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The Panoptes antiphage system defends bacteria by detecting phage-encoded counter-defences that sequester cyclic nucleotide signals, triggering membrane disruption and highlighting a broader strategy of sensing immune evasion through second-messenger surveillance.

CRISPR-based transcriptional activation (CRISPRa) is a powerful tool for controlling gene expression. Here, Liang et al. show that commonly used CRISPRa systems are surprisingly toxic to cells due to their potent activation domains, informing the application and development of this technology.

The influence that actin network density has on protein penetration and dynamics is unclear. The authors show that the density of actin networks determines how actin-binding proteins interact with and deform the network, and how specific protein functions are regulated by actin density.

The emergence of resistant subpopulations often underlies the development of resistance to cancer therapy. Here, using a DNA barcoding approach, the authors demonstrate EGFR TKI treatment in non-small cell lung cancer enriches for resistant subpopulation which can be prevented by treatment with the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib via inhibition of MKNK, STAT3 and MCL1.

Issa et al. show that the ciliary small guanosine triphosphatase Arl3 displaces the inhibitory regulator Shulin/DNAAF9 from the outer dynein arm, leading to motor activation.

Adherent-invasive strains of E. coli are commonly isolated from patients with Crohn’s disease. Here, the authors show that an AIEC harbours a hybrid Type IV secretion system (T4SS) that mediates pilin polymerization and biofilm formation in vivo.

The majority of human genes can produce multiple isoforms, but studying their functional relevance requires tools to target specific isoforms. Here, the authors develop a CRISPR-based exon-exon junction-targeting strategy to achieve isoform-specific RNA knockdown.

Wei et al. show that the primary function of m⁶A on the nuclear long noncoding RNA Xist, a master regulator of X inactivation, is to promote RNA degradation. Xist turnover is mediated by the nuclear exosome targeting complex and occurs independently of the nuclear m⁶A reader YTHDC1.

Peritumoural pancreatitis and lobular injury are commonly seen in pancreatic cancer. Here, the authors reveal interactions between invading tumour cells and inflammation-related lobular cells, linked to switching from a basal to classical tumor cell phenotype.

Li, Burgos-Bravo and colleagues report that NDF phase separation regulates FACT condensation, which enhances transcription by generating a localized biochemical environment that promotes nucleosome disassembly while preserving chromatin integrity by retaining histones.

Gut bacteria digest dietary fiber and release molecules as energy for the host. Here, Yu et al. find that the ability of certain gut bacteria to digest different fibers influences host consumption of food containing these fibers.

Rapid discovery of functional resistance genes is enabled by a high-expression signature and high-throughput transformation. This approach identified 31 new resistance genes for wheat and can be applied across crops to support food security.

Structural and single-molecule analyses show the CTPase, KorB, is a sliding DNA clamp that interacts with a clamp-locking protein KorA to inhibit gene expression over distances of more than 1 kb in the multi-drug resistance RK2 plasmid.

This work presents Perturb-tracing, integrating CRISPR screening with barcode readout and chromatin tracing for loss-of-function screens, enabling the identification of chromatin folding regulators at various length scales.

B. thuringiensis spores contain uncharacterized protein filaments that extend from the surface of the exosporium. Here, the authors show that these filaments feature conserved β-barrel neck domains and promote spore clustering through protein contacts and filament bundling, and reveal a mechanism for biofilm-like spore aggregation.

Here the authors perform a trans expression quantitative trait locus meta-analysis study of over 3,700 people and link a USP18 variant to expression of 50 inflammation genes and lupus risk, highlighting how genetic regulation of immune responses drives autoimmune disease and informs new therapies.

Khan et al. report a non-catalytic function of the methyltransferase SETD2 in regulating nuclear morphology and genome integrity. The SETD2 amino terminus functions as a scaffold helping CDK1 associate with lamins during nuclear-envelope disassembly

Arrayed CRISPR libraries with each plasmid encoding an array of four non-overlapping single-guide RNAs allow for the efficient genome-wide ablation, activation and epigenetic silencing of human protein-coding genes.

Sperm–egg adhesion is crucial for mammalian reproduction. Here, authors report the human Izumo1:Juno complex, a key regulator of sperm-egg adhesion, forms an unusually strong bond through a secondary binding site, which is impaired in an infertility-associated Juno mutant.

By studying dynamic folding intermediates on the human ribosome, Pellowe et al. show that newly made domains help each other to fold but do not stably interact until synthesis is complete, avoiding interdomain misfolding.

Cell state plasticity of neuroblastoma cells is linked to therapy resistance. Here, the authors develop a transcriptomic and epigenetic map of indisulam (RBM39 degrader) resistant neuroblastoma, demonstrating bidirectional cell state switching accompanied by increased NK cell activity, which they therapeutically enhance by the addition of an anti-GD2 antibody.

