Targeting MMR-deficient colorectal cancer with a potent small molecule UNI110.

Mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency is a hallmark of microsatellite instability (MSI) in hereditary non-polyposis colorectal cancer, Lynch syndrome, contributing to resistance against conventional chemotherapy and posing a significant therapeutic challenge. In this study, we introduce UNI110, a novel small molecule derived from Baicalein, engineered for enhanced selectivity against MMR-deficient cancer cells. UNI110 exhibits a remarkable sevenfold increase in potency over Baicalein, demonstrating significantly lower IC50 values and heightened cytotoxic effects in MMR-deficient cell lines.

Pelota-mediated ribosome-associated quality control counteracts aging and age-associated pathologies across species.

Ribosome-associated quality control (RQC) is a pivotal biological process that governs the fidelity of messenger RNA (mRNA) homeostasis and protein synthesis. Defects in RQC are implicated in cellular dysfunction and proteotoxicity, but their impact on aging remains elusive. Here, we show that Pelota, the ribosome rescue factor, promotes longevity and protects against age-related pathological phenotypes in multiple metazoan species.

Microstructural Evolution Dynamics in Rapid Joule Heating Densification of High-Nickel Cathodes.

High-energy density materials are essential for the advancement of next-generation lithium-ion batteries, which power a wide range of applications from portable electronics to electric vehicles. Among them, high-Nickel (Ni) layered oxide cathodes have emerged as promising candidates due to their high capacity and cost-effectiveness. However, pores and excessive grain growth in high-Ni layered oxides compromise energy density and mechanical integrity, while oversized grains hinder lithium-ion diffusion kinetics, necessitating a sintering strategy that promotes densification without inducing abnormal grain growth.

Recent Progress on the Development of Intrinsically Stretchable Electroluminescent Devices.

Intrinsically stretchable electroluminescent (is-EL) devices, whose components are made of mechanically soft and stretchable materials, are gaining significant attention as promising solutions for intrinsically stretchable displays. Compared to conventional stretchable devices with strain-distributing geometries, such as island-bridge or buckling structures, is-EL devices offer simpler device designs, enhanced mechanical reliability, and improved pixel density. This review highlights recent advancements in the development of is-EL devices, classifying them into two categories: alternating-current-driven electroluminescence devices (ACELs) and light-emitting diodes (LEDs).

Dokdo sea lion Zalophus japonicus genome reveals its evolutionary trajectory before extinction.

Background: The Dokdo sea lion (Zalophus japonicus), commonly referred to as Gangchi in Korea and the Japanese sea lion internationally, was endemic to the Northwest Pacific before its extinction in the 1950s. However, its origins, speciation, and genetic diversity remain poorly understood.

Results: To address this, we sequenced DNA from 16 Z.

Endothelial layers cultured on an aligned fibrin matrix exhibit enhanced barrier integrity.

The vascular endothelium is important in trafficking cells and molecules across the interface. Microphysiological systems (MPS) mimicking their barrier functions have demonstrated various utilities, including drug permeability tests and cell transmigration. However, conventional approaches for constructing endothelial layers in MPS mainly rely on seeding cells on porous membranes coated with extracellular matrix molecules that are sparsely dispersed, which do not represent their inherent microenvironmental characteristics, resulting in immature endothelial barrier functions.

Applications of multiplexed CRISPR-Cas for genome engineering.

The CRISPR-Cas system has become a worldwide genome editing tool for various organisms. Its precision and efficiency have facilitated basic research, drug discovery and therapeutic interventions. In contrast to other genome editing agents, CRISPR-Cas is modulated by a short guide RNA.

Live genome imaging by CRISPR engineering: progress and problems.

CRISPR-Cas-based genome imaging opened a new era of genome visualization in living cells. While genomic loci with repetitive sequences, such as centromeres and telomeres, can be reliably imaged, applying the technique to nonrepetitive genomic loci has remained challenging. Recent advancements in the design of CRISPR RNAs and Cas proteins, the development of novel fluorophores and the combination of CRISPR-Cas with other molecular machinery amplified target-specific signals and suppressed background signals, revolutionizing this unique genome imaging technique and enabling the tracking of genomic loci with a small number of CRISPR-Cas complexes, down to a single complex.

