synaptotagmin 3. This suggests a common molecular mechanism by which the synaptotagmin–SNARE interaction plays a role in Ca²⁺-triggered vesicle fusion.

DNA polymerase theta (Polθ) plays central roles in microhomology-mediated end joining (MMEJ) DNA damage repair. Here, the authors determine a series of structures of Polθ helicase domain during the MMEJ, revealing key conformational changes for DNA binding, microhomology search, and annealing.

Mitochondrial complex I deficiency is frequent in congenital, neurologic and cardiovascular disease. Here the authors demonstrate that Complex I stimulates the turnover of a mitochondrial calcium channel, which becomes stabilized during Complex I deficiency, preserving energetic homeostasis.

Cell migration in confined environments is initiated by a cytoplasmic pool of anillin and Ect2 that promotes RhoA/myosin II-mediated activation at the poles of migrating cells, in a process dependent on the extracellular environment stiffness.

The multi-subunit SWR1C remodeler deposits histone variant H2A.Z at nucleosomes flanking protein-coding genes. Here the authors use single-molecule and ensemble methodologies to identify three ATP-dependent phases in the H2A.Z deposition reaction.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) variability and its phenotypic consequences aren’t well studied in relation to viral replication fitness and disease severity. Here, the authors identify a replication-enhancing domain in non-structural protein 5A, linking high replication fitness to severe disease outcomes, with implications for understanding HCV pathogenesis in immunocompromised patients.

Information-bearing templates that catalyse the assembly of complex macromolecules are a central motif of natural biochemistry, but their power remains largely unexplored in synthetic contexts. Enzyme-free templating of DNA dimerization has now been demonstrated, using DNA nanotechnology to ensure that the templates are effective information-propagating catalysts.

The visualization of ion-motive-force driven conformational dynamics of membrane proteins is hampered by technical difficulties. Here, the authors develop an experimental platform to visualize the rotary dynamics of ATP synthase driven by proton-motive-force.

Broad uptake of smFRET has been hindered by high instrument costs and a lack of open-source hardware and acquisition software. Here, the authors present the smfBox, a cost-effective open-source platform capable of measuring precise FRET efficiencies between dyes on freely diffusing single molecules.

RNF4 is a prototypical single-subunit E3 enzyme that can bind both substrate and ubiquitin-loaded E2. Here, the authors show that the RNF4 N-terminal region, although lacking a defined secondary structure, maintains a compact global conformation to facilitate ubiquitin transfer to the substrate.

The presence of conformational substates of a catalytically competent 'closed' state in the ligand-free form of adenylate kinase is detected. Molecular dynamics simulations indicated that the partially closed conformations were sampled in nanoseconds, and NMR and single-molecule FRET experiments revealed the sampling of a fully closed conformation occurring on the microsecond-to-millisecond timescale.

Mass cytometry can be used to scale up multiplexed serology testing, as shown for the simultaneous detection of antibody levels against multiple SARS-CoV-2 proteins in hundreds of serum samples.

The opening mechanism of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein has been studied by integrating computational and experimental data. Combining weighted ensemble molecular dynamics simulations, biolayer interferometry and ManifoldEM analysis of cryo-EM data revealed that the glycan at N343 plays a gating role in the opening mechanism of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein.

Fatty liver disease exacerbates atherosclerosis, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, the authors show that D-dopachrome tautomerase (D-DT/MIF-2) acts as an atypical chemokine, promoting both atherosclerosis and hepatic lipid accumulation.

Amyloid self-assembly is linked to type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. Here the authors designed constrained peptides which are nanomolar amyloid inhibitors of the key polypeptides IAPP and Aβ42 and act via supramolecular nanofiber co-assembly.

CoraFluors, a class of macrocyclic terbium complexes for use in time-resolved FRET, exhibit physicochemical properties desirable for biological studies, including characterization of Keap1 ligands and HDAC1 target engagement profiling in live cells.

The essential role of ORAI1 channels in receptor-evoked Ca²⁺ signaling is well understood, but the roles of ORAI2 and ORAI3 remained obscure. Here authors show that ORAI2 and ORAI3 channels multimerize with ORAI1 to expand the range of sensitivity of receptor-activated Ca²⁺ signals, reflecting their enhanced basal STIM1-binding and heightened Ca²⁺-dependent inactivation.