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Livanos et al. provide mechanistic insight into the recruitment and maintenance of kinesin-12 POK2, a central component of the division site in plants that is required for cell plate positioning during cytokinesis.

The study introduces NXT2 as a candidate gene for male infertility and shows that the encoded protein is involved in RNA nucleocytoplasmic transport in human testis by interacting with the RNA export factor NXF1 and proteins of the nuclear pore complex. NXT2 also interacts with the human testis-specific NXF1 paralogues NXF2 and NXF3. Mutations in NXT2 and NXF3 are linked to a disruption of nuclear export, leading to defective germ cell development and human male infertility.

Metabolic processes may be different in immune cells between neonates and adults. Here the authors measure metabolic changes in human monocytes from different aged donors and find enhanced oxidative phosphorylation fueling myeloid differentiation in neonates which contrasts glycolytic responses in early childhood and more effective inflammatory response.

Fernandes, Angelidaki et al. provide evidence supporting the spatial separation of mTORC1 activation and signalling. Differentially localized mTORC1 complexes phosphorylate distinct substrates in response to different amino acid supplies.

Alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT) is associated with a poor outcome in neuroblastoma. Here, the authors find that ALT is associated with mutated ATRX and/or reduced protein abundance, frequent telomeric repeat loci and heterochromatic telomeric chromatin.

Domain insertion into the loop region of AcrIIC1 leads to a variant with enhanced inhibitory activity toward Neisseria meningitides Cas9, while structure-guided design turns AcrIIC1 into a potent inhibitor of Staphylococcus aureus Cas9.

Antimicrobial peptide LL37 can bind nucleic acids and potentiate their sensing by endosomal TLRs. Here the authors show that LL37 binds to RNA from neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which amplifies inflammation and production of more LL37 and NETs via TLR8/13, suggesting that LL37 contribution to psoriasis may be fueled by NET-associated RNA.

Krapić, Kavazović and colleagues dissect the mechanism by which natural killer cells drive adipose tissue remodelling during viral infection, thus fuelling antiviral immune responses.

The authors provide protocols for rapid and scalable genome engineering in somatic cells of the liver and pancreas through both viral and nonviral delivery of CRISPR components into living mice.

Klebsiella oxytoca provides protection against Salmonella Typhimurium via toxin-dependent inhibition in nutrient-rich, low-competition environments but switches to substrate-driven competition when nutrients are limited.

Maturation of innate immune cells is a graded stereotypic process which is often conserved across species. Here authors label distinct neutrophil leukocyte developmental stages via generating combinations of transgenic zebrafish reporter strains, followed by transcriptome analysis of different neutrophil maturation stages and comparison to the gene expression profile of developing neutrophils from humans and mice.

Analogues of mRNA 5′ caps containing a photo-cleavable group have now been developed. These so-called FlashCaps can be used for routine in vitro transcription to make long mRNAs containing a cap. In cells, the capped mRNAs are translationally muted; however, upon irradiation by light, the photo-cleavable group is removed without leaving any remaining modification and mRNA is then translated into the corresponding protein.

Dark-field momentum microscopy makes it possible to spatio-temporally and spatio-spectrally resolve the dark-exciton dynamics in a twisted transition metal dichalcogenide heterostructure.

The Legionella effector DrrA AMPylates the host protein Rab1 during infection, but the mechanism is still under debate. Here, the authors provide structural insights into the low-affinity DrrA:Rab1 interaction, showing that Rab1 allosterically activates DrrA through a non-conventional binding mechanism.

Schwann cells (SCs) can acquire a repair phenotype following nerve injury. Here, the authors show that stromal SCs in ganglioneuromas express nerve-repair genes. Importantly, neuroblastoma cells respond to repair-related SCs increasing neuronal differentiation and reducing proliferation via EGFL8.

The RNAse III endonuclease Dicer is crucial for processing of pre-miRNAs in health and disease. Here the authors show that endothelial Dicer promotes atherosclerosis by increasing miR-103 levels leading to suppression of the anti-inflammatory transcription factor KLF4, thus suggesting a novel approach to treat this disease.

The Braun lab shows that the conserved nuclear membrane protein Lem2 interacts with the MTREC complex of the nuclear-exosome pathway to promote recruitment and degradation of ncRNAs and meiotic transcripts at the nuclear periphery in Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Nitrate electroreduction is a promising method for sustainable NH₃ production, but the challenge lies in achieving high yield and efficiency at low potentials. Here the authors report a bimetallic Co–B/Ru₁₂ catalyst for improved activity and unveil the dynamic change of the active sites using operando techniques and single entity experiments.

The herbivorous horseradish flea beetle sequesters plant toxins to defend against predators. Here the authors identify glucosinolate transporters expressed in the beetle Malpighian tubules and provide evidence that these reabsorb glucosinolates from the tubule lumen to prevent their loss by excretion.

Whether the perivascular niche (PVN) and the integration into multicellular networks by tumor microtubes (TMs) have a different role in glioblastoma progression and resistance to therapies is currently unclear. Here, the authors, by long-term tracking of individual glioma, demonstrate that both niches can partially compensate for each other and that glioma cells localized in both niches are resistant to radio- and chemotherapy.

