Insights

Latest articles

1. 1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology

   Convergent Evolution: Shaping the import system of mitochondria

   Kostas Tokatlidis

   Evidence is accumulating that unrelated species have independently evolved the same way of importing proteins in their mitochondria.
2. 1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology

   In Vitro Evolution: Rethinking the tools of the RNA world

   Antony Crisp, Thomas Carell

   An artificially evolved ribozyme can catalyse the synthesis of RNA by using trinucleotide triphosphates as building blocks.
3. 1. Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics

   Electrophysiology: Leading the charge

   Andrew JR Plested

   A simple label-free method uses the electrical properties of cells to detect how ligands bind to membrane proteins.
4. 1. Developmental Biology
   2. Immunology and Inflammation

   Chemokines: The cell sets the tone

   Jonna Alanko, Michael Sixt

   In zebrafish larvae, it is the cell type that determines how the cell responds to a chemokine signal.
5. 1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology

   RNA World: Visualizing primer extension without enzymes

   John C Chaput

   X-ray crystallography has been used to observe the synthesis of RNA in the absence of enzymes with atomic resolution.
6. 1. Microbiology and Infectious Disease

   HIV-1 Latency: Coloring hidden viruses

   Marina Lusic

   An improved dual-color reporter reveals how the fate of latent HIV-1 depends on where it integrates in the human genome.
7. 1. Neuroscience
   2. Structural Biology and Molecular Biophysics

   Pharmacology: A Swiss army knife for targeting receptors

   Johansen B Amin, Lonnie P Wollmuth

   A compound can change the activity of NMDA receptors in some regions of a synapse without affecting those in other regions.
8. 1. Immunology and Inflammation
   2. Microbiology and Infectious Disease

   Influenza virus: Interfering with transmission

   Andreas Wack

   The IFNλ family of interferons controls the spread of viruses in the upper respiratory tract and transmission between mice.
9. 1. Biochemistry and Chemical Biology
   2. Microbiology and Infectious Disease

   Pollution: Transgenic pigs to the rescue

   Björn Petersen

   Genetically engineered pigs that digest their food better could help to reduce phosphorus and nitrogen pollution.
10. 1. Cell Biology
    2. Chromosomes and Gene Expression

    Chromocenters: Bundling up DNA

    Susan A Gerbi

    Structures known as chromocenters, comprising satellite DNA and proteins such as D1 or HMGA1, help to contain DNA inside the nucleus between cell divisions.