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Individuals over eighty years of age are less likely to mount a good immune response against SARS-CoV-2 (measured by neutralization titres) after the first dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, but achieve good neutralization after the second dose.

Computational and machine-learning approaches that integrate genomic and transcriptomic variation from paired primary and metastatic non-small cell lung cancer samples from the TRACERx cohort reveal the role of transcriptional events in tumour evolution.

Despite their discovery in the 19th century, the islands of Calleja, clusters of densely packed granule cells in the ventral striatum, remain enigmatic. This study reveals that islands of Calleja neurons are critical for grooming control in mice.

Here, the genome sequence of the tiger tail seahorse is reported and comparative genomic analyses with other ray-finned fishes are used to explore the genetic basis of the unique morphology and reproductive system of the seahorse.

Polygenic risk scores predict the likelihood that an individual will develop a certain cancer, however these are often specific for a given population. Here, the authors show that a risk score developed to assess the risk of breast cancer in European women can also predict risk in Asian populations.

A silent single-nucleotide variant (SNV) affecting the transcription of a long noncoding RNA (lncRNA EGFR-AS1) within the EGFR coding region alters the EGFR isoform ratio and modulates oncogene addiction and response to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors in squamous-cell cancers. Proof-of-concept validation in patients supports the notion that this SNV and levels of the lncRNA could be used to predict response to therapy in a clinical setting. These results, together with findings by Bal et al., uncover the functional role of noncoding RNAs in modulating the response to targeted therapies in cancer.

Goekbuget et al. characterize the role of the developmentally essential transcriptional repressor FOXD3 in limiting transcription of highly active genes upon entry into S phase to promote faithful DNA replication and to protect genome integrity.

Urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (UCAR) is associated with various clinical outcomes such as kidney disease and cardiovascular disease. Here, the authors report genome-wide meta-analysis in over 500,000 individuals and find 68 UACR loci, followed by statistical fine-mapping, gene prioritization and experimental validation in flies.

This Brain Somatic Mosaicism Network analysis of 283 cases of malformations of cortical development identifies 69 candidate and known genes in 76 patients. Single-nucleus RNA sequencing and mouse modeling implicate radial glia and daughter excitatory neurons.

In lung adenocarcinoma, antibodies against endogenous retroviruses promote anti-tumour activity, and expression of endogenous retroviruses can predict outcomes of immunotherapy.

Photo-rechargable energy storage cells can provide plug-free power for various applications. Here the authors integrate a photo-absorbing dye complex with LiFePO₄nanocrystals as a lithium-ion battery cathode in a two-electrode system demonstrating its photo-charging and galvanostatic discharging.

Assessing microbial water quality is an important approach to monitor potential risks to human and environmental health. The use of two human faecal bacteria as molecular indicators is shown to be more sensitive than conventional measures for detecting contamination on an extensive set of data.

The genome of the Asian pitcher plant shows a decaploid structure and highlights the differential contributions of subgenomes to the evolution of novel genes, such as those associated with dioecy and trapping pitcher leaves.

A finger-based brain–computer interface was developed for a person with tetraplegia to allow him to fly a virtual quadcopter, an innovation that can lead to improved social connectedness, recreation and a sense of enablement.

Circulating metabolites reflect human health and disease. Here, Kettunen et al. perform a genome-wide association study on 123 circulating metabolic traits and identify novel genetic loci influencing systemic metabolism. They also link new molecular pathways with a known cardiovascular risk factor Lp(a).

Elrod and colleagues reveal the role of ATP-citrate lyase in myofibroblast differentiation and cardiac fibrosis.

The molecular mechanisms mediating the impact of environmental factors in atherosclerosis are unclear. Here, the authors examine CD14+ blood monocyte’s transcriptome and epigenome signatures to find differential methylation and expression of ARID5B to be associated with human atherosclerosis.

In this disease mapping study, the authors estimate disability-adjusted life year rates for three of the major causes of mortality for children under five 43 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. They identify significant heterogeneity at the subnational level, highlighting the need for a targeted intervention approach.

A meta-analysis of genome-wide association study data from 77,418 individuals of East Asian ancestry with type 2 diabetes identifies novel variants associated with increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

Electrochemical conversion of nitrate into ammonia offers a method for mitigating nitrate pollution in water. Here the authors report the electrochemical nitrate-to-ammonia conversion using high-entropy oxide Mg_0.2Co_0.2Ni_0.2Cu_0.2Zn_0.2O and find that the Co spin states are crucial for synergistic ammonia generation.

Topoisomerase 3β (Top3β) solves topological stress in DNA or RNA metabolism and its mutations are linked to mental disorders. Here, the authors describe transcriptional and behavioural impairments in Top3β-knockout mice and show that these are linked to impaired neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity.

We evaluated the use of chimeric antigen receptor-modified T cells targeting GD2 (GD2-CART) for H3K27M⁺ diffuse midline glioma (DMG), finding that intravenous administration of GD2-CART, followed by intracranial infusions, induced tumour regressions and neurological improvements in patients with H3K27M-mutant pontine or spinal DMG.

BAF53b is a neuron-specific component of the nucleosome remodeling complex mSWI/SNF that allows euchromatin formation and provides epigenetic regulation of gene expression. Here, the authors generated BAF53b mutant and rescue mice to show that postnatal nucleosome modeling is crucial to hippocampal synaptic plasticity, neuronal morphology and memory performance.

The ATLAS Collaboration reports a measurement of the ratio of the decay rates of W bosons to τ leptons and muons, in agreement with universal lepton couplings as postulated in the standard model of particle physics.

Epithelial tissue mononuclear phagocytes (MNP) can transmit HIV to CD4 T cells, but less is known about sub-epithelial cells. Here, the authors describe MNPs in human anogenital and colorectal tissues and find that CD14⁺CD1c⁺ monocyte-derived dendritic cells and langerin-expressing conventional dendritic cells 2 preferentially take up and transmit HIV.

The functional relevance of age-related variation in DNA methylation is unclear. Here, Reynolds et al. analyze how patterns of genome-wide gene expression and DNA methylation data vary with age in circulating monocytes and T cells, and report age-associated methylation signals that are correlated with cis-gene expression and vascular aging.

While there has been evidence of strong carrier multiplication effects in halide perovskites, studies in actual solar cells are lacking. Here, the authors demonstrate such effects with a low threshold of 2E_g and a high efficiency of 99.4%, realizing unbiased internal quantum efficiency up to 160%.

Asexual vertebrates are extremely rare. Here, the authors sequence the genome of the Amazon molly, an asexual fish, and find few signs of genetic degeneration but clonal polymorphism and high heterozygosity, which might explain the success of this species.

A range of cancer cell types are shown to lack rigidity-sensing due to alteration in specific cytoskeletal sensor proteins and this sensing ability can be reversed from a transformed to a rigidity-dependent growth state by the sensor proteins, resulting in restoration of contractility and adhesion.

The direct measurement of the QCD dead cone in charm quark fragmentation is reported, using iterative declustering of jets tagged with a fully reconstructed charmed hadron.

A longitudinal evolutionary analysis of 126 lung cancer patients with metastatic disease reveals the timing of metastatic divergence, modes of dissemination and the genomic events subject to selection during the metastatic transition.

The ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider reports a search for charged-lepton-flavour violation in decays of Z bosons into a τ lepton and an electron or muon of opposite charge.