Aakash Saha,Rodrigo Fregoso Ocampo,Jacquelyn T Wright,David W Taylor,Giulia Palermo
{"title":"Molecular mechanisms and biotechnology applications of CRISPR-Cas12a.","authors":"Aakash Saha,Rodrigo Fregoso Ocampo,Jacquelyn T Wright,David W Taylor,Giulia Palermo","doi":"10.1038/s41580-026-00969-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-026-00969-x","url":null,"abstract":"CRISPR-Cas12a is a versatile RNA-guided nuclease that has rapidly gained prominence for its dual functionality in genome editing and nucleic acid detection. In this Review, we discuss the structural, biochemical and mechanistic features of Cas12a that underpin its autonomous processing of the guide RNA and indiscriminate cleavage of single-stranded DNA, which enable Cas12a applications ranging from gene therapy to rapid diagnostics. We discuss key allosteric regulators and functional modules that orchestrate Cas12a activity, focusing on the core regulatory structural elements that control maturation of the guide RNA, target specificity, and both cis-cleavage and trans-cleavage activities, including the determinants of off-target cleavage. We provide a comparative analysis of Cas12a and the widely used Cas9, which further illuminates the distinctive attributes of Cas12a, and discuss recent advances in the characterization of its orthologues and in the development of engineered variants that expand its capabilities. Collectively, we present a comprehensive understanding of Cas12a and its increasing impact on biotechnology, therapeutics and molecular diagnostics.","PeriodicalId":19051,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":112.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147753065","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The regulation, function and disease relevance of cytoplasmic tRNAs.","authors":"Robin E Stanley,Todd M Lowe,Zoya Ignatova","doi":"10.1038/s41580-026-00963-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-026-00963-3","url":null,"abstract":"Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are core components of protein synthesis. Recent studies and technological advances have expanded our understanding of the complexities of tRNA biology. In this Review, we discuss the genomic organization and spatiotemporal expression of human cytoplasmic tRNAs, the quality control pathways that govern their maturation and functionality, and how dysregulation of tRNA biogenesis and function contributes to human pathologies. We also present emerging concepts regarding how tissue-specific tRNA abundance regulates translation velocity and how tRNAs are centrally involved in surveillance and stress signalling pathways, including ribosome-associated quality control and the integrated stress response. We further discuss the potential of tRNA-based therapeutics, highlighting new strategies to address tRNA-associated translation defects. By bridging between molecular tRNA biology and its clinical implications, we emphasize the crucial need to understand the intricacies of tRNA regulation in order to therapeutically target them in a variety of diseases.","PeriodicalId":19051,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":112.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147731378","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Phase separation across membranes and condensates in cell organization and function.","authors":"Agustín Mangiarotti,Rumiana Dimova","doi":"10.1038/s41580-026-00961-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41580-026-00961-5","url":null,"abstract":"Phase separation is a fundamental principle of cellular organization that typically leads to two coexisting phases: a dense one, where intermolecular interactions are stronger and molecules are more tightly packed, and a dilute, less packed phase, with weaker interactions and lower molecular concentration. This process drives the formation of both lateral membrane domains (rafts) and liquid-like protein and nucleic acid condensates. This Review explores the dynamic interplay between biomolecular condensates and membrane lipid domains and how phase separation occurs in the three-dimensional (bulk) cellular interior and at two-dimensional membrane interfaces. We examine how membranes act as platforms influencing condensate formation and function and, conversely, how condensates modulate membrane properties and organization. By highlighting diverse examples from cell signalling, tight-junction assembly and stress responses, we emphasize how these coupled interactions are crucial for cellular organization, function and fitness.","PeriodicalId":19051,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":112.7,"publicationDate":"2026-04-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147641384","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Nuclear speckles of GC richness","authors":"Eytan Zlotorynski","doi":"10.1038/s41580-026-00965-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41580-026-00965-1","url":null,"abstract":"Nuclear speckles support the splicing of levelled exon–intron architecture transcripts, and their evolution shaped genome organization in amniotes.","PeriodicalId":19051,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology","volume":"27 5","pages":"342-342"},"PeriodicalIF":90.2,"publicationDate":"2026-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147611918","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}