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An in vitro–reconstitution approach reveals the interactions between nuclear pore complex modules. Short motifs within linker nucleoporins connect the inner-pore-ring complex with subcomplexes of the outer ring and the transport channel.

The unique properties of membranes made from MOF glasses suggest their potential for precise molecular-sieving separations. In this work, the authors present a step-by-step method to fabricate large, free-standing MOF glass membranes capable of sharply excluding methane.

Archaeogenetic study of ancient DNA from medieval northwestern Europeans reveals substantial increase of continental northern European ancestry in Britain, suggesting mass migration across the North Sea during the Early Middle Ages.

Polymer mechanochemistry offers opportunities to control and engineer desired chemical transformations. Here, Craig and co-workers present a mechanical gating system whereby one mechanophore modulates the reactivity of another, resulting in a mechanochemical cascade reaction.

Recent advances in the synthesis of graphene fragments that possess unpaired π-electrons and display high-spin ground states have unlocked possibilities to explore exotic physical phenomena related to magnetism. Here, the authors demonstrate the magnetic bistability of a diradical nanographene that allows direct spin manipulation at the single-molecule level.

The Nup82–Nup159–Nsp1 complex, which plays a key role in mRNA export, is recruited late during the process of nuclear pore complex (NPC) assembly. Here the authors combine crosslinking mass spectrometry, biochemical reconstitution and molecular modeling to gain insights into the mechanism of Nup82 recruitment to the NPC.

GlyContact enables systematic analysis of glycan 3D structures, revealing how structural properties like flexibility and surface accessibility determine lectin binding and introducing AI models to predict structural features directly from sequences.

IncelluloED combines intracellular crystallization with 3D electron diffraction, enabling high-resolution structural studies of a single protein crystal inside a cell using cryo-EM tools, and paving the way toward a single-cell structural laboratory.

A generative AI approach is developed for predicting materials synthesis recipes—a complex challenge in materials science. Using this approach, the authors experimentally synthesized a material using AI-generated synthesis recipes.

Visualizing chaperonin complexes in their natural cellular environment using cryo-electron tomography, the authors propose a GroEL–GroES reaction cycle that consists of linked asymmetrical and symmetrical subreactions mediating protein folding.

Precise and efficient CRISPR genome editing requires specialized delivery systems. Here, the authors develop Coomassie lipidoids that deliver purified adenine base editors into retinal tissues, making it possible to achieve robust genome editing with a defined, non-viral nanomedicine.

On-surface synthesis relies on carefully designed molecular precursors that are thermally activated to afford desired, covalently coupled architectures. Here, the authors study the intramolecular reactions of vinyl groups in a poly-para-phenylene-based model system and provide a comprehensive description of the reaction steps taking place on the Au(111) surface under ultrahigh vacuum conditions.

The alveolate alga Chromera velia is a close relative of parasitic apicomplexans that possesses an unusual Photosystem I. Here, the authors present the cryo-EM structure of this complex, revealing several novel subunits, including a bound superoxide-dismutase heterodimer.

Experiments to explore electron transport in single molecules generally involve the use of chemical linker groups at both ends of the molecule to firmly anchor it to the source and drain contacts. Here it is shown that oligo-phenylene ethynylene molecules with a single anchor group can form molecular junctions as well. The process is attributed to aromatic stacking between neighbouring molecules in nearby electrodes.

The dynamics of microglia states adjacent to or far from amyloid-beta plaques are unclear. Here the authors show that non-plaque-associated microglia modulate the cell population expansion in response to amyloid deposition, and Csf1 signaling regulates their transition to the amyloid-associated state.

The mechanism of steady-state electron microbunching is demonstrated, providing a basis that will enable its full implementation in electron storage rings to generate high-repetition, high-power coherent radiation.

A bile acid-bound structure of toxin TcdB revealed the mechanism of inhibition and guided the design of a synthetic bile acid that alleviated Clostridioides difficile infection in mice.

Heteroatom doping of buckybowls is a viable route to tune their intrinsic physico-chemical properties, but their synthesis remains challenging. Here, the authors report on a combined in-solution and on-surface synthetic strategy towards the fabrication of a buckybowl containing two fused nitrogen-doped pentagonal rings.

A strain-release approach, realized by visible-light-mediated triplet energy transfer catalysis, enabled an intermolecular [2π+2σ]-photocycloaddition.

Measurement of the bound-state β⁻ decay of ²⁰⁵Tl⁸¹⁺ gives a new, longer half-life, allowing for the calculation of accurate stellar ²⁰⁵Pb yields and the isolation time of the early Solar System.

Boron-containing catalysts, particularly boron oxide (BOₓ) impregnated onto inorganic supports, have recently attracted attention due to their high selectivity and activity in the oxidative dehydrogenation of propane (ODHP), however, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Here, the authors observe volatile BOₓ species under ODHP conditions, showing that BOₓ dispersion and stability depend on the nature of the inorganic support, with silica supports facilitating BOₓ sublimation and propane activation at lower temperatures compared to γ-Al₂O₃ or SiO₂–Al₂O₃.