Relativistic Spin-Lattice Interaction Compatible with Discrete Translation Symmetry in Solids.

Recent interest in orbital angular momentum has led to a rapid expansion of research on spin-orbit coupling effects in solids, while also highlighting significant technical challenges. The breaking of rotational symmetry renders the orbital angular momentum operator ill defined, causing conceptual and computational issues in describing orbital motion. To address these issues, here we propose an alternative framework.

Tunneling Magnetoresistance in Altermagnetic RuO_{2}-Based Magnetic Tunnel Junctions.

Altermagnets exhibit characteristics akin to antiferromagnets, with spin-split anisotropic bands in momentum space. RuO_{2} has been considered as a prototype altermagnet; however, recent reports have questioned altermagnetic ground state in this material. In this Letter, we demonstrate spin-dependent tunneling magnetoresistance (TMR) in RuO_{2}-based magnetic tunnel junctions, which suggests the spin-splitted anisotropic band structure of our RuO_{2} films.

Black carbon emissions generally underestimated in the global south as revealed by globally distributed measurements.

Characterizing black carbon (BC) on a fine scale globally is essential for understanding its climate and health impacts. However, sparse BC mass measurements in different parts of the world and coarse model resolution have inhibited evaluation of global BC emission inventories. Here, we apply globally distributed BC mass measurements from the Surface Particulate Matter Network (SPARTAN) and complementary measurement networks to evaluate contemporary BC emission inventories.

Single junction CsPbBr solar cell coupled with electrolyzer for solar water splitting.

Artificial photosynthesis system to realize Solar overall water splitting has been regarded as sustainable and renewable solution for energy and environmental issues. While artificial photosynthesis system (efficiency of 12.4%) greatly exceeds efficiency of natural photosynthesis, yet such high efficiency needs multiple, 2 or more light absorbers to achieve, total photovoltage above 1440 mV.

Identification of Ni-N Active Sites in Atomically Dispersed Ni Catalysts for Efficient Chlorine Evolution Reaction.

Chlorine (Cl) is one of the most important chemicals in the chemical industry, which is primarily produced by the electrochemical chlorine evolution reaction (CER) in the chlor-alkali process. While platinum-group metal (PGM)-based dimensionally stable anodes (DSAs) have dominated over the last half century, atomically dispersed catalysts (ADCs) have recently emerged as a promising class of CER catalysts; however, they still rely on PGMs. In this work, we prepared a series of non-PGM (Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu)-based ADCs and investigated their CER reactivity trends.

Extracellular Vesicles for Clinical Diagnostics: From Bulk Measurements to Single-Vesicle Analysis.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) play a crucial role in intercellular communication, signaling pathways, and disease pathogenesis by transporting biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins, and lipids derived from their cells of origin, and they have demonstrated substantial potential in clinical applications. Their clinical significance underscores the need for sensitive methods to fully harness their diagnostic potential. In this comprehensive review, we explore EV heterogeneity related to biogenesis, structure, content, origin, sample type, and function roles; the use of EVs as disease biomarkers; and the evolving landscape of EV measurement for clinical diagnostics, highlighting the progression from bulk measurement to single vesicle analysis.

Enhanced Bifunctional Electrocatalysis for Zinc-Air Battery Using Porous Conductive Substrate with Abundant Anchoring Sites.

Efficient and robust bifunctional electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) are critical for high-performance zinc-air batteries (ZABs). However, balancing OER and ORR activity in a single catalyst remains challenging due to the different mechanisms during charging and discharging. Here, a scalable strategy is presented for enhancing both reactions by integrating two-dimensional OER- and ORR-active components onto a carbon-based conductive substrate with abundant anchoring sites, via high-shear exfoliation.

Spiro-Phenothiazine Hole-Transporting Materials: Unlocking Stability and Scalability in Perovskite Solar Cells.

