Diversity, Origin and Evolution of the ESCRT Systems.

Endosomal Sorting Complexes Required for Transport (ESCRT) play key roles in protein sorting between membrane-bounded compartments of eukaryotic cells. Homologs of many ESCRT components are identifiable in various groups of archaea, especially in Asgardarchaeota, the archaeal phylum that is currently considered to include the closest relatives of eukaryotes, but not in bacteria. We performed a comprehensive search for ESCRT protein homologs in archaea and reconstructed ESCRT evolution using the phylogenetic tree of Vps4 ATPase (ESCRT IV) as a scaffold, using sensitive protein sequence analysis and comparison of structural models to identify previously unknown ESCRT proteins.

Diversity, origin, and evolution of the ESCRT systems.

Endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) play key roles in protein sorting between membrane-bounded compartments of eukaryotic cells. Homologs of many ESCRT components are identifiable in various groups of archaea, especially in Asgardarchaeota, the archaeal phylum that is currently considered to include the closest relatives of eukaryotes, but not in bacteria. We performed a comprehensive search for ESCRT protein homologs in archaea and reconstructed ESCRT evolution using the phylogenetic tree of Vps4 ATPase (ESCRT IV) as a scaffold and using sensitive protein sequence analysis and comparison of structural models to identify previously unknown ESCRT proteins.

Origin of eukaryotic-like Vps23 shapes an ancient functional interplay between ESCRT and ubiquitin system in Asgard archaea.

Functional interplay between the endosomal sorting complexes required for transport (ESCRT) and the ubiquitin system underlies the ubiquitin-dependent cargo-sorting pathway of the eukaryotic endomembrane system, yet its evolutionary origin remains unclear. Here, we show that a UEV-Vps23 protein family, which contains UEV and Vps23 domains, mediates an ancient ESCRT and ubiquitin system interplay in Asgard archaea. The UEV binds ubiquitin with high affinity, making the UEV-Vps23 a sensor for sorting ubiquitinated cargo.

Evolution of optimal growth temperature in Asgard archaea inferred from the temperature dependence of GDP binding to EF-1A.

The archaeal ancestor of eukaryotes apparently belonged to the phylum Asgardarchaeota, but the ecology and evolution of Asgard archaea are poorly understood. The optimal GDP-binding temperature of a translation elongation factor (EF-1A or EF-Tu) has been previously shown to correlate with the optimal growth temperature of diverse prokaryotes. Here, we reconstruct ancestral EF-1A sequences and experimentally measure the optimal GDP-binding temperature of EF-1A from ancient and extant Asgard archaea, to infer the evolution of optimal growth temperatures in Asgardarchaeota.

Pressure-induced superconductivity at 32 K in MoB.

Since the discovery of superconductivity in MgB ( ∼ 39 K), the search for superconductivity in related materials with similar structures or ingredients has never stopped. Although about 100 binary borides have been explored, only a few of them show superconductivity with relatively low . In this work, we report the discovery of superconductivity up to 32 K, which is the highest in transition-metal borides, in MoB under pressure.

Spin-Resolved Imaging of Antiferromagnetic Order in Fe Se Ultrathin Films on SrTiO.

Unraveling the magnetic order in iron chalcogenides and pnictides at atomic scale is pivotal for understanding their unconventional superconducting pairing mechanism, but is experimentally challenging. Here, by utilizing spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy, real-space spin contrasts are successfully resolved to exhibit atomically unidirectional stripes in Fe Se ultrathin films, the plausible closely related compound of bulk FeSe with ordered Fe-vacancies, which are grown by molecular beam epitaxy. As is substantiated by the first-principles electronic structure calculations, the spin contrast originates from a pair-checkerboard antiferromagnetic ground state with in-plane magnetization, which is modulated by a spin-lattice coupling.

Self-Intercalated 1T-FeSe as an Effective Kagome Lattice.

In kagome lattice, with the emergence of Dirac cones and flat band in electronic structure, it provides a versatile ground for exploring intriguing interplay among frustrated geometry, topology and correlation. However, such engaging interest is strongly limited by available kagome materials in nature. Here we report on a synthetic strategy of constructing kagome systems via self-intercalation of Fe atoms into the van der Waals gap of FeSe via molecular beam epitaxy.

