Browse Articles

Mechanisms of auxin action in plant growth and development

The ribonucleoprotein hnRNP K promotes hepatic steatosis by suppressing the nuclear hormone receptor PPARα

Identification of sensory fiber types in mouse temporomandibular joint tissues

Molecular machineries shaping the mitochondrial inner membrane

ERK signaling promotes IKKε expression and oncogenic functions in pancreatic cancer cells in association with TBK1

Progressive Learning‐Guided Discovery of Single‐Atom Metal Oxide Catalysts for Acidic Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Abstract The oxygen evolution reaction (OER) is a key bottleneck in clean energy conversion due to sluggish kinetics and high overpotentials. Transition metal single‐atom catalysts offer great promise for OER optimization thanks to their high atomic efficiency and tunable electronic structures. However, intrinsic scaling relationships between adsorbed intermediates limit catalytic performance and complicate discovery through conventional machine learning (ML). To overcome this, we combined density functional theory (DFT) with a progressive learning strategy within an active learning framework. By first predicting adsorption energies as auxiliary features, our ML model achieved improved sensitivity to rare, high‐activity candidates. High‐throughput screening of 261 transition metal single‐atom‐doped metal oxides (M SA ‐MO x ) identified nine top‐performing catalysts (theoretical overpotential < 0.5 V), including Mn SA ‐RuO 2 and Fe SA ‐TiO 2 (theoretical overpotential < 0.3 V). Data mining revealed key theoretical descriptors governing OER activity, while electronic structure analysis pinpointed intermediate binding strength as the key performance driver. Further constant‐potential DFT calculations and experimental evaluation of Mn SA ‐RuO 2 confirmed its low overpotential and excellent durability under acidic conditions. This integrated framework, which connects theoretical modeling, ML prediction, and experimental validation, accelerates the discovery of efficient OER catalysts and provides mechanistic insights for the rational design of materials in sustainable energy technologies.

Chemical Proteomics Identifies RBBP7 as a New E3 Ligase Supporting Targeted Protein Degradation

Abstract Targeted protein degradation (TPD) has been recognized as a powerful therapeutic strategy for the treatment of a wide range of diseases. However, the application of existing degraders is constrained by their dependence on a limited number of E3 ubiquitin ligases, such as CRBN and VHL. To address this limitation, we developed a suite of novel small‐molecule degraders by integrating an ynamide electrophile into protein‐targeting ligands. These compounds demonstrated remarkable target degradation capability. Subsequent proteome profiling and functional validation revealed that Cys97 residue of retinoblastoma binding protein 7 (RBBP7) E3 ligase was covalently engaged and responsible for the degradation mechanism. Furthermore, the ynamide motif has proved to be a versatile and transplantable chemical handle, facilitating the development of degraders targeting a wide range of proteins, including CDK4, PDE5, PI3K, AKT, BCR‐ABL, BRD4, EGFR L858R , and EGFR L858R/T790M/C797S . Notably, incorporation of ynamide into the “pan‐kinase” inhibitor XO44 yielded degraders capable of simultaneously degrading various kinases, such as PI3K, Syk, AKT, and GSK‐3β, further highlighting the general feasibility of this approach. Importantly, the ynamide‐containing degraders demonstrated significantly enhanced anticancer potency compared to their parent inhibitors.

Optimization of protease production by newly isolated Bacillus sp. from the Red Sea using defatted soybean cake

Abstract In this study, three strains of alkaline protease-producing bacteria were isolated from marine seawater collected at a depth of 15 meters off the coast of Ras Sedr at Egypt’s Red Sea. The isolates were morphologically and biochemically characterized, and the most efficient strain was identified via 16S rRNA sequencing, showing 99% similarity to Bacillus amyloliquefaciens MPA 1034. Our newly isolated strain was deposited in the GenBank under the accession number PP034178.1 (Bacillus amyloliquefaciens NRC-IB-11). Six organic waste substrates, namely defatted almond cake, shrimp peel, wheat bran, chicken feathers, defatted flax cake, and defatted soybean cake, were evaluated for enzyme production, with defatted soybean cake yielding the highest activity. Under optimized conditions (10 g/100 mL of defatted soybean cake media, 10% v/v inoculum size, pH 10, 35 °C, and 160 rpm agitation speed), the newly isolated strain produced a maximum of 590 U/mL alkaline protease. This study introduces a novel marine-derived Bacillus strain with promising protease productivity and demonstrates sustainable bioprocessing, utilizing a single-component culture medium to minimize production costs.

