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Using siRNA screening, Chen et al demonstrate that Rab27a and its effector SYTL4 mediate the transport of influenza viral membrane proteins to the plasma membrane, highlighting their role in virion assembly and identifying SYTL4 as a potential therapeutic target for antiviral drug development.

In this work, Zhang, Jia, Wang et al. show that MORCs stabilize PRC2 preferentially at bivalent domains to maintain high levels of H3 K27 trimethylation and form chromatin loops for gene repression and stress tolerance, and are counteracted by ALKBH1, a DNA 6mA demethylase.

Genomic analyses of Citrus species including haplotype-resolved genomes of Citrus sinensis and Citrus aurantium highlight the origin of sweet orange and provide a strategy for de novo domestication of perennial crops.

De novo long-read genome assembly for nine legume species and pangenome analysis identify genomic variations associated with environmental adaptation and domestication and highlight the role of transposable elements in genome evolution.

Chromatin-associated RNAs play various roles in gene regulation and genome organization, yet they remain challenging to interrogate. Here the authors report a targeted DNA-associated RNA and RNA-RNA interaction mapping method and use it to identify caRNAs at DNA anchor regions associated with chromatin loops.

Tough hydrogels have potential in a range of applications, but achieving the required balance of properties can be challenging. Here, the authors report the use of carbon dots to induce the formation of crystalline domains in hydrogels, to give materials with favourable properties.

Zheng et al. identify a non-canonical RNA polymerase II kinase, CDKL9, that tends to act when plants are under heat stress. Acetylated-histone-binding proteins GTE2 and GTE7 help CDKL9 localize to targets. All of these proteins are important for plant heat tolerance.

BcABA3 catalyzes farnesyl pyrophosphate cyclization but lacks features to be recognized as a terpene cyclase. Here, authors report crystal structures of BcABA3 and homologues to reveal the molecular basis of this distinct type of enzyme.

The host factors that drive adaptive substitutions in the influenza virus remain poorly understood. Here, Zou et al. identify GGCX as a key determinant for the adaption of Eurasian avian-like H1N1 swine influenza virus to receptor binding.

The zoonotic parasite Toxoplasma has complex developmental programs to accommodate different lifestyles that are important for parasite transmission and pathogenesis. Here, the authors discover a novel chromatin remodeling complex containing SNF2L in Toxoplasma and report its crucial roles in regulating the parasite’s developmental programs.

The unique structure and mechanism of chanoclavine synthase (EasC), a haem catalase that uses superoxide for substrate transformation in ergot alkaloid biosynthesis, are revealed in this study, challenging established catalase mechanisms.

The Duf4243 dioxygenases GedK and BTG13 are known to catalyze the aromatic cleavage of bulky tricyclic hydroquinone. Here, the authors discover a distinct Duf4243 dioxygenase PaD that favors small monocyclic hydroquinones from the penicillic-acid biosynthetic pathway and determine the structural basis for its changed substrate specificity.

The Hachiman system is a novel bacterial defense system. Here, the authors demonstrate that the type I-B Hachiman system functions as a heterodimeric HamAB complex, in which the helicase and nuclease cooperate to counteract phage infection.

Retrons are reverse transcriptase-based bacterial genetic elements with a role in antiphage defence. Here the authors investigate the structure and function of retron Ec86, providing insight into retron-based genome editing systems.

Overcoming the suppressive tumor microenvironment (TME) is crucial to improving the efficacy of cancer therapy. Here the authors show that, in mouse cancer models, administration of exogenous IL-16 establishes a Th1-dominant TME via regulation of glutamine catabolism and triggers a Th1 cell-macrophage crosstalk, enhancing anti-tumor immune responses and the efficacy of immunotherapy.

The early history of flowering plants (angiosperms) is contentious. However, many fossils attributable to flowering plants have been found in the Early Cretaceous of China. The plant reported in this study goes a step further: not only is it an angiosperm, but it is a member of a relatively derived group, the eudicots, and possibly a member of the Ranunculaceae, an extant family of plants. This indicates that angiosperm evolution probably got into its stride even earlier than the Early Cretaceous.

XPR1 is the only known protein that exports inorganic phosphate from cells. This study demonstrates that XPR1 uses a channel-like mechanism for phosphate transport, offering insights into potential therapeutic strategies for XPR1-linked diseases.

A seed consists of an embryo, endosperm, and seed coat. Here the authors show that autophagy plays a crucial role in regulating timely programmed cell death in the innermost seed coat, thereby influencing embryo pattern formation and seed viability.

Verticillum wilt is an important cotton disease caused by fungal pathogen Verticillium dahiae. Here, the authors assemble the genomes of defoliating and non-defoliating isolates of the pathogen, identify virulence gene SP3, and develop a disease control strategy using polyethyleneimine-coated MXene quantum dots.

Huang, Yao et al. analyse Klebsiella pneumoniae genomes originating from human, animal, and environmental sources across the globe, demonstrating overlapping populations and increasing antibiotic resistance. The rise of strains with both high virulence and multidrug resistance calls for coordinated One Health surveillance.

An integrative network map of maize (Zea mays L.) that contains genomic, transcriptomic, translatomic and proteomic networks illustrates the landscape of molecular interactions of different functional elements and potential pathway modules in maize.

