@article{6848, abstract = {Proton-translocating transhydrogenase (also known as nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (NNT)) is found in the plasma membranes of bacteria and the inner mitochondrial membranes of eukaryotes. NNT catalyses the transfer of a hydride between NADH and NADP+, coupled to the translocation of one proton across the membrane. Its main physiological function is the generation of NADPH, which is a substrate in anabolic reactions and a regulator of oxidative status; however, NNT may also fine-tune the Krebs cycle1,2. NNT deficiency causes familial glucocorticoid deficiency in humans and metabolic abnormalities in mice, similar to those observed in type II diabetes3,4. The catalytic mechanism of NNT has been proposed to involve a rotation of around 180° of the entire NADP(H)-binding domain that alternately participates in hydride transfer and proton-channel gating. However, owing to the lack of high-resolution structures of intact NNT, the details of this process remain unclear5,6. Here we present the cryo-electron microscopy structure of intact mammalian NNT in different conformational states. We show how the NADP(H)-binding domain opens the proton channel to the opposite sides of the membrane, and we provide structures of these two states. We also describe the catalytically important interfaces and linkers between the membrane and the soluble domains and their roles in nucleotide exchange. These structures enable us to propose a revised mechanism for a coupling process in NNT that is consistent with a large body of previous biochemical work. Our results are relevant to the development of currently unavailable NNT inhibitors, which may have therapeutic potential in ischaemia reperfusion injury, metabolic syndrome and some cancers7,8,9.}, author = {Kampjut, Domen and Sazanov, Leonid A}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, number = {7773}, pages = {291–295}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Structure and mechanism of mitochondrial proton-translocating transhydrogenase}}, doi = {10.1038/s41586-019-1519-2}, volume = {573}, year = {2019}, } @article{6259, abstract = {The plant hormone auxin has crucial roles in almost all aspects of plant growth and development. Concentrations of auxin vary across different tissues, mediating distinct developmental outcomes and contributing to the functional diversity of auxin. However, the mechanisms that underlie these activities are poorly understood. Here we identify an auxin signalling mechanism, which acts in parallel to the canonical auxin pathway based on the transport inhibitor response1 (TIR1) and other auxin receptor F-box (AFB) family proteins (TIR1/AFB receptors)1,2, that translates levels of cellular auxin to mediate differential growth during apical-hook development. This signalling mechanism operates at the concave side of the apical hook, and involves auxin-mediated C-terminal cleavage of transmembrane kinase 1 (TMK1). The cytosolic and nucleus-translocated C terminus of TMK1 specifically interacts with and phosphorylates two non-canonical transcriptional repressors of the auxin or indole-3-acetic acid (Aux/IAA) family (IAA32 and IAA34), thereby regulating ARF transcription factors. In contrast to the degradation of Aux/IAA transcriptional repressors in the canonical pathway, the newly identified mechanism stabilizes the non-canonical IAA32 and IAA34 transcriptional repressors to regulate gene expression and ultimately inhibit growth. The auxin–TMK1 signalling pathway originates at the cell surface, is triggered by high levels of auxin and shares a partially overlapping set of transcription factors with the TIR1/AFB signalling pathway. This allows distinct interpretations of different concentrations of cellular auxin, and thus enables this versatile signalling molecule to mediate complex developmental outcomes.}, author = {Cao, Min and Chen, Rong and Li, Pan and Yu, Yongqiang and Zheng, Rui and Ge, Danfeng and Zheng, Wei and Wang, Xuhui and Gu, Yangtao and Gelová, Zuzana and Friml, Jiří and Zhang, Heng and Liu, Renyi and He, Jun and Xu, Tongda}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, pages = {240--243}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{TMK1-mediated auxin signalling regulates differential growth of the apical hook}}, doi = {10.1038/s41586-019-1069-7}, volume = {568}, year = {2019}, } @article{150, abstract = {A short, 14-amino-acid segment called SP1, located in the Gag structural protein1, has a critical role during the formation of the HIV-1 virus particle. During virus assembly, the SP1 peptide and seven preceding residues fold into a six-helix bundle, which holds together the Gag hexamer and facilitates the formation of a curved immature hexagonal lattice underneath the viral membrane2,3. Upon completion of assembly and budding, proteolytic cleavage of Gag leads