Citrate is essential for the metabolism and development of neurons. A membrane transport protein called SLC13A5 plays a central role in this process and has previously been linked to a particularly severe form of epileptic encephalopathy. Building on data from the recently completed RESOLUTE and REsolution flagship projects, scientists at CeMM have comprehensively studied the function and structure of the membrane transporter SLC13A5, experimentally investigating 38 mutant variants. Their findings, published in Science Advances (DOI 10.1126/sciadv.adx3011) shed new light on the mechanisms of this disease and lay the foundation for further research into epilepsy and other disorders.

A team of scientists at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) has uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that controls how genes are switched ‘on’ and ‘off’ during embryonic development. Their study sheds light on how diverse cell types are produced in developing embryos.

For 50 years, scientists believed that schools of fish would save the most energy by swimming in flat diamond formations. A team of researchers at Princeton and Harvard ran an experiment that found fish don’t swim in diamonds but rather in a dynamic pattern that the researchers call a ladder, where they’re staggered in three dimensions. The finding has implications for both biology and robotics.

The ion channel PIEZO2 doesn’t just convey touch stimuli. It also plays a key role in the development of coronary vessels, a team led by Annette Hammes from the Max Delbrück Center reports in “Nature Cardiovascular Research.” The findings could improve our understanding of congenital heart defects.