Contents
December 2020
Vol 6, Issue 50
Vol 6, Issue 50
Contents
Research Articles
- Exploiting the diphtheria toxin internalization receptor enhances delivery of proteins to lysosomes for enzyme replacement therapy
Engineering lysosomal enzymes to bind the diphtheria toxin receptor with high affinity increases uptake into cells and tissues.
- Structure and inhibition of the SARS-CoV-2 main protease reveal strategy for developing dual inhibitors against Mpro and cathepsin L
X-ray crystal structures of SARS-CoV-2 Mpro with dual inhibitors provide a new direction for the designing of COVID-19 antivirals.
- High-throughput search for magnetic and topological order in transition metal oxides
Candidate magnetic topological materials are identified with high-throughput computational screening.
- Environmental exposure enhances the internalization of microplastic particles into cells
Microplastic that was exposed to the environment is much more likely internalized by cells than pure unmodified microplastic.
- RNA polymerase II CTD S2P is dispensable for embryogenesis but mediates exit from developmental diapause in C. elegans
CTD S2P mediates nutrient-dependent development.
- Size-transformable antigen-presenting cell–mimicking nanovesicles potentiate effective cancer immunotherapy
We provide a generalizable approach of using size-transformable artificial antigen-presenting cells for cancer immunotherapy.
- Noninvasive characterization of Alzheimer’s disease by circulating, cell-free messenger RNA next-generation sequencing
Transcriptomic profiles of Alzheimer’s disease patients and healthy individuals were investigated using cell-free mRNA sequencing.
- Overturning circulation, nutrient limitation, and warming in the Glacial North Pacific
Enhanced overturning circulation in the glacial North Pacific caused warming, nutrient limitation, and lower atmospheric CO2.
- Ultrahigh-resolution scanning microwave impedance microscopy of moiré lattices and superstructures
Local conductance behavior of various moiré lattices, moiré superstructures, and Kagome-like moiré are resolved down to sub–5 nm.
- DNA methyltransferase 3B deficiency unveils a new pathological mechanism of pulmonary hypertension
DNA methyltransferase 3B is identified as a protective target against pulmonary vascular remodeling.
- Aerolysin nanopores decode digital information stored in tailored macromolecular analytes
Informational polymers are deciphered by aerolysin pores.
- Efficient aortic lymphatic drainage is necessary for atherosclerosis regression induced by ezetimibe
The results show that a functional lymphatic drainage of the aorta is critical to inhibit atherosclerosis progression and mediate its regression.
- Physical origin of glass formation from multicomponent systems
We show that locally favored structural and chemical orders in melt control the glass-forming ability of metallic alloys.
- Cryo-shocked cancer cells for targeted drug delivery and vaccination
Liquid nitrogen–treated tumor cells serve as a drug carrier and cancer vaccine to facilitate chemo-immunotherapy.
- Distinct inflammatory profiles distinguish COVID-19 from influenza with limited contributions from cytokine storm
Immunologic evaluation shows that most COVID-19 patients exhibit targeted immunosuppression compared to patients with influenza.
- Integration of intra-sample contextual error modeling for improved detection of somatic mutations from deep sequencing
Espresso efficiently distinguishes true mutations from background noise common in deep sequencing data.
- Neurocognitive dynamics of near-threshold voice signal detection and affective voice evaluation
Detection of continuous voice-in-noise recruits a dynamic, auditory cortical-limbic network.
- Skin-interfaced microfluidic system with personalized sweating rate and sweat chloride analytics for sports science applications
Wearable microfluidic system enables remote analysis of sweat rate and chloride loss for assessing personalized fluid needs.
- Targeted exosome coating gene-chem nanocomplex as “nanoscavenger” for clearing α-synuclein and immune activation of Parkinson’s disease
The targeted nanocomplex efficiently treats Parkinson’s disease by clearing α-synuclein and immune activation.
- Polarization under rising inequality and economic decline
Polarization can spread and become entrenched when inequality creates subpopulations that cannot afford risks.
- A mathematical model of ctDNA shedding predicts tumor detection size
A mathematical model of tumor evolution and ctDNA shedding informs new cancer early detection approaches.
- A biomimetically hierarchical polyetherketoneketone scaffold for osteoporotic bone repair
A biomimetic PEKK implant was developed to promote osteoporotic bone regeneration and delay adjacent bone loss.
- Atmospheric circulation over Europe during the Younger Dryas
Reconstructed palaeoprecipitation reveals a persistent SCAND-like circulation and southerly storm track during the Younger Dryas.
- Topology-dependent asymmetry in systematic errors affects phylogenetic placement of Ctenophora and Xenacoelomorpha
A data simulation approach shows that the contested origins of Ctenophora and Xenacoelomorpha are obscured by systematic errors.
- On high-temperature evolution of passivation layer in Li–10 wt % Mg alloy via in situ SEM-EBSD
An in situ surface observation reveals the surface structural changes during heating of a Li–10 wt % Mg alloy sheet.