to virus maturation, in which the immature lattice is broken down; the liberated CA domain of Gag then re-assembles into the mature conical capsid that encloses the viral genome and associated enzymes. Folding and proteolysis of the six-helix bundle are crucial rate-limiting steps of both Gag assembly and disassembly, and the six-helix bundle is an established target of HIV-1 inhibitors4,5. Here, using a combination of structural and functional analyses, we show that inositol hexakisphosphate (InsP6, also known as IP6) facilitates the formation of the six-helix bundle and assembly of the immature HIV-1 Gag lattice. IP6 makes ionic contacts with two rings of lysine residues at the centre of the Gag hexamer. Proteolytic cleavage then unmasks an alternative binding site, where IP6 interaction promotes the assembly of the mature capsid lattice. These studies identify IP6 as a naturally occurring small molecule that promotes both assembly and maturation of HIV-1.}, author = {Dick, Robert and Zadrozny, Kaneil K and Xu, Chaoyi and Schur, Florian and Lyddon, Terri D and Ricana, Clifton L and Wagner, Jonathan M and Perilla, Juan R and Ganser, Pornillos Barbie K and Johnson, Marc C and Pornillos, Owen and Vogt, Volker}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, number = {7719}, pages = {509–512}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{Inositol phosphates are assembly co-factors for HIV-1}}, doi = {10.1038/s41586-018-0396-4}, volume = {560}, year = {2018}, } @article{14290, abstract = {DNA nanotechnology, in particular DNA origami, enables the bottom-up self-assembly of micrometre-scale, three-dimensional structures with nanometre-precise features1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12. These structures are customizable in that they can be site-specifically functionalized13 or constructed to exhibit machine-like14,15 or logic-gating behaviour16. Their use has been limited to applications that require only small amounts of material (of the order of micrograms), owing to the limitations of current production methods. But many proposed applications, for example as therapeutic agents or in complex materials3,16,17,18,19,20,21,22, could be realized if more material could be used. In DNA origami, a nanostructure is assembled from a very long single-stranded scaffold molecule held in place by many short single-stranded staple oligonucleotides. Only the bacteriophage-derived scaffold molecules are amenable to scalable and efficient mass production23; the shorter staple strands are obtained through costly solid-phase synthesis24 or enzymatic processes25. Here we show that single strands of DNA of virtually arbitrary length and with virtually arbitrary sequences can be produced in a scalable and cost-efficient manner by using bacteriophages to generate single-stranded precursor DNA that contains target strand sequences interleaved with self-excising ‘cassettes’, with each cassette comprising two Zn2+-dependent DNA-cleaving DNA enzymes. We produce all of the necessary single strands of DNA for several DNA origami using shaker-flask cultures, and demonstrate end-to-end production of macroscopic amounts of a DNA origami nanorod in a litre-scale stirred-tank bioreactor. Our method is compatible with existing DNA origami design frameworks and retains the modularity and addressability of DNA origami objects that are necessary for implementing custom modifications using functional groups. With all of the production and purification steps amenable to scaling, we expect that our method will expand the scope of DNA nanotechnology in many areas of science and technology.}, author = {Praetorius, Florian M and Kick, Benjamin and Behler, Karl L. and Honemann, Maximilian N. and Weuster-Botz, Dirk and Dietz, Hendrik}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, number = {7683}, pages = {84--87}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Biotechnological mass production of DNA origami}}, doi = {10.1038/nature24650}, volume = {552}, year = {2017}, } @article{9456, abstract = {The discovery of introns four decades ago was one of the most unexpected findings in molecular biology. Introns are sequences interrupting genes that must be removed as part of messenger RNA production. Genome sequencing projects have shown that most eukaryotic genes contain at least one intron, and frequently many. Comparison of these genomes reveals a history of long evolutionary periods during which few introns were gained, punctuated by episodes of rapid, extensive gain. However, although several detailed mechanisms for such episodic intron generation have been proposed, none has been empirically supported on a genomic scale. Here we show how short, non-autonomous DNA transposons independently generated hundreds to thousands of introns in the prasinophyte Micromonas pusilla and the pelagophyte Aureococcus