Improving both the efficiency and long-term stability of perovskite solar cells (PSCs) is critical for their commercial deployment. Despite the widespread use of spiro-OMeTAD as a hole-transporting material (HTM), its inhomogeneous doping behavior and susceptibility to moisture and heat have hindered its large-scale industrial implementation. Here, a family of spiro-phenothiazine-based HTMs (PTZ) is reported to address these drawbacks.

In vivo efficacy of NRL knockdown with cell-penetrating siRNA in retinal degeneration.

Retinal degenerative diseases, such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and age‑related macular degeneration (AMD), lead to progressive vision loss through photoreceptor degeneration; RP begins with the gradual loss of peripheral rods, whereas AMD causes central‑vision loss mainly because macular cones and parafoveal rods degenerate. The neural retina leucine zipper (NRL) directs rod photoreceptor differentiation, and its disruption has been linked to upregulated cone-specific markers in rods. This study investigates the therapeutic potential of a cell-penetrating asymmetric small interfering RNA targeting NRL (cp-asiNRL) to induce rod-to-cone conversion and mitigate retinal degeneration.

Vascularized and Perfusable Human Heart-on-a-Chip Model Recapitulates Aspects of Myocardial Ischemia and Enables Analysis of Nanomedicine Delivery.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of death worldwide. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms of CVDs are not yet fully understood, and animal models do not accurately replicate human heart function. Heart-on-a-chip technologies with increasing complexity are being developed to mimic aspects of native human cardiac physiology for mechanistic studies and as screening platforms for drugs and nanomedicines.

Robust daily satellite sea surface salinity reconstruction using deep learning in low-salinity coastal regions.

Spatiotemporally continuous sea surface salinity (SSS) is essential for monitoring rapid changes in the physical and biogeochemical characteristics of oceans and plays a crucial role in effective coastal environment management. Traditional physics-based SSS methods often oversmoothed salinity variations and struggle to capture sharp gradients, leading to reduced accuracy in river-dominated areas. In addition, the long revisit times of satellite data limit real-time monitoring.

Full complex amplitude control of second-harmonic generation via electrically tunable intersubband polaritonic metasurfaces.

Nonlinear intersubband polaritonic metasurfaces based on coupling of the intersubband nonlinear optical response of quantum-engineered semiconductor heterostructures and electromagnetic modes of nanoresonators provide efficient frequency mixing with moderate pump intensities. The resonant nonlinear optical response, represented as a complex function, can be modulated via Stark tuning of intersubband transition energies under applied voltages. However, achieving full complex amplitude control (both phase and magnitude) remains challenging.

Viable Regiochemical Control in Semiconducting Polymers for Field-Effect Transistors: From High-Mobility Enhancement toward High Deformability.

The molecular properties of semiconducting polymers with regioisomeric structural factors can be effectively tuned based on their regiochemistry. Thus, the molecular dynamics, intermolecular stacking, and film morphology of these polymers have been tuned via regiochemical control to ultimately enhance their electronic properties in organic field-effect transistors (OFETs). This strategy can also be employed to induce high deformability in organic electronics.

Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas putida KT2440 as cell factories for free fatty acid production: A comparative review.

Free fatty acids (FFA) serve as versatile precursors for biofuels and oleochemicals, and their microbial production offers a renewable alternative to petrochemical processes. Escherichia coli has been extensively engineered for high-titer FFA production and currently serves as the benchmark chassis, achieving titers exceeding 35 g L through advanced metabolic and systems biology approaches. In contrast, Pseudomonas putida KT2440 has recently gained attention due to its innate stress tolerance, redox flexibility, and broad substrate utilization, though reported FFA titers remain modest (∼0.

Direct approach to high-resolution, square-lattice alternating nanodot array by breaking hexagonal symmetry of block copolymer spheres.

Expanding the morphological spectrum of block copolymer (BCP) self-assembly remains a notable challenge in BCP-based bottom-up nanofabrication. We present a simple method to fabricate unconventional yet crucial structures of sphere-forming BCPs in thin films using solvent vapor. By precisely controlling solvent uptake, we transform the final lattice structure of spheres, modifying the thermodynamically stable lattice of BCPs.