Catálogo de publicaciones - revistas

<jats:title>Orienting origami binding</jats:title> <jats:p> Directing self-assembly for devices will require placing nanocomponents not only in the correct position on a surface but also in particular orientations. Gopinath <jats:italic>et al.</jats:italic> designed an asymmetric DNA origami, a “small moon” shape that binds to lithographically patterned sites on silica to within 3° of a target orientation angle. The authors were able to position and orient a molecular dipole within the resonant mode of an optical cavity. More than 3000 DNA origami were arranged in a single fabrication step in 12 different orientations to create a simple polarimeter. </jats:p> <jats:p> <jats:italic>Science</jats:italic> , this issue p. <jats:related-article xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link-type="doi" related-article-type="in-this-issue" xlink:href="10.1126/science.abd6179">eabd6179</jats:related-article> </jats:p>

<jats:title>A recipe for new genes</jats:title> <jats:p> Most lineages contain evolutionarily novel genes, but their origin is not always clear. Cosby <jats:italic>et al.</jats:italic> investigated the origin of families of lineage-specific vertebrate genes (see the Perspective by Wacholder and Carvunis). Fusion between transposable elements (TEs) and host gene exons, once incorporated into the host genome, could generate new functional genes. Examination of <jats:italic>KARABINER</jats:italic> , a bat gene that arose through this process, shows how the retention of part of the TE within this gene allows the transcribed protein to bind throughout the genome and act as a transcriptional regulator. Thus, TEs interacting within their host genome provide the raw material to generate new combinations of functional domains that can be selected upon and incorporated within the hierarchical cellular network. </jats:p> <jats:p> <jats:italic>Science</jats:italic> , this issue p. <jats:related-article xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link-type="doi" related-article-type="in-this-issue" xlink:href="10.1126/science.abc6405">eabc6405</jats:related-article> ; see also p. <jats:related-article xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link-type="doi" issue="6531" page="779" related-article-type="in-this-issue" vol="371" xlink:href="10.1126/science.abf8493">779</jats:related-article> </jats:p>

<jats:title>Bacterial cell gene expression</jats:title> <jats:p> Single-cell genomics in bacteria has lagged relative to in eukaryotes because of their tough bacterial cell walls, low messenger RNA content, and lack of many posttranscriptional modifications. To tackle this challenge, Kuchina <jats:italic>et al.</jats:italic> developed microbial split-pool ligation transcriptomics, or microSPLiT, a single-cell sequencing method for both Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. Sequencing both <jats:italic>Escherichia coli</jats:italic> and <jats:italic>Bacillus subtilis</jats:italic> showed differences in the heat shock response. Examining <jats:italic>B. subtilis</jats:italic> transcriptional patterns revealed that a small fraction of cells grown in laboratory medium express a myo-inositol catabolism pathway, which the cell could use in nonlaboratory environments, thus highlighting how microSPLiT can identify rare cellular states. </jats:p> <jats:p> <jats:italic>Science</jats:italic> , this issue p. <jats:related-article xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link-type="doi" related-article-type="in-this-issue" xlink:href="10.1126/science.aba5257">eaba5257</jats:related-article> </jats:p>

<jats:title>Building a barrel</jats:title> <jats:p> Computational design offers the possibility of making proteins with customized structures and functions. The range of accessible protein scaffolds has expanded with the design of increasingly complex cytoplasmic proteins and, recently, helical membrane proteins. Vorobieva <jats:italic>et al.</jats:italic> describe the successful computational design of eight-stranded transmembrane β-barrel proteins (TMBs). Using an iterative approach, they show the importance of negative design to prevent off-target structures and gain insight into the sequence determinants of TMB folding. Twenty-three designs satisfied biochemical screens for a TMB structure, and two structures were experimentally validated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy or x-ray crystallography. This is a step toward the custom design of pores for applications such as single-molecule sequencing. </jats:p> <jats:p> <jats:italic>Science</jats:italic> , this issue p. <jats:related-article xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link-type="doi" related-article-type="in-this-issue" xlink:href="10.1126/science.abc8182">eabc8182</jats:related-article> </jats:p>

<jats:title>New pathways in plants and microbes</jats:title> <jats:p>Plants and microbes have interacted through evolution in ways that shaped diversity and helped plants colonize land. Delaux and Schornack review how insights from a range of plant and algal genomes reveal sustained use through evolution of ancient gene modules as well as emergence of lineage-specific specializations. Mosses, liverworts, and hornworts have layered innovation onto existing pathways to build new microbial interactions. Such innovations may be transferrable to crop plants with an eye toward building a more sustainable agriculture.</jats:p> <jats:p> <jats:italic>Science</jats:italic> , this issue p. <jats:related-article xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" ext-link-type="doi" related-article-type="in-this-issue" xlink:href="10.1126/science.aba6605">eaba6605</jats:related-article> </jats:p>

<jats:p>COVID-19 has already produced catastrophic social, economic, and public health consequences, with more than 107 million documented cases and 2.3 million deaths. Although this pandemic is far from over, we now have the tools to end it, with the largest and most rapid global deployment of vaccines under way. That we got this far so quickly is remarkable, but next time we might not be so lucky. More virulent and deadly coronaviruses are waiting in the wings. Thus, the world needs a universal coronavirus vaccine.</jats:p>

<jats:p>A roundup of weekly science policy and related news.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Reinhard Hüttl, head of earth science center and national academy official, faces allegations of financial crimes.</jats:p>

<jats:p>Panel advice on COVID-19 vaccines could counteract legacy of mistrust from past health scandals.</jats:p>