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The role of force in activating integrin cell adhesion receptors is not known. Here the authors develop fluorescent tension sensors for αL and β2 integrins and show that in migrating T cells force is transduced across the β2 integrin, and that this correlates with an active conformational state.

The early signalling events that trigger initial T-cell receptor signalling are not clearly defined. Here the authors show that this occurs in two stages, the first between the CD8 coreceptor and CD3 requiring Lck association to CD8, while the second interaction requires binding of major histocompatibility molecules.

Internal friction affects the kinetics of protein folding. Borgiaet al. investigate how this friction affects the folding dynamics of the protein spectrin, revealing a potential role in the rate-limiting conformational changes.

The safety and efficacy of ribonucleoproteins for genome editing can be enhanced by formulations of lipid nanoparticles optimized for enhanced stability, delivery efficiency and editing potency of the protein complexes.

NMR and single molecule FRET experiments show that antiparallel EmrE dimers interconvert between two identical but oppositely oriented conformations that are each open only to one side of the membrane.

The interaction between synaptotagmin and SNAREs was characterized by a combination of single-molecule FRET and crystallography. The arrangement of the two Ca²⁺-binding loops of synaptotagmin 3 within SNARE-induced Ca²⁺-bound synaptotagmin 3 matches that of SNARE-bound synaptotagmin 1, suggesting a common molecular mechanism by which the synaptotagmin–SNARE interaction plays a role in Ca²⁺-triggered vesicle fusion.

NMR and Raman spectroscopies pinpoint the role of the protein droplet surface and RNA in the liquid droplet maturation mechanism of the FUS protein. A crust-like β-sheet structure is formed on the surface of FUS droplets during aging.

The contribution of glia to Huntington's disease is unclear. The authors show that human glial progenitor cells (GPCs) expressing mutant huntingtin impair motor performance when engrafted into wild type mice, and wild type human GPCs ameliorate disease phenotypes when engrafted into an HD mouse model.

The detailed mechanism of the pH-dependent quenching of semiconductor quantum-dot/dopamine conjugates, confirming quinone as the electron acceptor in the process, is now reported. This electrochemical knowledge of the bioconjugate system is used for the in vitro detection of drug-induced intracellular pH changes.

Modular synthetic G-protein-coupled receptors with nanobody-based ligand-recognition domains can be designed and used to programme transgene expression, real-time fluorescence or endogenous G-protein activation in response to soluble or cell-surface ligands, enabling control of diverse cellular behaviours.

Assembly of a collagen extracellular matrix requires the presence of fibronectin, but the mechanisms that direct this assembly are not known. Here the authors show that collagen I uses relaxed fibronectin fibrils as a template for assembly, and in turn shield fibronectin fibrils from force-mediated stretching.

The first experimental demonstration of saturable absorption in core-electron transitions in aluminium paves the way for investigating warm dense matter, which potentially has an important role in planetary science and the realization of inertial confinement fusion.

Hydrogel force sensors directly bioprinted into embryonic tissues quantify the forces driving tissue remodelling and reveal the existence of mechanisms that counteract tissue morphogenesis.

The assembly of branched actin networks depends on the heterodimeric capping protein CP/CapZ. Combining cryoEM, in vitro reconstitution and cell biological assays, the authors show that CP not only prevents actin filament elongation but also selectively masks actin filament ends to promote nucleation.

RNA–DNA hybrids carrying split functionalities can re-associate inside cells and activate RNA interference to selectively suppress certain genes.

Integrin β₂ attachment regulates inflammation via effects on neutrophil rolling and extravasation through sequential integrin extension then headpiece opening. Here the authors show an alternative open headpiece prior to extension stabilized in cisby ICAM-1 that limits neutrophil adhesion.

The inner scaffold is key for centriole stability but its organization is unclear. Here, the authors show the formation of POC1A-POC1B heterodimers, where POC1B resides near the centriole wall and POC1A associates with a POC5 tetramer/Centrin complex.

Single-molecule fluorescence microscopy experiments with a recombinant Escherichia coli transcription–translation system provides insights into the coordination of the transcription and translation machineries mediated by the intervening mRNA.

