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Cryo-electron microscopy structures of parathyroid hormone receptor 1–β-arrestin complexes reveal key conformational changes, enabling the design of G-protein-biased agonists with selective signaling properties and therapeutic potential.

During olfactory navigation, Caenorhabditis elegans can execute error-correcting turns. Whole-brain imaging and perturbation experiments identify an ensemble of neurons that control reorientation and turning behaviors.

A lipid-nanoparticle-based formulation incorporating engineered lipids containing a blood–brain-barrier-crossing moiety effectively delivers mRNA to neurons and astrocytes following systemic administration in mice.

Shabanzadeh et al. identify and validate a pathway whereby RGMa cleavage by SKI-1 modifies gene expression related to blood–brain barrier (BBB) integrity after stroke. SKI-1 inhibition restores BBB integrity and neuronal function in mouse and rabbit stroke models.

Microstructured air-core optical fibre provides unprecedented low-loss transmission of light signals over a broad wavelength window.

A substantial reduction of losses in a phononic waveguide can be achieved by soft clamping, through which phonons can be guided through very sharp turns with losses accounting for less than one phonon in a million.

This study used interferometric analysis of synthetic aperture radar images to measure postseismic surface deformation after the 2003 Bam, Iran earthquake and shows reversal of coseismic dilatancy in the shallow fault zone that causes subsidence of the surface. Such deformation spread through a fault zone volume may explain the observed shallow slip deficits for some strike-slip fault ruptures.

The scales of Arapaima gigas, a fresh water fish found in the Amazon Basin, act as effective armour against predators. Here, Zimmermann et al. elucidate the deformation mechanisms that allow for this resistance, concluding that lamellae in the scales reorient under an applied load, preventing fracture.

PIEZO2 is intrinsically more rigid than PIEZO1, and disparate mechanical stimuli paradoxically evoke opposite conformational and gating responses in each channel.

Biomechanical mechanisms orchestrating stem cell dynamics in development remain unclear. Here the authors show that guidance receptor Plexin-B2 organizes actomyosin contractility, cytoskeletal tension and adhesion during multicellular development of human embryonic stem cells and neuroprogenitor cells.

This study shows that the 2025 Mw 7.7 Myanmar earthquake ruptured 500 km of the Sagaing Fault with nearly no shallow slip deficit, revealing that mature, linear strike-slip faults can release strain efficiently, unlike less mature faults.

Animal propulsors—wings and fins—typically bend during motion. Here, the authors analysed video data on animal propulsor bending and find that, for propulsion within inertially dominated flows, the flexion angles and the positions of the point of flexion are similar across the animal kingdom.

Cryo-EM structures of sulfated cholecystokinin 8 bound to the cholecystokinin A receptor in complex with G_s, G_i and G_q heterotrimers reveal structural determinants for G-protein coupling selectivity.

Unusual mechanical properties can be obtained with careful design of metamaterials. Here, Davami et al. use a microscale periodic cellular design to create plate mechanical metamaterials which exhibit ultralow mass per unit area, enhanced bending stiffness and ability to recover after extreme deformations.

How tumors evade control by natural killer cells is ill defined. Smyth and colleagues show that natural killer cells in the tumor microenvironment can convert into type I innate lymphoid cells and intermediate type I innate lymphoid cells that favor tumor growth and metastasis.

Using volumetric electron microscopy, the authors map and analyze the structure of cortical inhibition with synaptic resolution across a column of visual cortex.

Here, the structure of poly(UG) RNA reveals an unusual left-handed quadruplex, or ‘pUG fold’. The pUG fold marks RNAs as vectors for gene silencing in C. elegans by recruiting RNA-dependent RNA polymerase for siRNA synthesis.

Despite sharing common features with the helix–turn–helix family of transcription factors, ribbon–helix–helix proteins recognize different operator sequences, bind to both symmetric and asymmetric DNA sites, bend DNA by varying amounts and make unique protein–protein interactions to stabilize their complexes with DNA.

Lolo et al. show caveolin-1 functions in non-caveolae structures termed dolines. Whereas caveolae respond to high forces over a mechanical threshold, dolines transduce low and medium mechanical forces gradually in a complementary buffering system.

The plasma membrane can expand the blades of the PIEZO1 ion channel, impacting channel activation.

The basis for the diverse peptide-binding modes and the G protein selectivity of peptide GPCRs remains elusive. Here, the authors offer a structural basis for allosteric-like agonism and G protein selectivity of a neuropeptide GPCR, galanin receptor.

The majority of excitatory neurotransmission in the central nervous system is mediated by ionotropic glutamate receptors, which function by opening a transmembrane ion channel upon binding of glutamate. However, despite this crucial role in neurobiology, the architecture and atomic structure of an intact isotropic glutamate receptor are unknown. The X-ray crystal structure of the rat GluA2 receptor in complex with a competitive antagonist is now reported and analysed.

