Brain tumours in mice grow more slowly when starved of key amino acid Summary Researchers report that many glioblastoma tumours rely on the amino acid serine taken from their environment…
A way to determine how partial charges of atoms in a molecule are distributed Summary Researchers report an experimental method that uses electron diffraction to determine how partial charges are…
Damaged bridges flex and twist to prevent collapse Summary Steel truss bridges — made from connected frameworks of members — can sometimes survive the sudden failure of a load-bearing element…
The diversity of microbial enzymes that turn a pollutant into an inert gas Summary Reductase enzymes catalyse the conversion of nitrous oxide (N2O) — a potent greenhouse gas — into…
Depriving brain tumours of an amino acid could enhance chemotherapy Summary New analysis of glioblastoma metabolism shows these tumours scavenge the amino acid serine and divert glucose-derived carbon into pathways…
Cocaine-activated ion channels engineered to break the loop of addiction in rats Summary Researchers have created ion channels that are selectively activated by cocaine and used them to control neuronal…
Rewiring of cortical glucose metabolism fuels human brain cancer growth Summary This Nature paper uses clinical stable‑isotope infusions in patients and parallel mouse models plus metabolic flux analysis to map…
Genetic suppression features ABHD18 as a Barth syndrome therapeutic target Summary This Nature paper reports a genetic-suppression strategy that identifies ABHD18 as a druggable therapeutic target for Barth syndrome (BTHS),…
Multiple overlapping binding sites determine transcription factor occupancy Summary The authors present PADIT-seq, a high-throughput in vitro assay that measures transcription factor (TF) affinity to all possible ten-base-pair DNA sequences.…
Cas9 senses CRISPR RNA abundance to regulate CRISPR spacer acquisition Summary This study reports a previously unknown, RNA-independent role for Cas9 in type II-C CRISPR systems: apoCas9 (Cas9 lacking bound…
