Search

There is limited understanding of SARS-CoV-2 intra-host evolution and subsequent transmission and adaptations in the context of persistent infection. Here, the authors describe sequential persistent SARS-CoV-2 infections that led to the emergence, transmission and further evolution of a novel Omicron BA.1.23 lineage.

Roesch and colleagues use clinical datasets and mouse models of BRAF-mutant melanoma to reveal a role for IL-17A in positive responses to anti-PD-1 and anti-CTLA-4 therapy, which they also link to infiltrating neutrophils.

The first operation of the European X-ray free-electron laser facility accelerator based on superconducting technology is reported. The maximum electron energy is 17.5 GeV. A laser average power of 6 W is achieved at a photon energy of 9.3 keV.

Reduced glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) is a hallmark of chronic kidney disease. Here, Pattaro et al. conduct a meta-analysis to discover several new loci associated with variation in eGFR and find that genes associated with eGFR loci often encode proteins potentially related to kidney development.

A microfluidic bronchial-airway-on-a-chip lined by human bronchial-airway epithelium and pulmonary endothelium can be used to rapidly identify antiviral therapeutics and prophylactics with repurposing potential.

Analysis of 273 ancient horse genomes reveals that modern domestic horses originated in the Western Eurasian steppes, especially the lower Volga-Don region.

Genome-wide association meta-analyses of waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index in more than 224,000 individuals identify 49 loci, 33 of which are new and many showing significant sexual dimorphism with a stronger effect in women; pathway analyses implicate adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution.

Activated B cells and T cells accumulate within joints of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Here, the authors use single-cell transcriptome and repertoire profiling to identify clonally expanded synovial B cells and T cells and define their phenotypes and predicted cell-cell interactions.

The LHCb collaboration reports an improved measurement of the oscillation frequency of mesons consisting of a bottom quark and strange quark, which is then combined with previous results.

Whole-genome sequencing analysis of individuals with primary immunodeficiency identifies new candidate disease-associated genes and shows how the interplay between genetic variants can explain the variable penetrance and complexity of the disease.

The aboveground carbon stock of a montane African forest network is comparable to that of a lowland African forest network and two-thirds higher than default values for these montane forests.

Drivers of long-term trends in insect populations are usually inferred from space-for-time substitution studies rather than from time-series data. Here, the authors investigate insect trends across a 40-year period in Switzerland and test their linkages with climate change, land use change and their interactions.

This report from the 1000 Genomes Project describes the genomes of 1,092 individuals from 14 human populations, providing a resource for common and low-frequency variant analysis in individuals from diverse populations; hundreds of rare non-coding variants at conserved sites, such as motif-disrupting changes in transcription-factor-binding sites, can be found in each individual.

Actinides generally form ionic compounds, however, when electron-rich ligands with large hyperpolarizabilities are used, partially covalent bonds can also form. Now a rare californium borate is shown to exhibit significant differences from other f-elements in its structure and bonding. Quantum mechanical calculations support Cf and ligand orbital interactions, also indicating partial covalent bonding.

Ken Ong and colleagues report meta-analysis of 32 genome-wide association studies for age at menarche. They identify 30 loci newly associated with age at menarche, including four that were previously associated with BMI.

A single-cell transcriptomic atlas from embryonal pons and forebrain provides insights into the developmental origins of pediatric brain tumors. The study identifies impaired differentiation of specific neural progenitors as a common mechanism underlying these cancers.

Analysis of a European cohort estimated that 1–2 per 10,000 children, adolescents and young adults are expected to develop a hematological malignancy within 12 years following computed tomography examination.

Plasma extracellular vesicles contain quantifiable amounts of TDP-43 and full-length tau, allowing the accurate assessment of pathology in frontotemporal dementia, frontotemporal dementia spectrum disorders and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Automated pathotyping of synovial tissue in arthritis is a major unmet need. Here, the authors develop and demonstrate the efficacy of an automated tissue and cellular pathotyping tool for inflammatory arthritis.

Efficient statistical emulation of melting land ice under various climate scenarios to 2100 indicates a contribution from melting land ice to sea level increase of at least 13 centimetres sea level equivalent.

A genome-wide association study of 1.7 million individuals identified 41 genetic variants associated with left-handedness and 7 associated with ambidexterity. The genetic correlation between the traits was low, thereby implying different aetiologies.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is characterized by pancreatic beta-cell failure. Here, the authors show restoration of Phosphatidylinositol transfer protein alpha (PITPNA), a mediator of PtdIns-4-phosphate synthesis in the trans-Golgi network, in human T2D islets reverses impaired insulin granule maturation, exocytosis, and ER stress.

