Bryan Neumann

Abstract Nitrogenase catalyses small-molecule activation, and has great relevance to agronomy, environment and energy. Understanding the assembly of the complex nitrogenase cofactor is a decades-long goal in the field, and structural insights into this process remain scarce. Here we report a cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) study of heterologously expressed NifEN, a key player converting the precursor (L-cluster) to a mature cofactor (M-cluster).

Editor’s summary Bordetella bacteria infect the airways of animal hosts by sticking to tiny hair-like structures called cilia that line the respiratory tract. Costello et al. showed that these pathogens use a special adhesive protein that helps them attach to the host cell surface and that interacts with microtubules inside the cilia (see the Perspective by Jacob-Dubuisson). These interactions help the bacteria move from the tips of the cilia to the base.

Abstract Voltage-gated sodium channels (NaVs) selectively permit diffusion of sodium ions across the cell membrane and, in excitable cells, are responsible for propagating action potentials. One of the nine human NaV isoforms, NaV1.8, is a promising target for analgesics, and selective inhibitors are of interest as therapeutics.