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Quasisymmetry could arise from spontaneous symmetry breaking in a system of strongly interacting building blocks with programmed curvatures, and this principle, coupled with a design approach, can generate a rich array of quasisymmetric assemblies.

Researchers identify endothelial Drp1 as a redox sensor that couples mitochondrial oxidative signaling to metabolic reprogramming, driving blood vessel growth in the retina and tissue revascularization after ischemic injury.

The Star of David topology is an iconic symbol that has been used in religious and cultural contexts for thousands of years. Now it is assembled in molecular form through a hexameric circular helicate generated by six tris(bipyridine) ligands entwined about six iron(II) cations. The structure of the two triply-entwined 114-membered rings is revealed by X-ray crystallography.

Removing perchlorate from water is difficult without harsh conditions or precious metals. A defective MoS₂ catalyst paired with iron rapidly converts perchlorate to chloride near neutral pH by channeling electrons to active molybdenum sites.

Understanding the structural relationship and electronic states between incommensurate/commensurate phases remains an ongoing challenge. Here, the authors report incommensurate structures and electronic roughness on the surface of cleaved IrTe₂.

Controlled breaking of a chemical bond by mechanical forces can provide key insight into reaction mechanisms. Here the authors, using atomic force microscopy and computations, measure the forces involved in breaking a single dative bond between a CO molecule and a ferrous phthalocyanine complex.

Researchers designed two-component proteins forming quasisymmetric cages via geometric frustration, enabling tunable virus-like assemblies for cargo delivery, cellular uptake and studying intracellular diffusion and protein localization.

The molecular chemical ‘fuelling’ of the catalysis-driven motor 1-phenylpyrrole 2,2′-dicarboxylic acid, which operates by a Brownian information ratchet mechanism, facilitates dynamics that are otherwise kinetically inaccessible.

Endocrine therapies are the main adjuvant therapy for estrogen receptor positive breast cancer, but 30% of patients recur. Here, the authors discover that endocrine therapy upregulates Rac1 signalling component P-Rex1, and inhibition of Rac1 reduces tumour growth in refractory breast cancer models.

The stability of multiply hydrogen-bonded complexes can be influenced significantly by secondary electrostatic interactions between the pairs of atoms in adjacent hydrogen bonds. Now, a quadruple hydrogen-bonding array in which all of the donors are located in one component and all of the acceptors in the other has been shown to form complexes that are exceptionally stable.

Tuning the electronic properties of nanocatalysts by doping them with uniformly dispersed hetero-metal atoms is an effective way to improve catalytic performance. Here, the authors show that weakening the Cu–O bond energy in CuO nanocatalysts boosts the efficiency of NH₃ oxidation.

Manipulating the chemical composition of proteins and peptides has been central to the development of polypeptide-based therapeutics and to help address fundamental biological questions. This Review describes how nature-inspired protein ligation strategies have been repurposed as chemical biology tools.

Using multislice electron ptychography to directly measure the atomic-scale structural evolution of the nickelate La₃Ni₂O₇ under a range of biaxial strains, a theoretical framework is constructed for characterizing the impact of specific structural motifs for stabilizing superconductivity.

Deep learning-based generative tools are used to design protein building blocks with well-defined directional bonding interactions, allowing the generation of a variety of scalable protein assemblies from a small set of reusable subunits.

Prime editing is improved with engineered RNA-stabilizing motifs.

Here, the authors elucidate TMPRSS2 protease recognition of the SARS-CoV-2 spike S₂′ cleavage site, revealing the molecular basis of activation of membrane fusion, and show that antibodies recognizing the S₂′ site or TMPRSS2 block viral entry by interfering with TMPRSS2 access.

Many chemical reactions rely on the preference of copper for positive oxidation states. In this work, the authors report that the reaction of an N-heterocyclic carbene ligated copper alkoxide with a dimeric magnesium(I) compound results in a stable compound with a Cu-Mg bond which acts as a nucleophilic source copper in the formal oxidation state of Cu(-I).

Actinide compounds possess complex electronic structures. Here the authors introduce the satellite peak in actinide M₄-edge resonant inelastic X-ray scattering to probe the number of localized 5 f electrons and assesses bond covalency in actinide compounds.

AI targets lipid nanoparticles to specific tissues while avoiding off-target delivery to the liver.

Sugar porters are textbook examples of how transport activity is described by Michaelis–Menten kinetics. Here, using saturation transfer difference nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Ahn et al. conclude that the fully occluded state of a sugar transporter is analogous to the transition state in soluble enzymes.