A human–SARS-CoV-2 protein interaction map highlights cellular processes that are hijacked by the virus and that can be targeted by existing drugs, including inhibitors of mRNA translation and predicted regulators of the sigma receptors.

Expression of HNF1A and KRT81 stratifies pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma tumors into different subtypes, and expression of cytochrome P450 3A5 mediates basal and/or drug-induced therapy resistance in each subtype.

Kathryn Lunetta and colleagues report a meta-analysis of 22 genome-wide association studies for age at menopause. They identify 13 loci newly associated with age at natural menopause, including several candidate genes with roles in DNA repair and immune function.

TOI-500 hosts at least four planets, the innermost of which is an Earth-sized ultra-short-period body with a density similar to Earth. The architecture of the TOI-500 system can be explained by a slow, secular, low-eccentricity migration scenario.

Past genome-wide associate studies have identified hundreds of genetic loci that influence body size and shape when examined one trait at a time. Here, Jeff and colleagues develop an aggregate score of various body traits, and use meta-analysis to find new loci linked to body shape.

Interactions between European bird and plant species show that fruiting period has a major effect on seed dispersal by migrating birds, which will influence plant adaptations to climate change through latitudinal dispersal.

SCENT is a nonparametric method that models association between chromatin accessibility and gene expression in single-cell multimodal datasets, enabling construction of cell-type-specific enhancer–gene maps to aid mapping of candidate causal variants and genes for common diseases.

A collaborative study demonstrates that, compared with previous SARS-CoV-2 variants, B.1.1.529 isolates cause less infection and disease in mice and hamsters, in agreement with preliminary data from studies in humans.

A screen of the ReFRAME library of approximately 12,000 known drugs for antiviral activity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) identified several candidate compounds with suitable activities and pharmacological profiles, which could potentially expedite the deployment of therapies for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

A thin low-loss indium oxide interconnect layer grown by atomic layer deposition enables perovskite–organic hybrid tandem solar cells with a high open-circuit voltage and a high power conversion efficiency.

Federated learning can be used to train medical AI models on sensitive personal data while preserving important privacy properties; however, the sensitive nature of the data makes it difficult to evaluate approaches reproducibly on real data. The MedPerf project presented by Karargyris et al. provides the tools and infrastructure to distribute models to healthcare facilities, such that they can be trained and evaluated in realistic settings.

Influenza A virus (IAV) infection can be exacerbated by bacterial co-infections but the effect of IAV on the upper respiratory tract (URT) microbiome remains unclear. Here, the authors compare the dynamics of the UTR microbiome in IAV-infected ferrets and humans, finding similar trends at the ecosystem and individual taxon level in both hosts.

Unlike in the d block, intervalence charge transfer is rare in the 5f block owing to localized valence electrons and poor overlap between metal and ligand orbitals. Delocalization of 5f electrons has now been observed in a Pu(III)/Pu(IV)–pyridinedicarboxylate solid-state compound. It occurs through metal-to-ligand charge transfer with both plutonium centres.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has affected the global economy, environment, and political order. Here, the authors show that it also coincided with a temporary decline in psychological well-being across Europe.

Here, Rathnasinghe et al. characterize the pathogenesis of a mouse-adapted SARS-CoV-2 in infected obese and aged mice, and identify mutations that are present in SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, associated with higher transmissibility.

Transcriptomic and histological profiling of gut biopsies from multiple independent cohorts of patients with inflammatory bowel disease identifies distinct histopathological, molecular and cellular features associated with treatment response, providing insights for patient stratification and precision therapy.

GGGGCC repeat expansion in the C9orf72 gene causes amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia. Here the authors show that CCCCGG antisense repeat RNA binds and inhibits phenylalanine-tRNA synthetase resulting in decreased levels of tRNAphe and phenylalanine rich proteins.

The Large Hadron Collider beauty collaboration reports a test of lepton flavour universality in decays of bottom mesons into strange mesons and a charged lepton pair, finding evidence of a violation of this principle postulated in the standard model.

By varying the coupling between quantum dots obtained by patterning an InAs nanowire it is possible to control the transition between superconducting and normal states.

Genetic and environmental factors impact on lung function, important in the diagnosis of pulmonary diseases. Here the authors use imputation of genotypes to the 1000 Genomes Project reference panel to identify novel, low frequency variants associated with lung function.