T-box riboswitch RNAs directly bind to specific tRNA and regulate the transcription or translation of downstream genes in bacteria. Using single-molecule FRET and ensemble biophysical analyses, here the authors uncover a Venus flytrap-like mechanism where tRNA binding to a T-box riboswitch mRNA triggers its rapid domain closure.

The authors determined a cryo-EM structure of the pioneer factor NR5A2 bound to a nucleosome. NR5A2 releases nucleosomal DNA from histones by DNA minor anchor groove competition, providing a mechanism for pioneer factor activity during reprogramming

Small RNAs (sRNAs) turn bacterial genes on or off by base pairing with mRNAs. Here the authors employ single molecule fluorescence to show how sRNAs and their chaperone Hfq quickly locate the proper target by repeatedly scanning an mRNA until a stable match is found.

Electronic energy transfer (EET) between chromophores is a critical process for solar energy funneling, and recent studies using scanning tunneling microscopy have shown that chromophores deposited on solid substrates in such conditions display peculiar EET features. Here, hybrid ab initio and electromagnetic modeling provide a comprehensive theoretical analysis of tip-enhanced EET.

Kuhm et al. reveal how human guanylate-binding protein 1 (GBP1) dimers self-associate to coat bacterial pathogens and uncover a guanosine triphosphate hydrolase-dependent membrane-remodeling activity of GBP1 that is crucial for intracellular immunity

A main objective of synthetic biology is the creation of chemical systems capable of replication and evolution. Here, the authors demonstrate combined self-replication and expression of multipartite genomes in vitro.

The cyclin-dependent kinase (Cdk) inhibitor p27^Kip1 (p27) folds upon binding to Cdk/cyclin complexes and during cell cycle progression p27 becomes phosphorylated, which triggers its ubiquitination and degradation. Here the authors use an integrated approach and show that Cdk2/cyclin A-bound p27 samples lowly-populated conformations that dynamically anticipate the sequential steps of the signaling cascade.

Using femtosecond time-resolved heterodyne-detected vibrational sum-frequency generation spectroscopy the authors determine the vibrational relaxation (T₁) time of the O-H stretch at the air/water interface by observing the decay of excited-state OH signals, providing a comprehensive picture of the interfacial vibrational relaxation process of water.

The authors report thermally activated delayed fluorescence in rigid planar donor-acceptor molecules achieving decoupling of ground and excited states through a bonding/antibonding connectivity between donor and acceptor without alarge dihedral twist angle between them.

Here the authors reveal triple heterogeneity of H2A.Z containing nucleosomes, attributed to interactions involving the C-terminal tail of the histone variant, and demonstrate modulation of global chromatin architecture using a synthetic tail peptide.

A study of two childhood cases of herpes simplex encephalitis shows that TMEFF1 interacts with the HSV-1 cell-surface receptor NECTIN-1, preventing HSV-1 from fusing with the cell membrane and entering cortical neurons.

The study presents the structure of photosystem II supercomplex from Picea abies solved by cryo-electron microscopy and describes its unique features—the presence of light-harvesting protein Lhcb8 and an α-tocopherol molecule with potential physiological function.

Here, the authors have generated a metacapase type II depletion model providing evidence for their paramount role in seed longevity. They also show that this is accomplished by regulating the ERAD, the proteostatic pathway crucial for seeds.

In Drosophila, dopamine sets motivational state during mating by regulating the integration of competing drives in copulation decision neurons, potentially indicative of a more general role for control over neuronal integration time in the regulation of behavioural decisions.

This study uses single molecule mechanical experiments and computer simulations to measure the speed by which an invading DNA or RNA strand displaces a bound strand from a double helix.

Researchers are scrambling to assess the extent and potential toxicity of pollution after the gas pipelines ruptured.

Here, the authors show that decreasing the strength of protein-protein interactions leads to improved agreement of Martini 3 generated molecular dynamics simulations with experimental data on a wide set of systems.

Nucleosomes compact the genome and regulate access to specific DNA sequences. Here the authors employ single-molecule FRET studies to characterize nucleosome dynamics at different salt concentrations and dissect nucleosome disassembly into elementary steps.

In vitrosingle-molecule technologies have emerged as powerful tools for the study of complex biological phenomena. Here, Robinson and van Oijen summarize the latest insights that fluorescence-based single-molecule studies have provided for DNA replication, transcription and translation in bacterial cells.