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Previous studies showed that children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have atypicalities in the pupillary light reflex (PLR). This study uses longitudinal monitoring of infants at risk for ASD to show that PLR magnitude at 10 months of age is associated with later ASD diagnosis and symptom severity.

E2F1, which localises to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) to promote repair, is acetylated in response to DNA damage but the role this plays in DNA repair is unknown. Here the authors show that E2F1 acetylation creates a binding motif for the bromodomains of the p300/KAT3B and CBP/KAT3A acetyltransferases, which is required for recruitment of p300 and CBP to DSBs, to facilate repair.

Binding of the transcription factor NF-κB subunit RelA activates proinflammatory gene expression. Gozani and colleagues show that basal expression of RelA target genes is suppressed by methylation of RelA by SETD6, which triggers repressive histone methylation by GLP.

Here, the authors show structural, biochemical, and functional insights into the discovery of epichaperome‐ directed chemical probes for use in central nervous system diseases. Probes emerging from this work have translated to human clinical studies in Alzheimer’s disease and cancer.

Protein arginine methylation has various effects on cell signalling — targeting signalling proteins as well as histones — and the protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) are altered in various types of cancer, as discussed in this Review.

A study details the results of the PARTNER trial, a prospective, randomized controlled trial of the use of neoadjuvant olaparib with carboplatin–paclitaxel chemotherapy in patients with triple-negative breast cancer who were germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 wild type.

Federated ML (FL) provides an alternative to train accurate and generalizable ML models, by only sharing numerical model updates. Here, the authors present the largest FL study to-date to generate an automatic tumor boundary detector for glioblastoma.

A small clinical trial shows that short-term cold acclimation to moderately-cold temperature improves the glucose homeostasis of individuals with type 2 diabetes, without an appreciable activation of their brown adipose tissue.

The histone methyltransferase G9a methylates histone H3K9 to repress gene expression, but it also acts as a coactivator for some nuclear receptors. Here, Zhang et al. show that methylation of ERα by G9a recruits the PHF20/MOF complex that deposits histone H4K16 acetylation promoting active transcription.

In this study, Aggarwal and colleagues perform prospective sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 isolates derived from asymptomatic student screening and symptomatic testing of students and staff at the University of Cambridge. They identify important factors that contributed to within university transmission and onward spread into the wider community.

The methylation of DNA and histone H3 lysine 9 in chromatin are positively correlated. This study shows that the DNA methyl transferase Dnmt3a is methylated, and a crystal structure of Dnmt3a bound to the chromodomain protein MPP8 suggests a molecular mechanism.

Ten-eleven translocation 1 (TET1) is a critical oncoprotein in AML. Here, the authors identify 2 compounds that target the binding of STAT3/5 specifically to the TET1 promoter, inhibiting its expression and AML cell viability.

Convergence products enable medical device companies to capture blockbuster markets. Opportunities exist but achievement is difficult.

A global multi-taxon extinction risk assessment of freshwater fauna for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species finds one-quarter of species to be at high risk of extinction.

Primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) is highly heritable, yet not well understood from a genetic perspective. Here, the authors perform a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in 34,179 POAG cases, identifying 44 previously unreported risk loci and mapping effects across multiple ethnicities.

Genetic and testing data from England show that the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.1.7 has a transmission advantage over other lineages.

The SMN protein recognizes symmetric dimethylarginine by its Tudor domain, and SMN deficiency leads to spinal muscular atrophy. Here, Liu et al. discover a small molecule that binds to the SMN Tudor domain and disrupts the interaction between SMN and RNA Polymerase II.

An atlas of the substrate specificities for the human tyrosine kinome reveals diversity of motif specificities and enables identification of kinase–substrate relationships and kinase regulation in phosphoproteomics experiments.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become a key tool to discover genetic markers for complex traits; however, environmental factors that interact with genes are rarely considered. Here, the authors conduct a GWAS of obesity traits, and find that smoking may alter genetic susceptibilities.

