TY - JOUR AB - Complex I is the first and the largest enzyme of respiratory chains in bacteria and mitochondria. The mechanism which couples spatially separated transfer of electrons to proton translocation in complex I is not known. Here we report five crystal structures of T. thermophilus enzyme in complex with NADH or quinone-like compounds. We also determined cryo-EM structures of major and minor native states of the complex, differing in the position of the peripheral arm. Crystal structures show that binding of quinone-like compounds (but not of NADH) leads to a related global conformational change, accompanied by local re-arrangements propagating from the quinone site to the nearest proton channel. Normal mode and molecular dynamics analyses indicate that these are likely to represent the first steps in the proton translocation mechanism. Our results suggest that quinone binding and chemistry play a key role in the coupling mechanism of complex I. AU - Gutierrez-Fernandez, Javier AU - Kaszuba, Karol AU - Minhas, Gurdeep S. AU - Baradaran, Rozbeh AU - Tambalo, Margherita AU - Gallagher, David T. AU - Sazanov, Leonid A ID - 8318 IS - 1 JF - Nature Communications TI - Key role of quinone in the mechanism of respiratory complex I VL - 11 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The genetic code is considered to use five nucleic bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil), which form two pairs for encoding information in DNA and two pairs for encoding information in RNA. Nevertheless, in recent years several artificial base pairs have been developed in attempts to expand the genetic code. Employment of these additional base pairs increases the information capacity and variety of DNA sequences, and provides a platform for the site-specific, enzymatic incorporation of extra functional components into DNA and RNA. As a result, of the development of such expanded systems, many artificial base pairs have been synthesized and tested under various conditions. Following many stages of enhancement, unnatural base pairs have been modified to eliminate their weak points, qualifying them for specific research needs. Moreover, the first attempts to create a semi-synthetic organism containing DNA with unnatural base pairs seem to have been successful. This further extends the possible applications of these kinds of pairs. Herein, we describe the most significant qualities of unnatural base pairs and their actual applications. AU - Mukba, S. A. AU - Vlasov, Petr AU - Kolosov, P. M. AU - Shuvalova, E. Y. AU - Egorova, T. V. AU - Alkalaeva, E. Z. ID - 8320 IS - 4 JF - Molecular Biology SN - 00268933 TI - Expanding the genetic code: Unnatural base pairs in biological systems VL - 54 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The genetic code is considered to use five nucleic bases (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine and uracil), which form two pairs for encoding information in DNA and two pairs for encoding information in RNA. Nevertheless, in recent years several artificial base pairs have been developed in attempts to expand the genetic code. Employment of these additional base pairs increases the information capacity and variety of DNA sequences, and provides a platform for the site-specific, enzymatic incorporation of extra functional components into DNA and RNA. As a result, of the development of such expanded systems, many artificial base pairs have been synthesized and tested under various conditions. Following many stages of enhancement, unnatural base pairs have been modified to eliminate their weak points, qualifying them for specific research needs. Moreover, the first attempts to create a semi-synthetic organism containing DNA with unnatural base pairs seem to have been successful. This further extends the possible applications of these kinds of pairs. Herein, we describe the most significant qualities of unnatural base pairs and their actual applications. AU - Mukba, S. A. AU - Vlasov, Petr AU - Kolosov, P. M. AU - Shuvalova, E. Y. AU - Egorova, T. V. AU - Alkalaeva, E. Z. ID - 8321 IS - 4 JF - Molekuliarnaia biologiia SN - 00268984 TI - Expanding the genetic code: Unnatural base pairs in biological systems VL - 54 ER - TY - JOUR AU - Pach, János ID - 8323 JF - Discrete and Computational Geometry SN - 01795376 TI - A farewell to Ricky Pollack VL - 64 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Plant hormone cytokinins are