Lisa M.

The long non-coding RNA SMANTIS interacts with the transcription factor RUNX1 in an Alu-RUNT-dependent manner in monocytes and limits monocyte adhesion to endothelial cells.

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Oberlin College, Oberlin, OH 44074, USA Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

Macadamia nuts are, economically, the second most important crop in the state of Hawai’i. A recent decline in yield and acreage has been attributed to insect damage and diseases such as Macadamia Quick Decline (MQD) caused by Phytophthora tropicalis and P. heveae. To develop an improved methodology for the diagnosis and treatment of MQD, investigations were undertaken to better understand the pathosystem of the disease. These investigations included sampling from multiple locations from sectioned trees utilizing two methods of tissue collection and isolations using two baiting techniques. The collection of tissue from the cambium and phloem of trees after scraping away the bark and in locations of recent or current sap exudation using a narrow diameter steel awl proved to be an efficient means for the molecular detection of the MQD pathogens from infected trees exhibiting MQD symptoms. In addition, a more efficient and cost-effective baiting method using apple puree was developed.

The affected cellular populations during Alzheimer’s disease progression remain understudied. Here the authors use a cohort of 84 donors, quantitative neuropathology and multimodal datasets from the BRAIN Initiative. Their pseudoprogression analysis revealed two disease phases.

‘Hardy’ Helicobacter pylori ecospecies shares the ancestry of ‘Ubiquitous’ H. pylori from the same region in most of the genome but has nearly fixed single-nucleotide polymorphism differences in 100 genes.

Abstract Formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) samples are valuable but underutilized in single-cell omics research due to their low RNA quality.

The nitrogen-fixing anaerobic methanogen, Methanococcus maripaludis, can utilize tetrathiomolybdate and molybdenite, previously considered non-bioavailable, as sources of molybdenum for enzymes involved in nitrogen fixation and anaerobic metabolism.

Cancer genomes are rife with genetic variants, and one key outcome of this variation is widespread gain-of-cysteine mutations. Here, the authors pair cysteine chemoproteomics with genomics to investigate the landscape of cysteine genetic variation.

Lithium-ion batteries offer the highest energy density of any currently available portable energy storage technology. By using different anode materials, these batteries could have an even greater energy density. One material, tin, has a theoretical lithium capacity (994 mAh/g) over three-times higher than commercial carbon anode materials. Unfortunately, to achieve this high capacity, bulk tin undergoes a large volume expansion, and the material pulverizes during cycling, giving a rapid capacity fade. To mitigate this issue, tin must be scaled down to the nano-level to take advantage of unique micromechanics at the nanoscale. Synthesis techniques for Sn nanoparticle anodes are costly and overly complicated for commercial production. A novel one-step process for producing carbon-coated Sn nanoparticles via spark plasma erosion (SPE) shows great promise as a simple, inexpensive production method. The SPE method, characterization of the resulting particles, and their high-capacity reversible electrochemical performance as anodes are described. With only a 10% addition of these novel SPE carbon-coated Sn particles, one anode composition demonstrated a reversible capacity of ~460 mAh/g, achieving the theoretical capacity of that particular electrode formulation. These SPE carbon-coated Sn nanoparticles are drop-in ready for present commercial lithium-ion anode processing and would provide a ~10% increase in the total capacity of current commercial lithium-ion cells.

Natural photosynthesis converts sunlight into chemical energy. Here, the authors present the 2.27-Å cryo-EM structure of Photosystem I bound to platinum nanoparticles, revealing insights into photon-to-fuel catalytic activity for hydrogen production.