Biophysics articles from across Nature Portfolio

Bowl-shaped mechanosensitive PIEZO channels sense membrane tension by flattening curved transmembrane domains, but how these mechanosensory motions couple with and open the channel pore is unclear. Now, multi-scale molecular dynamics simulations provide insight into this mechano-electrical coupling in PIEZO2, uncovering clockwork-like gating motions of the central pore.

Making live mammalian tissues transparent for imaging experiments without compromising their normal cellular functions has been a long-standing challenge. An isotonic and minimally invasive optical clearing medium for live mammalian cells and tissues (named SeeDB-Live) paves the way for deep-tissue live imaging of cellular functions ex vivo and in vivo.

Conserved 50-200 nm chromatin domains add a new layer to genome organization beyond loops. This Review integrates imaging and biophysics to show how epigenetic activity and transcription shape these domains to regulate cell identity.

TRPM3 mediates pain, and mutations in the TRPM3 gene cause neurodevelopmental delay and epilepsy. Here, the authors use cryo-EM and functional studies to define an S1–S4 pocket that binds diverse ligands with stereoselective and mutation-dependent effects on channel gating.

Across biological subdisciplines, the last decade has seen an explosion of high-dimensional datasets. At the ICTS workshop ‘Unifying Theories in High-Dimensional Biophysics’, we discussed whether this high dimensionality poses a challenge or an opportunity for theoretically describing, understanding and predicting biological systems. We discussed methods, models and frameworks that can be used for this purpose. This Comment summarizes our discussions from the perspectives of individual participants.

People are buying helmets, face masks, vests and beds that emit long-wavelength light. Beneath the hype, there is some interesting biology.

This comment delves into the need for statistically rigorous population estimation in cryo-electron microscopy. Examples are given illustrating the failure of particle counting and the robustness of principled techniques.

Once largely a basic science discipline, mechanobiology has evolved into the field of mechanomedicine, shaping new approaches to disease detection, targeted therapies and tissue repair.

Bowl-shaped mechanosensitive PIEZO channels sense membrane tension by flattening curved transmembrane domains, but how these mechanosensory motions couple with and open the channel pore is unclear. Now, multi-scale molecular dynamics simulations provide insight into this mechano-electrical coupling in PIEZO2, uncovering clockwork-like gating motions of the central pore.

Making live mammalian tissues transparent for imaging experiments without compromising their normal cellular functions has been a long-standing challenge. An isotonic and minimally invasive optical clearing medium for live mammalian cells and tissues (named SeeDB-Live) paves the way for deep-tissue live imaging of cellular functions ex vivo and in vivo.