anophagefferens. Each transposon carries one splice site. The other splice site is co-opted from the gene sequence that is duplicated upon transposon insertion, allowing perfect splicing out of the RNA. The distributions of sequences that can be co-opted are biased with respect to codons, and phasing of transposon-generated introns is similarly biased. These transposons insert between pre-existing nucleosomes, so that multiple nearby insertions generate nucleosome-sized intervening segments. Thus, transposon insertion and sequence co-option may explain the intron phase biases and prevalence of nucleosome-sized exons observed in eukaryotes. Overall, the two independent examples of proliferating elements illustrate a general DNA transposon mechanism that can plausibly account for episodes of rapid, extensive intron gain during eukaryotic evolution.}, author = {Huff, Jason T. and Zilberman, Daniel and Roy, Scott W.}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, number = {7626}, pages = {533--536}, publisher = {Springer Nature }, title = {{Mechanism for DNA transposons to generate introns on genomic scales}}, doi = {10.1038/nature20110}, volume = {538}, year = {2016}, } @article{9654, abstract = {RNA polymerase I (Pol I) is a highly processive enzyme that transcribes ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and regulates growth of eukaryotic cells. Crystal structures of free Pol I from the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have revealed dimers of the enzyme stabilized by a 'connector' element and an expanded cleft containing the active centre in an inactive conformation. The central bridge helix was unfolded and a Pol-I-specific 'expander' element occupied the DNA-template-binding site. The structure of Pol I in its active transcribing conformation has yet to be determined, whereas structures of Pol II and Pol III have been solved with bound DNA template and RNA transcript. Here we report structures of active transcribing Pol I from yeast solved by two different cryo-electron microscopy approaches. A single-particle structure at 3.8 Å resolution reveals a contracted active centre cleft with bound DNA and RNA, and a narrowed pore beneath the active site that no longer holds the RNA-cleavage-stimulating domain of subunit A12.2. A structure at 29 Å resolution that was determined from cryo-electron tomograms of Pol I enzymes transcribing cellular rDNA confirms contraction of the cleft and reveals that incoming and exiting rDNA enclose an angle of around 150°. The structures suggest a model for the regulation of transcription elongation in which contracted and expanded polymerase conformations are associated with active and inactive states, respectively.}, author = {Neyer, Simon and Kunz, Michael and Geiss, Christian and Hantsche, Merle and Hodirnau, Victor-Valentin and Seybert, Anja and Engel, Christoph and Scheffer, Margot P. and Cramer, Patrick and Frangakis, Achilleas S.}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, number = {7634}, pages = {607--610}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Structure of RNA polymerase I transcribing ribosomal DNA genes}}, doi = {10.1038/nature20561}, volume = {540}, year = {2016}, } @article{1862, abstract = {The prominent and evolutionarily ancient role of the plant hormone auxin is the regulation of cell expansion. Cell expansion requires ordered arrangement of the cytoskeleton but molecular mechanisms underlying its regulation by signalling molecules including auxin are unknown. Here we show in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana that in elongating cells exogenous application of auxin or redistribution of endogenous auxin induces very rapid microtubule re-orientation from transverse to longitudinal, coherent with the inhibition of cell expansion. This fast auxin effect requires auxin binding protein 1 (ABP1) and involves a contribution of downstream signalling components such as ROP6 GTPase, ROP-interactive protein RIC1 and the microtubule-severing protein katanin. These components are required for rapid auxin-and ABP1-mediated re-orientation of microtubules to regulate cell elongation in roots and dark-grown hypocotyls as well as asymmetric growth during gravitropic responses.