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Understanding superconductivity in low carrier density metals near polar quantum critical point, such as SrTiO3, has been challenging. Here, using inelastic neutron scattering, the authors reveal a correlation between the superconducting dome and the spatial length scale of polarization fluctuations.

Activation of c-src kinase is associated with uncontrolled growth and metastasis of tumour cells. Shukla et al.model conformational changes in c-src during activation, and identify an allosteric site in an intermediate state that may provide a target for small molecule therapeutics.

Understanding the molecular basis of voltage-sensing is of great importance in biology. Here, the authors use computational analysis and simulations to reveal atomic level insights into the mechanism of an isolated voltage-sensing domain.

A neural network approach grounded in transition-path theory is shown to uncover committor-consistent transition pathways, resolving competing mechanisms across dynamical regimes and advancing the modeling of rare events in biomolecular systems.

This Consensus Statement presents the standards for technical reporting in environmental and host-associated microbiome studies (STREAMS) guidelines.

During transport by the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase, Na⁺ and K⁺ ions become occluded between intra- and extracellular gates. Here Castillo et al. measure transient electrical signals arising from K⁺ occlusion and use molecular simulations to describe a K⁺ gating mechanism fundamentally different to that of Na⁺.

The R2TP/Prefoldin-like cochaperone complex is involved in the assembly of a number of protein complexes. Here the authors provide evidence that RUVBL1/RUVBL2, subunits of that cochaperone complex, directly interact with ZNHIT2 to regulate assembly of U5 small ribonucleoprotein.

A series of behavioural, electrophysiological and chemical assays are used to attempt to detect long-range sex pheromones involved in species-specific male swarm recognition by Anopheles female mosquitoes, but no evidence is found.

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression. Ilott et al. characterize changes in the expression of lncRNAs and enhancer RNAs during the inflammatory response in human monocytes and show that these RNAs can be involved in the regulation of the innate immunity.

Dynamic control over protein function is a central challenge in synthetic biology. Here the authors present an integrated computational and experimental workflow for engineering reversible protein switches; metal-chelating unnatural amino acids genetically encoded into two conformationally dynamic enzymes to yield robust switches.

Constriction of the selectivity filter is assumed to be a hallmark of C-type inactivation in K⁺ channels. Using different high-resolution methods, this study shows a distinct C-type inactivation mechanism in a KcsA mutant that emulates Kv-channels.

Leukotriene B₄ (LTB₄) is a potent lipid chemoattractant driving leukocyte migration and neutrophil swarming, but methods for its real-time detection are lacking. Here, the authors develop GEM-LTB₄, a genetically encoded fluorescent biosensor, and use it to visualize leukocyte-derived LTB₄ gradients.

Transmembrane electrochemical ion gradients are the thermodynamic forces exploited by living cells to drive specific substances across the membrane. A new study begins to reveal the molecular mechanisms by which a transporter protein harnesses these driving forces.

Conformational transitions triggered by the binding of neurotransmitters open the gate of the ion channel domain of glutamate receptors, regulating the transmission of information through the nervous system. Using single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET), the agonist-binding domain of the GluA2 receptor, isolated in solution, is observed to interconvert among distinct large-scale conformational states.

A series of long molecular dynamics simulations shows that the K⁺ channel is sterically locked in the inactive conformation by buried water molecules bound behind the selectivity filter; a kinetic model deduced from the simulations shows how releasing the buried waters can elongate the timescale of the recovery period, and this hypothesis is confirmed using ‘wet’ biophysical experiments.

For each ATP molecule, the Na/K pump extrudes three Na⁺ and imports two K⁺ ions by alternating between outward- and inward-facing conformations that preferentially bind K⁺ or Na⁺, respectively. Molecular dynamics simulations based on atomic models, together with electrophysiological experiments, show that protonation of several acidic residues that form the cation-binding sites is crucial to achieve K⁺ selectivity.

Tetrameric cationic channels specificity is determined by the sequence and structural conformation of their selectivity filter. Here, the authors show that a cationic channel from Tsukamurella paurometabola is non-selective due to a Ca²⁺-binding motif within its unusual proline-rich filter.

In patients with melanoma, increased RAS/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway activity is known to drive chemotherapy resistance. Here, the authors identify CDK12 as a downstream effector of the RAS/MAPK pathway and therapeutic target which mediates chemotherapy resistance through increased expression of DNA repair associated genes.