The direct C–H activation of inert C(sp³)–H bonds in a hydrocarbon chain is an attractive target in organic synthesis but C-H activation driven by vinyl carbocations remains underdeveloped. Here, the authors design a double C(sp³)–H functionalization of unactivated alkyl CH₂ groups to produce substituted quaternary carbon stereocenter via insertion of vinyl carbocations.

On-surface methods can be used to synthesize organic molecules, polymers and nanomaterials, however, the diversity of conceivable products is limited by the number of known on-surface reactions. Now, a phenylene ring-forming reaction on a gold surface by intermolecular oxidative coupling of isopropyl substituents on arenes is reported. The reaction is probed using bond-resolved imaging and computational modelling.

A transformer model is used to construct the DreaMS Atlas—a molecular network of 201 million MS/MS spectra.

An all-optical modulation technique based on a pump–probe scheme for temporally, spectrally and spatially characterizing the flow of light in a variety of silicon photonic devices is demonstrated.

Although natural terpenoid cyclases generate polycyclic structures through cationic intermediates, alternative radical cyclization pathways are underexplored. Now an artificial radical cyclase has been prepared by anchoring a biotinylated cobalt Schiff-base complex within a chimeric streptavidin scaffold. Chemogenetic optimization of the catalytic performance affords enantioenriched terpenoids via a metal-catalysed H-atom transfer mechanism.

A boreal conifer is advancing northwards into Arctic tundra, with this treeline advance facilitated by climate warming together with winter winds, deeper snow and increased soil nutrient availability.

The UvrA protein is a DNA damage sensor in the bacterial nucleotide excision repair pathway. Here, the authors present a series of cryo-EM structures representing snapshots of UvrA’s ATP-dependent detection of DNA damage.

Here the authors identify PCNA, a master regulator of DNA replication, as a ubiquitin substrate for the BRCA1/BARD1 heterodimer. This modification is crucial to avoid the appearance of unreplicated DNA gaps in the genome after replication.

Neisseria meningitidis capsular polysaccharide (CPS) is a major virulence factor and vaccine formulations against Neisseria meningitidis serogroup A (NmA) contain O-acetylated CPS. Here, the authors provide mechanistic insights into CPS O-acetylation in NmA by determining the crystal structure of the O-acetyltransferase CsaC and NMR measurements further reveal that the CsaC-mediated reaction is regioselective for O3 and that the O4 modification results from spontaneous O-acetyl migration.

The impact of ACKR3 constitutive activity is unknown. Here, the authors suppress basal ACKR3 activity using inverse agonistic nanobodies to stabilize an inactive conformation and revealing a role for ACKR3 in basal cell motility.

Structural study of protein-genome interactions in a therapeutically relevant bacteriophage provides insights into genome anchoring, retention, and release.

Deoxyelephantopin is a naturally occurring sesquiterpene lactone with known anticancer properties. Here, the authors synthesize deoxyelephantopins and a range of analogues including alkyne-tagged probes, using them to identify its cellular targets.

Single atom catalysts, comprising minute amounts of transition metals dispersed on inert substrates, have emerged as prominent materials in heterogenous catalysis but their precise arrangement on surfaces is challenging. Here, the authors introduce the on-surface synthesis of a single atom platform wherein atoms are firmly anchored to specific coordination sites evenly distributed along carbon-based polymers.

Neuberger et al. report the structure of human channel TRPV6 in complex with a cannabinoid inhibitor tetrahydrocannabivarin (THCV) and explore the pathway taken by the drug to reach binding sites in the portals that connect the membrane environment to the central cavity of the ion channel pore.

Divergent catalytic asymmetric reactions for the selective formation of C(sp3)−H insertion and formal C(sp3)−O insertion products from the same precursors are rarely explored. Here, the authors report a ligand-controlled divergent asymmetric C(sp3)–H insertion and formal C(sp3)–O insertion reaction via vinyl cations, leading to the assembly of a range of chiral spiro and fused polycyclic pyrroles.

Achiral minerals often adopt a chiral shape when crystal growth proceeds in contact with chiral molecules. Now, detailed microscopic insight is provided into how the chiral footprint of hemifullerene (a buckybowl that is essentially half of C₆₀) rearranges atoms at step edges on a copper surface into chiral motifs.

The intracellular applications of STED microscopy are limited by the availability of dyes. Here the authors develop a two-colour labelling strategy based on SiR and ATTO590 dyes, and apply their strategy to image various subcellular membrane compartments.

Electron magnetic circular dichroism gives element-selective information on spin and orbital magnetic moments, but its low intensity has limited its use for nanoscale studies. Using a statistical analysis method, Muto et al.show that this can be overcome with nanometre-sized electron beams.

Light-sensitive proteins are useful tools to control protein localization and gene expression, but are currently limited to excitation with red or blue light. Here Crefcoeur et al. present a novel optogenetic system to induce protein–protein interactions with ultraviolet-B light that does not require exogenous chromophores.

Catalytic methods for converting bio-derived feedstocks into lactones are reviewed, emphasizing scalable, energy-efficient processes. Free energy analysis guides process design and pathway selection, whereas literature highlights accessible lactone precursors from various metabolic and chemo-catalytic pathways.

STING is a promising drug target, but selective activation is necessary for safety and efficacy. Researchers have developed a two-component prodrug system for potent pharmacological activation of STING that offers excellent tumour targeting.