Search

An investigation into the relationship between network structure and gut microbiome composition among people living in 18 isolated Honduras villages reveals that strain-sharing can be mediated by complex, village-wide social interactions.

Anna Köttgen and colleagues report genome-wide association studies for serum urate in over 140,000 individuals from the Global Urate Genetics Consortium (GUGC). They identify 18 loci newly associated with serum urate concentrations and confirm 10 known loci, characterize their associations with gout and include a network analysis suggesting a role for inhibins-activins pathways in regulating urate homeostasis.

Geospatial estimates of child growth failure in Africa provide a baseline for measuring progress and a precision public health platform to target interventions to those populations with the greatest need.

The 2021 Pacific Northwest Heatwave challenged standard attribution methods. The authors use a weather model that predicted the event to quantify human impact on the heat, suggesting that such models could be used broadly to assess changing weather risk.

Here, the authors identify a small molecule degrader (XL44) for hRpn13 and solve the XL44-hRpn13 structure. XL44 induces apoptosis in myeloma cells with hRpn13 dependency and also targets KEN box proteins PCLAF and RRM2. Loss of hRpn13 and PCLAF abrogates XL44 restriction of cell viability.

Analysis of whole-genome doubling (WGD) by using cancer sequencing data combined with simulations of tumor evolution suggests that there is negative selection against homozygous loss of essential genes before WGD but not after.

This study reports that nuclear speckle constituents have two expression states in cancer correlating with patient survival and HIF-2α functional programs. HIF-2α mediates nuclear speckle association of key genes activated in renal cancer.

The authors implement model-based analyses to uncover strategies used by mice and humans during sensory decision-making. Contrary to common wisdom, mice do not lapse and, instead, switch between sustained engaged and disengaged states.

A comprehensive analysis of omics data from biopsies and blood samples from more than 12,000 cases of heart, lung, liver and kidney transplants provides insights into shared mechanisms of allograft dysfunction across organs.

Global mercury emissions increased 330% from 1960–2021, with declines in the Global North and China offset by rapid growth in the Global South, which now produces two-thirds of emissions. Without urgent action, emissions could rise 10%–50% by 2030.

Histone H2AX is a central regulator in DNA repair. Here, the authors show that the H2AX C-terminal linker mediates recruitment of 53BP1, a mechanism which evolved to function independently of the canonical phospho-ubiquitin axis important for DNA repair regulation.

A proteomic risk score for cardiorespiratory fitness, comprising as few as 21 proteins, is dynamic with exercise training and helps predict the risk of mortality and a range of cardiovascular, metabolic and neurological conditions.

A trial investigating the effects of a hybrid working schedule in a Chinese technology firm in 2021–2022 shows that working from home two days a week improved job satisfaction, reduced quitting and did not affect performance.

A bispecific non-coding RNA expressed by the IS110 family of mobile genetic elements forms the basis of a programmable genome-editing system that enables the insertion, excision or inversion of specific target DNA sequences.

Certain specific antigens have been shown to activate T cells in an MHC independent manner. Here the authors show a phycoerythrin reactive mouse TCR which recognises native protein and characterise the molecular nature of this interaction and that this specific TCR can be selected in the thymus.

This manuscript evaluates forecasts of laboratory-confirmed influenza hospital admissions, a new target for influenza forecasting in the United States. Across two influenza seasons, the FluSight ensemble is robust compared to submitted models.

The authors previously identified a family of viral insulin-like peptides (VILPs) with high homology to human insulin/IGF−1. Here, they report that one of these VILPs exhibits antagonist properties associated with a unique conformation of the IGF1R.

Macrophages have been reported to regulate thermogenic, sympathetic neuron-mediated norepinephrine signaling in adipose tissues. Here the authors report that male mice lacking the allograft inflammatory factor-1 protein are resistant to diet-induced obesity, in association with higher adipose norepinephrine levels and lower expression of the norepinephrine catabolic enzyme monoamine oxidase A.

Heathland ecosystems are resistant to extreme wildfires due to the differing drivers of low fuel moisture across all fuel types, but extreme heatwaves can cause homogenously low moisture content across fuels, causing extreme fire behavior, according to field measurement analysis of Calluna vulgaris and organic soil moisture content across the UK.

Timothy Frayling, Joel Hirschhorn, Peter Visscher and colleagues report a meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies for adult height in 253,288 individuals. They identify 697 variants in 423 loci significantly associated with adult height and find that these variants cluster in pathways involved in growth and together explain one-fifth of the heritability for this trait.

Due to fundamental anatomical and biochemical differences, C₃ and C₄ plant species tend to differ in their biogeography and response to climate change. Here, the authors use global observations and optimality theory to map patterns and temporal trends in C₄ species distribution and the contribution of C₄ plants to global photosynthesis.