Spontaneous activity shifts at constant experimental conditions are widespread among ion channels but the molecular origins are poorly understood. Here, using solid-state NMR and MD simulations, the authors reveal that modal gating shifts in K + channels are caused by large shifts in the channel dynamics which perturb the selectivity filter.

Steve Brown and colleagues report an analysis of 20 phenotyping tests, including 413 data parameters, across 449 mutant mouse alleles. They identify widespread pleiotropy and assign putative functions to genes that lacked previous phenotypic annotation.

MBNL and FOX splicing factors are known to have a role in the differentiation of muscle and the nervous system during development. In this study, the authors show that MBNL1 and RBFOX2 regulate alternative splicing of genes that are required specifically for late mesoderm differentiation.

3D single-molecule localization is limited in depth and often requires using a wide range of point spread functions (PSFs). Here the authors present an optical solution featuring a deformable mirror to generate different PSFs and easy-to-use software for super-resolution imaging up to 5 µm deep.

CNNM/CorB proteins are a conserved family of membrane proteins associated with Mg²⁺ transport. Here, structures of an archaeal CorB protein in apo state and with Mg²⁺-ATP bound and accompanying biophysical experiments suggest direct Mg²⁺ transport by CorB proteins.

Voltage sensor domains (VSDs) transducer changes in the electrical field across cell membranes into conformational changes that alter the activation state of an effector domain. Structural and biophysical data on the VSD from Ci-VSP reveal the first view of this domain in the resting state, providing new insight into voltage-dependent structural transitions.

Binding of a neurotransmitter to the ligand-binding domain of glutamate receptors results in conformational changes and opening of the channel. The relationship between ligand binding and activation is not clear, and now the energetics of ligand binding are dissected using computational methods.

The heart is an endocrine organ, producing atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) in a regulated manner. In this Review, the authors discuss the physiological regulation and actions of the cardiac natriuretic peptides and their clinical use as powerful diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of heart disease.

The K+ channels can display three distinct gating modes. The molecular basis for two of these modes (low open probability and flickery) are now examined by a combination of single-channel recording, crystallography and modeling of mutants in Glu71, revealing that changes in ion and water occupancy in and around the selectivity filter determine modal gating.

Sequencing studies have provided a comprehensive catalog of the expression of intergenic long noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) in 13 subsets of human T cells and B cells. Subtype-selective lincRNAs are among those identified, including linc-MAF-4, that might regulate T cell differentiation.

LeuT is a Na⁺-coupled amino acid transporter that is similar in sequence and function to eukaryotic neurotransmitter/sodium symporters, which are active in reuptake of neurotransmitters from the synapse. Distance measurements between spin-label pairs are used to identify ligand-dependent structural transitions in LeuT.

Shigella flexneri aerobic respiration depletes mucosal oxygen in the colon to promote infection.

Increasing resistance of Plasmodium falciparum strains to piperaquine (PPQ) in Southeast Asia is of concern and resistance mechanisms are incompletely understood. Here, Ross et al. show that mutations in the P. falciparum chloroquine resistance transporter are rapidly increasing in prevalence in Cambodia and confer resistance to PPQ.

The genome of the black truffle - one of the most popular truffles on the market - has been sequenced. This is the first genome of a symbiotic ascomycete to be analysed. Comparison with the genome of another ectomycorrhizal symbiotic fungus indicates that a genetic predisposition to symbiosis evolved differently in ascomycetes and basidiomycetes. The study also offers insight into fungal sex and fruiting.

In the Big Data era, a change of paradigm in the use of molecular dynamics is required. Trajectories should be stored under FAIR (findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable) requirements to favor its reuse by the community under an open science paradigm.

K⁺ channels can convert between conductive and non-conductive forms through mechanisms that range from flicker transitions (which occur in microseconds) to C-type inactivation (which occurs on millisecond to second timescales). Here, the mechanisms are revealed through which movements of the inner gate of the K⁺ channel KcsA trigger conformational changes at the selectivity filter, leading to the non-conductive C-type inactivated state.

The bacterium Shigella flexneri, which causes dysentery, infects the gastrointestinal tract. It uses a type III secretion system as a molecular syringe to inject virulence factors into host cells during infection. It is now suggested that varying oxygen availability during different phases of infection tightly regulates expression of the secretion system, as well as the secretion of virulence factors.