Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Quinones operate as proton-collecting antennas in energy-transducing membranes

The bioenergetic complexes of energy-transducing membranes generate a proton current that powers the synthesis of adenosine triphosphate. Yet, since the early days of the chemiosmotic theory, it has r...

Recurrent mutations drive rapid HIV escape from two broadly neutralizing antibodies in vivo

Broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) show promise for HIV treatment and prevention, but are vulnerable to resistance evolution. Comprehensively understanding in vivo viral escape from individual bN...

Exploring functional transitions of the 2’-dG riboswitch aptamer

Riboswitches are structural elements in the 5’ untranslated region of mRNAs that adopt different conformations under different conditions. Transitions between these different states are involved in co...

Tree growth after a major hurricane reflects predisturbance vigor rather than canopy damage

Tree crown damage from disturbance events strongly influences forest demography, yet its effect on stem growth remains poorly quantified, with both positive and negative impacts reported. Hurricanes p...

Space-based observation of global increase in urban methane emissions from 2019–2023

Cities around the world have united to form coalitions, like the C40 network, in pursuit of ambitious climate goals. These efforts often include reducing methane emissions. However, sources and magnit...

Ancient environmental genome reveals a migratory brown bear individual in Early Holocene Scandinavia

After the last ice age, species migrated into a newly deglaciated Scandinavia. Brown bear recolonization is thought to have occurred from two directions—from the south and the northeast—resulting in a...

Industrialization increases the estrogen-recycling capacity of the gut microbiome

Estrogens influence many aspects of human physiology and health, including fertility, growth, metabolic function, and susceptibility to disease. Up to 65% of circulating estrogens are excreted into th...

Cooperative traits maintain bacterial niche breadth

Municipal water fluoridation, adolescent IQ, and cognition across the life course: Evidence from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study

We investigate associations between community water fluoridation (CWF), adolescent IQ, and cognition across the life course using representative data from the US state of Wisconsin. Exposure is inferr...

Sulfated polysaccharide reprograms arterialized angiogenesis of endochondral ossification to rescue defective osteonecrosis therapy

Excessive administration of glucocorticoids leads to arterial involvement and induces osteonecrosis. Conventional biomaterial-based strategies aimed at direct vascularization have shown limited therap...

Alternative splicing of the <i>Rbm24</i> gene is essential for cochlear hair cell stereocilia integrity and hearing function in mice

Cochlear hair cells are the mechanosensitive receptor cells responsible for detecting sound information. They are characterized by their apical F-actin-filled stereocilia that are essential for mechan...

Profile of Helen M. Piwnica-Worms

Helen M. Piwnica-Worms has devoted her career to uncovering how cancer cells evade control and resist treatment. From pioneering work on cell cycle checkpoints to revealing drug resistance mechanisms...

mRNA m ⁶ A modifications and the RNA-binding protein YTHDF1 affect translational control in both normal and pathological learning

Animals learn and adapt to environmental changes. However, neural plasticity can also become maladaptive, leading to neurological and psychiatric disorders. How do we use known molecular mechanisms to...

Deep learning framework for quantifying self-organization in <i>Myxococcus xanthus</i>

Under starvation, Myxococcus xanthus bacteria initiate a multicellular developmental program in which cells move to form fruiting bodies and differentiate into...

The hourglass of high acuity vision: Cone plasticity at the intersection of time and space shapes the foveola

Glassy interphases reinforce elastomeric nanocomposites by enhancing volume expansion under strain

For nearly a century, introduction of nanoparticles to elastomers has yielded extraordinarily tough nanocomposites that are critical to technologies from actuators to tires. The mechanisms by which th...

A local solution to local load: Myo1E as a tension-responsive actuator in clathrin-mediated endocytosis

Cell wall remodeling–dependent morphotype switch in <i>Mycobacterium avium</i> differentially regulates colonization and tissue persistence

Species of the Mycobacterium avium complex display two main colony morphologies, smooth transparent (SmT) and smooth opaque (SmO), where SmT is associated with...

The next frontier: Exploring plant hypoxia sensing and response mechanisms through synthetic biology

Combining process-based models with machine learning ensemble improves soil nitrous oxide estimates

Weather forecasts become more important for reducing mortality as the climate warms

Climate change will increase the frequency and severity of extreme heat, which is a leading cause of weather-related mortality. We combine causal estimates of how temperature forecast accuracy affects...

Voltage-gated proton channel Hv1/VSOP regulates reciprocal interactions between F-actin and endosomes in microglia

Voltage-gated proton channel Hv1/VSOP has long been regarded as a plasma membrane protein that modulates intracellular pH and membrane potential to support immune cell function. Here, we reveal an une...

Habitat-specific temporal variation in the pace of fish diversification

Speciation and extinction events are concentrated unevenly through space and time, shaping the global distribution of extant biodiversity. Habitats modulate these dynamics over short timescales by det...

A modified CRISPR/Cas9 approach in silencing the triplication in Down syndrome: A treatment path XISTs

Down syndrome (DS) is one of the most common developmental human genetic disorders and is due to triplication of chromosome 21 (HSA21). Although previous studies using epigenetic suppression of HSA21...

SCD1 licenses STING signaling through fatty acid desaturation–mediated membrane remodeling

The stimulator of interferon genes (STING) is a critical mediator of innate immunity against cytosolic DNA pathogens, requiring precise regulation to balance antiviral defense and immune tolerance. Wh...