Table Of Contents Page, PNAS Volume 121, Number 41
This Week in PNAS
Editorial
Retrospective
Profile
Commentaries
Perspective
Central nervous system neurons manifest a rich diversity of selectivity profiles—whose
precise role is still poorly understood. Following the striking success of artificial
networks, a major debate has emerged concerning their usefulness in explaining ...
Letters
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Reply to Fitzgerald: COVID-19 vaccine mandates and voluntary vaccination behavior
Brief Reports
Major initiatives attempt to prevent dementia by targeting modifiable risk factors.
Low education is frequently pointed to, due to its relationship with dementia. Impact
of education is difficult to assess, however, because of associations with multiple
...
The critical brain hypothesis states that the brain can benefit from operating close
to a second-order phase transition. While it has been shown that several computational
aspects of sensory processing (e.g., sensitivity to input) can be optimal in this
...
Flagella are highly complex rotary molecular machines that enable bacteria to not
only migrate to optimal environments but also to promote range expansion, competitiveness,
virulence, and antibiotic survival. Flagellar motility is an energy-demanding ...
Methamphetamine use and HIV disproportionately affect sexual and gender minority (SGM)
people assigned male at birth. Identifying risk factors for methamphetamine use is
crucial to inform preventive interventions. In this cohort study with 1,296 SGM ...
Metal ions have important roles in supporting the catalytic activity of DNA-regulating
enzymes such as topoisomerases (topos). Bacterial type II topos, gyrases and topo
IV, are primary drug targets for fluoroquinolones, a class of clinically relevant
...
Physical Sciences
Applied Mathematics
Habituation—a phenomenon in which a dynamical system exhibits a diminishing response
to repeated stimulations that eventually recovers when the stimulus is withheld—is
universally observed in living systems from animals to unicellular organisms. Despite
...
Applied Physical Sciences
The ultrafast photochemical reaction mechanism, transient spectra, and transition
kinetics of the human blue cone visual pigment have been recorded at room temperature.
Ultrafast time-resolved absorption spectroscopy revealed the progressive formation
and ...
Precise control at the colloidal scale is one of the most promising bottom–up approaches
to fabricating new materials and devices with tunable and precisely engineered properties.
Magnetically driven colloidal assembly offers great versatility because of ...
Understanding the motion of particles with multivalent ligand-receptors is important
for biomedical applications and material design. Yet, even among a single design,
the prototypical DNA-coated colloids, seemingly similar micrometric particles hop
or ...
Using angle-resolved X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, sum-frequency generation vibrational
spectroscopy, contact angle measurements, and molecular dynamics simulations, we verify
that the glass transition temperature (Tg) of polymer glass is lower near ...
Biophysics and Computational Biology
The terminal cells of the Drosophila larval tracheal system are perhaps the simplest delivery networks, providing an analogue
for mammalian vascular growth and function in a system with many fewer components.
These cells are a prime example of single-cell ...
Chemistry
Approximately two-thirds of the estimated one-billion metric tons of methane produced
annually by methanogens is derived from the cleavage of acetate. Acetate is broken
down by a Ni-Fe-S-containing A-cluster within the enzyme acetyl-CoA synthase (ACS)
to ...
Memory effect refers to the phenomenon where past events influence a system’s current
and future states or behaviors. In biology, memory effects often arise from intra-
or intermolecular interactions, leading to temporally correlated behaviors. Single-...
Mechanosensitive fluorescence lifetime probes for investigating the dynamic mechanism of ferroptosis
Deciphering the dynamic mechanism of ferroptosis can provide insights into pathogenesis,
which is valuable for disease diagnosis and treatment. However, due to the lack of
suitable time-resolved mechanosensitive tools, researchers have been unable to ...
Electrochemical reactivity is known to be dictated by the structure and composition
of the electrocatalyst–electrolyte interface. Here, we show that optically generated
electric fields at this interface can influence electrochemical reactivity insofar
as ...
Many of the relevant electrochemical processes in the context of catalysis or energy
conversion and storage, entail the production of gases. This often implicates the
nucleation of bubbles at the interface, with the concomitant blockage of the ...
