RESUMEN
The integration of diverse electronic phenomena, such as magnetism and nontrivial topology, into a single system is normally studied either by seeking materials that contain both ingredients, or by layered growth of contrasting materials1-9. The ability to simply stack very different two-dimensional van der Waals materials in intimate contact permits a different approach10,11. Here we use this approach to couple the helical edges states in a two-dimensional topological insulator, monolayer WTe2 (refs. 12-16), to a two-dimensional layered antiferromagnet, CrI3 (ref. 17). We find that the edge conductance is sensitive to the magnetization state of the CrI3, and the coupling can be understood in terms of an exchange field from the nearest and next-nearest CrI3 layers that produces a gap in the helical edge. We also find that the nonlinear edge conductance depends on the magnetization of the nearest CrI3 layer relative to the current direction. At low temperatures this produces an extraordinarily large nonreciprocal current that is switched by changing the antiferromagnetic state of the CrI3.
RESUMEN
The inherent stochasticity of cellular processes leads to significant cell-to-cell variation in protein abundance. Although this noise has already been characterized and modeled, its broader implications and significance remain unclear. In this paper, we revisit the noise model and identify the number of messages transcribed per cell cycle as the critical determinant of noise. In yeast, we demonstrate that this quantity predicts the non-canonical scaling of noise with protein abundance, as well as quantitatively predicting its magnitude. We then hypothesize that growth robustness requires an upper ceiling on noise for the expression of essential genes, corresponding to a lower floor on the transcription level. We show that just such a floor exists: a minimum transcription level of one message per cell cycle is conserved between three model organisms: Escherichia coli, yeast, and human. Furthermore, all three organisms transcribe the same number of messages per gene, per cell cycle. This common transcriptional program reveals that robustness to noise plays a central role in determining the expression level of a large fraction of essential genes, and that this fundamental optimal strategy is conserved from E. coli to human cells.
RESUMEN
The inherent stochasticity of cellular processes leads to significant cell-to-cell variation in protein abundance. Although this noise has already been characterized and modeled, its broader implications and significance remain unclear. In this paper, we revisit the noise model and identify the number of messages transcribed per cell cycle as the critical determinant of noise. In yeast, we demonstrate that this quantity predicts the non-canonical scaling of noise with protein abundance, as well as quantitatively predicting its magnitude. We then hypothesize that growth robustness requires an upper ceiling on noise for the expression of essential genes, corresponding to a lower floor on the transcription level. We show that just such a floor exists: a minimum transcription level of one message per cell cycle is conserved between three model organisms: Escherichia coli, yeast, and human. Furthermore, all three organisms transcribe the same number of messages per gene, per cell cycle. This common transcriptional program reveals that robustness to noise plays a central role in determining the expression level of a large fraction of essential genes, and that this fundamental optimal strategy is conserved from E. coli to human cells.