perceived by a subfamily of sensor histidine kinases (HKs), which via a two-component phosphorelay cascade activate transcriptional responses in the nucleus. Subcellular localization of the receptors proposed the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane as a principal cytokinin perception site, while study of cytokinin transport pointed to the plasma membrane (PM)-mediated cytokinin signalling. Here, by detailed monitoring of subcellular localizations of the fluorescently labelled natural cytokinin probe and the receptor ARABIDOPSIS HISTIDINE KINASE 4 (CRE1/AHK4) fused to GFP reporter, we show that pools of the ER-located cytokinin receptors can enter the secretory pathway and reach the PM in cells of the root apical meristem, and the cell plate of dividing meristematic cells. Brefeldin A (BFA) experiments revealed vesicular recycling of the receptor and its accumulation in BFA compartments. We provide a revised view on cytokinin signalling and the possibility of multiple sites of perception at PM and ER. AU - Kubiasova, Karolina AU - Montesinos López, Juan C AU - Šamajová, Olga AU - Nisler, Jaroslav AU - Mik, Václav AU - Semeradova, Hana AU - Plíhalová, Lucie AU - Novák, Ondřej AU - Marhavý, Peter AU - Cavallari, Nicola AU - Zalabák, David AU - Berka, Karel AU - Doležal, Karel AU - Galuszka, Petr AU - Šamaj, Jozef AU - Strnad, Miroslav AU - Benková, Eva AU - Plíhal, Ondřej AU - Spíchal, Lukáš ID - 8336 JF - Nature Communications TI - Cytokinin fluoroprobe reveals multiple sites of cytokinin perception at plasma membrane and endoplasmic reticulum VL - 11 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Cytokinins are mobile multifunctional plant hormones with roles in development and stress resilience. Although their Histidine Kinase receptors are substantially localised to the endoplasmic reticulum, cellular sites of cytokinin perception and importance of spatially heterogeneous cytokinin distribution continue to be debated. Here we show that cytokinin perception by plasma membrane receptors is an effective additional path for cytokinin response. Readout from a Two Component Signalling cytokinin-specific reporter (TCSn::GFP) closely matches intracellular cytokinin content in roots, yet we also find cytokinins in extracellular fluid, potentially enabling action at the cell surface. Cytokinins covalently linked to beads that could not pass the plasma membrane increased expression of both TCSn::GFP and Cytokinin Response Factors. Super-resolution microscopy of GFP-labelled receptors and diminished TCSn::GFP response to immobilised cytokinins in cytokinin receptor mutants, further indicate that receptors can function at the cell surface. We argue that dual intracellular and surface locations may augment flexibility of cytokinin responses. AU - Antoniadi, Ioanna AU - Novák, Ondřej AU - Gelová, Zuzana AU - Johnson, Alexander J AU - Plíhal, Ondřej AU - Simerský, Radim AU - Mik, Václav AU - Vain, Thomas AU - Mateo-Bonmatí, Eduardo AU - Karady, Michal AU - Pernisová, Markéta AU - Plačková, Lenka AU - Opassathian, Korawit AU - Hejátko, Jan AU - Robert, Stéphanie AU - Friml, Jiří AU - Doležal, Karel AU - Ljung, Karin AU - Turnbull, Colin ID - 8337 JF - Nature Communications TI - Cell-surface receptors enable perception of extracellular cytokinins VL - 11 ER - TY - GEN AB - With the lithium-ion technology approaching its intrinsic limit with graphite-based anodes, lithium metal is recently receiving renewed interest from the battery community as potential high capacity anode for next-generation rechargeable batteries. In this focus paper, we review the main advances in this field since the first attempts in the mid-1970s. Strategies for enabling reversible cycling and avoiding dendrite growth are thoroughly discussed, including specific applications in all-solid-state (polymeric and inorganic), Lithium-sulphur and Li-O2 (air) batteries. A particular attention is paid to review recent developments in regard of prototype manufacturing and current state-ofthe-art of these battery technologies with respect to the 2030 targets of the EU Integrated Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) Action 7. AU - Varzi, Alberto AU - Thanner, Katharina AU - Scipioni, Roberto AU - Di Lecce, Daniele AU - Hassoun, Jusef AU - Dörfler, Susanne AU - Altheus, Holger AU - Kaskel, Stefan AU - Prehal, Christian AU - Freunberger, Stefan Alexander ID - 8067 KW - Battery KW - Lithium metal KW - Lithium-sulphur KW - Lithium-air KW - All-solid-state SN - 2664-1690 TI - Current status and future perspectives of Lithium metal batteries ER - TY - JOUR AB - With the lithium-ion technology approaching its intrinsic limit with graphite-based anodes, Li metal is recently receiving renewed interest from the battery community as potential high capacity anode for next-generation rechargeable batteries. In this focus paper, we review the main advances in this field since the first attempts in the mid-1970s. Strategies for enabling reversible cycling and avoiding dendrite growth are thoroughly discussed, including specific applications in all-solid-state (inorganic and polymeric), Lithium–Sulfur (Li–S) and Lithium-O2 (air) batteries. A particular attention is paid to recent developments of these battery technologies and their current state with respect to the 2030 targets of the EU Integrated Strategic Energy Technology Plan (SET-Plan) Action 7. AU - Varzi, Alberto AU - Thanner, Katharina AU - Scipioni, Roberto AU - Di Lecce, Daniele AU - Hassoun, Jusef AU - Dörfler, Susanne AU - Altheus, Holger AU - Kaskel, Stefan AU - Prehal, Christian AU - Freunberger, Stefan Alexander ID - 8361 IS - 12 JF - Journal of Power Sources SN - 0378-7753 TI - Current status and future perspectives of lithium metal batteries VL - 480 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Practical quantum networks require low-loss and noise-resilient optical interconnects as well as non-Gaussian resources for entanglement distillation and distributed quantum computation. The latter could be provided by superconducting circuits but existing solutions to interface the microwave and optical domains lack either scalability or efficiency, and in most cases the conversion noise is not known. In this work we utilize the unique opportunities of silicon photonics, cavity optomechanics and superconducting circuits to demonstrate a fully integrated, coherent transducer interfacing the microwave X and the telecom S bands with a total (internal) bidirectional transduction efficiency of 1.2% (135%) at millikelvin temperatures. The coupling relies solely on the radiation pressure interaction mediated by the femtometer-scale motion of two silicon nanobeams reaching a Vπ as low as 16 μV for sub-nanowatt pump powers. Without the associated optomechanical gain, we achieve a total (internal) pure conversion efficiency of up to 0.019% (1.6%), relevant for future noise-free operation on this qubit-compatible platform. AU - Arnold, Georg M AU - Wulf, Matthias AU - Barzanjeh, Shabir AU - Redchenko, Elena AU - Rueda Sanchez, Alfredo R AU - Hease, William J AU - Hassani, Farid AU - Fink, Johannes M ID - 8529 JF - Nature Communications KW - General Biochemistry KW - Genetics and Molecular Biology KW - General Physics and Astronomy KW - General Chemistry SN - 2041-1723 TI - Converting microwave and telecom photons with a silicon photonic nanomechanical interface VL - 11 ER - TY - JOUR AB - We propose a method to enhance the visual detail of a water surface simulation. Our method works as a post-processing step which takes a simulation as input and increases its apparent resolution by simulating many detailed Lagrangian water waves on top of it. We extend linear water wave theory to work in non-planar domains which deform over time, and we discretize the theory using Lagrangian wave packets attached to spline curves. The method is numerically stable and trivially parallelizable, and it produces high frequency ripples with dispersive wave-like behaviors customized to the underlying fluid simulation. AU - Skrivan, Tomas AU - Soderstrom, Andreas AU - Johansson, John AU - Sprenger, Christoph AU - Museth, Ken AU - Wojtan, Christopher J ID - 8535 IS - 4 JF - ACM Transactions on Graphics SN - 07300301 TI - Wave curves: Simulating Lagrangian water waves on dynamically deforming surfaces VL - 39 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Cohomological and K-theoretic stable bases originated from the study of quantum cohomology and quantum K-theory. Restriction formula for cohomological stable bases played an important role in computing the quantum connection of cotangent bundle of partial flag varieties. In this paper we study the K-theoretic stable bases of cotangent bundles of flag varieties. We describe these bases in terms of the action of the affine Hecke algebra and the twisted group algebra of KostantKumar. Using this algebraic description