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Hepatitis C virus remains a health burden due to the lack of an effective vaccine, hindered by difficulties in replicating the native E1E2 antigen structure. Here, the authors engineer a stabilized E1E2 heterodimer using cryo-EM-guided modifications, enhancing immunogenicity and paving the way for future HCV vaccine development.

Climate action could avoid over 1 million deaths globally from air pollution in 2040. However, it is suggested that cooperation is needed between developed and developing nations to ensure that disparities in air pollution are not perpetuated in the future.

Understanding how each tumor establishes its unique spatial landscape and what factors drive the landscape for tumor fitness remains significantly challenging. Here, the authors employ spatial single-cell imaging and single-cell RNA sequencing to analyze 50 liver cancer biospecimens and find that different tumor cell states may be organized into distinct clusters, or ‘villages’.

Using large-scale genetics and Genomic SEM/E-SEM, the study shows broad shared genetic risk between many physical illnesses and internalizing, neurodevelopmental, and substance-use disorders, revealing a transdiagnostic illness factor and cross-cutting disease pathways.

This study shows that the Snowflake mutant in clownfish results from altered communication between pigment cells, producing enlarged white bars with jagged edges. It points to cell–cell communication as a driver of color pattern diversity in fishes.

In this study, the authors describe how light shapes a long-term threat avoidance behavior via a visual circuit linking the eye with the limbic system in mice.

Brief ultrasound to human frontal eye fields, but not motor cortex, rapidly biases eye movement contralaterally in a perceptual choice task. The size of this effect scales with individual baseline FEF inhibitory tone.

Fibrosis is the final common pathway in chronic kidney disease and a potential target for therapeutic interventions. Here, the authors use intravital imaging to show that pyrimidinergic calcium signaling links tubular injury to fibroblast activation, and that blocking this pathway reduces fibrosis

The paper reports a scalable, chemical-free plasma process that converts methane and water into high-purity, single-layer graphene oxide while co-producing hydrogen, cutting greenhouse emissions, and lowering cost compared with conventional methods.

This study reveals how plant-associated bacteria dynamically reprogram gene expression during root colonization, using a new high-throughput approach that overcomes low bacterial biomass and interference from plant RNA.

In this work, authors provide evidence that bacteria in spatially structured populations protect each other from antibiotics through collective nutrient consumption, creating ‘death fronts’ that sweep through the colony– explaining why infections often survive treatments that work in lab tests.

Gel ionotronics are typically easy to prepare, but control of local ionic character is unusual. Here, the authors report the combination of elastomers with photo-ion generators for photopatterned control of conductivity in the gel materials.

Pertussis notifications reduced during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Netherlands but increased in 2023 to the highest levels since vaccination introduction. Here, the authors use longitudinal serological data from a nationwide cohort study to investigate waning immunity and infection incidence.

Many GPCRs signal from endosomes, which requires active G proteins at this location. Here, the authors describe how active Gα_s accumulates on endosomes and reveal location-biased selectivity in GPCR-mediated G protein activation.

Borneol has repelled mosquitoes for millennia, but how it worked was unknown. Here, the authors show the sensory pathway mosquitoes use to detect and avoid this ancient plant compound, opening the door to improved natural repellents.

This study shows that mithramycin suppresses the EWS::FLI1 transcription factor in Ewing sarcoma using a hybrid CUT, Tag & GRO assay, revealing mechanism, need for continuous dosing, and supporting clinical use of next-gen analog AIT-102.

The ferroelectric nematic phase has both spontaneous polarity and fluidity and is therefore desirable, but can be challenging to obtain. Here, the authors report the preparation of a number of ferroelectric nematogens, of which several show the phase transition at relatively low temperatures.

Here the authors identify nicotine-derived inhibitors of the SARS-CoV−2 main protease that outperform Paxlovid in cells and mice, remain effective against resistant variants, and show broad activity against multiple human coronaviruses.

The authors show that aging of metastable protein condensates can lead to amyloid formation and impair biochemical activity. Certain small molecule metabolites can selectively impede this transition, preserving condensate function.

Anthropogenic nitrogen enrichment reduces symbiotic nitrogen fixation, but environmental factors alone cannot explain this response. This meta-analysis shows that integrating both environmental factors and plant performance traits improves the predictive accuracy of symbiotic nitrogen fixation responses by 42.7%.

ASXL1 is often mutated in myeloid cancers. Here, the authors describe the molecular and structural mechanism by which ASXL1 associates with the transcriptional coactivator BRD4, helping to explain their high correlation in cancers.

Neurotrophic factor Nerve Growth Factor (NGF) is involved in bladder physiopathology. Here the authors report that mast-cell derived NGF sustains the pro-tumoral functions of ILC2s in bladder cancer (BC), showing that selective targeting of the NGF receptor TrkA improves survival and response to immune checkpoint blockade in BC models.

Autopsy brain studies can be distorted because time and temperature alter gene expression. Here, the authors show that neurons, then oligodendrocytes, sequentially activate artifact genes, and provide a tool to measure these effects in RNA sequencing data.

PARP1 is a first responder to DNA damage. Here, multiple cryo-EM strategies and biophysical tools analyze PARP1 and partner HPF1 detecting a DNA break, revealing a striking mobility of the PARP1 catalytic domain relative to the DNA binding domains.