Fusicoccadiene synthase from Phomopsis amygdala (PaFS) is a bifunctional terpene synthase. It contains a prenyltransferase (PT) domain
that generates geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) from dimethylallyl diphosphate and
three equivalents of isopentenyl ...
Computer Sciences
The widespread adoption of large language models (LLMs) makes it important to recognize
their strengths and limitations. We argue that to develop a holistic understanding
of these systems, we must consider the problem that they were trained to solve: next-...
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
Algae populate multiple habitats, including snow and ice, where they can form red
blooms. These decrease snow albedo, accelerating snowmelt and potentially feeding
back on snow and glacier decline caused by climate change. Quantifying this feedback
...
We investigate the mass changes of Antarctic glaciers from 2003 to 2020, partitioning
them into the contributions of surface mass balance (SMB) and ice discharge, using
high-resolution ice mass change estimates derived from the combination of two ...
One of the remaining issues regarding the Anthropocene is the lack of stratigraphic
evidence indicating when the cumulative human pressure from the early Holocene began
to fundamentally change the Earth system. Herein, we compile anthropogenic ...
Engineering
Muscular hydrostats, such as octopus arms or elephant trunks, lack bones entirely,
endowing them with exceptional dexterity and reconfigurability. Key to their unmatched
ability to control nearly infinite degrees of freedom is the architecture into which
...
Biomimetic actuation technologies with high muscle strokes, cycle rates, and work
capacities are necessary for robotic systems. We present a muscle type that operates
based on changes in muscle stiffness caused by volume expansion. This muscle is created
...
The ability of vitrification when crossing the glass transition temperature (Tg) of confined and bulk water is crucial for myriad phenomena in diverse fields, ranging
from the cryopreservation of organs and food to the development of cryoenzymatic ...
Environmental Sciences
Acidic CO2 electrolysis, enhanced by the introduction of alkali cations, presents a strategic
approach for improving carbon efficiency compared to processes conducted in neutral
and alkaline environments. However, a significant challenge arises from the ...
Social Sciences
Economic Sciences
The long tradition of research on cooperation includes a well-established finding
that individuals respond to the degree of conflict between self- and collective interests
(that is, the relative benefits from cooperation) in providing public goods. ...
Political Sciences
We assess racial disparities in the service quality of app-based ride-hailing services,
like Uber and Lyft, by simulating their operations in the city of Chicago using empirical
data. To generate driver cancellation rate disparities consistent with ...
Psychological and Cognitive Sciences
The widespread adoption of large language models (LLMs) makes it important to recognize
their strengths and limitations. We argue that to develop a holistic understanding
of these systems, we must consider the problem that they were trained to solve: next-...
Social Sciences
Scientific datasets play a crucial role in contemporary data-driven research, as they
allow for the progress of science by facilitating the discovery of new patterns and
phenomena. This mounting demand for empirical research raises important questions
on ...
Sustainability Science
One of the remaining issues regarding the Anthropocene is the lack of stratigraphic
evidence indicating when the cumulative human pressure from the early Holocene began
to fundamentally change the Earth system. Herein, we compile anthropogenic ...
Biological Sciences
Applied Biological Sciences
Mammalian cell culture processes are widely utilized for biotherapeutics production,
disease diagnostics, and biosensors, and hence, should be optimized to support robust
cell growth and viability. However, toxic by-products accumulate in cultures due to
...
Biochemistry
The ultrafast photochemical reaction mechanism, transient spectra, and transition
kinetics of the human blue cone visual pigment have been recorded at room temperature.
Ultrafast time-resolved absorption spectroscopy revealed the progressive formation
and ...
Approximately two-thirds of the estimated one-billion metric tons of methane produced
annually by methanogens is derived from the cleavage of acetate. Acetate is broken
down by a Ni-Fe-S-containing A-cluster within the enzyme acetyl-CoA synthase (ACS)
to ...
Casein kinase 1δ (CK1δ) controls essential biological processes including circadian
rhythms and wingless-related integration site (Wnt) signaling, but how its activity
is regulated is not well understood. CK1δ is inhibited by autophosphorylation of its
...
The peptidoglycan pathway represents one of the most successful antibacterial targets
with the last critical step being the flipping of carrier lipid, undecaprenyl phosphate
(C55-P), across the membrane to reenter the pathway. This translocation of C55-P ...
