Search

Hybrid antiferroelectric–ferroelectric domains and domain walls in K₃[Nb₃O₆(BO₃)₂] are reported, enabled by noncollinear ordering of electric dipole moment.

Horizontal gene transfer in bacteria can occur through mechanisms such as conjugation, transduction and transformation, which facilitate the passage of DNA across the cell wall. Here, Kapteijn et al. show that cell wall-deficient bacteria can take up DNA and other extracellular materials via an endocytosis-like process.

The authors find the electric-field-driven motion of domain walls in the improper ferroelectric ErMnO₃, showing that they readily return to their initial position after having travelled distances exceeding 250 nm.

Domain walls in ferroelectrics can lead to phenomena different from the bulk. Here the authors achieve polarization control of charged domain walls in improper ferroelectrics by magnetic fields that convert neutral into charged domain walls.

When 100 social and behavioural science claims were examined, 34% of reanalyses closely matched the original results, with 74% reaching the same conclusion, revealing limited robustness of single-path analyses and the need to address analytical uncertainty.

The maturation of the unique FeMo-cofactor of molybdenum nitrogenase is a multistep process requiring the sequential action of a series of maturase complexes. Here, the authors report on how cryo-electron microscopy structures show NifB-co transfers from NifX to NifEN’s internal site, where NifB-co is converted into FeMo-co for insertion into Mo-nitrogenase.

Actinobacteria grow by inserting new cell wall material at the cell poles. Here, Zhong et al. show that a stomatin-like protein modulates polar growth under hyperosmotic stress by facilitating the formation of membrane microdomains with increased membrane fluidity and interacting with components of the glycan synthesis machinery.

Turbulence is seldom confined by boundaries that are perfectly smooth, but wall roughness is usually ignored. A study of flows between rotating cylinders suggests that roughness enhances turbulent transport and alters its scaling behaviour.

Bacteria can be forced to grow without cell wall if cell wall synthesis is inhibited. Here Ramijan et al. show that, in filamentous actinomycetes, hyperosmotic stress induces formation of wall-deficient cells that can switch to normal mycelial growth, or mutate and proliferate indefinitely as wall-less forms.

Electrode–domain wall junctions in ferroelectric ErMnO₃ act as nanoscale diodes.

Making use of phylogenomic and transcriptome analysis of 20 plant species, including 14 gymnosperms, Sondervan et al. uncover candidate ovule genes and find that orthologs with differential tissue expression patterns across species most influence major evolutionary splits of seed plants.

Electric-field control of the conductivity of domain walls in ferroelectric ErMnO₃ has been demonstrated. Reversible switching between conducting and insulating states is attributed to an inversion layer, which provides a channel for conduction.

Epicardial engineered heart muscle allografts from induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes can safely and effectively remuscularize chronically failing hearts in rhesus macaques, leading to improved cardiac function and paving the way for human clinical trials.

Collateral sensitivity (CS), whereby resistance to one drug is accompanied by increased sensitivity to another, provides new opportunities for antimicrobial drug discovery. Here, Liu et al. screen large chemical libraries across 29 drug-resistant E. coli strains to identify multiple CS interactions, including natural products with potent CS activities against cephalosporin-resistant strains.

Antiferroelectrics possess an antipolar ground state, and can be electrically driven into a polar phase. This Perspective discusses the history of these systems, defines these materials, surveys different types of antiferroelectricity and presents an outlook on future research pathways.

Study shows PTSD predisposition shares distinct genes and genomic regions with several cardiovascular conditions. Here the findings reveal neuronal, immune, and metabolic pathways, and repurposed drug targets that further the understanding of the comorbidity.

Ferroelectric domain walls hold great potential as multifunctional 2D systems for next-generation nanotechnology. This Review discusses recent advances in the field and new strategies for developing the domain walls into ultra-small electronic components.

Eveline Ultee et al. reveal the architecture of the actinobacterial cell wall of a polar growing bacterium Streptomyces coelicolor, using cryo-electron tomography. This study suggests that the Streptomyces cell wall is composed of layers of peptidoglycan and extracellular polymers that are structurally supported by teichoic acids.

In the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, Bim1 is a copper-binding lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase-like protein that participates in copper uptake in concert with the Ctr1 importer to drive virulence mechanisms during fungal meningitis.

Perineural invasion and cancer-induced nerve injury of tumour-associated nerves are associated with poor response to anti-PD-1 therapy, which can be reversed by combining anti-PD-1 therapy with anti-inflammatory interventions.

Ready access to sugars in which the various hydroxyl groups are differentially protected will be of benefit in the production of vaccines, antibiotics and drugs. Here, a chemoenzymatic method that provides a direct route to such protected sugars is described.

Carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT) and plaque are associated with subclinical atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease (CHD). Here, the authors identify and prioritize genetic loci for cIMT and plaque by GWAS and colocalization approaches and further demonstrate genetic correlation with CHD and stroke.

The authors show PTEN mutations, which can cause both congenital hydrocephalus and autism spectrum disorder, disrupt CSF homeostasis and brain connectivity in mice. Reducing mTORC1 activation ameliorates ventricular enlargement and neuronal deficits.

A super-pangenome analysis incorporating 123 newly sequenced bryophyte genomes reveals that bryophytes exhibit a larger number of unique and lineage-specific gene families than vascular plants.

Efficient, large-scale genomic analysis is facilitated on the cloud by a computational tool with error-diagnosing and self-healing capabilities.

How and whether histone modifications regulate distinct gene networks remains insufficiently understood. Here Cattaneo et al show that DOT1L catalyzed H3K79me2 regulates fetal chamber-specific gene expression and neonatal cardiomyocyte cell cycle withdrawal to coordinate heart development.

Two draft sequences of Gossypium hirsutum, the most widely cultivated cotton species, provide insights into genome structure, genome rearrangement, gene evolution and cotton fiber biology.

An environmentally safe means of mosquito control is the application of Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis, which produces a cocktail of four naturally crystalline proteins exclusively toxic to mosquito. Here the authors report the atomic-resolution structures of Bti Cry11Aa and related Btj Cry11Ba solved de novo through Serial Femtosecond Crystallography on naturally-occurring nanocrystals.

Bouwman et al. identify Hmga1-mediated chromatin remodeling as the fundamental regulator of zebrafish cardiac regeneration and reveal the potential of Hmga1 to restore heart repair in mice by reactivating developmental genes, suggesting potential therapeutic applications.

Existing optogenetic silencing methods affect membrane potential, biochemistry or protein integrity. Here, the authors demonstrate an approach for silencing synaptic transmission that combines fast activation and reversibility, by using nondisruptive, reversible, light-evoked clustering of synaptic vesicles, which they validate in Caenorhabditis elegans, zebrafish, and murine cell culture.