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Abstract There is a growing interest in the creation of engineered condensates formed via liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) to exert precise cellular control in prokaryotes. However, de novo design of cellular condensates to control metabolic flux or protein translation remains a challenge. Here, we present a synthetic condensate platform, generated through the incorporation of artificial, disordered proteins to realize specific functions in Bacillus subtilis. To achieve this, the “stacking blocks” strategy is developed to rationally design a series of LLPS-promoting proteins for programming condensates. Through the targeted recruitment of biomolecules, our investigation demonstrates that cellular condensates effectively sequester biosynthetic pathways. We successfully harness this capability to enhance the biosynthesis of 2’-fucosyllactose by 123.3%. Furthermore, we find that condensates can enhance the translation specificity of tailored enzyme fourfold, and can increase N-acetylmannosamine titer by 75.0%. Collectively, these results lay the foundation for the design of engineered condensates endowed with multifunctional capacities.

Abstract Rapeseed (Brassica napus) is one of the important oil crops worldwide. Its production is often threatened by drought stress. Here, we identify a transcription factor (BnaA9.NF-YA7) that negatively regulates drought tolerance through genome-wide association study in B. napus. The presence of two SNPs within a CCAAT cis element leads to downregulation of BnaA9.NF-YA7 expression. In addition, the M63I (G-to-C) substitution in the transactivation domain can activate low level expression of BnaA4.DOR, which is an inhibitory factor of ABA-induced stomatal closure. Furthermore, we determine that Bna.ABF3/4 s directly regulate the expression of BnaA9.NF-YA7, and BnaA9.NF-YA7 indirectly suppresses the expression of Bna.ABF3/4 s by regulation of Bna.ASHH4s. Our findings uncover that BnaA9.NF-YA7 serves as a supplementary role for ABA signal balance under drought stress conditions, and provide a potential molecular target to breed drought-tolerant B. napus cultivars.

The lack of net magnetization in antiferromagnets makes them technologically promising, but it also makes detecting the spin orders challenging. Here, using electrical transport measurement, Song et al show how the planar Hall effect can detect different cluster magnetic multipoles in antiferromagnetic Nd2Ir2O7 film.

Dispersionless plasmons could find important practical applications, but previous demonstrations have been limited to 2D materials and small momentum range. Here the authors report ultra-flat plasmons propagating over a wide range of momenta in a 3D strongly correlated oxide α-Ti2O3.

HARP are member of protein-only RNase P, which catalyzes pre-tRNA 5’-end processing and maturation. Here, the authors present crystal structure and provide mechanistic insights into pre-tRNA binding and cleavage by HARP proteins.

Direct synthesis of ethanol from non-petroleum carbon resources via syngas (CO/H2) is a highly attractive but challenging target. Here, the authors report a triple tandem catalytic system for single-pass conversion of syngas into ethanol with selectivity as high as 90%.

Migratory cross-coupling reactions are powerful tools to form bonds at predictable positions. Here the authors report a nickel-catalyzed migratory Suzuki–Miyaura cross-coupling of unactivated alkyl electrophiles with aryl and vinyl boron reagents and provide experimental and computational mechanistic evidence.

The two-dimensional electron gases that form at LaAlO3/SrTiO3 heterostructure interfaces feature strong spin-orbit interactions, leading to proposed spintronic applications. Lin et al. show that the design of asymmetric heterostructures enables the Rashba spin-orbit interaction to be tuned between two regimes.

Converting solar energy to hydrogen fuel requires light-absorbers that well-match the wavelengths of incoming sunlight. Here, authors prepare a broadband visible-light-absorbing molecular complex that efficiently produces hydrogen from water.

Coupling graphene with narrow band-gap Ti2O3 nanoparticles can enable efficient mid-infrared photodetection. Here, the authors report a graphene-Ti2O3 based hybrid photodetector with high responsivity of ~300 A W-1 up to 10 μm by varying the number of graphene layers and size of Ti2O3 nanoparticles.

Hierarchical, nanoporous graphitic membranes are synthetically challenging yet attractive materials, due to their structural integrity. Here, the authors fabricate freestanding, porous carbon membranes with single-crystal-like graphitic order which serve as water splitting electrocatalysts upon cobalt doping.

The immunosuppressive role of regulatory T (Treg) cells largely depends on their virtue of expressing the transcription factor FOXP3. Here the authors show that the E3 deubiquitinase USP21 stabilizes FOXP3 by mediating its deubiquitination and helps to maintain the expression of Treg signature genes and Treg lineage stability in mice.