- Late endosomes promote microglia migration via cytosolic translocation of immature protease cathD
Protease cathD escapes from late endosomes to cytosol and accelerates actin dynamics.
- Structures and an activation mechanism of human potassium-chloride cotransporters
The full-length structures of human KCCs in an autoinhibition state suggest a potential activation mechanism.
- Digital-WGS: Automated, highly efficient whole-genome sequencing of single cells by digital microfluidics
Digital-WGS enables high-performance single-cell sequencing with automatic processing based on digital microfluidics.
- A fully biodegradable and self-electrified device for neuroregenerative medicine
A biodegradable and self-electrified conduit device is achieved to offer postoperative electrical cues for nerve regeneration.
- Calmodulin acts as a state-dependent switch to control a cardiac potassium channel opening
Calmodulin controls KCNQ1 potassium channel pore opening by competing with PIP2 in the KCNQ1 voltage-sensing domain.
- Quality of CD8+ T cell immunity evoked in lymph nodes is compartmentalized by route of antigen transport and functional in tumor context
Nanoscale biomaterial tools reveal impacts of lymphatic mechanisms of transport on CD8+ T cell immunity elicited in melanoma.
- Revised chronology of central Tibet uplift (Lunpola Basin)
Revised age control and paleoelevations reveal Eocene low central Tibet until ~26 Ma ago when an extensive plateau began to form.
- Piwi suppresses transcription of Brahma-dependent transposons via Maelstrom in ovarian somatic cells
Brahma is functionally involved in Piwi-piRISC–mediated transposon silencing in Drosophila ovarian somatic cells.
- Targeting histone K4 trimethylation for treatment of cognitive and synaptic deficits in mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease
This study has found a novel epigenetic mechanism and a potential therapeutic strategy for AD and related diseases.
- The Hippo pathway coactivator Yorkie can reprogram cell fates and create compartment-boundary–like interactions at clone margins
Increased activity of the Hippo pathway coactivator Yorkie alters selector gene expression and promotes cell fate plasticity.
- Ceramide chain length–dependent protein sorting into selective endoplasmic reticulum exit sites
3D high-resolution live imaging reveals the importance of ceramide chain length for protein sorting in selective export sites.
- Mus81-Eme1–dependent aberrant processing of DNA replication intermediates in mitosis impairs genome integrity
The molecular scissors Mus81 fixes or ruins chromosomes depending on the availability of DNA precursors in mitosis.
- Visualizing insulin vesicle neighborhoods in β cells by cryo–electron tomography
Multiple distinct tomograms of a single β cell enable investigation of the architecture of insulin vesicle neighborhoods.
- Visualizing subcellular rearrangements in intact β cells using soft x-ray tomography
Subcellular maps of β cells reveal the coordinated reorganization of organelles during insulin secretion.
- Scalable integrated single-photon source
An on-chip deterministic source generating more than 100 identical photons meets the resource requirement for quantum advantage.
- Ocean planning for species on the move provides substantial benefits and requires few trade-offs
Proactively preparing for climate change produces more effective ocean plans and imposes few trade-offs.
- Millikelvin-resolved ambient thermography
Temperature sensitivity of thermography is boosted by over 15 times to achieve millikelvin-resolution near ambient temperature.
- Functional innovations of PIN auxin transporters mark crucial evolutionary transitions during rise of flowering plants
The stepwise evolution of PIN auxin transporters shapes the auxin gradient–mediated complex architecture of flowering plants.
- Rapid and ongoing evolution of repetitive sequence structures in human centromeres
Long-read analysis of 36 individual genomes revealed extensive structural diversity within human centromeric repeat arrays.
- Titanium isotopes constrain a magmatic transition at the Hadean-Archean boundary in the Acasta Gneiss Complex
Titanium isotopes reveal a shift toward convergent arc magmatism in some of Earth’s oldest known rocks.
About The Cover
ONLINE COVER Typically, only 30% of patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) survive five years after diagnosis, in part because bone marrow is relatively inaccessible to surgery, and biological barriers prevent drugs from adequately reaching marrow. However, leukemia cells themselves are equipped with proteins that allow them to home in on and enter marrow. To hijack these abilities, Ci et al. suspended AML cells in a preservation medium and immersed them in liquid nitrogen for 12 hours, killing the cells and ridding them of their pathogenicity, but preserving their structure and surface proteins. They then loaded the cells with doxorubicin, a chemotherapy drug, and injected them into mice with AML. They found that the dead cell delivery of doxorubicin reached tumors and inhibited tumor growth more effectively than controls, and the dead cells themselves stimulated an immune response against AML. Dead leukemia cells also inoculated healthy mice against future cancer development. The authors write that this approach might be used to harness other cancer cells for dead-cell drug delivery to different kinds of tumors, and they call for further research to evaluate the safety of using such cells in additional animal models before exploring use in humans. [CREDIT: ZHEN GU LAB]
