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Visualizing the disordered nuclear transport machinery in situ
Previously shown as a 60-nm hole in the nuclear pore complex, the transport machinery by FG-nucleoporins is mapped.
- Miao Yu
- , Maziar Heidari
- & Edward A. Lemke
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Article |
Nucleation landscape of biomolecular condensates
Experiments using endogenous and biomimetic condensates in cells show that nucleation in cells resembles the physical process in inanimate materials, but is tuned by biomolecular features.
- Shunsuke F. Shimobayashi
- , Pierre Ronceray
- & Clifford P. Brangwynne
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Article |
Composition-dependent thermodynamics of intracellular phase separation
Heterotypic multicomponent interactions are shown to dominate the liquid–liquid phase separation that enables the formation of intracellular condensates.
- Joshua A. Riback
- , Lian Zhu
- & Clifford P. Brangwynne
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Article |
LEM2 phase separation promotes ESCRT-mediated nuclear envelope reformation
Following cell division, phase separation of the transmembrane adaptor LEM2 ensures that the ESCRT machinery remodels microtubules and seals the nuclear envelope.
- Alexander von Appen
- , Dollie LaJoie
- & Adam Frost
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Letter |
Emergence of tissue-like mechanics from fibrous networks confined by close-packed cells
Tissue rheology emerges from the interplay between fibrous networks and cell inclusions, and the mechanical properties of tissues are modulated by restricting the relaxation modes of fibres close to volume-conserving cells.
- Anne S. G. van Oosten
- , Xingyu Chen
- & Paul A. Janmey
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Letter |
Multiple liquid crystalline geometries of highly compacted nucleic acid in a dsRNA virus
The cryo-electron microscopy structure of the bacteriophage ɸ6 dsRNA genome shows that the genome is packaged in a spooled manner that is more similar to dsDNA viruses than to other dsRNA viruses.
- Serban L. Ilca
- , Xiaoyu Sun
- & Juha T. Huiskonen
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Letter |
Proteins evolve on the edge of supramolecular self-assembly
Introducing a single ‘sticky’ (hydrophobic) amino acid by point mutation into symmetric protein complexes frequently triggers their association into higher-order assemblies, without affecting their native fold and structure.
- Hector Garcia-Seisdedos
- , Charly Empereur-Mot
- & Emmanuel D. Levy
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Article |
RNA phase transitions in repeat expansion disorders
Nucleotide repeat expansions create templates for multivalent base-pairing, which causes RNA to undergo a sol–gel phase transition and may explain the formation of nuclear RNA foci that are commonly observed in several neurological and neuromuscular diseases.
- Ankur Jain
- & Ronald D. Vale
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Letter |
Variable chromatin structure revealed by in situ spatially correlated DNA cleavage mapping
The first genome-wide map of human chromatin conformation at the 1–3 nucleosome (50–500 base pair) scale, obtained using ionizing radiation-induced spatially correlated cleavage of DNA with sequencing (RICC-seq), which identifies spatially proximal DNA–DNA contacts.
- Viviana I. Risca
- , Sarah K. Denny
- & William J. Greenleaf
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Letter |
Ki-67 acts as a biological surfactant to disperse mitotic chromosomes
During cell division, chromosomes are maintained as individual units; this process is shown to be mediated by the cell proliferation marker Ki-67, which has biophysical properties similar to those of surfactants.
- Sara Cuylen
- , Claudia Blaukopf
- & Daniel W. Gerlich
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Letter |
A chain mechanism for flagellum growth
Growth of a flagellum outside the bacterial cell proceeds by successive subunit acquisition from the cell export machinery to form a chain that is pulled to the flagellum tip, where subunit crystallization provides the entropic force to drive the process.
- Lewis D. B. Evans
- , Simon Poulter
- & Gillian M. Fraser
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Editorial |
Damage limitation
Spider webs are designed to cope with stress and disruption, favouring repair over rebuilding.
Peroxisome biogenesis initiated by protein phase separation