Abstract Disruption of ciliary homeostasis in vascular endothelial cells has been implicated in the development of atherosclerosis. However, the molecular basis for the regulation of endothelial cilia during atherosclerosis remains poorly understood. Herein, we provide evidence in male mice that the accumulation of lipid droplets in vascular endothelial cells induces ciliary loss and contributes to atherosclerosis. Triglyceride accumulation in vascular endothelial cells differentially affects the abundance of free fatty acid species in the cytosol, leading to stimulated lipid droplet formation and suppressed protein S-palmitoylation. Reduced S-palmitoylation of ciliary proteins, including ADP ribosylation factor like GTPase 13B, results in the loss of cilia. Restoring palmitic acid availability, either through pharmacological inhibition of stearoyl-CoA desaturase 1 or a palmitic acid-enriched diet, significantly restores endothelial cilia and mitigates the progression of atherosclerosis. These findings thus uncover a previously unrecognized role of lipid droplets in regulating ciliary homeostasis and provide a feasible intervention strategy for preventing and treating atherosclerosis.

Abstract The heterogeneity of functional cardiomyocytes arises during heart development, which is essential to the complex and highly coordinated cardiac physiological function. Yet the biological and physiological identities and the origin of the specialized cardiomyocyte populations have not been fully comprehended. Here we report a previously unrecognised population of cardiomyocytes expressing Dbhgene encoding dopamine beta-hydroxylase in murine heart. We determined how these myocytes are distributed across the heart by utilising advanced single-cell and spatial transcriptomic analyses, genetic fate mapping and molecular imaging with computational reconstruction. We demonstrated that they form the key functional components of the cardiac conduction system by using optogenetic electrophysiology and conditional cardiomyocyte Dbh gene deletion models. We revealed their close relationship with sympathetic innervation during cardiac conduction system formation. Our study thus provides new insights into the development and heterogeneity of the mammalian cardiac conduction system by revealing a new cardiomyocyte population with potential catecholaminergic endocrine function.

Abstract Atomic-level coordination engineering is an efficient strategy for tuning the catalytic performance of single-atom catalysts (SACs). However, their rational design has so far been plagued by the lack of a universal correlation between the coordination symmetry and catalytic properties. Herein, we synthesised planar-symmetry-broken CuN3 (PSB-CuN3) SACs through microwave heating for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction. Remarkably, the as-prepared catalysts exhibited a selectivity of 94.3% towards formate at −0.73 V vs. RHE, surpassing the symmetrical CuN4 catalyst (72.4% at −0.93 V vs. RHE). In a flow cell equipped with a PSB-CuN3 electrode, over 90% formate selectivity was maintained at an average current density of 94.4 mA cm−2 during 100 h operation. By combining definitive structural identification with operando X-ray spectroscopy and theoretical calculations, we revealed that the intrinsic local symmetry breaking from planar D 4h configuration induces an unconventional dsp hybridisation, and thus a strong correlation between the catalytic activity and microenvironment of metal centre (i.e., coordination number and distortion), with high preference for formate production in CuN3 moiety. The finding opens an avenue for designing efficient SACs with specific local symmetries for selective electrocatalysis.

Abstract The chlor-alkali process plays an essential and irreplaceable role in the modern chemical industry due to the wide-ranging applications of chlorine gas. However, the large overpotential and low selectivity of current chlorine evolution reaction (CER) electrocatalysts result in significant energy consumption during chlorine production. Herein, we report a highly active oxygen-coordinated ruthenium single-atom catalyst for the electrosynthesis of chlorine in seawater-like solutions. As a result, the as-prepared single-atom catalyst with Ru-O4 moiety (Ru-O4 SAM) exhibits an overpotential of only ~30 mV to achieve a current density of 10 mA cm−2 in an acidic medium (pH = 1) containing 1 M NaCl. Impressively, the flow cell equipped with Ru-O4 SAM electrode displays excellent stability and Cl2 selectivity over 1000 h continuous electrocatalysis at a high current density of 1000 mA cm−2. Operando characterizations and computational analysis reveal that compared with the benchmark RuO2 electrode, chloride ions preferentially adsorb directly onto the surface of Ru atoms on Ru-O4 SAM, thereby leading to a reduction in Gibbs free-energy barrier and an improvement in Cl2 selectivity during CER. This finding not only offers fundamental insights into the mechanisms of electrocatalysis but also provides a promising avenue for the electrochemical synthesis of chlorine from seawater electrocatalysis.

The mechanisms underlying sex differences in response to stress are unclear. Here, the authors show that meningeal lymphatics dysfunction modulates the sex difference in the stress susceptibility to depression- and anxiety-like behaviours in mice.