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The RNA-binding proteins Lin28A and Lin28B are known to have key roles in a variety of pathological states including cancer, obesity and diabetes. Here the authors show that Lin28A and -B alter cancer metabolism through let-7-mediated upregulation of pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1.

The endemic Tibetan antelope is adapted to high-altitude environments with low partial pressure of oxygen and high level of ultraviolet radiation. Here Ge et al. report a draft genome of this species and by comparison with other mammals, present possible genetic bases of highland adaptation.

Despite lung adenocarcinoma having a high global mortality, the genetic mutations present in Asian patients are uncharacterized. Here the authors use genomic and transcriptomic analysis to identify thirteen significantly affected genes, including RHPN2, GLI3, MRC2, TP53 and IQGAP3.

Carbon dioxide electrolysers are promising for chemical storage of renewable electricity; however, achieving effective adsorption/activation of CO₂ is still an issue. Here the authors make a perovskite titanate cathode where non-stoichiometry and chemical doping are used to tune the surface structures, facilitating CO₂reduction.

Infrared fluorescent proteins offer advantages for deep in vivo imaging thanks to the tissue-penetrating properties of infrared light. Here, Yu et al. design a monomeric infrared fluorescent protein that, when combined with expression of haeme oxygenase in cells, shows improved performance for in vivoimaging of neurons and brain tumours.

Myopia is a significant and increasing public health concern. Here Miyake et al. conduct a genome-wide association study and identify WNT7Bas a susceptibility gene across different ethnic groups, suggesting a possible role in the development of myopia.

The mechanism that drives the metal to insulator transition in the two-dimensional material molybdenum disulphide is unknown. Here, the authors identify a percolation-type transition by studying the transport and capacitance properties of a metal-insulator-MoS₂heterostructure.

A live-attenuated COVID vaccine could enrich the current vaccine portfolio. Here, Liu et al. engineer a live-attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine candidate by deleting four viral accessory genes and show immunogenicity and protection in mice and hamsters.

Hybrid halide perovskite single crystals show excellent optoelectronic properties but their small size and large thickness limit their application. Herein Liu et al. grow large area ultrathin flexible crystalline membrane of layered perovskite and demonstrate high detectivity in the flexible photosensors.

The deubiquitinase CYLD regulates a TAK1–JNK pathway and can be targeted to ameliorate nonalcoholic steatohepatitis.

Ho and colleagues report that mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired mitophagy triggered by the tumor microenvironment lead to subsequent epigenetic changes and cause permanent T cell exhaustion and dysfunction.

A genome-wide association analysis using data from Chinese individuals combined with a transethnic meta-analysis of Psychiatry Genomics Consortium data identifies 30 new loci for schizophrenia. These analyses improve the fine-mapping of susceptibility loci and implicate multiple pathways in schizophrenia biology.

The identification of a new subclass of circular RNAs that are predominantly nuclear and promote transcription of their parental genes reveals a new regulatory function for these noncoding RNAs.

Gong-Hong Wei, Jussi Taipale and colleagues show that a prostate cancer risk allele at 6q22 enhances HOXB13 chromatin binding at this locus, leading to increased allele-specific expression of RFX6. They further show that RFX6 suppression reduces the proliferation, migration and invasion of prostate cancer cells and that RFX6 expression in clinical samples correlates with tumor progression and metastasis.

Polo-like kinase 1 (Plk1) is a key regulator of mitosis. Here, the authors show that Plk1 activates the pentose phosphate pathway in cancer cells by directly phosphorylating glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and that such activation is critical for cell cycle progression and cancer cell growth.

Zhenglin Yang and colleagues use whole-exome sequencing to identify a rare variant in the FGD6 gene that is associated with the polypoidal choroidal vasculopathy subtype of wet age-related macular degeneration. They show that FGD6 regulates proangiogenic effects together with VEGF and that the mutation results in abnormal retinal vessel development.

New agonists of the serotonin 5-HT_2A receptor (5-HT_2AR) confer high brain permeability and antidepressant activity and—in contrast to classic 5-HT_2AR agonists—lack psychedelic activity.

Fire emissions in South America consistently decreased in 2003–2019, although anthropogenic forcing could exacerbate drought and fire risks. Here the authors find that the decreasing fires were associated with climatic conditions unfavorable for intensifying and spreading fires, led by the phase transition of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation.

The selective oxidation of glycerol to glyceric acid is an important value-added cascade catalytic process. Here the authors report a cascade synergistic catalysis strategy by atomic and low-coordinated cluster Pt on well-defined Cu-CuZrOx to simultaneously achieve high activity and selectivity.

Tumour-associated angiogenesis facilitates the growth of tumours. Here the authors show that integrin α3β1 promotes blood vessel formation in glioblastoma through calcium-mediated macropinocytosis and lysosomal exocytosis.

Determining the emergent climate change signals in the tropical Pacific—mean state and El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO)—is crucial for climate action. Model simulations show that the mean sea surface temperature signal is already detectable, and that mean rainfall and ENSO-related signals could emerge around 2040.

Circularly polarized organic afterglow (CPOA) with both long-lived room-temperature phosphorescence and circularly polarized luminescence is attracting great interest, but the development of multicolor-tunable CPOA in a single-component material remains challenging. Here, the authors report a strategy to achieve multicolor CPOA through chiral clusterization by inserting a chirality center into a non-conjugated organic cluster.

The formation of the pre-metastatic niche enables the colonisation of disseminated cancer cells in distant organs. Here, the authors show that Th2 cytokines induce Complement 3 production in lung mesenchymal stromal cells, which recruits neutrophils and promotes the formation neutrophil extracellular traps, facilitating breast cancer cell metastasis to the lungs.

Minimally invasive drug delivery is of wide interest and oral tissue is an attractive target for this. Here, the authors report on the creation of mussel-inspired films for retention on the wet oral tissue for the delivery of drugs by diffusion and transport though the mucosal tissue.

Hong-Xuan Lin and colleagues report that the gene PROG1 has an important role in determining the architecture of wild rice, including tiller angle and number of tillers. PROG1 encodes a zinc-finger transcription factor, and the authors suggest that selection of an amino acid substitution in PROG1 during domestication facilitated the transition to the architecture of domesticated rice.

Optovin is a small molecule that renders zebrafish embryos responsive to light through generation of singlet oxygen and activation of the TrpA1b channel, providing a new tool for optogenetics.

Our ability to predict El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) activity is hampered by the relatively short length of the instrumental record. An annually resolved record of ENSO variability over the past millennium based on tree rings indicates that ENSO amplitude varies on a 50–90 year cycle, providing an important constraint for improving predictions.

Iron (Fe) is one of the essential micronutrients for plant growth, but overload of Fe causes toxicity. Now researchers have identified a new family of small peptides that regulate Fe homeostasis by acting as phloem-mobile signals in flowering plants.