News & Comment

Four studies describe methods to image the dynamics of translation at the single-transcript level in real time in living cells, with exciting results.

Three experimental methods generate global maps of in vivo RNA interactions.

A 'mechanically induced catalytic amplification reaction' reads out receptor-mediated forces in cells.

Tiling light-sheet microscopy improves live cell imaging of multicellular organisms.

Red-shifted calcium sensors are advantageous for deep-tissue imaging, dual-color applications and combining with optogenetic tools.

Genetic approaches profile RNA–protein interactions.

A sequence-specific labeling system based on CRISPR/Cas9 enables simultaneous imaging of multiple chromosomal sites in live cells.

An approach taken from protein structure prediction makes it possible to computationally identify secondary and tertiary contacts in RNA.

The Magneto channel, an orthogonal tool for optogenetic actuators, provides magnetic control over neuronal activity.

A miniature platform for studying corals at microscale resolution sheds new light on their biology.

A computational tool enables the study of native nonribosomal RNA–protein complexes from ribosome profiling data.

Researchers target fluorescent protein–Cas9 fusions to specific mRNAs for tracking in live cells.

A hybrid of a photo-responsive ligand and a small-molecule inhibitor enables optical control of epigenetic mechanisms.

By coupling protein cross-linking with reversible affinity purification of cross-linked fragments, a newly reported tool should enable many applications in structural and systems biology.

Short single-stranded DNA donors that asymmetrically span the Cas9 cut site show high efficiency in homology-directed editing.

Alternative splicing imparts distinct functions through isoform-specific protein–protein interactions.

Researchers exploit crystal imperfections to solve protein structures at resolutions beyond the X-ray diffraction limit.

Researchers have developed a set of fluorescent-protein-based sensors for endogenous nitric oxide.

Genetic background trumps tissue of origin as a source of variability between induced pluripotent stem cell lines, diminishing the role of somatic memory in reprogrammed cells.

Synthetic Notch receptors with chimeric extra- and intracellular domains can be tailored to tune cell-cell communication.