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During emergency myelopoiesis in mice, clusters of self-renewing granulocyte/macrophage progenitors (GMP) are transiently formed in the bone marrow cavity to produce a burst of myeloid cells; in leukaemia, GMP clusters persist and constantly generate myeloid leukaemia cells.

A small molecule inhibits CDK12 and CDK13 activity through covalent modification of Cys residues and reveals a role of the two kinases in regulating Pol II processivity and super-enhancer-driven transcription factor and DNA damage response gene expression.

In the worm C. elegans, a previously unidentified pair of bilateral neurons in the male (termed MCMs) are shown to arise from differentiated glial cells upon sexual maturation; these neurons are essential for a male-specific form of associative learning which balances chemotactic responses with reproductive priorities.

High-resolution structure of the E. coli ribosome highlights rRNA and protein modifications and provides details on solvation characteristics and the structural impacts of ribosome modifications.

Autophagosome biogenesis depends on the lipid kinase Vps34 and its binding proteins Beclin 1 and Atg14L. Lu et al.identify nuclear receptor binding factor 2 (NRBF2) as a regulator of this complex, and show that loss of NRBF2 impairs autophagy, enhances cell vulnerability to endoplasmic reticulum stress and promotes necrosis in the liver.

Neurotransmitter:Na⁺ symporters (NSS) remove neurotransmitters from the synapse in a reuptake process that is driven by the Na⁺ gradient. Here, single-molecule fluorescence imaging assays have been combined with molecular dynamics simulations to probe the conformational changes that are associated with substrate binding and transport by a prokaryotic NSS homologue, LeuT. The findings are interpreted in the context of an allosteric mechanism that couples ion and substrate binding to transport.

A comprehensive study of excitonic processes in Ag-doped CdSe nanocrystals shows the conversion of nonmagnetic Ag⁺ dopants into paramagnetic Ag²⁺.

Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer is treated with the microtubule-stabilizing drugs taxanes, but resistance ultimately develops. Here Galletti et al.show that ERG, a transcription factor commonly overexpressed in prostate cancers, confers taxane resistance by binding to soluble tubulin.

Diet is a major factor determining the composition of gut microbiota in mammals, while host evolutionary history seems to play an unclear role. Here, Sanderset al. show that baleen whales, which prey on animals, harbour a unique gut microbiome with similarities to those of terrestrial herbivores.

Memory T cells are vital responders to skin inflammation, but cell localization and dynamics of exchange with the bloodstream are not clear. Here the authors use parabiosis and intravital microscopy to show that CD4⁺memory T cells equilibrate with the circulation and cluster around hair follicles in response to CCL5-dependent responses to viral infection or contact sensitization.

Macroautophagy involves remodelling of intracellular membranes, but the role of lipids and lipid enzymes in this process is poorly understood. Here, the authors demonstrate that phospholipase D1, an enzyme that catalyses the production of phosphatidic acid, has a modulatory role in the autophagy process in mammalian cells.

Riccardo Velasco and colleagues report the genome sequence of the 'Golden Delicious' domesticated apple. These data shed new insight into the genomic events that preceded the origin of this crop.

Genomic analysis of 491 medulloblastoma samples, including methylation profiling of 1,256 cases, effectively assigns candidate drivers to most tumours across all molecular subgroups.

The nasopharynx-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) of terrestrial mammals serves as a first line of defence against pathogens. Here the authors show that fish also have NALT, characterized by the presence of diffuse lymphoid cells including IgT⁺B cells, and demonstrate successful intranasal immunization.

Cognitive control is fundamental to human intelligence, yet the principles constraining the neural dynamics of cognitive control remain elusive. Here, the authors use network control theory to demonstrate that the structure of brain networks dictates their functional role in controlling dynamics.

An approach in which quaternary centres are leveraged to improve synthetic planning can lead to shorter and optimized syntheses, demonstrated here on a series of polycyclic terpenes.

Richard Duerr and colleagues present a genome-wide association study of ulcerative colitis. They identify new risk loci on chromosomes 1p36 and 12q15.

About half of the satellites in the Andromeda galaxy (M 31), all with the same sense of rotation about their host, form a planar subgroup that is extremely wide but also very thin.

