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This study harnesses reductive catalytic fractionation to produce lignin oligomers within a design space that enables efficient epoxidation. The developed epoxidation process activates aliphatic hydroxyl groups, yielding low-viscosity lignin epoxy resins with high functionality that form thermosets with near-benchmark properties while offering improved biomass-to-resin yield and sustainability.

Carbon dioxide is a desired feedstock for platform molecules, such as carbon monoxide and higher hydrocarbons, but needs improved catalysts. Here, the authors use a combined theoretical and experimental approach to tune the activity and selectivity of CO₂ conversion over nickel towards desired products.

Understanding structure sensitivity—how the structural morphology of a surface influences a catalytic reaction—is important for rational catalyst design. Here, the synthesis and in-depth characterization of a range of size-defined nickel clusters shows the structure sensitivity of CO₂ hydrogenation, and also identifies two size-dependent reaction pathways.

XRISM spectroscopy of the nucleus of the Circinus galaxy indicates elemental abundances suggestive of a dominant enrichment from core-collapse supernovae with progenitors below 20 solar masses; more massive stars may directly collapse into black holes.

This study characterizes the interaction between the clinical candidate anle138b and Aβ₄₀ fibrils in a lipid environment. The compound reduced fibril formation by approximately 75%, providing insights relevant to Alzheimer’s drug development.

Uptake of vitamin B₁₂ is important for colonisation of the gut by Bacteroides species. Here the authors characterise B₁₂ uptake in Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, mediated by outer membrane protein complexes consisting of surface-exposed BtuG lipoproteins and BtuB TonB-dependent transporters.

Analysis of the kinase activity of 300 protein Ser/Thr kinases reveals that the substrate specificity of the kinome is substantially more diverse than expected and is driven extensively by negative selectivity

Insight into the active zeolitic domains of catalyst particles used in fluid catalytic cracking is limited by the particles' complex nature, but is crucial to improving these billion dollar catalysts. Now, a staining method allows confocal fluorescence microscopy to probe within single catalyst particles, and correlate Brønsted acidity distributions to catalytic activity.

Structural and functional characterization of the β-barrel assembly machinery complex in Bacteroidota reveals a distinct, seven-component complex with a large extracellular domain that may enable β-barrel–surface lipoprotein complex assembly.

The grain boundaries between two coexisting phases in organic semiconductor pentacene are expected to obstruct charge transport in its thin-film devices. Westermeier et al. use infrared-spectroscopic nano-imaging to show an interlocking morphology, which is uncorrelated with its grain structures.

This study reveals that an outer membrane protein from the predator Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus forms a pentameric assembly that traps a lipid monolayer within. This allows the discovery of two superfamilies, distributed across a wide range of bacteria, likely to adopt a similar architecture.

The uptake of hydrophobic molecules by bacterial FadL channels is implicated in quorum sensing, interactions with eukaryotic hosts and biodegradation of many pollutants. Insights into monoaromatic hydrocarbon uptake by TodX and CymD channels suggest that all FadL channels mediate substrate uptake via lateral diffusion.

The authors report the structural characterization of the mechanically activated channel MscS in different membrane environments and show how the mechanosensation of MscS can be visualized.

The authors present structures of nutrient transport complexes of the commensal bacterium Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron and the mechanism by which it imports glycans.

Porphyromonas gingivalis, an oral anaerobe involved in the pathogenesis of periodontitis, relies on extracellular proteases to degrade proteins into peptides for growth, but how these peptides enter the cell is unknown. Here, the authors identify RagAB as the outer-membrane importer for these peptides and solve its structure, elucidating that it works via a ‘pedal bin’ mechanism of nutrient uptake.

The hydrogenation of CO₂ to form methane has been known for over a century. However, given increased interest in small-molecule activation for energy storage, and improved catalysts and understanding of the process, it is worthwhile to look again at the reaction. This Perspective discusses recent work on the fundamentals of the Sabatier reaction and also the potential for large-scale applications.

Energy coupling factor (ECF) transporters consist of an integral membrane protein that confers substrate specificity (S-component) and an energizing module related to ATP-cassette (ABC) transporters. Structural studies of the thiamin-specific S-component ThiT from Lactococcus lactis reveal an interaction with the energizing module through a conserved motif on the membrane-embedded surface of ThiT, thereby providing insight into the substrate translocation mechanism.

Lead halide perovskite nanocrystals show bright and colour-pure emission in the visible range, which can be tuned by nanocrystal size and composition. Here authors present the formation mechanisms of anisotropic lead halide perovskite nanocrystals, 1D nanorods and 2D nanoplatelets, by combining in situ X-ray scattering and photoluminescence spectroscopy.