Potential for mercury methylation by Asgard archaea in mangrove sediments.

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a potent neurotoxin that bioaccumulates along food chains. The conversion of MeHg from mercury (Hg) is mediated by a variety of anaerobic microorganisms carrying hgcAB genes. Mangrove sediments are potential hotspots of microbial Hg methylation; however, the microorganisms responsible for Hg methylation are poorly understood.

A novel biosensor-based method for the detection of p-nitrophenol in agricultural soil.

Directly measurement of the bioavailable concentration of soil contaminants is essential for their accurate risk assessment. In this study, we successfully modified and identified the key genetic elements (pobR1-3) for the bio-detection of p-nitrophenol and synthesized five novel whole-cell biosensors (Escherichia coli BL21/pPNP-mrfp, E. coli BL21/pPNP-CFP, E.

Discovery of a new genus of anaerobic ammonium oxidizing bacteria with a mechanism for oxygen tolerance.

In the past 20 years, there has been a major stride in understanding the core mechanism of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria, but there are still several discussion points on their survival strategies. Here, we discovered a new genus of anammox bacteria in a full-scale wastewater-treating biofilm system, tentatively named "Candidatus Loosdrechtia aerotolerans". Next to genes of all core anammox metabolisms, it encoded and transcribed genes involved in the dissimilatory nitrate reduction to ammonium (DNRA), which coupled to oxidation of small organic acids, could be used to replenish ammonium and sustain their metabolism.

Identification and characterization of a novel metallo β-lactamase, SZM-1, in Shenzhen Bay, South China.

Metallo β-Lactamases (MBLs) degrade most clinical β-lactam antibiotics, especially Carbapenem, posing a huge threat to global health. Studies on environmental MBLs are important for risk assessment of the MBLs transmission among connected habitats, and between environment and human. Here, we described a novel metallo β-Lactamases, named SZM-1 (Shenzhen metallo-β-lactamase), from an metagenome-assembled genome recovered from the river sediment in the Shenzhen Bay area, south China.

An Ancient Respiratory System in the Widespread Sedimentary Archaea Thermoprofundales.

Thermoprofundales, formerly Marine Benthic Group D (MBG-D), is a ubiquitous archaeal lineage found in sedimentary environments worldwide. However, its taxonomic classification, metabolic pathways, and evolutionary history are largely unexplored because of its uncultivability and limited number of sequenced genomes. In this study, phylogenomic analysis and average amino acid identity values of a collection of 146 Thermoprofundales genomes revealed five Thermoprofundales subgroups (A-E) with distinct habitat preferences.

A two-dimensional topological nodal-line material MgN with extremely large magnetoresistance.

Using first-principles calculations, we predict a stable two-dimensional atomically thin material MgN. This material has a perfect intrinsic electron-hole compensation characteristic with high carrier mobility, making it a promising candidate material with extremely large magnetoresistance. As the magnetic field increases, the magnetoresistance of the monolayer MgN will show a quadratic dependence on the strength of the magnetic field without saturation.

Erratum: Eightfold Degenerate Fermions in Two Dimensions [Phys. Rev. Lett. 127, 176401 (2021)].

This corrects the article DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.127.

Chemically identifying single adatoms with single-bond sensitivity during oxidation reactions of borophene.

The chemical interrogation of individual atomic adsorbates on a surface significantly contributes to understanding the atomic-scale processes behind on-surface reactions. However, it remains highly challenging for current imaging or spectroscopic methods to achieve such a high chemical spatial resolution. Here we show that single oxygen adatoms on a boron monolayer (i.

Eightfold Degenerate Fermions in Two Dimensions.

