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Spider silk is of interest in material science research. Here the authors show that the tight binding of a spider silk protein domain relies on the amino acid methionine, which is abundant in the domain core where it facilitates dynamic shape adaption of the binding interface.

Solar-driven water evaporation shows great potentials for obtaining clean water. An integrated system based on clean water–energy–food with solar-desalination, power generation and crop irrigation functions is a valuable strategy consistent with sustainable development.

The partial oxidation of methane to methanol is a very attractive yet challenging process. Now, a H₂-reduced Pd-containing phosphomolybdate catalyst is reported to convert methane and O₂ to methanol with nearly 100% selectivity at room temperature.

Using carbonyl compounds or alcohols as alkylating reagents for the synthesis of α-alkylated nitriles is appealing from a sustainability perspective. Here, a single-atom catalyst with Zn–N₄ motifs acting as Lewis acid sites effectively activates alcohols, thus promoting various alkylation and transfer hydrogenation reactions using biomass-derived alcohols as both the alkylating reagents and hydrogen donors.

Stabilizing charge density wave states in low-dimensional systems is challenging. Here, the authors stabilize an ordered incommensurate charge density wave at elevated temperatures via endotaxial synthesis of TaS₂ polytype heterostructures, where charge density wave layers are encapsulated within metallic layers.

Chalcopyrite, the main copper ore mineral, is usually formed at high temperatures, according to a study that shows that microbial processes might promote its low-temperature formation in acidic pit lake sediments, with implications for bioremediation and biomining.

ERGIC-53 engages in the ER-to-Golgi transport of secretory and membrane proteins by unknown mechanisms. Here authors report a long flexible tetrameric structure of full-length ERGIC-53 complexed with its functional partner MCFD2 by cryo-EM.

Colloidal semiconductor core-shell nanocrystals are sought after for photonic applications. Here, the authors report coherent heteroepitaxial growth of Ag(In,Ga)S₂ core-shell nanocrystals with near-unity photoluminescence quantum yield across almost the full visible range.

Understanding the mode of small-molecule binding to amyloid filaments is critical for diagnosing and treating neurodegeneration. The authors use cryo-EM to reveal a stacked binding motif which may hasten design of diagnostics and therapeutics.

The binding of cytoplasmic Ca²⁺ to the anion-selective channel TMEM16A triggers a conformational change around its binding site that is coupled to the release of a gate at the constricted neck. Here authors use cryo-EM and electrophysiology to identify three hydrophobic residues at the intracellular entrance of the neck as constituents of this gate.

Krebs and colleagues identify multiple mAbs that recognize either the RBD or the NTD of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that have potent cross-neutralizing activities against variants of concern. Combinatorial mAb cocktails have complementary effects on viral neutralization and Fc effector functions and can protect against SARS-CoV-2 escape mutants.

The authors report here the structure-function analysis of highly divergent actin from Leishmania parasite. The study reveals remarkably rapid dynamics of parasite actin as well as the underlying molecular basis, thus providing insight into evolution of the actin cytoskeleton.

In this work, the authors report that hyperphosphorylated recombinant tau spontaneously assembles into small, amorphous aggregates, which disrupt membranes and induce Toll-like receptor 4-dependent responses in human macrophages.

The cryogenic-electron microscopy structure of the D. thermocuniculi IsrB protein in complex with its cognate ωRNA and a target DNA shows that the RNA-dominant IsrB effector complex shares a common scaffold with the protein-dominant Cas9 effector complex.

Using a Cas13d-based nanosystem to knockdown lung protease cathepsin L, Cui et al. demonstrated that CRISPR–Cas system can be used to prevent and treat SARS-CoV-2 infection by targeting mRNA of host genes.

Chimeric triterpene synthases are identified that catalyse non-squalene-dependent triterpene biosynthesis.

Inspired by the role of proteins in regulating eggshell mineralization, here Tao, Liu and colleagues apply trifluoroethanol modified eggshell membrane to combat lithium dendrite. Cryo-electron microscopy reveals that the growth along the most favored crystallographic direction is suppressed.

A cryo-electron microscopy structure provides insights into the activation of cullin–RING E3 ligases by NEDD8 and the consequent catalysis of ubiquitylation reactions.

To protect from host attack, numerous jumbo bacteriophages establish a micron-scale, protein-based structure to enclose their replicating DNA. Using cryoEM, the authors show that the 2D crystal enclosing this so-called phage nucleus is an assembly of tetramers linked by flexible loops and tails.

Kumar and colleagues report cryo-EM structures of Arabidopsis O-fucosyltransferase SPINDLY in its apo and GDP-fucose bound states, revealing distinct active-site features enabling GDP-fucose recognition and surprisingly dynamic conformations that regulate its enzymatic activity.

There is limited understanding of the Invar effect at atomic scale. Here the authors show that the Invar effect is not only a macroscopic effect, but also has a clear atomistic equivalent in the average distance of Fe–Fe pair as well as higher-order atomic shells composed of multiple atom species.

Cryo-electron microscopy analyses show how Lassa and Machupo virus Z proteins bind the viral L polymerase and how this inhibits virus replication.

Lithium metal electrodes suffer from both chemical and electrochemical corrosion during battery storage and operation. Here, the authors show that lithium corrosion is due to dissolution of the solid-electrolyte interphase and suppress this by utilizing a multifunctional passivation layer.

Hepatobiliary MRI can be enhanced by an ultrasmall nanoparticle composed of a manganese ferrite core and surface ligands binding to hepatocyte-specific transmembrane metal and anion transporters, as shown in small and large animals.

To refold client proteins, HSP90 chaperone undergoes large structural rearrangements. Here the authors use NMR and molecular simulation and reveal structure and dynamics of a key functionally relevant metastable state of human HSP90α N-terminal domain.