}, author = {Chen, Xu and Grandont, Laurie and Li, Hongjiang and Hauschild, Robert and Paque, Sébastien and Abuzeineh, Anas and Rakusova, Hana and Benková, Eva and Perrot Rechenmann, Catherine and Friml, Jirí}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, number = {729}, pages = {90 -- 93}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{Inhibition of cell expansion by rapid ABP1-mediated auxin effect on microtubules}}, doi = {10.1038/nature13889}, volume = {516}, year = {2014}, } @article{13418, abstract = {In traditional photoconductors1,2,3, the impinging light generates mobile charge carriers in the valence and/or conduction bands, causing the material’s conductivity to increase4. Such positive photoconductance is observed in both bulk and nanostructured5,6 photoconductors. Here we describe a class of nanoparticle-based materials whose conductivity can either increase or decrease on irradiation with visible light of wavelengths close to the particles’ surface plasmon resonance. The remarkable feature of these plasmonic materials is that the sign of the conductivity change and the nature of the electron transport between the nanoparticles depend on the molecules comprising the self-assembled monolayers (SAMs)7,8 stabilizing the nanoparticles. For SAMs made of electrically neutral (polar and non-polar) molecules, conductivity increases on irradiation. If, however, the SAMs contain electrically charged (either negatively or positively) groups, conductivity decreases. The optical and electrical characteristics of these previously undescribed inverse photoconductors can be engineered flexibly by adjusting the material properties of the nanoparticles and of the coating SAMs. In particular, in films comprising mixtures of different nanoparticles or nanoparticles coated with mixed SAMs, the overall photoconductance is a weighted average of the changes induced by the individual components. These and other observations can be rationalized in terms of light-induced creation of mobile charge carriers whose transport through the charged SAMs is inhibited by carrier trapping in transient polaron-like states9,10. The nanoparticle-based photoconductors we describe could have uses in chemical sensors and/or in conjunction with flexible substrates.}, author = {Nakanishi, Hideyuki and Bishop, Kyle J. M. and Kowalczyk, Bartlomiej and Nitzan, Abraham and Weiss, Emily A. and Tretiakov, Konstantin V. and Apodaca, Mario M. and Klajn, Rafal and Stoddart, J. Fraser and Grzybowski, Bartosz A.}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, keywords = {Multidisciplinary}, number = {7253}, pages = {371--375}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Photoconductance and inverse photoconductance in films of functionalized metal nanoparticles}}, doi = {10.1038/nature08131}, volume = {460}, year = {2009}, } @article{9457, abstract = {Eukaryotic chromatin is separated into functional domains differentiated by posttranslational histone modifications, histone variants, and DNA methylation1–6. Methylation is associated with repression of transcriptional initiation in plants and animals, and is frequently found in transposable elements. Proper methylation patterns are critical for eukaryotic development4,5, and aberrant methylation-induced silencing of tumor suppressor genes is a common feature of human cancer7. In contrast to methylation, the histone variant H2A.Z is preferentially deposited by the Swr1 ATPase complex near 5′ ends of genes where it promotes transcriptional competence8–20. How DNA methylation and H2A.Z influence transcription remains largely unknown. Here we show that in the plant Arabidopsis thaliana, regions of DNA methylation are quantitatively deficient in H2A.Z. Exclusion of H2A.Z is seen at sites of DNA methylation in the bodies of actively transcribed genes and in methylated transposons. Mutation of the MET1 DNA methyltransferase, which causes both losses and gains of DNA methylation4,5, engenders opposite changes in H2A.Z deposition, while mutation of the PIE1 subunit of the Swr1 complex that deposits H2A.Z17 leads to genome-wide hypermethylation. Our findings indicate that DNA methylation can influence chromatin structure and effect gene silencing by excluding H2A.Z, and that H2A.Z protects genes from DNA methylation.}, author = {Zilberman, Daniel and Coleman-Derr, Devin and Ballinger, Tracy and Henikoff, Steven}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, keywords = {Multidisciplinary}, number = {7218}, pages = {125--129}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Histone H2A.Z and DNA methylation are mutually antagonistic chromatin marks}}, doi = {10.1038/nature07324}, volume = {456}, year = {2008}, } @article{11121, abstract = {In metazoa, the nuclear envelope breaks down and reforms during each cell cycle. Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which serve as channels for transport between the nucleus and cytoplasm1, assemble into the reforming nuclear envelope in a sequential process involving association of a subset of NPC proteins, nucleoporins, with chromatin followed by the formation of a closed nuclear envelope fenestrated by NPCs2,3,4,5,6,7. How chromatin recruitment of nucleoporins and NPC assembly are regulated is unknown. Here we demonstrate that RanGTP production is required to dissociate nucleoporins Nup107, Nup153 and Nup358 from Importin β, to target them to chromatin and to induce association between separate NPC subcomplexes. Additionally, either an excess of RanGTP or removal of Importin β induces formation of NPC-containing membrane structures—annulate lamellae—both in vitro in the absence of chromatin and in vivo. Annulate lamellae formation is strongly and specifically inhibited by an excess of Importin β. The data demonstrate that RanGTP triggers distinct steps of NPC assembly, and suggest a mechanism for the spatial restriction of NPC assembly to the surface of chromatin.