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Gonadotropes in the pituitary secrete follicle-stimulating hormone and luteinizing hormone to control gonadal function and fertility, but whether they exert actions on extra-gonadal organs is not fully understood. Here the authors report that gonadotropes regulate liver steatosis independent of the ovaries in mice.

In the first results from an ongoing global cancer screening data repository, screening program organization was better overall in Europe compared to other continents; however, there were substantial gaps in implementation across both high- and low-resource settings.

A genome-wide association study in more than 400,000 individuals identifies 139 new signals for lung function. These variants can predict chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in independent, transancestral cohorts.

Luis Pérez-Jurado, Stephen Chanock and colleagues detect clonal chromosomal abnormalities in peripheral blood or buccal samples from individuals in the general population. They show that the frequency of such events increases with age and is associated with elevated risk of developing subsequent hematological cancers.

Ageing increases the risk of many diseases. Here the authors compare blood cell transcriptomes of over 14,000 individuals and identify a set of about 1,500 genes that are differently expressed with age, shedding light on transcriptional programs linked to the ageing process and age-associated diseases.

As part of the first anniversary issue of Nature Chemical Engineering, we present a collection of opinions from 40 researchers within the field on what they think are the most exciting opportunities that lie ahead for their respective topics.

A study shows that clonal haematopoiesis of indeterminate potential is associated with an increased risk of chronic liver disease specifically through the promotion of liver inflammation and injury.

Oligodendrocyte (OL) injury and loss is a pathologic hallmark of multiple sclerosis. Here, the authors show the presence of stress granules in OLs in multiple sclerosis lesions, and their in vitro studies in human OLs indicate that stress granules formation is a response to a combination of metabolic stress and pro-inflammatory conditions.

High extinction intensity during Late Ordovician but not Cenozoic transitions to glacial conditions can be attributed to both temperature and palaeogeography, according to analysis combining climate models and simulations of virtual species.

Chinnaiyan and colleagues perform a high-throughput compound screen and identify PIKfyve inhibition as a therapeutic strategy to enhance immune checkpoint blockade responses in advanced prostate cancer.

The relationship of mycorrhizal associations with latitudinal gradients in tree beta-diversity is unexplored. Using a global dataset approach, this study examines how trees with arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal associations contribute to latitudinal beta-diversity patterns and the environmental controls of these patterns.

Previous demonstrations of spin state transfer in quantum dot chains relied on physical motion of electrons or sequences of SWAP operations. Here, the authors implement an alternative method based on adiabatic evolution, offering advantages in terms of implementation and robustness to noise and errors.

Topoisomerase inhibitors are genome-targeting drugs that induce DNA double-strand breaks or evict histones at sites of action. Genomic mapping of their target sites by ChIP-Seq and FAIRE-Seq and integration with ENCODE data identifies the target specificities of topoisomerase inhibitors and suggests ways to optimize their therapeutic properties.

The team of authors led by Seon-Kyeong Jang use whole-genome sequencing data and show that rare genetic variants explain much of the ‘missing heritability’ in smoking behaviours. These results help address a long-standing mystery in behavioural genetics.

Master regulator transcription factors TP63 and SOX2 have been reported to overlap in genomic occupancy in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Here, the authors demonstrate that TP63 and SOX2 promote co-operatively long non-coding RNA CCAT1 expression through activating its super-enhancer, and CCAT1 forms a complex with TP63 and SOX2, which regulates EGFR super-enhancers and enhances both the MEK/ERK1/2 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways in SCC.

Diehn and colleagues report that assaying circulating DNA in patients receiving chemoradiation therapy for non-small-cell lung cancer could identify the patients most likely to benefit from consolidation immunotherapy.

Remote atomic interaction of crystalline materials through 2D materials is presented to depend on the polarity of both the 2D interlayers and underlying substrates, providing insights for the epitaxial growth of various materials on 2D crystals.

Tissue chips with matured human heart, liver, bone and skin tissue niches linked by recirculating vascular flow recapitulate interdependent functions of these organs.

The influence of X chromosome genetic variation on blood lipids and coronary heart disease (CHD) is not well understood. Here, the authors analyse X chromosome sequencing data across 65,322 multi-ancestry individuals, identifying associations of the Xq23 locus with lipid changes and reduced risk of CHD and diabetes mellitus.

Beta cell subpopulations with low expression in PDX1, MAFA, and insulin might contribute to islet function and insulin release. Here the authors show that altering the proportion of PDX1^LOW MAFA^LOW to PDX1^HIGH MAFA^HIGH cells impairs islet function.

Surface dynamics play a central role in the biological function of natural supramolecular structures. Here, the authors investigate the nanoscale dynamics at the surface of synthetic nanostructure using binding affinity to surface bound chelators.

Analysis of 97,691 high-coverage human blood DNA-derived whole-genome sequences enabled simultaneous identification of germline and somatic mutations that predispose individuals to clonal expansion of haematopoietic stem cells, indicating that both inherited and acquired mutations are linked to age-related cancers and coronary heart disease.

The authors summarize the data produced by phase III of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, a resource for better understanding of the human and mouse genomes.

Microsatellite instability and Epstein–Barr virus positivity represent novel biomarkers of clinical response to PD-1 blockade in patients with metastatic gastric cancer.