and the method of root polynomials, we give a restriction formula of the stable bases. We apply it to obtain the restriction formula for partial flag varieties. We also build a relation between the stable basis and the Casselman basis in the principal series representations of the Langlands dual group. As an application, we give a closed formula for the transition matrix between Casselman basis and the characteristic functions. AU - Su, C. AU - Zhao, Gufang AU - Zhong, C. ID - 8539 IS - 3 JF - Annales Scientifiques de l'Ecole Normale Superieure SN - 0012-9593 TI - On the K-theory stable bases of the springer resolution VL - 53 ER - TY - GEN AB - This datasets comprises all data shown in plots of the submitted article "Converting microwave and telecom photons with a silicon photonic nanomechanical interface". Additional raw data are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request. AU - Arnold, Georg M AU - Wulf, Matthias AU - Barzanjeh, Shabir AU - Redchenko, Elena AU - Rueda Sanchez, Alfredo R AU - Hease, William J AU - Hassani, Farid AU - Fink, Johannes M ID - 13056 TI - Converting microwave and telecom photons with a silicon photonic nanomechanical interface ER - TY - JOUR AB - Copper (Cu) is an essential trace element for all living organisms and used as cofactor in key enzymes of important biological processes, such as aerobic respiration or superoxide dismutation. However, due to its toxicity, cells have developed elaborate mechanisms for Cu homeostasis, which balance Cu supply for cuproprotein biogenesis with the need to remove excess Cu. This review summarizes our current knowledge on bacterial Cu homeostasis with a focus on Gram-negative bacteria and describes the multiple strategies that bacteria use for uptake, storage and export of Cu. We furthermore describe general mechanistic principles that aid the bacterial response to toxic Cu concentrations and illustrate dedicated Cu relay systems that facilitate Cu delivery for cuproenzyme biogenesis. Progress in understanding how bacteria avoid Cu poisoning while maintaining a certain Cu quota for cell proliferation is of particular importance for microbial pathogens because Cu is utilized by the host immune system for attenuating pathogen survival in host cells. AU - Andrei, Andreea AU - Öztürk, Yavuz AU - Khalfaoui-Hassani, Bahia AU - Rauch, Juna AU - Marckmann, Dorian AU - Trasnea, Petru Iulian AU - Daldal, Fevzi AU - Koch, Hans-Georg ID - 8579 IS - 9 JF - Membranes TI - Cu homeostasis in bacteria: The ins and outs VL - 10 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The majority of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) powering cellular processes in eukaryotes is produced by the mitochondrial F1Fo ATP synthase. Here, we present the atomic models of the membrane Fo domain and the entire mammalian (ovine) F1Fo, determined by cryo-electron microscopy. Subunits in the membrane domain are arranged in the ‘proton translocation cluster’ attached to the c-ring and a more distant ‘hook apparatus’ holding subunit e. Unexpectedly, this subunit is anchored to a lipid ‘plug’ capping the c-ring. We present a detailed proton translocation pathway in mammalian Fo and key inter-monomer contacts in F1Fo multimers. Cryo-EM maps of F1Fo exposed to calcium reveal a retracted subunit e and a disassembled c-ring, suggesting permeability transition pore opening. We propose a model for the permeability transition pore opening, whereby subunit e pulls the lipid plug out of the c-ring. Our structure will allow the design of drugs for many emerging applications in medicine. AU - Pinke, Gergely AU - Zhou, Long AU - Sazanov, Leonid A ID - 8581 IS - 11 JF - Nature Structural and Molecular Biology SN - 15459993 TI - Cryo-EM structure of the entire mammalian F-type ATP synthase VL - 27 ER - TY - CONF AB - We evaluate the usefulness of persistent homology in the analysis of heart rate variability. In our approach we extract several topological descriptors characterising datasets of RR-intervals, which are later used in classical machine learning algorithms. By this method we are able to differentiate the group of patients with the history of transient ischemic attack and the group of hypertensive patients. AU - Graff, Grzegorz AU - Graff, Beata AU - Jablonski, Grzegorz AU - Narkiewicz, Krzysztof ID - 8580 SN - 9781728157511 T2 - 11th Conference of the European Study Group on Cardiovascular Oscillations: Computation and Modelling