Mechanical response of semiconducting polymers affects their electrical properties, yet the detail remains elusive. Zhong et al. examine the multiscale structural evolution of conjugated polymer thin films during uniaxial deformation and link it to mechanical resilience and solar cell performance.

Plants require the plastid encoded RNA polymerase PEP to generate viable photosynthetic apparatus. Here the authors genetically engineer an optoswitch that enables photo-induced complementation of an albino mutant restoring transcription and chloroplast biogenesis on demand.

Exhaustion is a functional state that hampers anti-cancer and antiviral CD8 T cell activity, and is preceded by a stem-like state, maintained by the transcription factor TCF1. Here authors develop mouse models that allow a precise understanding of the developmental trajectory between the stem-cell-like and exhausted states of CD8 T cells and find that while constitutive overexpression of TCF1 expands the stem-like T cell pool, TCF1 expression specifically in already exhausted cells is unable to promote dedifferentiation.

Little work has been done to describe and address the variability inherent in the agroinfiltration and genetic engineering of Nicotiana benthamiana. Here, the authors identify and quantify the sources of virtually all variation and develop recommendations for minimizing variation.

DNA recognition and cleavage control in type II topoisomerases are poorly understood processes. Here, the authors determine cleaved and uncleaved structures of supercoiled DNA-bound topoisomerase VI that reveal how the enzyme activates its cleavage state and prefers to act at deformable substrates.

Supersolid phases are quantum-entangled states of matter exhibiting the dual characteristics of superfluidity and solidity. Here, the authors map the phase diagram of K₂Co(SeO₃)₂. and identify signatures of two supersolid phases separated by a 1/3 magnetization plateau.

Cationic amino acids are essential to protein synthesis and cellular signaling. Here, authors determine the structure of the cationic amino acid transporter 1 and determined how it is co-opted as a receptor for leukemia-causing animal viruses.

The transformations for aragonite precursors in coral are not fully understood but have implications in bio, biogenic and geological mineralization. Here, the authors use high-resolution mapping and observe exponential decay from the edge of four precursors to coral aragonite skeleton in Stylophora pistillata.

The limited tunability of threshold voltage is a major obstacle for applying two-dimensional transistors in post-silicon electronics. Here, the authors show that bimetallic thiophosphates, such as LiInP₂S₆, enable programmable threshold voltages in both n-type and p-type 2D transistors, leading to low-power, high-speed complementary logic inverters.

Here, the authors show that dietary fiber availability shapes the development and survival strategies of an intestinal worm, revealing stage-dependent plasticity and tight links between diet, the gut microbiome, host metabolism, and worm persistence.

The roles of orbitofrontal and cingulate cortex in emotional decisions remain unclear. Here the authors show distinct timing between caudal orbitofrontal and cingulate signals, that orbitofrontal stimulation increases avoidance, and that physiological responses mirror behavior.

Cardiac rhythm depends on tightly regulated sodium channel gating. Here, the authors determine the structure of human Na_v1.5 in an intermediate open state and show how specific N-terminal interactions and ion binding near the IFM motif together regulate fast inactivation.

The study shows that incorporating information on pre-existing moisture conditions into the atmospheric river scale improves early-warning identification of flood-generating events.

DNA methylation heterogeneity and dynamics hinder distinguishing early pathological changes from normal variation. Here, the authors identify stable sites whose disruption is linked to blood cancers, aging, and cardiovascular risk.

Polyhydroxyalkanoates are potential substitutes for non-degradable polyolefin plastics. Now, it has been shown that structurally related methylated polyhydroxybutyrates, synthesized from carbon monoxide and 2-butenes, can provide a full suite of polyolefin-like polymers. These materials can be recycled or upcycled, and their properties can be easily tuned by varying the cis/trans ratio of the starting materials.

The authors present evidence for the coexistence and coupling of ferroelectricity and superconductivity at amorphous LaAlO3/KTaO3(111) interfaces. Furthermore, flipping ferroelectric polarization reduces interfacial conductivity by more than 1000 times, and simultaneously suppresses superconductivity

CRISPR/Cas9 screens have identified genetic contributions to many phenotypes. However, studying combinations of genes or regulatory elements remains challenging. Here, the authors use CRISPR/Cas12a to overcome those challenges and enable new approaches to study combinatorial genetic mechanisms.

Surface plasmon-mediated steady-state and on-demand electronic spin modulation effectively activates light-driven plasmonic catalysis, facilitating polarization reactant activation and preferential reaction pathway modulation.

By generating whole genomes of 150 participants representing 12 Khoe-San click-speaking groups, the authors, reveal over 1.3 million unknown DNA variants, distinct San and here described Damara genetic trajectories, while achieving century-long global predominance.

How the brain maintains object representations during grasping, when complex sensory input rapidly changes, remains poorly understood. Here the authors show that object-identity signals shift and strengthen across sensorimotor cortex as reaching transitions to grasping.

How neurons resolve gustatory inputs with opposing valences is currently unknown. Here, authors show that bitter and sweet gustatory receptor neurons in fruit flies converge on a pair of neuropeptidergic neurons that instruct opposing feeding behaviors via distinct transmitters based on the input they receive

Neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) has improved breast cancer patient outcomes but residual disease limits success. Here, the authors report a phase II clinical trial investigating talimogene laherparepvec (oncolytic virus engineered to express GM-CSF) combined with atezolizumab (anti-PD-L1) in HER2-negative breast cancer patients with residual disease following NAC.