Three-dimensional superresolution fluorescence microscopy maps the variable molecular architecture of the nuclear pore complex.

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are large macromolecular machines that mediate the traffic between the nucleus and the cytoplasm. In vertebrates, each NPC consists of ∼1000 proteins, termed nucleoporins, and has a mass of more than 100 MDa. While a pseudo-atomic static model of the central scaffold of the NPC has recently been assembled by integrating data from isolated proteins and complexes, many structural components still remain elusive due to the enormous size and flexibility of the NPC.

Publisher Correction: Nuclear pores as versatile reference standards for quantitative superresolution microscopy.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Photoactivation of silicon rhodamines via a light-induced protonation.

Photoactivatable fluorophores are important for single-particle tracking and super-resolution microscopy. Here we present a photoactivatable fluorophore that forms a bright silicon rhodamine derivative through a light-dependent protonation. In contrast to other photoactivatable fluorophores, no caging groups are required, nor are there any undesired side-products released.

Nuclear pores as versatile reference standards for quantitative superresolution microscopy.

Quantitative fluorescence and superresolution microscopy are often limited by insufficient data quality or artifacts. In this context, it is essential to have biologically relevant control samples to benchmark and optimize the quality of microscopes, labels and imaging conditions. Here, we exploit the stereotypic arrangement of proteins in the nuclear pore complex as in situ reference structures to characterize the performance of a variety of microscopy modalities.

Direct Visualization of Single Nuclear Pore Complex Proteins Using Genetically-Encoded Probes for DNA-PAINT.

The nuclear pore complex (NPC) is one of the largest and most complex protein assemblies in the cell and, among other functions, serves as the gatekeeper of nucleocytoplasmic transport. Unraveling its molecular architecture and functioning has been an active research topic for decades with recent cryogenic electron microscopy and super-resolution studies advancing our understanding of the architecture of the NPC complex. However, the specific and direct visualization of single copies of NPC proteins is thus far elusive.

Experimental and computational framework for a dynamic protein atlas of human cell division.

Essential biological functions, such as mitosis, require tight coordination of hundreds of proteins in space and time. Localization, the timing of interactions and changes in cellular structure are all crucial to ensure the correct assembly, function and regulation of protein complexes. Imaging of live cells can reveal protein distributions and dynamics but experimental and theoretical challenges have prevented the collection of quantitative data, which are necessary for the formulation of a model of mitosis that comprehensively integrates information and enables the analysis of the dynamic interactions between the molecular parts of the mitotic machinery within changing cellular boundaries.

Dual-spindle formation in zygotes keeps parental genomes apart in early mammalian embryos.

At the beginning of mammalian life, the genetic material from each parent meets when the fertilized egg divides. It was previously thought that a single microtubule spindle is responsible for spatially combining the two genomes and then segregating them to create the two-cell embryo. We used light-sheet microscopy to show that two bipolar spindles form in the zygote and then independently congress the maternal and paternal genomes.

Generation and validation of homozygous fluorescent knock-in cells using CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing.

Gene tagging with fluorescent proteins is essential for investigations of the dynamic properties of cellular proteins. CRISPR-Cas9 technology is a powerful tool for inserting fluorescent markers into all alleles of the gene of interest (GOI) and allows functionality and physiological expression of the fusion protein. It is essential to evaluate such genome-edited cell lines carefully in order to preclude off-target effects caused by (i) incorrect insertion of the fluorescent protein, (ii) perturbation of the fusion protein by the fluorescent proteins or (iii) nonspecific genomic DNA damage by CRISPR-Cas9.

Real-time 3D single-molecule localization using experimental point spread functions.

We present a real-time fitter for 3D single-molecule localization microscopy using experimental point spread functions (PSFs) that achieves minimal uncertainty in 3D on any microscope and is compatible with any PSF engineering approach. We used this method to image cellular structures and attained unprecedented image quality for astigmatic PSFs. The fitter compensates for most optical aberrations and makes accurate 3D super-resolution microscopy broadly accessible, even on standard microscopes without dedicated 3D optics.

ARHGEF17 is an essential spindle assembly checkpoint factor that targets Mps1 to kinetochores.

To prevent genome instability, mitotic exit is delayed until all chromosomes are properly attached to the mitotic spindle by the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC). In this study, we characterized the function of ARHGEF17, identified in a genome-wide RNA interference screen for human mitosis genes. Through a series of quantitative imaging, biochemical, and biophysical experiments, we showed that ARHGEF17 is essential for SAC activity, because it is the major targeting factor that controls localization of the checkpoint kinase Mps1 to the kinetochore.

Structural basis of histone H2A-H2B recognition by the essential chaperone FACT.

Facilitates chromatin transcription (FACT) is a conserved histone chaperone that reorganizes nucleosomes and ensures chromatin integrity during DNA transcription, replication and repair. Key to the broad functions of FACT is its recognition of histones H2A-H2B (ref. 2).

Recognition of mono-ADP-ribosylated ARTD10 substrates by ARTD8 macrodomains.

ADP-ribosyltransferases (ARTs) catalyze the transfer of ADP-ribose from NAD(+) onto substrates. Some ARTs generate in an iterative process ADP-ribose polymers that serve as adaptors for distinct protein domains. Other ARTs, exemplified by ARTD10, function as mono-ADP-ribosyltransferases, but it has been unclear whether this modification occurs in cells and how it is read.

A macrodomain-containing histone rearranges chromatin upon sensing PARP1 activation.

Poly-ADP-ribosylation is a post-translational modification catalyzed by PARP enzymes with roles in transcription and chromatin biology. Here we show that distinct macrodomains, including those of histone macroH2A1.1, are recruited to sites of PARP1 activation induced by laser-generated DNA damage.

The pluripotency rheostat Nanog functions as a dimer.

The defining activity of the homeodomain protein Nanog is the ability to confer cytokine-independent self-renewal upon ES (embryonic stem) cells in which it is overexpressed. However, the biochemical basis by which Nanog achieves this function remains unknown. In the present study, we show that Nanog dimerizes through a functionally critical domain.

Nanog safeguards pluripotency and mediates germline development.

Nanog is a divergent homeodomain protein found in mammalian pluripotent cells and developing germ cells. Deletion of Nanog causes early embryonic lethality, whereas constitutive expression enables autonomous self-renewal of embryonic stem cells. Nanog is accordingly considered a core element of the pluripotent transcriptional network.