Neil Hunter and colleagues show that the HEI10 ubiquitin ligase regulates meiotic recombination by limiting the colocalization of RNF212 and MSH4-MSH5 to future crossover sites. At later stages, they find that HEI10 accumulates stably at designated crossover sites and facilitates clearance of RNF212 and MSH4-MSH5 complexes to promote the final steps of meiotic recombination.

Bikaverin is a fungal-derived tetracyclic polyketide with antibiotic, antifungal and anticancer properties. Here, the authors employ various pathway engineering strategies to achieve high level production of bikaverin in baker’s yeast.

Human microphysiological systems (MPS) have some advantages over animal models to study the mechanisms of disease. Here the authors use a tissue-engineered blood vessel MPS to create a model of early stage atherosclerosis and assess the effect of several drugs.

Pancreatic cancer patients have previously been noted to have a change in medication history prior to diagnosis. Here, the authors utilise two large population cohorts to show associations between recent medication changes and risk of a subsequent pancreatic cancer diagnosis.

Several studies have demonstrated that IFN-I administration can boost anti-tumor immune response against solid tumors. Here, to overcome the limitations of systemic IFN-I therapy (side effects, short half-life), the authors design a masked IFN-I prodrug activatable by tumor-associated proteases, showing preserved anti-tumor activity but reduced toxicity.

Most studies of the genetics of the metabolome have been done in individuals of European descent. Here, the authors integrate genomics and metabolomics in Black individuals, highlighting the value of whole genome sequencing in diverse populations and linking circulating metabolites to human disease.

Although the common genetic variants contributing to blood lipid levels have been studied, the contribution of rare variants is less understood. Here, the authors perform a rare coding and noncoding variant association study of blood lipid levels using whole genome sequencing data.

Single-cell and single-nucleus transcriptomic analysis of retina from 17 vertebrate species shows high conservation of retinal cell types and suggests that midget retinal ganglion cells in primates evolved from orthologous cells in ancestral mammals.

Dysfunction in dorsal striatum, a brain region important for reward and habits, is linked to opioid use disorder (OUD). Here, authors delineate diverse cell populations in human dorsal striatum, revealing altered inflammatory and DNA damage signaling in OUD.

Zinc finger protein transcription factors are developed for the selective silencing of the mutant huntingtin gene in human neurons in vitro and multiple animal models of Huntington’s disease in vivo while preserving expression of the wild-type allele.

Gene editing strategies are typically designed to correct mutant genes, but most neurodegenerative diseases are sporadic. Here the authors describe a strategy to selectively edit the C-terminus of APP and attenuate amyloid-β production, while upregulating neuroprotective α-cleavage.

The orientation of plant roots responds to gravity and influences nutrient acquisition. Here the authors show that the formin RMD buffers movement of specialized gravity-sensing organelles and report enhanced RMD expression during phosphate deficiency that could alter root angle to improve phosphate uptake.

Platelet aggregation is associated with myocardial infarction and stroke. Here, the authors have conducted a whole genome sequencing association study on platelet aggregation, discovering a locus in RGS18, where enhancer assays suggest an effect on activity of haematopoeitic lineage transcription factors.

Crystal dissolution has been predominately viewed as a process of ion-by-ion detachment into a surrounding solvent. Here, the authors report an alternative mechanism of dissolution by particle detachment.

Using ultrashort laser pulses it is possible to induce ferromagnetic ordering in otherwise anti-ferromagnetic FeRh. Here, Li et al. use THz emission spectroscopy with double pump to probe the transient dynamics of this transition, showing the insusceptibility of the ferromagnetic order to applied magnetic fields at picosecond timescales.

LNK is a tumor suppressor in hematopoietic cancers, but its function in melanoma is unclear. Here, the authors show that the overexpression of LNK in melanomas correlate with hyperactive signaling of the RAS-RAF-MEK pathway and LNK enhances melanoma growth and survival and immune evasion by inhibiting IFN signalling.

The intensity of radio emission from a pulsar is shown to relate to the quantity of particles discharging in the magnetosphere rather than to changes of the structure of the magnetic field in the magnetosphere itself.

Anthracycline-based drugs can kill cancer cells by inhibiting topoisomerase II and promoting DNA double-strand breaks. Pang et al. show that anthracyclines also induce eviction of histones from open chromatin regions and, in doing so, modulate DNA repair and apoptosis in human cancer cells.

A suite of flexible, integrated, high-index-contrast chalcogenide glass photonic devices, including waveguides, microdisk resonators, add–drop filters and photonic crystals, is reported. The devices are demonstrated to survive repeated bending to a submillimetre radius without any significant degradation in their optical performance.

The transient reactivation of ETV2 in adult human endothelial cells reprograms these cells to become adaptable vasculogenic endothelia that in three-dimensional matrices self-assemble into vascular networks that can transport blood and physiologically arborize organoids and decellularized tissues.

Crosstalk between protein oxidation and other post-translational modifications remains unexplored. Here, the authors map the phosphoproteome, cysteine redox proteome and total proteome of adipocytes under acute oxidative stress and reveal crosstalk between cysteine oxidation and phosphorylation-based signalling.