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Carcinoma-associated fibroblasts are key components of solid tumours and associated with poor clinical outcome. Here the authors show that the cytokine LIF initiates an epigenetic switch which results in the sustained invasive activity of the tumour cells.

The function of the deacetylase SIRT1 in cancer is complex and controversial. This article discusses the recent progress that has been made in mouse models to address the role of SIRT1 in tumour development.

Telomerase deficiency leads to age-related diseases and shortened lifespan, while inhibition of the mTOR pathway delays aging. Here, the authors show that inhibition of mTORC1 signaling shortens the lifespan of telomerase deficient mice.

Two chemical probes, YnF and YnGG, that enable the identification of prenylated peptides and global analysis of protein prenylation using quantitative chemical proteomics have now been developed. Prenylation dynamics in response to pharmacological inhibition of prenyl-transferase enzymes were also studied. As a final demonstration, defective Rab prenylation in a model of the retinal degenerative disease choroideremia was also quantified.

TMPRSS2 is regulated by androgen receptor signalling in the prostate, however it is unclear if blocking this signalling is beneficial in the context of SARS-CoV-2 lung infection. Here the authors show that antiandrogen treatment downregulates TMPRSS2 in the lung and reduces viral entry and infection.

Calcium carbonates (CaCO₃) often accumulate in mangrove and seagrass sediments. Here the authors conducted a meta-analysis of inorganic carbon burial rates in mangrove and seagrass sediments and found that CaCO₃ burial contributes to Blue Carbon ecosystems’ capacity to offset sea-level rise without undermining the role as CO₂ sinks.

The extracellular matrix can affect cell behaviour both physically and biochemically. Here, the authors developed a substrate that is based on peptides and nucleic acids hybrids that can dynamically present signals upon demand which regulate cell adhesion and migration, thereby controlling cell organisation.

This research presents global baseline estimates of mangrove soil C stocks enabling countries to begin to assess their mangrove soil C stocks and the emissions that might arise from mangrove deforestation.

A study finds T cells in areas of tau, not amyloid, pathology in Alzheimer’s disease brain and mouse models, with their presence correlating with neuronal loss and their depletion, or that of microglia, preventing neurodegeneration and cognitive decline.

Liquid water on equatorial Mars is inconsistent with large-scale climatic conditions. Humidity and temperature measurements by the Curiosity rover support the formation of subsurface liquid brines by hydration of perchlorates during the night.

Identifying genes associated with SNPs in non-coding regions is difficult as the SNPs are often located far from the promoters they impact. Cross-species comparison of sites occupied by the insulating protein CTCF reveals conserved boundaries between genes often associated with disease. Multiple sclerosis–associated SNPs occur in the GFI1-EVI5 genomic region near several constitutively bound CTCF sites, enabling the authors to propose GFI1 as the gene linked to MS instead of the previously suggested EVI5.

Silicon spin qubits can be fabricated in a 300 mm semiconductor manufacturing facility using all-optical lithography and fully industrial processing.

Most Amazon tree species are rare but a small proportion are common across the region. The authors show that different species are hyperdominant in different size classes and that hyperdominance is more phylogenetically restricted for larger canopy trees than for smaller understory ones.

In this study, the authors show that PTEN alters synaptic function after PDZ-dependent recruitment into spines induced by amyloid-β. This mechanism is crucial for pathogenesis, as preventing PTEN-PDZ interactions renders neurons resistant to amyloid-β and rescues cognitive function in Alzheimer's disease models. This suggests that PTEN is a critical effector of the synaptic pathology associated with Alzheimer's disease.

In a new study including 200 families who experienced perinatal death, adding genomic analyses to standard autopsies improved the identification of underlying pathogenic causes and informed genetic counseling.

Genome-wide CRISPR screens, biochemical studies and animal models show that RASA2 has a key role in regulating T cell function and has potential as a genetic target for enhancing anti-tumour immunity.

Sánchez-Serrano discusses the story of the innovative anticancer drug bortezomib to dissect the key public-sector-private sector interactions that made the development of this drug successful despite many barriers, and considers the implications for improving translational research in general.

The spatial variation in sediment organic carbon stocks in a patchy seagrass meadow is linked to the temporal stability of the patches, according to an analysis of sediment samples and historical aerial imagery collected in Massachusetts, USA.

How biodiversity is linked to multiple ecosystem functions is not fully understood. Here, the authors show that a new mechanism, which they term the 'jack-of-all-trades' effect, best explains patterns of tree diversity and ecosystem multifunctionality in European forests.

Profiling >200,000 live human microglia from 74 donors across neurological diseases reveals 12 subtypes of microglia that were validated in situ. Camptothecin is also identified as a compound reducing disease-enriched microglial subsets.

The absence of forward or backward scattered radiation by magnetodielectric spheres was predicted decades ago, yet direct measurements have remained elusive. Geffrin et al. present unambiguous evidence of such scattering effects in the gigahertz range for a sub-wavelength dielectric sphere.

Cell arrangement in the plane of epithelia is well studied, but its three-dimensional packing is largely unknown. Here the authors model curved epithelia and predict that cells adopt a geometrical shape they call “scutoid”, resulting in different apical and basal neighbours, and confirm the presence of scutoids in curved tissues.

Here, the authors report that α-synuclein phase-separates into liquid condensates with positively charged polypeptides such as Tau. The condensates undergo different maturation processes, including the formation of α-synuclein/Tau amyloid hetero-aggregates inside the condensates.

Solution-processed blue lasers are used in many applications such as spectroscopy or material processing. Here, the authors demonstrate a borane solution-based blue laser that offers a high efficiency and a photostability that is superior to commercial laser dyes.

Aß are extracellular deposits relevant in Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study shows that Aß plaques are hubs of endothelial disassembly that induce non-productive angiogenesis. This process is aided by the microglia and unchained by reduced presenilin function, a trait of AD, in endothelial cells.

Enveloped viruses subvert a range of host proteins during their egress from the host cell. Here, Martin-Serrano and Neil describe our current understanding of the factors involved in retroviral budding from the cell surface and discuss how restriction factors, such as tetherin, can prevent viral release.

Light-driven CO₂ reduction provides a way to limit greenhouse gas concentrations, but understanding how materials accomplish this transformation is challenging. Here, authors examine the reaction over plasmonic silver-titanium dioxide using time-resolved, in situ techniques to follow the mechanism.

Coordination polymers and metal-organic frameworks are appealing synthetic hosts for mediating reactions. Here, the authors report a mesoscopic metal-organic structure that is shown to accelerate condensation reactions in water in the absence of acid or base, owing to the hydrophobic environment of the host.

Oscar Fernandez-Capetillo and colleagues report a mouse model of the human Seckel syndrome characterized by a deficiency in ATR. The Seckel mice show high levels of replicative stress during embryogenesis, and the adults show premature aging.

Iodine is important for new particle formation in the atmosphere, but how it varies over long time scales is not well known. Here, the authors present ice core data from the last 127,000 years that show that iodine varied between glacials and interglacials, but also showed abrupt changes in pace with sea-ice and temperatures.