A state-dependent dopamine filter system in the male Drosophila brain balances threat perception against the drive to mate.

Mechanical confinement of cancer cells at the tumour–microenvironment interface induces phenotype switching through chromatin remodelling by HMGB2, leading to a more invasive and drug-resistant state in melanoma.

Target membrane poration is a longstanding enigma in virology. Here, authors show that fusion peptides of the influenza virus’ spike protein aggregate, rotate, and tilt in membranes, facilitating peptide-induced poration during viral fusion.

Translation of mRNA into proteins is the least accurate process during genetic information transfer. Here the authors suggest—based on 11 high-resolution ribosome crystal structures—that the origin of protein missense errors involves molecular mimicry via tautomerism or ionization.

Understanding molecular structure and dynamics through strong-field laser interactions holds great promise. The authors use quantum calculations to show how bonds and angles evolve in an OCS molecule ionized six times by a 7 fs, 800 nm laser pulse, accurately predicting our experimental results.

Endothelin receptors (ETAR and ETBR) are critical for vasoregulation and are targets for cardiovascular diseases treatment. Here, the authors offer a structural basis for peptide recognition selectivity and activation of both endothelin receptors.

Duan et al. find that the membrane skeleton protein spectrin is required for myoblast fusion in Drosophila, accumulating in a mechanosensitive manner in the receiving partner during cell–cell fusion to modulate adhesion and protrusion events.

The neuroimmune interactions driving secondary degeneration in the injured spinal cord remain elusive. Here, the authors reveal that damaged microglia release IL-1α, resulting in neutrophil infiltration and the loss of mature oligodendrocytes through astrocytic and endothelial IL-1R1 in mice.

Braiding by topological defects in an active nematic fluid produces macroscopic chaotic advection, such that the defects themselves act as effective stirring rods. The resultant mixing is revealed to be a result of sliding on a molecular scale.

Space interferometry reveals the hidden and filamentary internal structure of the relativistic jet in 3C 279 at microarcsecond angular resolution. These details challenge previous assumptions on the morphology and radio variability of blazars.

Analysis of a fossilized front flipper of the Jurassic ichthyosaur Temnodontosaurus that preserves details of soft tissue indicates the presence of a serrated trailing edge that would have reduced noise generated while swimming, enabling stealth hunting and hiding from predators.

Acid-sensing ion channels belong to a large family of ion channels, the diverse functions of which range from sodium absorption to mechanosensitivity; however, the structure of this class of proteins is unknown. Here, the high-resolution crystal structure of chicken ASIC1 in the closed state is reported, and of note is the trimeric architecture and the appealing mechanism of proton-gating proposed.

Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide receptor 2 (VIP2R) is involved in immunity. Here, the authors report two cryo-EM structures of the VIP2R–G_s in complex with the endogenous peptide ligand PACAP27, revealing a unique interaction mode between PACAP27 and the receptor, stabilized by the N-terminal α-helix of VIP2R.

The insecticidal protein Mpf2Ba1 shows potent control against corn rootworm. Here, the authors present detailed structural analyses revealing transitions between its three main stages of pore formation. These findings uncover molecular mechanisms of bacterial pore assembly and advance both crop biotechnology and food security.

Myocardin-related transcription factors (MRTFs) increase muscle growth and regeneration. Here, Hinkel et al. show that MRTFs also promote microvessel growth and maturation in chronic ischaemic disease of the heart or peripheral muscle by increasing the expression of the pro-angiongenic factors, CCN1 and CCN2.

Elevator transporters, like SLC23 proteins, transport solutes by a mechanism involving a reorientation of two rigid domains. Here, the authors show that linkers connecting these domains control the carrier’s conformational space and thus its function.

Acid-sensing ion channels (ASICs) are voltage-independent ion channels that participate in a broad range of biological processes, including nociception and mechanosensation; here X-ray crystal structures of the complexes of chicken ASIC1a with psalmotoxin, a peptide toxin from tarantula, indicate that toxin binding triggers an expansion of the extracellular vestibule and stabilization of the open channel pore.

The adaptation of APEX2-dependent proximity biotinylation for use in bacteria enables the identification of binding partners of TssA, which controls T6SS sheath assembly. This approach identifies TagA as a TssA partner that stops sheath polymerization and clamps the extended sheath to the membrane.

The X-ray crystal structure of the Drosophila dopamine transporter bound to the antidepressant drug nortriptyline is presented, providing the first crystal structure of a eukaryotic neurotransmitter sodium symporter.

p14ARF drives NPM1 phase separation and forms meso-scale assemblies that limit NPM1 dynamics. Here the authors show that p14ARF hydrophobic residues enhance NPM1 phase separation, promote p14ARF nucleolar partitioning, nucleolar NPM1 immobilization, and reduce cell viability.