Multifold degenerate fermions have attracted a lot of research interest in condensed matter physics and materials science, but always lack in two dimensions. In this Letter, from symmetry analysis and lattice model construction, we demonstrate that eightfold degenerate fermions can be realized in two-dimensional systems. In nonmagnetic materials with negligible spin-orbit coupling, the gray magnetic space groups together with SU(2) spin rotation symmetry can protect the two-dimensional eightfold degenerate fermions on a certain high-symmetry axis in the Brillouin zone, no matter whether the system is centrosymmetric or noncentrosymmetric.

On-Surface Synthesis and Molecular Engineering of Carbon-Based Nanoarchitectures.

On-surface synthesis covalent coupling of adsorbed precursor molecules on metal surfaces has emerged as a promising strategy for the design and fabrication of novel organic nanoarchitectures with unique properties and potential applications in nanoelectronics, optoelectronics, spintronics, catalysis, . Surface-chemistry-driven molecular engineering (., bond cleavage, linkage, and rearrangement) by means of thermal activation, light irradiation, and tip manipulation plays critical roles in various on-surface synthetic processes, as exemplified by the work from the Ernst group in a prior issue of .

Spatial and seasonal variations of sediment bacterial communities in a river-bay system in South China.

River-bay systems are transitional areas that hold important roles in biogeochemical processes between continents and oceans. However, composition and structure of microbial communities shaped by such environments have not been clear yet. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes to analyze the diversity and composition of sediment bacterial communities from the Shenzhen river-bay system during dry and wet seasons.

The discovery of lactoferrin dual aptamers through surface plasmon resonance imaging combined with a bioinformation analysis.

An analytical method for screening aptamers for different recognition sites in lactoferrin (Lac) molecules has been developed based on Surface Plasmon Resonance imaging (SPRi), combined with the cluster classification calculation of a quasi-aptamer library strategy and molecular docking simulation analysis. Using the software simulation, a homology analysis was performed on the selected quasi-aptamer sequences, which could be divided into 8 different families. Based on the principle of biomolecular recognition, a label-free, high-throughput dual immune site screening method was established, in which the nucleic acid aptamers of recognizing ability for lactoferrin molecules were fixed onto the surface of the SPRi sensor chip and could bind to the lactoferrin molecules.

Coevolution of Eukaryote-like Vps4 and ESCRT-III Subunits in the Asgard Archaea.

The emergence of the endomembrane system is a key step in the evolution of cellular complexity during eukaryogenesis. The endosomal sorting complex required for transport (ESCRT) machinery is essential and required for the endomembrane system functions in eukaryotic cells. Recently, genes encoding eukaryote-like ESCRT protein components have been identified in the genomes of Asgard archaea, a newly proposed archaeal superphylum that is thought to include the closest extant prokaryotic relatives of eukaryotes.

Interlayer quantum transport in Dirac semimetal BaGa.

The quantum limit is quite easy to achieve once the band crossing exists exactly at the Fermi level (E) in topological semimetals. In multilayered Dirac fermion systems, the density of Dirac fermions on the zeroth Landau levels (LLs) increases in proportion to the magnetic field, resulting in intriguing angle- and field-dependent interlayer tunneling conductivity near the quantum limit. BaGa is an example of a multilayered Dirac semimetal with its quasi-2D Dirac cone located at E, providing a good platform to study its interlayer transport properties.

A family of high-temperature ferromagnetic monolayers with locked spin-dichroism-mobility anisotropy: MnNX and CrCX (X = Cl, Br, I; C = S, Se, Te).

Two-dimensional magnets have received increasing attention since CrGeTe and CrI were experimentally exfoliated and measured in 2017. Although layered ferromagnetic metals were demonstrated at room temperature, a layered ferromagnetic semiconductor with high Curie temperature (T) is yet to be unveiled. Here, we theoretically predicted a family of high T ferromagnetic monolayers, namely MnNX and CrCX (X = Cl, Br and I; C = S, Se and Te).

Characterization of crystal structure and key residues of Aspergillus fumigatus nucleoside diphosphate kinase.

Aspergillus fumigatus is a major pathogen of invasive pulmonary aspergillosis with high mortality rate. The nucleoside diphosphate kinase of A. fumigatus, AfNDK (also called SwoH) is essential for its viability, however, its structural characteristic was unknown.