DHX9 phosphorylation at S321 by ATM regulates DHX9 retention at DNA double-strand break sites and interaction with BRCA1

Spontaneous Nano‐ZrO ₂ Exsolution from Ni‐Zr‐O Mixed Oxides Enables Facile Fabrication of ZrO ₂ /Ni Inverse Catalysts for Efficient CO _x Methanation

Abstract Ni‐based inverse catalysts with nano‐oxide dispersed on metallic substrates have emerged as promising candidates for low‐temperature CO 2 methanation, but it remains challenging in facile synthesis of well‐dispersed oxide‐metal interactions. Herein, a spontaneous oxide exsolution strategy for the fabrication of Ni‐based inverse catalyst via monodispersed Zr species of Ni‐Zr‐O mixed oxide is demonstrated, where precisely tailored calcination and reduction of the mixed oxide enable in situ nano‐ZrO 2 segregation on the metallic Ni matrix. The formation evolution of inverse configuration is elucidated through comprehensive ex situ/in situ characterizations. X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy reveals the electron transfer between the exsolved ZrO 2 and the Ni matrix, indicating the presence of metal‐oxide interactions. The prepared ZrO 2 /Ni inverse catalyst achieves ∼90% CO 2 conversion and >99% CH 4 selectivity at low‐temperature of 200 °C, and also demonstrates excellent catalytic performance and dynamic operational stability in complex CO x hydrogenation reactions, validating its industrial applicability under realistic syngas‐equivalent feedstock conditions.

Increased volumes of the precuneus and the pallidum in idiopathic generalized epilepsy

Kinetic mechanism of ENPP1 ATPase: Implications for aberrant calcification disorders and enzyme replacement therapy

Simultaneous Manipulation of Electric Double Layer and Zn (100) Deposition Enabled by Anions for Highly Stable Zn Anodes

Abstract Controlling the growth orientation of zinc (Zn) is an effective method of stabilizing Zn anodes. Although Zn (100) exhibits faster Zn electroplating/stripping kinetics than Zn (002), its high chemical reactivity results in susceptibility to water‐induced side reactions. Herein, a two‐pronged electrolyte engineering strategy is proposed to enhance the reversibility of Zn anodes, that is, modulating vertically oriented Zn (100) plating while simultaneously constructing a water‐poor electrical double layer (EDL). Mechanistic studies revealed that the difluoro(oxalato)borate (DFOB − ) anions of sodium‐difluoro(oxalato)borate (NaDFOB) function as a Zn 2+ trapping agent at the inner Helmholtz layer, displacing active water molecules and inducing the preferential deposition of Zn on the Zn (100) crystal facets, thus effectively inhibiting both side reactions and dendrite growth. Consequently, a symmetrical cell with the ZnSO 4 /NaDFOB electrolyte exhibited a long lifetime of over 950 h under severe conditions of 10 mA cm −2 and 5 mAh cm −2 . Furthermore, a practical Zn||NH 4 V 4 O 10 pouch cell could achieves a high capacity of 156 mAh at industrial‐level mass loading of 16.6 mg cm −2 . This work provides insights for achieving stable Zn anodes via electrolyte engineering‐triggered crystallographic orientation and EDL regulation.

Damage quantification of mining explosion-proof equipment using thermal flame dynamics and improved LSTM

Structural unification of diverse transmembrane acyltransferases reveals a conserved fold for the transmembrane acyl transferase (TmAT) superfamily

Sub pico-second pulses in mono-mode optical fibers with Triki-Biswas model

A novel protein encoded by circTUBGCP3 blocks ferroptosis and promotes gastric cancer progression

Balancing Tetrahedral and Cation Entropies for Long‐lifespan Low‐temperature Zn‐ion Batteries

Abstract Aqueous Zn‐ion batteries (AZIBs) are promising candidates for next‐generation energy storage. However, their application is hindered by Zn anode instability and reduced ionic conductivity at low temperatures. Here, we identified two decisive factors for low‐temperature performance and anode stability of batteries: tetrahedral entropy and cation entropy. The former is closely related to antifreezing ability of electrolyte, while the latter is associated with the desolvation kinetics of Zn 2+ . We propose an effective strategy to balance the above two thermodynamic quantities by precisely tuning the molar fraction of the 1,3‐butanediol (BDO) cosolvent with notable glass‐forming ability. BDO enhances the tetrahedral entropy due to the disruption of the hydrogen‐bond networks among water molecules, decreasing the solid–liquid transition temperature from −16.4 to −101 °C. Additionally, BDO modifies the solvated structure of Zn 2 ⁺ to limit the active water content, thus suppressing by‐reactions at the electrode/electrolyte interface. The optimized electrolyte enables long‐term cycling of Zn||Zn symmetric cells for over 4000 h at −40 °C under 0.1 mA cm −2 /0.1 mAh cm −2 , and renders PANI||Zn full cells capable of working across a broad temperature range (−40 °C to 60 °C). This work offers a guideline to design stable and low‐temperature AZIBs, expanding the application scope for aqueous electrolytes.

Correction: Measuring farm sustainability index: priorities for sustaining livelihoods of farm households in Haryana, India

NUAK kinases: Signaling mechanisms and therapeutic applications