The pathogenesis of hepatitis B virus (HBV)-associated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains to be understood. Here the authors identify that USP26 deubiquitinase drives the progression of HBV-associated HCC via regulating the protein stability of Sirtuin 1.

SPX receptors regulate plant phosphate response via PHR transcription factors. Here, based on crystal structure analysis of rice PHR2 complexes, the authors propose that SPX2 regulates PHR2 by preventing DNA binding and oligomerisation of the PHR2 CC domain.

The nitrile synthase AetD is a crucial component in the biosynthetic pathway of neurotoxin aetokthonotoxin (AETX). Here, the authors solved crystal structures of AetD in complex with different substrates, revealing that AetD represents a new type of HO-like diiron enzyme and the possibility of expanding its substrate spectrum.

The VTC complex generate eukaryotic polyphosphate (polyP). Authors here reveal how the signal-activated VTC synthesize cytosolic polyP and transport polyP across vacuolar membrane into the lumen, by using cryo-EM, in-cell NMR, and smFRET analyses.

The authors present a comprehensive regulome atlas for rice by mapping chromatin accessibility across 23 tissues from three rice varieties. By integrating matched RNA-seq data, they accurately predict numerous associations between non-coding regulatory elements and target genes. This study provides a foundational resource for gene editing and breeding strategies targeting non-coding regions in rice, potentially advancing crop improvement efforts.

Here, Wang et al survey Escherichia coli genomes to show that TIR domain-containing proteins in E. coli serve as robust anti-phage systems.

Wu et al. elucidate the molecular basis for SCOOPs perception by the MIK2–BAK1 immune complex and demonstrate an unexpectedly pivotal role of N-glycans in plant receptor–coreceptor interactions and signalling activation, shaping immune responses.

Here, Song et al. show that catalytically inactive long prokaryotic Argonaute proteins are equipped with distinct effectors that are activated upon recognition of invading genetic elements to trigger cell death and confer abortive infection immunity.

Non-specific phospholipase C (NPC) is a plant-specific phospholipid-hydrolyzing enzyme. Here, the authors define the molecular basis of how Arabidopsis NPC works, and provide new mechanistic insights into the members of phospholipase family.

Symbiotic nitrogen fixation is a tightly regulated process serving as a sustainable source of nitrogen (N) in agriculture. Here it is shown that external N sources precisely regulate N fixation efficiency by modulating iron transport in nodules of legumes.

Lipid utilization from the yolk sac plays a crucial role in embryonic development. Here, Chen et al. generate hsd17b12a mutant zebrafish and discover that a docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)-phosphatidic acid (PA)-phosphatidylglycerol (PG) (DHA-PA-PG) axis facilitates the uptake of yolk lipids and promotes the expansion of digestive organs.

Setaria pan-genome constructed using genome assemblies of 110 representative accessions and variation analyses provides insights into foxtail millet domestication and the genetic basis for crop improvement.

Dynamic changes of histone modification and how it affects gene transcription during wheat endosperm development remain largely unknow. Here, the author fulfill this knowledge gap and reveal the role of ethylene response factor ERF5 in the regulatory network during grain filling, and starch and protein accumulation.

S-nitrosylation can influence many pathophysiological processes. Here the authors show that the coupling efficiency of GNAI2 with CXCR5 is enhanced by S-nitrosylation of GNAI2, leading to Hippo-YAP dysfunction in endothelium, and plays a role in diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis.

Phosphoantigen-mediated BTN2A1 association drives BTN3A1 intracellular fluctuations outwards in a thermodynamically favourable manner, thereby enabling BTN3A1 to push off from the BTN2A1 ectodomain to initiate T cell receptor–mediated γδ T cell activation.

The Tibetan Plateau is the largest plateau in the world and hosts a variety of aquatic ecosystems. Here, the authors present a gene and genome catalogue of Tibetan Plateau aquatic microbiomes, greatly expanding known taxonomic and functional diversity for the region and giving insights into its microbial biogeography.

Heterodera glycines, a soybean cyst nematode, suppresses microbial plant symbiosis by secreting the HgCht2 enzyme to hydrolyse the key symbiotic signalling molecules, lipochitooligosaccharides.

De novo genome assemblies of 12 species from Aurantioideae and pangenome analyses provide insights into the origin and evolution of the orange subfamily and the genetic basis of flavor in citrus fruits.

A high-density genomic variation map from 744 genomes encompassing maize and all wild taxa of the genus Zea reveals evidence of adaptive variation and provides a genus-wide resource of genetic diversity in Zea.

Bio-degradation of poly(butylene adipate-co-terephthalate) is an attractive tactic but requires an effective hydrolytic enzyme. Here, the authors demonstrate that cutinases are highly potent PBAT-decomposing enzymes and their mechanism is proposed based on substrate-binding mode.

Pan-genome and pan-3D genome analyses of the Gossypium genus reveal evolutionary relationships among transposon-driven genome expansion and chromatin topology innovation and regulatory variations for cotton fiber development.

The lack of large-scale QTL cloning method hampers systematic dissection of genetic base of quantitative traits. Here, the authors develop a multi-omics data-based technique for large-scale and rapid cloning of quantitative genes of tassel branch number and discovery of selection signatures in maize breeding.

Oxygen is an essential requirement for aerobic organisms. Here the authors explore the role of oxygen in the antiviral innate response in multiple models of infection and suggest oxygen enhances the antiviral innate response via EGLN1 hydroxylation of IRF3.