The glutamine fructose-6-phosphate amidotransferase 1 (GFAT-1) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the hexosamine pathway producing uridine 5’-diphospho-N-acetyl-D-glucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc), an essential glycosylation precursor. Here, the authors dissect the mechanisms of GFAT-1 regulation by protein kinase A (PKA)-mediated phosphorylation.

piRNAs are small RNA molecules found primarily in the testes of mice and men. Stallmeyer et al. demonstrate that variants in specific genes can disrupt the formation of piRNAs, impairing spermatogenesis and causing human male infertility.

Haploid genetic screening of cells under different types of mitochondrial perturbation shows that a pathway involving OMA1, DELE1 and the eIF2α kinase HRI communicates mitochondrial stress to the cytosol to trigger the integrated stress response.

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) have immunomodulatory effects, but the underlying mechanisms are still unclear. Here the authors show that a SCFA, pentanoate, suppresses autoimmune inflammation in mouse models of colitis and multiple sclerosis via epigenetic modulation of immune cell metabolic and functional pathways.

Nature Biotechnology's readers select some of biotech's most remarkable and influential personalities from the past 10 years.

Stretchable and biodegradable elastic biogels based on gelatin, glucose, glycerol and citric acid are realized, whose mechanical properties can be adapted to a broad range of applications in soft robotics and wearable electronics.

In yeast, the heterodimeric ribosome-associated complex (RAC) acts in concert with the Hsp70 protein Ssb, forming a unique chaperone triad. Here the authors use structural and biochemical approaches to shed light on how translation and folding are coupled in eukaryotes.

Lifespan can be affected by both physiological ageing and specific sets of pathologies associated with old age. Here the authors report a resource of large-scale cross-sectional phenotyping of aging male mice at different time points to analyse a large set of phenotypes and molecular markers, including during genetic and diet interventions affecting lifespan.

A 500 kyr long record of vegetation change from SE Europe demonstrates that forest resilience is lost when precipitation decreases below a threshold limit, and highlights the vulnerability of Mediterranean forests to near-future climate change

The mechanism of action of LNA043—a novel disease-modifying osteoarthritis treatment candidate—is characterized in preclinical studies and through transcriptomic profiling of cartilage from patients with osteoarthritis in a phase 1 trial.

Pathologic oligomerization of hyper-phosphorylated Tau is a hallmark of tauopathies. Here the authors show that the loss of tubulin a4 polyglutamylation reverses tau hyperphosphorylation, oligomerization and microglia activation in a tauopathy mouse.

SUMOylation is a post-translational modification that has been shown to be altered in cancer. Here, the authors show that loss of the SUMO isopeptidase SENP6 leads to unrestricted SUMOylation and genomic instability promoting lymphomagenesis and generating vulnerability to PARP inhibition.

Aspergillus minisclerotigenes, linked to fatal aflatoxicosis in Kenya, shares high genetic similarity with A. flavus and A. parasiticus. However, genome analysis reveals key differences in aflatoxin gene clusters and enzymes, crucial for food safety and risk assessment.

The HIV reservoir is a major hurdle for a cure of HIV, but the factors determining its size and dynamics remain unclear. Here the authors show in a large cohort of 610 HIV-1 infected individuals, who are on suppressive ART for a median of 5.4 years, that viral genetic factors contribute substantially to the HIV-1 reservoir size.

Synaptic vesicles store neurotransmitters and fuse with the pre-synaptic membrane when an action potential arrives at the nerve terminal. Here authors apply cross-linking mass spectrometry to study interactions of synaptic vesicle proteins and describe a protein network of vesicle sub-populations and functional assemblies.

Here, Bachmann et al. provide data on long-term dynamics of the HIV-1 reservoir in 1,057 individuals on suppressive antiretroviral therapy and show that in 26.6% of individuals the reservoir increases. Viral blips and low-level viremia are significantly associated with a slower reservoir decay.

Rauh et al. developed a selective MCL1 inhibitor that is efficacious in hematological and solid tumors and has the advantage of limited cardiotoxicity because of more rapid clearance of the drug in vivo.

SAMHD1 inhibits murine cytomegalovirus replication in vivo and its activity is counteracted by the viral kinase M97. Phosphorylation of SAMHD1 by M97 correlates with reduced dNTP hydrolase activity and a loss of viral restriction in infected cells.

ApoE is a direct checkpoint inhibitor of unresolvable inflammation in neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases

Structural, biochemical and functional analyses elucidate the mechanisms by which mutations in the TBC1D24 gene interfere with protein function, thus causing early-onset epilepsy and DOORS syndrome.

A nanobody-based immunolabeling method, vDISCO, boosts the signal of fluorescent proteins and allows imaging of subcellular details in intact transparent mice. It uncovers neuronal projections and skull–meninges connections in whole adult mice.

Neonates are thought to have impaired immune responses, yet, paradoxically, they can also demonstrate hyperinflammation. Ulas et al. show that a neonatal burst of the alarmins S100A8 and S100A9 activates a distinct innate immune response without dangerous hyperinflammation.