Santos et al found that the ubiquitin ligase adaptor Fbxo42 is a critical regulator of terminal Unfolded Protein Response signaling through its control of Ataxin-2 granules containing Xbp1 mRNA.

The Lon protease is an important protein degradation machine and is conserved across the three domains of life. Here, the authors describe a small proteotoxic stress-induced protein that functions as an allosteric activator of Lon.

Protein complexes are essential for cell function. Here, authors show that paired ribosomes can help each other’s nascent chains fold correctly, enabling proper dimer assembly and preventing misfolding, using lamin as a model system.

Enfortumab vedotin (EV) is the current standard treatment for advanced bladder cancer, but resistance typically develops within a year, highlighting the need for new therapies. This study demonstrates that NECTIN4-targeting CAR T cells are effective against bladder cancer, including EV-resistant cells, and their potency can be further enhanced by using rosiglitazone to boost NECTIN4 expression.

In this work, authors utilise comparative transcriptomics to reveal lncRNAs that distinguish pathogen-specific from core macrophage responses. They identify a Q fever-specific AHR-regulated CYP1B1-AS1/CYP1B1 axis that modulates mitochondrial homeostasis and survival of Coxiella burnetii.

Lowry et al. use embryonic motor neuron selector transcription factors to partially rejuvenate the gene expression profile of mature neurons, making them more resistant to an ALS model without compromising their normal function.

Mauthe et al. find that protein aggregate clearance requires fragmentation of the aggregate by a chaperone module and a proteasomal regulatory particle for recruitment and clustering of selective autophagy receptors to initiate phagophore formation.

Mitophagy, the selective degradation of mitochondria, has been thought to occur via macroautophagy. Here, the authors present data indicating that microautophagy also mediates mitophagy in macrophages, and that it is essential for immune activation during M1 polarization.

A PICALM allele associated with increased risk of late-onset Alzheimer’s disease has a microglial-specific role in lipid droplet accumulation.

Here they show that mitochondria segregate unequally during asymmetric cell division in C. elegans and that this is dependent on mitochondrial dynamics. Unequal mitochondrial segregation contributes to cell fate divergence in sister cells.

An immune evasion protein encoded by the Salmonella phage JSS1 subverts multiple host antiphage defence systems using protein kinase activity.

Here the authors define an inter-protomeric mechanism of deglycosylation of human IgG antibodies for corynebacterial IgG-specific ENGases and demonstrate that in vivo CU43 treatment preserve the neutralizing capacity of anti-influenza IgG antibodies.

Heme is an abundant cofactor required by nearly all known organisms. Here, authors discover a cyanobacterial protein with a distinct Zn-mirror heme site, which may function to sense heme and regulate energy metabolism.

Current antimalarials often fail to target mature stage V gametocytes. To aid antimalarial drug discovery, the authors present a preclinical malaria transmission-blocking drug research platform, using engineered parasites, that facilitates the screening for gametocytocidal compounds in vitro and the evaluation of transmission-blocking drug activity in vivo.

Using cryo-electron microscopy, the interactions of Sestrin2 and CASTOR1 with GATOR2 were resolved, revealing how mTORC1 activation is regulated and how nutrient availability triggers signalling for cellular growth.

The fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, is a valuable model organism, but the lack of a portable RNA Pol III promoter has prevented the implementation of the CRISPR/Cas9 system. Here the authors develop a CRISPR/Cas9 system that achieves selection-free specific mutagenesis with very high efficiencies in S. pombe.

ARGONAUTE (AGO) is the core protein component of small RNA-guided silencing complexes. Free, but not RNA-bound, AGO turns over rapidly. The authors identify a structural AGO switch whose accessibility only in the free state confers rapid degradation.

Rashan, Bartlett and colleagues show that mammalian 4-hydroxy fatty acids are primarily catabolized by ACAD10 and ACAD11 (atypical mitochondrial and peroxisomal acyl-CoA dehydrogenases, respectively) that use phosphorylation in their reaction mechanisms.

In situ cryoEM and modelling of the Campylobacter jejuni flagellar motor characterize the periplasmic scaffold and the structural basis for increased torque generation.

The in vivo dynamics of bacterial translation initiation has remained unexplored. Here, the authors measured ribosome binding kinetics of the key factors directly inside living E. coli cells, using single-molecule tracking techniques, and found novel link between translation and transcription.

Staphylococcus epidermidis induces a potent, durable and specific antibody response that is conserved in humans and non-human primates, and which could be redirected against pathogens as a new form of topical vaccination.