The evolution of venom toxins is an area of intense study but has been hampered by the lack of non-toxin protein homologues. Here, phylogenetic analyses of non-toxin genes sourced from transcriptomic studies are found placed within groups of venom toxins, revealing dynamic changes in the sites of toxin expression.

Patients with mild COVID-19 show a pattern of interferon-stimulated gene (ISG) expression across all major cell types, but in patients with severe disease, antibodies block the production of these ISG-expressing cells.

Microglia can clear amyloid plaques in Alzheimer’s disease. Here, the authors show that specific isoforms of the phospholipid forming APOE lipoproteins activate microglia in pre-clinical mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease.

Long-range CRISPR activation can be enhanced by concurrent recruitment of artificial TFs to the enhancer and promoter of a target gene. This CRISPR activation system can be employed to achieve allele-selective gene upregulation by differentially targeting single-nucleotide polymorphisms embedded in enhancers or other distally located sequences.

In a phase 1 trial, patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma who were treated with surgery and bespoke neoantigen mRNA vaccines combined with anti-PD-L1 and chemotherapy exhibited marked long-lived persistence of neoantigen-specific CD8⁺ T cell clones, which correlated with prolonged recurrence-free survival at a 3.2-year follow-up.

Experimental evidence for charge coupling to ferroelectric soft mode is scarce. Here, the authors find a photogenerated coherent phonon coupling to the electronic transition above the bandgap in the van der Waals ferroelectric semiconductor NbOI2.

Cryo-electron microscopy structures of NMDA receptors in open and apo states reveal the molecular mechanism underlying the dual ligand requirement for its channel gating and opening.

siRNA stability and efficacy are improved by a backbone modification.

Analyses of multiregional tumour samples from 421 patients with non-small cell lung cancer prospectively enrolled to the TRACERx study reveal determinants of tumour evolution and relationships between intratumour heterogeneity and clinical outcome.

The Cox’s Bazar area of Bangladesh has received a large number of Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals. Cholera outbreaks have been detected in the area, and here, the authors perform genomic surveillance of cholera in the refugee and non-refugee population to infer the risk of epidemic spread.

Polyphosphate affects many cellular processes and is often found near cellular DNA. Here, the authors show that DNA forms shells around polyP-Mg²⁺ condensates in vitro, controlling condensate size and DNA morphology in a manner dependent on DNA properties.

Sensory neurons may regulate innate immune cells, but their roles in humoral immunity is still unclear. Here the authors show that bacterial infection and asthma induction induce sensory neuron production of distinct neurotransmitters to dampen B cell responses but differentially target IgG and IgE, respectively, to specifically modulate the symptoms.

This meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies four genetic loci associated with circulating leptin levels independent of adiposity. Examination in mouse adipose tissue explants provides functional support for the leptin-associated loci.

Most individuals with primary familial brain calcification (PFBC) remain genetically unsolved. Here the authors show that NAA60 biallelic variants cause PFBC, likely via reduced N-terminal acetylation and SLC20A2 levels with impaired phosphate uptake.

The heterochromatic 'condensates' may not be conserved across mammals. This study highlights the influence of host genome on nuclear architecture and challenges the hypothesis that heterochromatin and MeCP2 undergo phase separation.

Activity in anterior deep cerebellar nuclei reduces food consumption in mice without reducing metabolic rate, potentially identifying a therapeutic target for disorders involving excessive eating.

Here the authors isolate two human antibodies, H7.HK1 and H7.HK2, that achieve broad and potent neutralization against H7N9 influenza by targeting a distinct lateral patch on the hemagglutinin head, thus making them favorable to complement other antibodies for combination therapy.

Pearse et al. use whole genome sequencing to describe the antigenic and overall diversity of 169 Escherichia coli isolates causing invasive infections in neonates in a single hospital in Malawi. High levels of O-antigen diversity are found, highlighting the difficulty of developing a vaccine for this patient population.

The effectiveness of community-based land protection compared to traditional top-down protection is debated. Here, the authors show that both community-managed forests and traditional protected areas in Madagascar experienced deforestation during a political crisis but the former were especially vulnerable in the post-crisis period.

Detailed comparative analyses of two fossil crania from Apidima Cave, Greece, indicate that two late Middle Pleistocene human groups were present at this site; first an early Homo sapiens population followed by a Neanderthal population.

Single-cell transcriptomics and expression quantitative trait locus mapping in 114 lung tissue samples, including 66 with interstitial lung disease, highlight the cell-type-specific functions of risk variants contributing to disease pathobiology.

Rates of Philadelphia chromosome-like (Ph-like) acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) continue to rise in Hispanics and Latinos. Authors developed a digital PCR assay to quantify activation-induced cytidine deaminase activity at risk loci involved in cancer etiology that may contribute to this health disparity.

Researchers identified 7 biological group of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, one with poor prognosis. They developed a gene expression classifier to detect these groups, potentially improving prognosis and future treatments for the high-risk patients.