in Physiology: New Challenges and Opportunities, TI - The application of persistent homology in the analysis of heart rate variability ER - TY - JOUR AB - Glioblastoma is the most malignant cancer in the brain and currently incurable. It is urgent to identify effective targets for this lethal disease. Inhibition of such targets should suppress the growth of cancer cells and, ideally also precancerous cells for early prevention, but minimally affect their normal counterparts. Using genetic mouse models with neural stem cells (NSCs) or oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs) as the cells‐of‐origin/mutation, it is shown that the susceptibility of cells within the development hierarchy of glioma to the knockout of insulin‐like growth factor I receptor (IGF1R) is determined not only by their oncogenic states, but also by their cell identities/states. Knockout of IGF1R selectively disrupts the growth of mutant and transformed, but not normal OPCs, or NSCs. The desirable outcome of IGF1R knockout on cell growth requires the mutant cells to commit to the OPC identity regardless of its development hierarchical status. At the molecular level, oncogenic mutations reprogram the cellular network of OPCs and force them to depend more on IGF1R for their growth. A new‐generation brain‐penetrable, orally available IGF1R inhibitor harnessing tumor OPCs in the brain is also developed. The findings reveal the cellular window of IGF1R targeting and establish IGF1R as an effective target for the prevention and treatment of glioblastoma. AU - Tian, Anhao AU - Kang, Bo AU - Li, Baizhou AU - Qiu, Biying AU - Jiang, Wenhong AU - Shao, Fangjie AU - Gao, Qingqing AU - Liu, Rui AU - Cai, Chengwei AU - Jing, Rui AU - Wang, Wei AU - Chen, Pengxiang AU - Liang, Qinghui AU - Bao, Lili AU - Man, Jianghong AU - Wang, Yan AU - Shi, Yu AU - Li, Jin AU - Yang, Minmin AU - Wang, Lisha AU - Zhang, Jianmin AU - Hippenmeyer, Simon AU - Zhu, Junming AU - Bian, Xiuwu AU - Wang, Ying‐Jie AU - Liu, Chong ID - 8592 IS - 21 JF - Advanced Science KW - General Engineering KW - General Physics and Astronomy KW - General Materials Science KW - Medicine (miscellaneous) KW - General Chemical Engineering KW - Biochemistry KW - Genetics and Molecular Biology (miscellaneous) SN - 2198-3844 TI - Oncogenic state and cell identity combinatorially dictate the susceptibility of cells within glioma development hierarchy to IGF1R targeting VL - 7 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Aqueous iodine based electrochemical energy storage is considered a potential candidate to improve sustainability and performance of current battery and supercapacitor technology. It harnesses the redox activity of iodide, iodine, and polyiodide species in the confined geometry of nanoporous carbon electrodes. However, current descriptions of the electrochemical reaction mechanism to interconvert these species are elusive. Here we show that electrochemical oxidation of iodide in nanoporous carbons forms persistent solid iodine deposits. Confinement slows down dissolution into triiodide and pentaiodide, responsible for otherwise significant self-discharge via shuttling. The main tools for these insights are in situ Raman spectroscopy and in situ small and wide-angle X-ray scattering (in situ SAXS/WAXS). In situ Raman confirms the reversible formation of triiodide and pentaiodide. In situ SAXS/WAXS indicates remarkable amounts of solid iodine deposited in the carbon nanopores. Combined with stochastic modeling, in situ SAXS allows quantifying the solid iodine volume fraction and visualizing the iodine structure on 3D lattice models at the sub-nanometer scale. Based on the derived mechanism, we demonstrate strategies for improved iodine pore filling capacity and prevention of self-discharge, applicable to hybrid supercapacitors and batteries. AU - Prehal, Christian AU - Fitzek, Harald AU - Kothleitner, Gerald AU - Presser, Volker AU - Gollas, Bernhard AU - Freunberger, Stefan Alexander AU - Abbas, Qamar ID - 8568 JF - Nature Communications KW - General Biochemistry KW - Genetics and Molecular Biology KW - General Physics and Astronomy KW - General Chemistry SN - 2041-1723 TI - Persistent and reversible solid iodine electrodeposition in nanoporous carbons VL - 11 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The parabigeminal nucleus (PBG) is the mammalian homologue to the isthmic complex of other vertebrates. Optogenetic stimulation