Nanoscale biophysics articles from across Nature Portfolio

Acoustic pressure generated by low-intensity focused ultrasound can activate the mechanosensitive RET signalling pathway and cell proliferation, as shown in mouse colonic crypts ex vivo and in vivo.

This manuscript reports a high-throughput platform for nanoscale spatially resolved extraction of membrane proteins into native nanodiscs by using a library of membrane-active polymers while maintaining their local membrane context.

Bimetallic zinc and gold porphyrin self-assembled into 2D nanosheets as nanoscale optoelectrodes. This design achieves exceptional photoelectric performance under visible one-photon and near-infrared two-photon excitation, enabling far-field optical modulation of single neurons.

Super-resolution imaging of whole mammalian cells is often hampered by high fluorescence background and slow acquisition speeds. Here, the authors present soTILT3D, a platform based on a steerable single-objective light sheet with nanoprinted microfluidics for flexible whole-cell, multi-target, 3D single-molecule imaging.

Biological nanopores can be designed for high-sensitivity sequencing of peptides and proteins. This Review discusses different approaches towards nanopore-based protein sequencing, outlining methods to distinguish amino acids, control protein translocation and detect post-translational modifications.

Biological systems have evolved bonds that strengthen under load, enabling cells to adhere in high shear flow. A DNA-based artificial motif has now been designed to mimic these catch bonds.

In this issue we feature several articles that explore advances in the study of phase separation. They highlight some recently reported mechanistic features and progress in the methodology used to study it within cells, and they delve into the implications that phase separation has for select cellular functions.

A DNA-based nanorobotic arm connected to a base plate through a flexible joint can be used to store and release mechanical energy. The joint acts as a torsion spring that is wound up by rotating the arm using external electric fields and is released using a high-frequency electrical pulse.

Sequencing of proteins is a technically difficult task that typically requires digestion into short peptides before detection and identification. We developed a digestion-free method to chemically unfold and ‘scan’ full-length proteins through a nanopore, producing electrical fingerprints unique to individual protein molecules that are useful in their identification.

A paper in Physical Review Letters shows how algae cells collectively form different patterns in response to light.