Chemotherapy resistance remains a significant obstacle that limits the long-term efficacy
of cancer therapy, necessitating further investigations into the underlying mechanisms.
Here, we find that DNA fragments induced by chemotherapeutic agents trigger ...
The transcription factor E2F1 serves as a regulator of the cell cycle and promotes
cell proliferation. It is highly expressed in cancer tissues and contributes to their
malignant transformation. Degradation by the ubiquitin–proteasome system may help
to ...
Biophysics and Computational Biology
Habituation—a phenomenon in which a dynamical system exhibits a diminishing response
to repeated stimulations that eventually recovers when the stimulus is withheld—is
universally observed in living systems from animals to unicellular organisms. Despite
...
Memory effect refers to the phenomenon where past events influence a system’s current
and future states or behaviors. In biology, memory effects often arise from intra-
or intermolecular interactions, leading to temporally correlated behaviors. Single-...
Fusicoccadiene synthase from Phomopsis amygdala (PaFS) is a bifunctional terpene synthase. It contains a prenyltransferase (PT) domain
that generates geranylgeranyl diphosphate (GGPP) from dimethylallyl diphosphate and
three equivalents of isopentenyl ...
Somatostatin receptors (SSTRs) exert critical biological functions such as negatively
regulating hormone release and cell proliferation, making them popular targets for
developing therapeutics to treat endocrine disorders, especially neuroendocrine ...
Identifying antibodies that neutralize specific antigens is crucial for developing
effective immunotherapies, but this task remains challenging for many target antigens.
The rise of deep learning–based computational approaches presents a promising avenue
...
Cell Biology
Mechanosensitive fluorescence lifetime probes for investigating the dynamic mechanism of ferroptosis
Deciphering the dynamic mechanism of ferroptosis can provide insights into pathogenesis,
which is valuable for disease diagnosis and treatment. However, due to the lack of
suitable time-resolved mechanosensitive tools, researchers have been unable to ...
Bioluminescence imaging has become a valuable tool in biological research, offering
several advantages over fluorescence-based techniques, including the absence of phototoxicity
and photobleaching, along with a higher signal-to-noise ratio. Common ...
The propeller-shaped blades of the PIEZO1 and PIEZO2 ion channels partition into the
plasma membrane and respond to indentation or stretching of the lipid bilayer, thus
converting mechanical forces into signals that can be interpreted by cells, in the
...
Developmental Biology
The endometrium undergoes substantial remodeling in each menstrual cycle to become
receptive to an implanting embryo. Abnormal endometrial receptivity is one of the
major causes of embryo implantation failure and infertility. MicroRNA-124-3p is elevated
...
Ecology
Movement is a key means by which animals cope with variable environments. As they
move, animals construct individual niches composed of the environmental conditions
they experience. Niche axes may vary over time and covary with one another as animals
make ...
Environmental Sciences
Algae populate multiple habitats, including snow and ice, where they can form red
blooms. These decrease snow albedo, accelerating snowmelt and potentially feeding
back on snow and glacier decline caused by climate change. Quantifying this feedback
...
Evolution
A fundamental question in evolutionary biology concerns the relative contributions
of phenotypic plasticity vs. local adaptation (genotypic specialization) in enabling
wide-ranging species to inhabit diverse environmental conditions. Here, we conduct
a ...
Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are transcribed elements increasingly recognized for
their roles in regulating gene expression. Thus far, however, we have little understanding
of how lncRNAs contribute to evolution and adaptation. Here, we show that a ...
Immunology and Inflammation
Severe and chronic infections, including pneumonia, sepsis, and tuberculosis (TB),
induce long-lasting epigenetic changes that are associated with an increase in all-cause
postinfectious morbidity and mortality. Oncology studies identified metabolic ...
Medical Sciences
In the Spring of 2020, the United States of America (USA) deployed COVID-19 convalescent
plasma (CCP) to treat hospitalized patients. Over 500,000 patients were treated with
CCP during the first year of the pandemic. In this study, we estimated the number
...