Coastal ecosystems are sensitive to changes in the quantity and lability of terrigenous dissolved organic matter (DOM) delivered by rivers. The lability of DOM is thought to decrease with age, but this view stems from work in watersheds where terrestrial plant and soil sources dominate streamwater DOM. Here, glaciated watersheds on the Gulf of Alaska are shown to be a source of old but labile dissolved organic matter, suggesting that glacial runoff is an important source of labile reduced carbon to marine ecosystems.

A recent optogenetic method has been adapted to map long-range inputs onto various segments of the dendritic arborizations of cortical pyramidal neurons. Specific inputs tend to cluster in distinct domains within dendritic trees. Such spatial segregation of different axonal inputs within dendrites may strengthen coupling of coherent cell populations during neuronal information processing and learning.

Data are presented that support the idea of an oxygenation event in the immediate aftermath of the Marinoan glaciation, pre-dating previous estimates for post-Marinoan oxygenation by more than 50 million years.

The baryon density determined along the lines of sight to localized fast radio bursts is consistent with that determined from the cosmic microwave background and required by Big Bang nucleosynthesis.

Previously, the authors have shown that working memory can be maintained by brief gamma oscillation bursts. Here, the authors use a new task to further demonstrate the dynamics of gamma and beta oscillations in working memory readout, independent of behavioral response.

Human leucocyte antigen E (HLA-E) directly engages NK cells but also presents antigen to CD8⁺ T cells. Here the authors show crystal structures of HLA-E in complex with peptides derived from HIV and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, and describe binding conformations, the positional impact of residues involved and discuss implications for functional presentation to CD8⁺ T cells.

Meningeal lymphatic dysfunction promotes amyloid-β deposition in the meninges and worsens brain amyloid-β pathology, acting as an aggravating factor in Alzheimer’s disease and in age-associated cognitive decline; improving meningeal lymphatic function could help to prevent or delay age-associated neurological diseases.

Paracrine signaling networks in the breast cancer microenvironment uncover determinants of hormone receptor status and offer opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

Homologous recombination ensures genome integrity during meiotic recombination. Here the authors reveal that factors SWS1 and SWSAP1 are critical for meiotic homologues recombination, particularly in promoting assembly of RAD51 and DMC1 on early recombination intermediates.

The mechanisms regulating stem cells to give rise to human interfollicular epidermis are unclear. Here, the authors use single cell RNA sequencing to identify heterogeneity within the human neonatal interfollicular epidermis and distinct spatial positioning of at least four basal stem cell populations.

The homeobox NKX2 family of transcriptional factors has been shown to regulate fundamental developmental processes. Here, the authors show that NKX2-3 is a bona fideoncogenic driver in marginal-zone B-cell lymphoma and that it promotes lymphomagenesis by shaping lymphocyte dynamics and promoting BCR signalling.

The vitamin D receptor/retinoid X receptor-α heterodimer (VDRRXRα) regulates bone mineralization. Here the authors employ hydrogen/deuterium exchange (HDX) mass spectrometry to study the conformational dynamics of VDRRXRα and give mechanistic insights into how VDRRXRα controls the transcriptional activity of specific genes.

Bower et al. describe a population of mural lymphatic endothelial cells found along meningeal blood vessels in the adult zebrafish. These mural cells are distinct from meningeal lymphatic vessel cells but form by developmental lymphangiogenesis. They take up low-density lipoproteins from the bloodstream and can modulate angiogenesis during meningeal vascularization.

Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) experience flares of autoantibody secretion. Sanz and colleagues track the plasma cell repertoires of patients with SLE and find a sizeable polyclonal contribution by newly activated autoreactive B cells.

In this paper, the authors show that, in the non-diseased state, the huntingtin protein promotes homotypic interactions between neuroepithelial cells, a process that is critical for proper neurulation.

Epithelial cell transcytosis of polymeric IgA by its receptor requires polarized membrane trafficking. A signalling cascade involving the tyrosine kinase YES, EGFR, ERK and the Rab11 effector FIP5 is now shown to regulate this process.

Hunger makes Drosophila larvae move faster in search of food. Koon and colleagues show that starvation increases the branching of octopaminergic motoneurons' axonal terminal arbors, driven by octopamine released from these same motoneurons. The increased locomotor activity of starved larvae requires octopaminergic signaling.