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In this work, the authors report that protein-RNA condensates with shared proteins and distinct RNAs can form and persist in vitro and in cells as distinct entities if the nonshared RNA molecules are dynamically arrested, but the shared protein components are dynamically exchangeable.

Ali et al. show that, during heat shock, aggregation-prone orphan ribosomal proteins form nucleolar-associated condensates that are kept in a liquid-like and reusable state through Hsp70 and its co-chaperones.

In this study, the authors use selective silencing of specific subsets of afferent neurons and stimulation with pruritogens or algogens to show that histaminergic and non-histaminergic itch is mediated by functionally distinct sets of sensory fibers. These findings provide further evidence for the labeled line theory of sensory perception.

The use of lung and colonic organoid systems to assess the susceptibility of lung and gut cells to SARS-CoV-2 and to screen FDA-approved drugs that have antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 is demonstrated.

Copper-based catalysts are promising for electroreduction of carbon monoxide to multi-carbon products, yet further improvements in selectivity, productivity and stability are still needed. Here the authors show that doping copper with silver and ruthenium boosts its performance towards synthesis of n-propanol—a useful fuel.

Identification of tissue proteoforms by top-down mass spectrometry remains challenging. Here, the authors present AutoPiMS, a semi-automated multiplexed tandem mass spectrometry workflow for proteoform identification directly from tissue contexts.

Treatment with the oncolytic herpes virus CAN-3110 is associated with improved survival responses in patients with recurrent glioblastoma, particularly in individuals who are seropositive for HSV1.

Efficient and broadband visible-light photodetectors will bring great advantages in applications such as biosensing and quantum information. Here the authors develop a photodetector with high quantum efficiency across broad wavelength range suitable for monolithic integration in photonics circuits.

Analysis of messenger RNA splicing in a large cohort of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumours identifies differential splicing correlating with disease progression, associated with the the splicing regulator RBFOX2.

Human skin comes in many different shades. Recent studies of geographical differences in skin colour open up the subject scientifically by offering sophisticated accounts of the basis of this variation.

Palladium is of practical use as a hydrogen-storage metal and an effective catalyst for reactions related to hydrogen in a variety of industrial processes. Enhanced capacity and speed of hydrogen storage is now reported in Pd nanocrystals covered with a metal–organic framework.

Genomic analyses in individuals with index and familial intracranial aneurysms and experiments in vertebrate models identify pathogenic variants in the PPIL4 gene implicated in cerebral angiogenesis and cerebrovascular integrity, through the Wnt signaling pathway.

Structural studies of nuclear receptor transcription factors revealed that nearly all nuclear receptors share a conserved helix 12 dependent transcriptional activation mechanism. Here the authors present two crystal structures of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARγ) in an inverse agonist/corepressor-bound transcriptionally repressive conformation, where helix 12 is located within the orthosteric ligand-binding pocket instead, and discuss mechanistic implications.

Here the authors show that gain-of-function mutant p53s predispose cells to chromosomal instability by targeting MCMs, leading to activation of a cGAS-STING-non-canonical NF-κB signaling that promotes tumor metastasis and immunosuppression.

The authors describe the connectivity, response profile and behavioral roles of two transcriptionally defined amygdala populations from separate embryonic lineages and show how responses of one population change with social experience.

Synthesizing phase-pure, higher-quantum-well thickness (n) 2D halide perovskites is challenging. Now, a general method, termed kinetically controlled space confinement, to synthesize 2D perovskites is reported. Transformation from low n-values to high n-values is achieved by tuning the temperature or time of crystallization.

Using a battery of statistical tools, Alagöz et al. examine the genetic overlap between dyslexia and rhythm impairment and shed light on how the genome influences the neural bases of human language and musicality.

An online training module that synergistically targets two different mindsets can reduce stress levels in adolescents in the context of social-evaluative stressors—stressful experiences in which individuals fear that others are judging them negatively.

Insecticide resistance (IR) poses a major global health challenge. Here, the authors generate common IR mutations in laboratory Drosophila strains and use a CRISPR-based allelic-drive to replace an IR allele with a susceptible wild-type counterpart, providing a potent new tool for vector control.

Leveraging enzymatic selectivity, a single reaction stream provides a single diastereomer of the cyclic dinucleotide MK-1454, a promising immune-oncology drug candidate, without the use of protecting groups or chiral auxiliaries.

Understanding deregulation of biological pathways in cancer can provide insight into disease etiology and potential therapies. Here, as part of the PanCancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) consortium, the authors present pathway and network analysis of 2583 whole cancer genomes from 27 tumour types.

There’s an emerging body of evidence to show how biological sex impacts cancer incidence, treatment and underlying biology. Here, using a large pan-cancer dataset, the authors further highlight how sex differences shape the cancer genome.

Analyses of 2,658 whole genomes across 38 types of cancer identify the contribution of non-coding point mutations and structural variants to driving cancer.

In somatic cells the mechanisms maintaining the chromosome ends are normally inactivated; however, cancer cells can re-activate these pathways to support continuous growth. Here, the authors characterize the telomeric landscapes across tumour types and identify genomic alterations associated with different telomere maintenance mechanisms.

Integrative analyses of transcriptome and whole-genome sequencing data for 1,188 tumours across 27 types of cancer are used to provide a comprehensive catalogue of RNA-level alterations in cancer.

