Reverse transcriptases (RTs) are a standard tool in both fundamental studies and diagnostics. RTs should possess elevated temperature optimum, high thermal stability, processivity, and tolerance to contaminants. Here, we constructed a set of chimeric RTs, based on the combination of the Moloney murine leukaemia virus (M‐MuLV) RT and either of two DNA‐binding domains: the DNA‐binding domain of the DNA

In embryonic stem cells (ESCs), the transcription factor Nanog maintains the stemness of ESCs despite exhibiting heterogeneous expression patterns under varied culture conditions. Efficient fine‐tuning of Nanog expression heterogeneity could enable ESC proliferation and differentiation along specific lineages to be regulated. Herein, by employing a stochastic modeling approach, we show that Nanog expression

Sphingosine 1‐phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive lipid that binds to a family of G protein‐coupled receptors (S1P1‐5) and intracellular targets, such as HDAC1/2, that are functional in normal and pathophysiologic cell biology. There is a significant role for sphingosine 1‐phosphate in cancer underpinning the so‐called hallmarks, such as transformation and replicative immortality. In this review, we survey

Scientific research, with its myriad disciplines, global reach, and massive economic impact, moves society forward by illuminating new understandings of our planet, its organisms, and the human condition. While the scientific community and life science industry advance knowledge, this comes at a large environmental cost. Scientists across the globe are recognizing the need to be more efficient in their

Transcriptional regulation participates in heart development. However, the transcriptomes of human embryonic hearts during Carnegie stage (CS)10–CS16 have not been elucidated. Here, we found marked changes in the morphology and transcriptome of the human embryonic heart from CS10 to CS11. At CS12–CS14, the embryonic heart undergoes hypoxia‐to‐aerobic transformation. At CS14–CS16, transcriptome functions

The Saccharomyces cerevisiae Mus81‐Mms4 complex is a highly conserved DNA structure‐specific endonuclease that plays essential roles in the processing of recombination intermediates that arise during the repair of stalled replication forks and double‐stranded breaks. To identify novel factors functioning conjointly with Mus81–Mms4, we performed a biochemical screen and found that Crp1, a cruciform

To remove xenobiotics from the periplasmic space, Gram‐negative bacteria utilise unique tripartite efflux systems in which a molecular engine in the plasma membrane connects to periplasmic and outer membrane subunits. Substrates bind to periplasmic sections of the engine or sometimes to the periplasmic subunits. Then, the tripartite machines undergo conformational changes that allow the movement of

During the last six months, the world has been unsettled by the diffusion of a virus that has peculiar properties, causing alarm not only for the direct pathologic effect of the virus on affected individuals, but, mostly, for its only partially clarified ways of propagation. The medical, social, and economic impact of the new disease is extraordinary, and also deeply touches our ethical and moral values

Complement as part of both the innate and adaptive immune systems plays a central role in our defense against infections. Although its antimicrobial effects have been known for well over 100 years, its significance for boosting our immunity against pathogens has been relatively neglected. It has become apparent only recently that one of the major characteristics of a pathogenic microbe is that it can

Inteins catalyze self‐excision from host precursor proteins while concomitantly ligating the flanking substrates (exteins) with a peptide bond. Non‐catalytic extein residues near the splice junctions, such as the residues at the ‐1 and +2 positions, often strongly influence the protein splicing efficiency. The substrate specificities of inteins have not been studied for many inteins. We developed a