Browse Articles

Polycomb repressive-deubiquitinase complex safeguards oocyte epigenome and female fertility by restraining Polycomb activity

Synthesis, characterization, and biological activities of two new pyrazole Schiff base derivatives

Concise synthesis of bufogargarizin B by a conformation-controlled skeletal reorganization approach

Climate snapshots trapped in ancient ice tell a surprising story

Clinical outcomes of directional atherectomy versus plain balloon angioplasty as vessel preparation prior to drug-coated balloon treatment for femoropopliteal occlusive disease

Systematic identification of variant-specific RNA structure-small molecule interactions exemplified by RNA G-quadruplexes

Abstract Individual genetic variations, such as cancer-associated somatic mutations, alter RNA structures, thereby potentially enhancing or inhibiting the binding of RNA-targeting small molecules. However, to date, no approach has been available to identify these variant-specific RNA-small molecule interactions due to technical limitations. Here, we present Binding- and Vinyl-Quinazolinone-Induced Deletion-Based Mutational Profiling (BIVID-MaP), a high-throughput method for detecting RNA-small molecule interactions that combines binding-dependent covalent modification with profiling of deletions upon reverse transcription via deep sequencing. Using BIVID-MaP, we uncovered numerous variant-specific interactions between a G-quadruplex (G4)-binding small molecule and RNAs harboring single-nucleotide variants. Several cancer-associated somatic mutations significantly influence the binding intensity of a small molecule by affecting target G4 structures. These results demonstrate that BIVID-MaP can reveal previously ignored variant-specific RNA-small molecule interactions affected only by a single-nucleotide mutation, which may contribute to the development of RNA-targeting drugs in the future.

Observation of self-bound droplets of ultracold dipolar molecules

Uncovering the structural influence of urban park landscapes on psychological restoration via graph learning

Deciphering the liquid-solid interactions in dealkalization of O3 layered oxides

Thermodynamic assessment of tri-reforming of methane with optimization of operating conditions to achieve suitable syngas for methanol production

Reversible DNA condensation drives natural transformation

Abstract Natural transformation drives the spread of antibiotic resistance among bacteria. The DNA receptor ComEA is essential for transporting external transforming DNA into the periplasm by an unknown mechanism. Here, single-molecule optical tweezers and electron microscopy approaches show that Geobacillus stearothermophilus ComEA forms dynamic oligomers on DNA that can switch between two conformations depending on local concentration. When ComEA sparsely decorates DNA, it forms bridging oligomers that condense the DNA to generate sub-pN pulling forces. When ComEA more fully decorates DNA, it forms non-bridging oligomers that decondense DNA and cannot generate force. Mutating ComEA to favor either bridging or non-bridging conformations causes transformation deficiency in Bacillus subtilis , meaning condensation and decondensation each play mechanistic roles. Our results show that ComEA reversibly condenses DNA during natural transformation, first producing force to pull DNA into the periplasm and then abating force production to promote transport into the cytoplasm.

Thermodynamic and exergoeconomic analysis of a solar-assisted LiBr/H₂O ejector–absorption refrigeration system with triple-layer thermal storage

CXCR5+ monocyte emigration impairs the radiation-induced antitumor immune response

Static electricity is a big mystery — a jolt of fresh research could help to solve it

Methane emissions from rice paddies are regulated by carbon availability and soil pH along a mean annual temperature gradient

Abstract Rice paddies are a major anthropogenic source of atmospheric methane (CH₄), yet the spatial pattern and underlying mechanism of CH₄ emissions from rice paddies across climatic gradients remain poorly understood. We collected and incubated 30 flooded paddy soils spanning tropical to temperate regions of China, quantified CH₄ emissions and explored their soil and microbial drivers. We discovered that cumulative CH₄ emissions exhibited pronounced geographical variability, with higher emissions in tropical soils (0.18–10.75 mg kg −1 ) than in temperate soils (0.07–0.17 mg kg −1 ), and were primarily regulated by dissolved organic carbon (DOC), DOC accounted for 36.0% of the variance in cumulative CH₄ emissions. Peak CH₄ emission rates were jointly influenced by DOC and microbial biomass carbon, together they explained 24.4% of the variance in peak CH₄ emission rates. The timing of peak emissions was governed by the slow degradation of particulate organic carbon (POC), POC accounted for 13.8% of the variance in the timing of peak emissions. Structural equation modeling (SEM) further revealed that soil pH and mean annual temperature (MAT) could indirectly regulate cumulative CH₄ emissions through affecting the accumulation of labile carbon and nitrogen pool, the model explained 63% of the spatial variation in cumulative CH₄ emissions in total. The indirect effect of MAT was 0.20, and the indirect effect of soil pH was − 0.26. These results highlight the critical role of climate–soil-microbe interactions in shaping regional patterns of methane emissions from rice paddies and provide mechanistic insights for improving CH₄ emission predictions under future climate change.

A bioinspired microdevice unifying energy storage and actuation through hydration control

Abstract Biological systems seamlessly integrate energy storage and actuation within compact architectures, whereas synthetic approaches largely implement these functions as separate components. Conjugated polymers can couple both, yet their operation relies on ion insertion accompanied by hydration water within the polymer backbone, creating an intrinsic trade-off between performance and stability. Here we show that anion hydration governs this trade-off. In-operando Raman spectroscopy and time-resolved mass measurements reveal that reducing anion hydration suppresses water ingress, mitigates backbone degradation and converts the polymer response from a two-step swelling process into a single, rapid volumetric relaxation. Leveraging this principle, we realize a sub-millimetre monolithic device that integrates energy storage and actuation within a 0.56 mm 2 footprint. A centrally configured dual-cell microbattery delivers 161 mAh cm -2 and reduces the energy consumption of surrounding actuators by fourfold. Hydration control, as the governing design parameter for multifunctional devices, holds translational promise for integrated energy–motion architectures at the microscale.

Regulatory mechanism of cholesterol transport via LtmA in Mycobacterium smegmatis

Stronger ENSO-induced global SST variability in a warming climate

Novel fatty acid metabolism risk score model for guiding treatment in endometrial endometrioid cancer

Cross-ketone deacylative coupling via oxidative SH2 homolytic substitution