Whole-genome sequencing data from more than 2,500 cancers of 38 tumour types reveal 16 signatures that can be used to classify somatic structural variants, highlighting the diversity of genomic rearrangements in cancer.

Viral pathogen load in cancer genomes is estimated through analysis of sequencing data from 2,656 tumors across 35 cancer types using multiple pathogen-detection pipelines, identifying viruses in 382 genomic and 68 transcriptome datasets.

Analysis of cancer genome sequencing data has enabled the discovery of driver mutations. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium the authors present DriverPower, a software package that identifies coding and non-coding driver mutations within cancer whole genomes via consideration of mutational burden and functional impact evidence.

A pan-cancer genomic analysis reports the effects of structural variations on chromatin domains (TADs). Most TAD disruptions do not result in appreciable changes in expression of nearby genes.

An analysis of 2,954 genomes from 38 cancer subtypes identified 19,166 retrotransposition events in 35% of samples. Aberrant LINE-1 retrotranspositions can lead to the deletion of tumor-suppressor genes as well as the amplification of oncogenes.

Whole-genome sequencing data for 2,778 cancer samples from 2,658 unique donors across 38 cancer types is used to reconstruct the evolutionary history of cancer, revealing that driver mutations can precede diagnosis by several years to decades.

Many tumours exhibit hypoxia (low oxygen) and hypoxic tumours often respond poorly to therapy. Here, the authors quantify hypoxia in 1188 tumours from 27 cancer types, showing elevated hypoxia links to increased mutational load, directing evolutionary trajectories.

Multi-omics datasets pose major challenges to data interpretation and hypothesis generation owing to their high-dimensional molecular profiles. Here, the authors develop ActivePathways method, which uses data fusion techniques for integrative pathway analysis of multi-omics data and candidate gene discovery.

The characterization of 4,645 whole-genome and 19,184 exome sequences, covering most types of cancer, identifies 81 single-base substitution, doublet-base substitution and small-insertion-and-deletion mutational signatures, providing a systematic overview of the mutational processes that contribute to cancer development.

In this study the authors consider the structural variants (SVs) present within cancer cases of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium. They report hundreds of genes, including known cancer-associated genes for which the nearby presence of a SV breakpoint is associated with altered expression.

Cancers evolve as they progress under differing selective pressures. Here, as part of the ICGC/TCGA Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) Consortium, the authors present the method TrackSig the estimates evolutionary trajectories of somatic mutational processes from single bulk tumour data.

Light-switchable variants are only available for a limited subset of proteins and pathways. Here the authors adapt strategies for protein domain insertion and mammalian-cell expression to generate and screen a library of potential optogenetic tools directly in mammalian cells.

CRISPR-based gene-drives can carry the Cas9 and guide RNA (gRNA) components in a single-linked cassette or in separate elements inserted into different genomic loci. Here the authors genetically transform and compare full versus split drives, with the former performing less efficiently than predicted.

Nitrogen vacancy centre quantum sensors are quantitative, non-invasive and physically robust probes of condensed matter systems that offer nanoscale resolution across a wide range of temperatures. This Technical Review discusses the connections between NV measurements and important physical characteristics in condensed matter.

The authors identified a pH-dependent protonated status in the miR-21 precursor, which leads to additional base pairing in its secondary structure, thus affecting Dicer processing and miR-21 maturation.

Conventional epitaxy is of limited application, but by placing a monolayer of graphene between the substrate and the so-called epilayer grown on top, its scope can be substantially extended.

Understanding electrochemical behaviour and stability at solid–solid interfaces remains challenging. Operando synchrotron X-ray computed microtomography loss reveals that reconfiguration of interfacial contact is critical to explain cell failure during solid-state battery cycling.

Here, the authors characterize the symbiotic relationship between Haliclona sponges and its intracellular symbiont. The symbiont has a highly streamlined genome, yet retains a plasmid with the biosynthetic gene cluster for production of the defence chemical renieramycin and lives within chemobacteriocytes for nutrient acquisition.

Gene drives may be impeded by the generation of resistant alleles following NHEJ. Here the authors develop a recoded gene-drive rescue system for the malaria mosquito, Anopheles stephensi, that targets the drive to the kynurenine hydroxylase gene for negative selection against mutated alleles.

Ground-nesting birds actively choose backgrounds for their nests that enhance their camouflage, refining this choice across spatial scales.

The extent to which mRNA delivery, as well as the cellular response to mRNA drug delivery vehicles, is conserved across species in vivo is unknown. Using species-independent DNA barcoding, the authors measure delivery in humanized, primatized and normal mice, and identify a potential mechanism driving species-dependent lipid nanoparticle delivery.

Geometric and rheological complexities may control the mechanical behaviour of megathrusts, according to an analysis of the heterogeneity in roughness and rock properties of the Middle America megathrust from 3D seismic reflection data.

A highly photostable RNA mimic of red fluorescent protein, Corn, was designed and used to image RNA polymerase III transcription. Quantitative imaging of Corn-tagged transcripts revealed transcription dynamics in live cells following mTOR inhibition.

Most epigenetic regulator inhibitors target tunnels of active sites, rather than the peptide binding groove, leading to concerns with low selectivity. Here the authors use an amber obligate phage library to rapidly identify isoform-selective inhibitors of SIRT2.