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Progerin causes Hutchinson–Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), but how progerin accelerates
aging is still an interesting question. Here, we provide evidence linking nuclear
envelope (NE) budding and accelerated aging. Mechanistically, progerin disrupts ...
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common complication of diabetes characterized by vascular
pathology and neuroinflammation. Pentraxin 3 (PTX3) is a soluble pattern recognition
molecule that functions at the crossroads between innate immunity, inflammation, ...
Well-differentiated low-grade lung neuroendocrine tumors (lung carcinoids or LNETs)
are histopathologically classified as typical and atypical LNETs, but each subtype
is still heterogeneous at both the molecular level and its clinical manifestation.
Here, ...
CRISPR is revolutionizing the ability to do somatic gene editing in mice for the purpose
of creating new cancer models. Inactivation of the VHL tumor suppressor gene is the signature initiating event in the most common form of
kidney cancer, clear cell ...
Microbiology
Protein acetylation is a common and reversible posttranslational modification tightly
governed by protein acetyltransferases and deacetylases crucial for various biological
processes in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Although recent studies have ...
The Legionella pneumophila Dot/Icm type IVB secretion system (T4BSS) is a large, multisubunit complex that exports
a vast array of substrates into eukaryotic host cells. DotO, a distant homolog of
the T4ASS ATPase VirB4, associates with the bacterial ...
Gut microbiota plays a vital role in host metabolism; however, the influence of gut
microbes on polyamine metabolism is unknown. Here, we found germ-free models possess
elevated polyamine levels in the colon. Mechanistically, intestinal Lactobacillus ...
In proliferating bacteria, growth rate is often assumed to be similar between daughter
cells. However, most of our knowledge of cell growth derives from studies on symmetrically
dividing bacteria. In many α-proteobacteria, asymmetric division is a normal ...
Neuroscience
Systems consolidation is a common feature of learning and memory systems, in which
a long-term memory initially stored in one brain region becomes persistently stored
in another region. We studied the dynamics of systems consolidation in simple circuit
...
Striatal acetylcholine and dopamine critically regulate movement, motivation, and
reward-related learning. Pauses in cholinergic interneuron (CIN) firing are thought
to coincide with dopamine pulses encoding reward prediction errors (RPE) to jointly
...
The only known peptide-gated ion channels—FaNaCs/WaNaCs and HyNaCs—belong to different
clades of the DEG/ENaC family. FaNaCs are activated by the short neuropeptide FMRFamide,
and HyNaCs by Hydra RFamides, which are not evolutionarily related to ...
Pharmacology
Despite much research, considerable data suggest that influenza virus remains a serious
health problem because i) the effectiveness of current vaccines ranges only from 19%
to 60%, ii) available therapies remain ineffective in advanced stages of disease,
...
Inflammation is a protective response to pathogens and injury. To be effective it
needs to be resolved by endogenous mechanisms in order to avoid prolonged and excessive
inflammation, which can become chronic. Specialized pro-resolving mediators (SPMs)
...
Hippocampal neurons can be the first to be impaired with neurodegenerative disorders,
including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Most drug candidates for causal therapy of AD
cannot either enter the brain or accumulate around hippocampal neurons. Here, we ...
Physiology
As ambush-hunting predators that consume large prey after long intervals of fasting,
Burmese pythons evolved with unique adaptations for modulating organ structure and
function. Among these is cardiac hypertrophy that develops within three days following
...
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Population Biology
Cyclical population dynamics are a common phenomenon in populations worldwide, yet
the spatial organization of these cycles remains poorly understood. In this study,
we investigated the spatial form and timing of a population collapse from 2018 to
2022 in ...
Corrections
Cover image: Pictured is an East Pacific red octopus (Octopus rubescens) holding a glass vial. Arman Tekinalp et al. used medical imaging, biomechanical data, and live behavioral experiments involving O. rubescens to model a soft, octopus-inspired arm composed of around 200 continuous muscle groups. The authors found that the anatomical connectivity and tissue compliance of the simulated arm allowed simple muscle actuation patterns to produce complex, 3D reconfigurations. The results provide insight into the design and control principles of both biological and robotic soft appendages. See the article by Tekinalp et al. e2318769121. Image credit: Ekaterina Gribkova (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL).
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