of the PBG induces freezing and escape in mice, a result thought to be caused by a PBG projection to the central nucleus of the amygdala. However, the isthmic complex, including the PBG, has been classically considered satellite nuclei of the Superior Colliculus (SC), which upon stimulation of its medial part also triggers fear and avoidance reactions. As the PBG-SC connectivity is not well characterized, we investigated whether the topology of the PBG projection to the SC could be related to the behavioral consequences of PBG stimulation. To that end, we performed immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization and neural tracer injections in the SC and PBG in a diurnal rodent, the Octodon degus. We found that all PBG neurons expressed both glutamatergic and cholinergic markers and were distributed in clearly defined anterior (aPBG) and posterior (pPBG) subdivisions. The pPBG is connected reciprocally and topographically to the ipsilateral SC, whereas the aPBG receives afferent axons from the ipsilateral SC and projected exclusively to the contralateral SC. This contralateral projection forms a dense field of terminals that is restricted to the medial SC, in correspondence with the SC representation of the aerial binocular field which, we also found, in O. degus prompted escape reactions upon looming stimulation. Therefore, this specialized topography allows binocular interactions in the SC region controlling responses to aerial predators, suggesting a link between the mechanisms by which the SC and PBG produce defensive behaviors. AU - Deichler, Alfonso AU - Carrasco, Denisse AU - Lopez-Jury, Luciana AU - Vega Zuniga, Tomas A AU - Marquez, Natalia AU - Mpodozis, Jorge AU - Marin, Gonzalo ID - 8643 JF - Scientific Reports TI - A specialized reciprocal connectivity suggests a link between the mechanisms by which the superior colliculus and parabigeminal nucleus produce defensive behaviors in rodents VL - 10 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Epistasis, the context-dependence of the contribution of an amino acid substitution to fitness, is common in evolution. To detect epistasis, fitness must be measured for at least four genotypes: the reference genotype, two different single mutants and a double mutant with both of the single mutations. For higher-order epistasis of the order n, fitness has to be measured for all 2n genotypes of an n-dimensional hypercube in genotype space forming a ‘combinatorially complete dataset’. So far, only a handful of such datasets have been produced by manual curation. Concurrently, random mutagenesis experiments have produced measurements of fitness and other phenotypes in a high-throughput manner, potentially containing a number of combinatorially complete datasets. We present an effective recursive algorithm for finding all hypercube structures in random mutagenesis experimental data. To test the algorithm, we applied it to the data from a recent HIS3 protein dataset and found all 199 847 053 unique combinatorially complete genotype combinations of dimensionality ranging from 2 to 12. The algorithm may be useful for researchers looking for higher-order epistasis in their high-throughput experimental data. AU - Esteban, Laura A AU - Lonishin, Lyubov R AU - Bobrovskiy, Daniil M AU - Leleytner, Gregory AU - Bogatyreva, Natalya S AU - Kondrashov, Fyodor AU - Ivankov, Dmitry N ID - 8645 IS - 6 JF - Bioinformatics SN - 1367-4803 TI - HypercubeME: Two hundred million combinatorially complete datasets from a single experiment VL - 36 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Error analysis and data visualization of positive COVID-19 cases in 27 countries have been performed up to August 8, 2020. This survey generally observes a progression from early exponential growth transitioning to an intermediate power-law growth phase, as recently suggested by Ziff and Ziff. The occurrence of logistic growth after the power-law phase with lockdowns or social distancing may be described as an effect of avoidance. A visualization of the power-law growth exponent over short time windows is qualitatively similar to the Bhatia visualization for pandemic progression. Visualizations like these can indicate the onset of second waves and may influence social policy. AU - Merrin, Jack ID - 8597 IS - 6 JF - Physical Biology TI - Differences in power law growth over time and indicators of COVID-19 pandemic progression worldwide VL - 17 ER -