During colonization of host tissues and biomaterials, staphylococci are exposed to extreme mechanical forces. Here authors use force-clamp spectroscopy and show that the dock, lock and latch interaction between staphylococcal surface protein SpsD and fibrinogen is extremely strong, and exhibits an unusual catch-slip transition.

Coastal nitrogen pollution is a critical sustainability challenge with environmental, social and economic consequences. Upstream ‘sweet spots’ where interventions will have maximum mitigation effectiveness and social buy-in are attractive but may prove difficult to implement in urban stream networks.

In a phase 1b trial, patients with treatment-naive metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma received the CD73 inhibitor quemliclustat plus gemcitabine and nabpaclitaxel with or without the anti-PD1 antibody zimberelimab, showing encouraging clinical response rates and survival in quemliclustat-treated patients.

Cationic amino acids are essential to protein synthesis and cellular signaling. Here, authors determine the structure of the cationic amino acid transporter 1 and determined how it is co-opted as a receptor for leukemia-causing animal viruses.

The expression profile of tubulin isotypes has been related to taxane resistance in cancer cells. This study identified a tubulin isotype-modulated allosteric network that governs paclitaxel-binding affinities and affects paclitaxel efficacy.

Supported by both experimental and human data, this study reveals that poor sleep weakens immune responses to influenza vaccination and increases infection risk, highlighting sleep as a modifiable determinant for vaccination effectiveness.

Here the authors identify nicotine-derived inhibitors of the SARS-CoV−2 main protease that outperform Paxlovid in cells and mice, remain effective against resistant variants, and show broad activity against multiple human coronaviruses.

Molecular precursors containing V, Bi and Zn are thermally transformed into oxide materials. Detailed studies reveal and characterise the formation of amorphous intermediates, a new kinetic polymorph of BiVO₄, and incorporation of Zn dopants.

Electroreduction of CO on copper is notable for enabling C–C coupling, but a fundamental understanding of what drives product selectivity is lacking. Here a series of well-defined copper nanocrystals with tunable shape and size are used to control product selectivity, with strain identified as a major factor in n-propanol formation.

Tan and colleagues present “cycling molecular assemblies” that borrow cellular lipidation machinery to build nanostructures inside the Golgi apparatus. These tools enable rapid organelle imaging and selective destruction of cancer cells.

Homogeneous catalytic hydroboration represents a valuable strategy for the synthesis of alcohols but reports which employ iron-based catalysts are somewhat limited. Here, the authors report an iron metalloborane complex as an efficient pre-catalyst for hydroboration of ketones, cyclic esters and CO₂ with mild conditions.

Spatiotemporal insight into photoactivation of the prototypical B₁₂ photoreceptor CarH is revealed across nine orders of magnitude in time, identifying a transient adduct that distinguishes it from thermally activated B₁₂ enzymes.

The chemistry of the U≡N species is little known, even though solid uranium nitride has been proposed for use as a nuclear fuel. Now, photolysis of a uranium azide complex has been shown to release N₂ and generate a transient U≡N fragment that can activate C–H bonds.

A terminal uranium(VI)–nitride has been shown to be accessible and isolable by a redox strategy whereas a photochemical approach resulted in decomposition. Computational analyses suggest that the U≡N triple bonds are surprisingly comparable to analogous group 6 transition metal nitrides, with a covalent character dominated by 5f rather than 6d contributions.

Identification of a hyperstable boronate enables automated lego-like synthesis to access a wider range of three-dimensionally complex small organic molecules rich in Csp³–C bonds. 

Succinate acts as a competitive inhibitor of mammalian aspartate transcarbamylase (ATCase), leading to impaired pyrimidine biosynthesis and reduced proliferation under SDH inhibition.

Identifying active sites and designing rationally heterogeneous catalysts are not inherently straightforward due to their complexity. Here, the authors reveal the nature of active sites for efficient C–H bond activation in C1-C4 alkanes over bare ZrO₂ and provide fundamentals for controlling their concentration.

Intein splicing occurs in four steps, but the mechanisms controlling these steps — and thus preventing aberrant splicing — are unknown. Kinetic and NMR analysis of several complex constructs now identifies the rate limiting step as well as the conformational trigger that catalyzes this transformation.

Water-vapor interfaces have been studied with many techniques, yet open questions persist about their electronic and molecular structure. Here, the authors demonstrate the application of soft x-ray second harmonic generation to study the water surface by leveraging attosecond pulses at the LCLS and a flat liquid sheet microjet, providing insights on the H-bond structure.