Volume 21

Chen, Chen et al. report on synergistic yeast consortia using auxotrophic yeast strains to mimic the collaborative interactions in plant multicellular systems, enabling the de novo biosynthesis of complex natural product lignans. The cover image depicts the synergistic yeast consortia.

See Chen, Chen et al. and News & Views by Gautron et al.

Wang et al. have reported the design of a protein-based condensate that can translocate and tether to different intracellular compartments. The approach uses a ligand to trigger translocation and tethering and is used to sequester target DNA or RNA for spatiotemporal control of gene expression. The cover image depicts translocation of the synthetic condensates and DNA and RNA, facilitated by engineered DNA- and RNA-binding proteins, from the cytoplasm to the nucleus in the presence of small molecules.

See Wang et al.

An, Tan et al. report a defense system in thermophilic bacteria and archaea, termed TdpABC. The cover depicts its working model, wherein a phosphorothioate modification is made to bacterial DNA by TdpC (blue) through formation of an adenylated intermediate and subsequent replacement of the adenyl with a sulfur atom (yellow sphere), and the invading DNA is degraded by the TdpAB complex (green, TdpA hexamer; red, TdpB dimer).

See An, Tan et al.

The conventional method for aptamer screening called SELEX can be laborious and time-consuming, and typically involves 10–15 rounds of selection and re-amplification in which washes are discarded. Zhang et al. have now reported UltraSelex, a rapid method that involves a single selection round with multiple elution steps in which aptamers extracted from each successive wash correspond to their binding affinities and initial abundances. The cover image depicts a target protein bound to a high-affinity RNA aptamer that gets enriched.

See Zhang et al. and News & Views by Kasirajan et al.

A Review from Karampelias et al. discusses recent advances in the identification of small molecules that can alter beta cell regeneration and the cellular pathways and processes these compounds affect. The cover depicts a section through the pancreas, which contains the insulin-producing beta cells (in pink) that are crucial for glucose control. The pancreas also contains many other types of cell, including various endocrine cells (grouped in islets of Langerhans), ductal cells, acinar cells and endothelial cells. The spotlights highlight proliferation and transdifferentiation, two mechanisms by which beta cells may regenerate.

See Karampelias et al.

Group I introns can join exons from two RNA transcripts to form a single chimeric RNA molecule, in a process known as trans-splicing. Gao et al. have now engineered split introns and integrated them with intein-mediated protein splicing to enable single-layer multi-input logic computation. The cover image depicts the 3D model of an engineered group I intron from Tetrahymena thermophila set against a background of electronic circuits.

See Gao et al. and News & Views by Bayakhmetov et al.

The pathogen methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is resistant to β-lactam antibiotics. Central to the resistance response in MRSA is the β-lactam-sensing protein BlaR. Now, Nguyen et al. report inhibitors of the sensor domain of BlaR that restore susceptibility of MRSA to β-lactam in vitro and in vivo. The cover features a scanning electron microscopy image of a cluster of MRSA strain NRS21.

See Nguyen et al.

Nature’s genetic blueprint sculpts the morphology of biogenic crystals through precise enzymatic activity that determines their composition. Now, Deis et al. investigate how this biologically regulated process translates to the interplay between genetically controlled crystal composition and shape. The cover features microscopy images of light-reflecting crystals located in the zebrafish eye, where their unique morphology enables their dual function as an efficient light barrier and a means of camouflage.

See Deis et al. and News & Views by Vekilov

Saponarioside B, a saponin triterpenoid glycoside, is a potential precursor for the synthesis of pharmaceutical adjuvants. Jo et al. have now reported its complete biosynthetic pathway. The cover image is a botanical illustration of a Saponaria plant taken from a book in the rare book collection at the John Innes Centre.

See Jo et al.

This month, Nature Chemical Biology celebrates 20 years with a selection of pieces that highlight some landmarks in chemical biology, examine current challenges and outline future directions. The cover image depicts a gel as a representation of the foundational techniques that underpin many advances in chemical biology.

See Editorial