The E3 ubiquitin ligase UHRF1 has been genetically linked to the establishment and maintenance of DNA methylation in mammals. A new study now provides mechanistic insight by demonstrating that binding of UHRF1 to methylated histone H3 lysine 9 during mitosis is needed for stability of DNA methyltransferase 1 and the faithful propagation of DNA methylation.

Exome sequencing and copy number analysis are used to define genomic aberrations in early sporadic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma; among the findings are mutations in genes involved in chromatin modification and DNA damage repair, and frequent and diverse somatic aberrations in genes known as embryonic regulators of axon guidance.

Post-international travel quarantine has been widely implemented to mitigate SARS-CoV-2 transmission, but the impacts of such policies are unclear. Here, the authors used linked genomic and contact tracing data to assess the impacts of a 14-day quarantine on return to England in summer 2020.

Recent evidence shows that spatial attention is discontinuous over time, sampling locations in rhythmic cycles (3–6 Hz). Here, the authors show that the pulvinar has a role in coordinating this rhythmic sampling, with neural activity propagating from pulvinar to cortex during periods of engagement.

The authors use long-term satellite tracking to project climate-induced shifts in whale shark distributions and understand their potential future risk of ship-strike. Under high-emission scenarios, the movement of sharks to current range-edge habitat is linked to 15,000-fold increased co-occurrence with ships.

MEMS-based photonic integrated circuits (PICs) are often limited in speed by mechanical resonances. Here the authors report a programmable architecture for PICs which uses mechanical eigenmodes for synchronized, resonantly enhanced optical modulation.

Plasma levels of liver enzymes provide insights into hepatic function and related diseases. Here, the authors perform a genome-wide association study on three liver enzymes, identifying genetic variants associated with their plasma concentration as well as links to metabolic and cardiovascular diseases.

Genome-wide data from 400 individuals indicate that the initial spread of the Beaker archaeological complex between Iberia and central Europe was propelled by cultural diffusion, but that its spread into Britain involved a large-scale migration that permanently replaced about ninety per cent of the ancestry in the previously resident population.

PtRu nanoparticles are the state-of-the-art catalysts for methanol electrooxidation—the anodic reaction in direct methanol fuel cells. Now, a method of dispersing single Pt atoms over Ru nanoparticles is presented and monitored in situ, thereby boosting the catalytic performance in the methanol oxidation reaction.

THOC2 is an essential subunit of Transcription mRNA Export complex of eukaryotic cells and its compromise causes adverse (neuro)development. Using mouse model and patient cells the authors unravel molecular pathology of the syndrome, from R-loops dysregulation, to altered transcriptome and DNA damage triggered cell death.

The argine methyltransferase PRMT5 methylates EGFR. This modification increases EGFR trans-autophosphorylation and attenuates ERK pathway activation.

Loss-of-function mutations in tumour suppressor genes are associated with oesophageal adenocarcinoma (EAC), but the mechanisms underlying EAC development remain unclear. Here, the authors show that EACs present a high frequency of genomic catastrophes resulting in amplification of potent oncogenes.

There is an unmet medical need for the detection and treatment of early adenomas to prevent their progression to malignant disease. Here the authors show that orally administered E. coli Nissle 1917 can selectively colonize adenomas in mouse models and in patients as a detection tool, as well as deliver immunotherapeutics for colorectal neoplasia treatment.

LSD1 reverses methylation of p53 at lysine 370 to repress p53-mediated transcriptional activation and apoptosis, and to prevent the interaction of p53 with 53BP1.

There are large uncertainties in wind-wave climate projections that need to be resolved to allow adaptation planning. A multi-method ensemble of global wave climate projections shows robust changes in wave height, period and direction that put 50% of the global coast at risk.

A20, encoded by TNFAIP3, is a negative-feedback inhibitor of NF-κB. Grey and colleagues identify natural human variants of TNFAIP3, which lower A20 activity and increase autoinflammatory responses. These alleles were inherited by descendants of Denisovans who crossed the Wallace Line to inhabit Oceania.