Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Articles in this Issue
Exploring the energy landscape of bacterial chromosome segregation
Faithful chromosome segregation during bacterial replication requires global reorganization of the nucleoid, where Structural Maintenance of Chromosomes (SMC) complexes play a crucial role. Here, we d...
Phosphorylation and DNA damage resolution coordinate SOX2-mediated reprogramming in vivo
The stem cell factor SOX2 can reprogram resident glial cells into neurons in the adult mammalian central nervous system, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this process remain poorly understood....
Senolytic treatment induces oligodendrocyte dysfunction and demyelination in the corpus callosum
Aging is a primary risk factor for disease progression in multiple sclerosis (MS). Because of this, treatments that can reduce the consequences of molecular aging, like senescence, have been proposed...
Origin of eukaryotic plasmalogen biosynthesis by horizontal gene transfer from myxobacteria
Plasmalogens are a unique class of glycerophospholipids defined by a distinctive vinyl ether bond. While these lipids are abundant in animals and important for human health, their evolutionary history...
Three-dimensional high-content imaging of unstained soft tissue with subcellular resolution using a laboratory-based X-ray microscope
With increasing interest in studying biological systems across spatial scales—from centimeters down to nanometers—histology continues to be the gold standard for tissue imaging at cellular resolution,...
Synthetic SIGLEC9-based chimeric switch receptor augments the efficacy of CAR macrophages against glioblastoma
Chimeric antigen receptor macrophage (CAR-M) therapy represents a promising therapeutic approach for treating glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). However, durable antitumorigenic macrophage phenotype of CA...
Single polymer fiber–based ultrasensitive and multifunctional flexible microsensor via arthropod-inspired crack-helix coupling
Flexible microsensors featuring miniature dimensions (< 100 μm), superior sensitivity [Gauge factor (GF) > 10 3 ], and phenomenal environmental stability...
Nudibranch color diversity shares a common physical basis in guanine photonic structure ‘pixels’
Nudibranchs are well known for their bright and diverse color patterns. This coloration is typically a form of aposematism, warning predators against toxic compounds sequestered from their prey and we...
A population threshold for dedicated teaching
Teachers hold a prominent place in modern societies, particularly where education is compulsory and widely institutionalized. This ubiquity obscures an underlying puzzle: Why do societies assign some...
Characterization of phytoplankton-excreted metabolites mediating carbon flux through the surface ocean
The marine labile dissolved organic carbon (DOC) pool is a dynamic reservoir of thousands of molecules that cycles approximately one-quarter of Earth’s primary production within days to weeks. After e...
Coevolving topography, patchy soils, and forest structure
The transition from soil-mantled to bedrock-dominated landscapes is important to hydrology, ecology, and landscape evolution. Where classical theory predicts that this transition abruptly occurs once...
The <i>Arabidopsis</i> FRIENDLY (FMT) protein interacts with NAC and determines where nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins are translated
Mitochondria are not only the powerhouses of the cell. They are also dynamic signaling hubs, playing a key role in cellular metabolism and adaptation. Proper mitochondrial function depends largely on...
Gustatory sensing by ovipositor drives maternal avoidance of hesperidin to benefit the offspring in a major agricultural fly pest
Females of the oriental fruit fly ( Bactrocera dorsalis ) disproportionately oviposit in unripe fruits, despite their lower nutritional value compared to ripe f...
Wolves fear humans but learn quickly about us
The α-synuclein proteostasis network and its translational applications in Parkinson’s disease
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative condition that results in a loss of mobility and muscle control. A neuropathological hallmark of PD is the presence of aberrant inclusions,...
The potential for onshore wind repowering to hasten the energy transition in the United States
This study explores whether repowering onshore wind farms will help the United States (US) meet a much larger share of its current electricity demand with wind. Repowering upgrades existing wind farms...
Structural insight into the CUB2 domain’s role in enteropeptidase-mediated trypsinogen activation
Elucidating the structure and function of enteropeptidase (EP) is essential for advancing our understanding of its biological significance, particularly in regulating trypsinogen activation. Using cry...
On the optimal integration of intelligent agents into network systems to steer cooperation
Sociotechnical networks, in which humans and technologies act as interacting entities (also known as “hybrid systems”), increasingly face perturbations by automated agents. What this implies for immer...
Influence of extracellular magnesium ions on the functional state and biophysical and structural properties of connexin36 hemichannels
Connexin36 (Cx36) is highly expressed in inhibitory and excitatory neurons as well as pancreatic β-cells, where it forms gap junction channels that coordinate metabolic and electrical responses. In ad...
Partner preferences for resources adapt to income and gender economic inequality
For over three decades, scholars have contested whether sex differences in ideal partner preferences for age, resources, and physical attractiveness result chiefly from evolution or cultural gender in...
Live-cell 3D-SIM of Rift Valley fever virus NSs filaments reveals a polygon web architecture
A defining feature of Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is the incorporation of the NSs protein into large filamentous assemblies inside infected nuclei [R. Swanepoel, N. K. Blackburn,...
Shared competence forms the basis of gill arch and paired fin serial homology
The origin of paired fins is an unresolved controversy in vertebrate evolutionary biology. Karl Gegenbaur famously proposed that paired fins evolved by the transformation of a gill arch, but this hypo...
Identifying key convection-sensitive oceanic regions to weaken the ENSO spring predictability barrier
The El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) exhibits its weakest predictability during boreal spring, a phenomenon known as the Spring Predictability Barrier (SPB). The SPB arises from weak air–sea coupli...
Correlations without causation do not support claims of human–LLM reasoning alignment
Active maintenance of meiosis-specific chromosome structures in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> by the deubiquitinase DUO-1
Meiotic prophase is characterized by a dynamic program in which germ cells undergo a complex series of associations and dissociations of protein complexes that drive assembly, remodeling, and disassem...