The DNA repair enzyme TDP2 resolves 5'-phosphotyrosyl-DNA adducts, and is responsible for resistance to anti-cancer drugs that target covalent topoisomerase-DNA complexes. TDP2 also participates in key signaling pathways during development and tumorigenesis, and cleaves a protein-RNA linkage during picornavirus replication. The crystal structure of zebrafish TDP2 bound to DNA reveals a deep and narrow basic groove that selectively accommodates the 5'-end of single-stranded DNA in a stretched conformation. The crystal structure of the full-length C. elegans TDP2 shows that this groove can also accommodate an acidic peptide stretch in vitro, with Glu and Asp sidechains occupying the DNA backbone phosphate binding sites. This extensive molecular mimicry suggests a potential mechanism for auto-regulation and how TDP2 may interact with phosphorylated proteins in signaling. Our study provides a framework to interrogate functions of TDP2 and develop inhibitors for chemotherapeutic and antiviral applications.

Reported here is the chelate effect as a design principle for tuning heterogeneous catalysts for electrochemical CO₂ reduction. Palladium functionalized with a chelating tris-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligand (Pd-timtmb^Me ) exhibits a 32-fold increase in activity for electrochemical reduction of CO₂ to C1 products with high Faradaic efficiency (FE_C1 =86 %) compared to the parent unfunctionalized Pd foil (FE=23 %), and with sustained activity relative to a monodentate NHC-ligated Pd electrode (Pd-mimtmb^Me ). The results highlight the contributions of the chelate effect for tailoring and maintaining reactivity at molecular-materials interfaces enabled by surface organometallic chemistry.

Alkyl nitrates (RONO2) are an important class of nitrogen oxides reservoirs in the atmosphere and play a key role in tropospheric photochemistry. Despite the increasing concern for photochemical air pollution over China, the knowledge of characteristics and formation mechanisms of alkyl nitrates in this region is limited. We analyzed C1-C5 alkyl nitrates measured in Beijing at a polluted urban site in summer 2008 and at a downwind rural site in summers of both 2005 and 2008. Although the abundances of NOx and hydrocarbons were much lower at the rural site, the mixing ratios of RONO2 were comparable between both sites, emphasizing the regional nature of alkyl nitrate pollution. Regional transport of urban plumes governed the elevated RONO2 levels at the rural site. The concentrations of C1-C2 RONO2 were significantly higher at the rural site in 2008 compared to 2005 despite a decline in NOx and anthropogenic VOCs, mainly owing to enhanced contributions from biogenic VOCs. The photochemical formation regimes of RONO2 were evaluated by both a simplified sequential reaction model and a detailed master chemical mechanism box model. The observed C4-C5 RONO2 levels can be well explained by the photochemical degradation of n-butane and n-pentane, while the sources of C1-C3 RONO2 were rather complex. In addition to the C1-C3 alkanes, biogenic VOCs and reactive aromatics were also important precursors of methyl nitrate, and alkenes and long-chain alkanes contributed to the formation of C2-C3 RONO2. This study provides insights into the spatial distribution, inter-annual variation and photochemical formation mechanisms of alkyl nitrate pollution over the Beijing area.

Peroxy acetyl nitrate (PAN) is a key component of photochemical smog and plays an important role in atmospheric chemistry. Though it has been known that PAN is produced via reactions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) with some volatile organic compounds (VOCs), it is difficult to quantify the contributions of individual precursor species. Here we use an explicit photochemical model--Master Chemical Mechanism (MCM) model--to dissect PAN formation and identify principal precursors, by analyzing measurements made in Beijing in summer 2008. PAN production was sensitive to both NOx and VOCs. Isoprene was the predominant VOC precursor at suburb with biogenic impact, whilst anthropogenic hydrocarbons dominated at downtown. PAN production was attributable to a relatively small class of compounds including NOx, xylenes, trimethylbenzenes, trans/cis-2-butenes, toluene, and propene. MCM can advance understanding of PAN photochemistry to a species level, and provide more relevant recommendations for mitigating photochemical pollution in large cities.

Generation of widely differing and specialized cell types from a single totipotent zygote involves large-scale transcriptional changes and chromatin reorganization. Pioneer transcription factors play key roles in programming the epigenome and facilitating recruitment of additional regulatory factors during successive cell lineage specification and differentiation steps. Here we show that Isl1 acts as a pioneer factor driving cardiomyocyte lineage commitment by shaping the chromatin landscape of cardiac progenitor cells. Using an Isl1 hypomorphic mouse line which shows congenital heart defects, genome-wide profiling of Isl1 binding together with RNA- and ATAC-sequencing of cardiac progenitor cells and their derivatives, we uncover a regulatory network downstream of Isl1 that orchestrates cardiogenesis. Mechanistically, we show that Isl1 binds to compacted chromatin and works in concert with the Brg1-Baf60c-based SWI/SNF complex to promote permissive cardiac lineage-specific alterations in the chromatin landscape not only of genes with critical functions in cardiac progenitor cells, but also of cardiomyocyte structural genes that are highly expressed when Isl1 itself is no longer present. Thus, the Isl1/Brg1-Baf60c complex plays a crucial role in orchestrating proper cardiogenesis and in establishing epigenetic memory of cardiomyocyte fate commitment.

How huntingtin (HTT) triggers neurotoxicity in Huntington's disease (HD) remains unclear. We report that HTT forms a transcription-coupled DNA repair (TCR) complex with RNA polymerase II subunit A (POLR2A), ataxin-3, the DNA repair enzyme polynucleotide-kinase-3'-phosphatase (PNKP), and cyclic AMP-response element-binding (CREB) protein (CBP). This complex senses and facilitates DNA damage repair during transcriptional elongation, but its functional integrity is impaired by mutant HTT. Abrogated PNKP activity results in persistent DNA break accumulation, preferentially in actively transcribed genes, and aberrant activation of DNA damage-response ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) signaling in HD transgenic mouse and cell models. A concomitant decrease in Ataxin-3 activity facilitates CBP ubiquitination and degradation, adversely impacting transcription and DNA repair. Increasing PNKP activity in mutant cells improves genome integrity and cell survival. These findings suggest a potential molecular mechanism of how mutant HTT activates DNA damage-response pro-degenerative pathways and impairs transcription, triggering neurotoxicity and functional decline in HD.

The water-gas shift (WGS) reaction (where carbon monoxide plus water yields dihydrogen and carbon dioxide) is an essential process for hydrogen generation and carbon monoxide removal in various energy-related chemical operations. This equilibrium-limited reaction is favored at a low working temperature. Potential application in fuel cells also requires a WGS catalyst to be highly active, stable, and energy-efficient and to match the working temperature of on-site hydrogen generation and consumption units. We synthesized layered gold (Au) clusters on a molybdenum carbide (α-MoC) substrate to create an interfacial catalyst system for the ultralow-temperature WGS reaction. Water was activated over α-MoC at 303 kelvin, whereas carbon monoxide adsorbed on adjacent Au sites was apt to react with surface hydroxyl groups formed from water splitting, leading to a high WGS activity at low temperatures.