}, author = {Walther, Tobias C. and Askjaer, Peter and Gentzel, Marc and Habermann, Anja and Griffiths, Gareth and Wilm, Matthias and Mattaj, Iain W. and HETZER, Martin W}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, keywords = {Multidisciplinary}, number = {6949}, pages = {689--694}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{RanGTP mediates nuclear pore complex assembly}}, doi = {10.1038/nature01898}, volume = {424}, year = {2003}, } @article{2482, abstract = {The complementary DNA of a metabotropic glutamate receptor coupled to inositol phosphate/Ca2+ signal transduction has been cloned and characterized. This receptor shows no sequence similarity to conventional G protein-coupled receptors and has a unique structure with large hydrophilic sequences at both sides of seven putative membrane-spanning domains. Abundant expression of this messenger RNA is observed in neuronal cells in hippocampal dentate gyrus and CA2-3 and in cerebellar Purkinje cells, suggesting the importance of this receptor in specific hippocampal and cerebellar functions.}, author = {Masu, Masayuki and Tanabe, Yasuto and Tsuchida, Kunihiro and Shigemoto, Ryuichi and Nakanishi, Shigetada}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, number = {6312}, pages = {760 -- 765}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{Sequence and expression of a metabotropic glutamate receptor}}, doi = {10.1038/349760a0}, volume = {349}, year = {1991}, } @article{2483, abstract = {A complementary DNA encoding the rat NMDA receptor has been cloned and characterized. The single protein encoded by the cDNA forms a receptor-channel complex that has electrophysiological and pharmacological properties characteristic of the NMDA receptor. This protein has a significant sequence similarity to the AMPA/kainate receptors and contains four putative transmembrane segments following a large extracellular domain. The NMDA receptor messenger RNA is expressed in neuronal cells throughout the brain regions, particularly in the hippocampus, cerebral cortex and cerebellum.}, author = {Moriyoshi, Koki and Masu, Masayuki and Ishii, Takahiro and Shigemoto, Ryuichi and Mizuno, Noboru and Nakanishi, Shigetada}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, number = {6348}, pages = {31 -- 37}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{Molecular cloning and characterization of the rat NMDA receptor}}, doi = {10.1038/354031a0}, volume = {353}, year = {1991}, } @article{4310, author = {Barton, Nicholas H and Jones, Steve}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, pages = {415 -- 416}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{The language of the genes}}, doi = {10.1038/346415a0}, volume = {346}, year = {1990}, } @article{3654, abstract = {Many species are divided into a mosaic of genetically distinct populations, separated by narrow zones of hybridization. Studies of hybrid zones allow us to quantify the genetic differences responsible for speciation, to measure the diffusion of genes between diverging taxa, and to understand the spread of alternative adaptations.}, author = {Barton, Nicholas H and Hewitt, Godfrey}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, pages = {497 -- 503}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{Adaptation, speciation and hybrid zones}}, doi = {10.1038/341497a0}, volume = {341}, year = {1989}, } @misc{4315, author = {Coyne, Jerry and Barton, Nicholas H}, booktitle = {Nature}, issn = {1476-4687}, pages = {485 -- 486}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{What do we know about speciation?}}, doi = {10.1038/331485a0}, volume = {331}, year = {1988}, } @misc{4316, author = {Barton, Nicholas H and Jones, Steve}, booktitle = {Nature}, issn = {1476-4687}, pages = {597 -- 597}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Molecular evolutionary genetics}}, doi = {10.1038/332597a0}, volume = {332}, year = {1988}, } @misc{4318, author = {Barton, Nicholas H and Jones, Steve and Mallet, James}, booktitle = {Nature}, issn = {1476-4687}, pages = {13 -- 14}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{No barriers to speciation}}, doi = {10.1038/336013a0}, volume = {336}, year = {1988}, } @article{3598, author = {Barton, Nicholas H and Jones, Steve}, issn = {1476-4687}, journal = {Nature}, pages = {317 -- 318}, publisher = {Springer Nature}, title = {{Mitochondrial DNA: new clues about evolution}}, doi = {10.1038/306317a0}, volume = {306}, year = {1983}, }