Nils G. Walter

PINPOINT enables non-destructive nanoscopic quality control of individual lipid nanoparticles and their mRNA cargo

PINPOINT provides non-destructive single-particle analysis of lipid nanoparticles and their mRNA cargo, revealing heterogeneity not detectable by bulk methods.

Localized ribosome access and distal tuning via the Listeria prfA RNA thermometer

This study investigates the temperature-dependent unfolding mechanism of the Listeria prfA RNA thermometer, revealing how structural changes at the ribosome binding site and upper helix regulate translation.

pH-dependent allosteric remodeling of a bacterial riboswitch couples alkaline activation to metal sensing

This study shows how pH modulates Mn2+ sensing in the alx riboswitch through conformational changes and allosteric interactions.

FINDER converts zero-background kinetic fingerprinting into area-scalable attomolar biomarker detection

FINDER enables attomolar biomarker detection by converting kinetic fingerprinting into area-scalable sensitivity without amplification.

ASPL-driven subunit exchange remodels VCP/p97 hexamers and is impaired by a multisystem proteinopathy mutation

The paper quantifies VCP hexamer assembly and subunit exchange dynamics, showing that the R155H mutation impairs ASPL-mediated exchange, potentially stabilizing mutant VCP in assemblies.

Npl4 decodes polyubiquitin length and gates D1-D2 coupling in human VCP/p97

This study investigates how Npl4 decodes polyubiquitin chain length and regulates D1-D2 coupling in human VCP/p97 using smUbiRAD, revealing chain-length thresholds and disease-linked mutations.

ER tethering and active transport govern condensate diffusion during hyperosmotic stress

The paper uses live-cell tracking to show that hyperosmotic stress causes HOPS condensates to exhibit sub-diffusion due to ER tethering and super-diffusion via microtubule transport.

Directional co-transcriptional folding and pausing create kinetic checkpoints for riboswitch-controlled gene expression

The paper shows directional co-transcriptional folding and pausing enable selective riboswitch function by stabilizing ligand binding and promoting RNA polymerase readthrough.

Co-transcriptional folding orchestrates sequential multi-effector sensing by a glycine tandem riboswitch

This study reveals how the glycine tandem riboswitch uses co-transcriptional folding and sequential molecular inputs to regulate gene expression.

A unifying model for microRNA-guided silencing of messenger RNAs

The paper develops a model to explain miRNA-guided silencing by showing distinct RISC conformations and their roles in target recognition.

Nanoscale domains govern local diffusion and aging within FUS condensates

This study uses single-molecule tracking to show that nanodomains within FUS condensates regulate diffusion and aging, influencing fibrilization and disease progression.

Foundation model for efficient biological discovery in single-molecule data

The paper introduces META-SiM, a transformer-based model for analyzing single-molecule fluorescence microscopy data, and discovers a new intermediate state in pre-mRNA splicing.

Surface-Tethering Enhances Precision in Measuring Diffusion Within 3D Protein Condensates

This study shows surface tethering improves accuracy in measuring diffusion within 3D protein condensates by reducing motion artifacts while preserving their native properties.

Chromato-kinetic fingerprinting enables multiomic digital counting of single disease biomarker molecules

This paper introduces Bio-SCOPE, a platform that detects multiple biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity, demonstrating its application in detecting miRNAs and proteins in disease contexts.

Molecular basis of mRNA delivery to the bacterial ribosome

This study investigates how bS1 facilitates mRNA delivery to the ribosome and enhances translation initiation by RNAP in bacteria.

Ultrasensitive amplification-free quantification of a methyl CpG-rich cancer biomarker by single-molecule kinetic fingerprinting

This paper develops an amplification-free method to quantify DNA methylation at the BCAT1 promoter with high sensitivity and specificity, enabling improved early detection of methylated cancer DNA biomarkers.

Mechanistic model for epigenetic maintenance by methyl-CpG-binding domain proteins

This study measures MBD1 binding kinetics to methylated DNA with varying patterns and structural motifs, revealing that tandem CpG sites and DNA forks enhance binding, leading to a mechanistic model of epigenetic boundary maintenance.

A nascent riboswitch helix orchestrates robust transcriptional regulation through signal integration

The paper reveals how a nascent riboswitch helix coordinates Mn2+ binding and transcription to enforce robust gene regulation in bacteria.

Spontaneous confinement of mRNA at RNP granule interfaces

The paper uses single molecule fluorescence imaging to study mRNA localization near RNP granules and finds mRNA is often confined at granule boundaries.

Dynamic recruitment of single RNAs to processing bodies depends on RNA functionality

The paper tracks RNA localization to processing bodies using single-molecule microscopy and shows that RNA functionality influences their dynamic recruitment to PBs.