Eight structures of human neutralizing antibodies that target the SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain are reported and classified into four categories, suggesting combinations for clinical use.

Although rare, antibodies against the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 that showed potent antiviral activity were obtained from all tested convalescent individuals, suggesting that a vaccine designed to elicit such antibodies could be broadly effective.

The cryo-electron microscopy structure of the hyperpolarization-activated K⁺ channel KAT1 points to a direct-coupling mechanism between S4 movement and the reorientation of the C-linker.

The authors cracked P2Y14’s “sweet tooth”: structures bound to UDP-glucose and MRS2905 decode hexose and uracil nucleotide selectivity. A bipartite binding pocket with distinct nucleotide and hexose subpockets divided by V93 enables rational therapeutic design.

The condensation of RNA polymerase II (Pol II) into transcriptionally active clusters is critical for eukaryotic gene regulation and pre-mRNA transcription. Here the authors show that a tight network of tyrosine-proline interactions imparts temperature and concentration-dependent self-coacervation of Pol II’s C-terminal domain (CTD).

Active sites identification in metal-free carbon materials is crucial for developing practical electrocatalysts. Here the authors report a dynamic active site evolution phenomenon on oxygen modified defective graphene during electrochemical H2O2 production.

In this work, the authors combine cryo-electron tomography of vitrified virions, mass spectrometry, modeling, molecular dynamics and infectivity assay and report that a hinge glycan on viral spike protein influences virus infection and immune evasion.

The soluble neurotrophic factor GDNF promotes trans-synaptic adhesion through its co-receptor GFRα1. Here, the authors describe the structural basis for GDNF-GFRα1 adhesion and reconstitute assemblies bridging membranes, demonstrating that binding of either the RET receptor or proteoglycans can disrupt this adhesive function.

Monolithic three-dimensional integration of two-dimensional field-effect transistors enables improved integration density and multifunctionality to realize ‘More Moore’ and ‘More than Moore’ technologies.

Incomplete conversion of sodium polysulfides represents a significant issue in room-temperature sodium-sulfur batteries. Here, the authors propose Mo₅N₆ as an electrocatalyst for efficient Na₂S electrodeposition and improved cell cycling performances.

Here, Parzych et al describe the development of a DNA-delivered SARS-CoV-2 mAb cocktail displaying synergistic RBD binding that confers broad neutralizing activity against variants of concern and prophylactic efficacy in multiple small animal models.

Evolink, a method developed to co-evolve structurally adjacent but sequence-distant sites in molecular machines, was used in concert with computational modeling to evolve an improved tethered ribosome variant.

Torsins are unusual AAA + ATPases of unknown function that reside in the endoplasmic reticulum of all animals. Here the authors report that TorsinA forms tubular helical filaments with an unusual periodicity and that filamentous TorsinA directly interacts with membranes to form tubular protrusions.

Photoelectrochemical CO₂ reduction to multi-carbon alcohols in standalone devices driven only by sunlight is challenging. Now Rahaman et al. integrate a copper–palladium catalyst in a perovskite–BiVO₄ tandem device for solar-driven multi-carbon alcohol production.

Phosphatidic acid and diacylglycerol are required for COPI vesicle fission. Here, the authors find that shorter forms of these lipids promote the late stage of COPI vesicle fission, further suggesting how lipid geometry contributes to membrane deformation in driving fission.

The development of robust and efficient catalysts for CO₂ hydrogenation to value-added chemicals is an urgent task. Here the authors report two-dimensional carbide catalyst based on earth-abundant molybdenum that hydrogenates CO₂ with high activity, stable performance and tunable selectivity.

Amyloid aggregation of mutant p53 contributes to its loss of tumor suppressor function and oncogenic gain-of-function. Here, the authors use a protein mimetic to abrogate mutant p53 aggregation and rescue p53 function, which inhibits cancer cell proliferation in vitro and halts tumor growth in vivo.

The mechanosensitive ion channel PIEZO1 senses shear stress induced by collagen-fibre sliding in tendons, regulates their stiffness and influences jumping performance.

The valorization of CO₂ via its hydrogenation to methanol is a highly sought-after reaction although only a handful of catalysts can efficiently promote this transformation. Here, the authors engineer the interface of a copper catalyst supported on a silica–molybdenum MXene composite, achieving a remarkable performance in the reduction of CO₂ to methanol.

Porcupine (PORCN) is an endoplasmic reticulum-resident membrane-bound O-acyltransferase that plays a crucial role in Wnt signalling and is as a therapeutic target for Wnt-driven cancers. Here, the authors use cryo-electron microscopy to elucidate the structures of human PORCN with inhibitors, uncovering key interactions mediating inhibitor binding and catalysis.

Unwanted RNA transcripts are targeted for degradation by nuclear complexes such as MTREC/PAXT. Here, the authors structurally and functionally characterized three interfaces of the scaffold protein Red1, providing mechanistic insights into conserved features of MTREC/PAXT architecture.

Computational search identifies dynobactin A which is a systemically active, natural-product peptide antibiotic that kills Gram-negative bacteria.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) is an inherited peripheral neuropathy. Here, the authors show that Rab35 forms a complex with genes implicated in CMT, MTMR13 and MTMR2, which regulates myelin growth by controlling mTORC1 signaling through lipid turnover.

TMEM16K is a member of the TMEM16 family of integral membrane proteins that are either lipid scramblases or chloride channels. Here the authors combine cell biology, electrophysiology measurements, X-ray crystallography, cryo-EM and MD simulations to structurally characterize TMEM16K and show that it is an ER-resident lipid scramblase.

A near-atomic resolution strain-specific cryo-EM structure of infectious prion fibrils from mice was determined, revealing a structural definition for intra-species prion strain-specific conformations.