Sortilin is an endocytosis receptor with a luminal β-propeller domain. Here the authors present the structures of the β-propeller domain at neutral and acidic pH, which reveal that sortilin dimerises and undergoes conformational changes at low pH and further propose a model for low pH-induced ligand release by endocytosis receptors.

Structure insensitivity in catalysis has been empirically observed, but no satisfactory theoretical explanation could be given. By studying different nanoparticle sizes under dynamic catalytic conditions reaction-dependent particle size dependent restructuring was linked to the aforementioned.

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism in ultrafast mode provides insight into spin relaxation in nickel on a femtosecond timescale, opening up new horizons for research into spin dynamics with the highest resolution.

Complement forms an ancient innate immune defense. Gros and colleagues provide new insight into the interactions between complement convertase C3b and its regulator factor H and with the staphylococcal inhibitor SCIN.

Circular RNAs are exported from the nucleus by Ran-GTP, exportin-2 and IGF2BP1 in a mechanism analogous to protein export rather than mRNA export.

Mep2 proteins are tightly regulated fungal ammonium transporters. Here, the authors report the crystal structures of closed states of Mep2 proteins and propose a model for their regulation by comparing them with the open ammonium transporters of bacteria.

A number of disease-causing human transthyretin (TTR) mutations are known to lead to amyloid formation. Here the authors combine neutron crystallography, native mass spectrometry and modelling studies to characterize the T119M and S52P-TTR mutants, providing mechanistic insights into TTR amyloidosis.

Some human amyloid proteins have been shown to interact with viral proteins, suggesting that they may have potential as therapeutic agents. Here the authors design synthetic amyloids specific for influenza A and Zika virus proteins, respectively, and show that they can inhibit viral replication.

How the REGγ-proteasome pathway is regulated during the cell cycle or genotoxic insults remains unclear. Here, the authors show that NIP30 acts as a molecular switch to regulate the REGγ-proteasome activity and may provide an approach to combat drug-resistant tumours lacking functional p53.

Myelin-associated glycoprotein (MAG) maintains myelin-axon spacing. Here, the authors report the crystal structures of the MAG full ectodomain in complex with oligosaccharide, and use additional assays to provide insights into the mechanism of MAG-mediated signalling.

DNA origami can be coated in a layer of silica to improve chemical and thermal stability however; it is unclear if this is a surface or interpenetrating layer. Here, the authors use in situ small-angle X-ray scattering to study silica deposition and observe internal silica formation resulting in DNA origami condensation and structure shrinkage.

The crystal structure of MlaA, coupled with simulations of its interaction with phospholipids, elucidates how this outer membrane lipoprotein acts as a phospholipid translocation channel to maintain the asymmetric composition of the outer membrane.

Chimeric antigen receptor T cells in the clinic currently target cell-type-specific extracellular antigens on malignant cells. Here, authors engineer tumor-specific chimeric antigen receptor T cells that target human leukocyte antigen-presented neoantigens derived from mutant intracellular proteins.

Heterogeneous catalysis is a diverse and highly interdisciplinary field in chemistry, which is essential in our modern society. This Review highlights how understanding the active site in catalysts will help in their rational design — an essential step in a transition to renewable energy and a circular economy.

A genetically encodable, FRET-based sensor enables quantitative measurements of macromolecular crowding in living bacterial and mammalian cells.

Crystal facets are known to be important in traditional heterogeneous catalysis, yet this effect has not been studied in plasmon-assisted catalysis. Here, the authors investigate the impact facets have on CO₂ reduction using plasmonic Au NPs.

Gain-of-function mutants of p53 are important for cancer development and strategies to target specifically these isoforms are being investigated. Here the authors report that USP15 is a deubiquitinase specifically regulating p53-R175H levels that can be targeted by a small molecule.

Cancer therapy drugs are designed to target genetic vulnerabilities, but loss-of-function screens often fail to identify essential genes in drug mechanism studies. Here the authors demonstrate CRISPRres, which exploits in-frame variation generated by indel formation to discover gene-drug interactions.

The Sortilin-related CNS-expressed receptor 2 (SorCS2)–proneurotrophin signaling system regulates neuronal plasticity and its dysfunction is linked to schizophrenia. Here the authors present the structures of the SorCS2 ectodomain alone and in complex with Nerve Growth Factor, which provides insights into SorCS2 ligand binding and signaling.

The understanding of nucleation and growth of nanostructures plays a key role in complex materials design. Here, the authors illustrate how X-ray in situ studies link transformation at the molecular- and macro- length scales during the emergence of cobalt oxide assemblies.

Efforts to find renewable alternatives to fossil fuels that might enable a carbon-neutral society by 2050 are described, as well as outlining a possible roadmap towards a refinery of the future and evaluating its requirements.