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Doil Choi and colleagues report the genome sequence of the hot pepper, Capsicum annuum, as well as the resequencing of two cultivated peppers and a wild species, Capsicum chinense. Comparative genomic analysis across Solanaceae provides insights into genome expansion, pungency, ripening and disease resistance in hot peppers.

Realizing >5 V batteries is hindered by the instability of electrolytes. Here, a fluoride shielding layer, LiCl-4Li₂TiF₆, enables high-voltage, high-capacity all-solid-state batteries because of its combined oxidative stability and Li⁺ conductivity.

Cancer stem-like cells contribute to tumor growth and therapy resistance in glioblastoma. Here, authors identify that DHRS13 inhibition promotes differentiation of glioma stem-like cells by activating retinoic acid signaling and induces cell death through mitochondrial reactive oxygen species-driven mitophagy.

The biological mechanisms regulating blood-brain barrier integrity remain unclear. Here, the authors identify microglial NLRP3-gasdermin D signaling as a driver of blood-brain barrier disruption during peripheral inflammation in mice, mediated by CXCL-dependent neutrophil recruitment.

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells have recently been reported to play a key role in adipose tissue homeostasis. Here, the authors show that adipose tissue iNKT cells mediate immune responses that control adipocyte turnover in mice.

New two-dimensional semiconductors may exhibit properties beyond inherent semiconducting attributes. Here the authors report protonated semiconducting III–V-derived van der Waals crystals with memristive properties.

This study uncovers a UBR7-mediated Arg/N-degron pathway that regulates autophagy through selective degradation of ATG8a during heat stress recovery, providing insights into plant resilience to heat stress under changing climatic conditions.

There is currently interest in two-dimensional graphene-like materials incorporating heteroatoms. Here, the authors synthesize a solution-processable, holey two-dimensional network with C₂N stoichiometry containing evenly distributed holes and nitrogen atoms, and use it to fabricate a field effect transistor.

Kwak et al. report that adherens junctions organize membrane microdomains, leading to lipid-dependent γ-secretase recruitment and size-dependent protein segregation, excluding full-length Notch receptor.

Oncolytic viruses are under development for tumor treatment. David Kirn and colleagues now report their results of a randomized phase 2 dose-finding trial of JX-594, an oncolytic immunotherapeutic vaccinia virus, in patients with advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. The study shows that high-dose JX-594 was associated with significantly improved overall survival and induced radiographic responses and antitumor immunity.

Phosphatases are key components in cellular signalling networks. Here, the authors present a systematic functional analysis of phosphatases of the fungal pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans, revealing roles in virulence, stress responses, O-mannosylation, retromer function and other processes.

Monolithic 3D integration of electronics based on fully 2D materials is demonstrated in the performance of artificial intelligence tasks.

Loss of major histocompatibility complex MHC-I expression contributes to cancer immune evasion. Here, the authors show that, in both mice and humans, MHC-I downregulation is associated with the induction of NK-cell exhaustion and that IL-21 restores NK-cell function and inhibits tumours progression.

Analysis of genomic and transcriptomic data from 462 patient-derived tumor cell (PDC) samples across 14 cancer types, along with pharmacological responses to 60 agents, indicates that PDC-derived drug sensitivities might be predictive of clinical response to targeted therapies.

Tissue engineering is essential for drug screening and regenerative medicine. Here, authors developed an acoustofluidic method that can induce morphogenesis of therapeutic tissues at varied dimensions/scales.

Telomeres in post-crisis cells are maintained by re-activated telomerase or by alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT). Here, Seo et al. report a stable mode of ALT in worm where internal genomic regions generate a genomic reservoir ready to be incorporated into telomeres upon ALT activation.

Recent work proposed to search for quantum spin liquid in honeycomb cobaltates. Here the authors identify Cu₃Co₂SbO₆ as a promising candidate for quantum spin liquid research, revealing bond-dependent frustrated magnetism and robust spin fluctuations in the unconventional paramagnetic region via optical spectroscopy.

Mechanisms underlying the cardiotoxicity associated with thoracic irradiation and doxorubicin treatment during anticancer therapy remain poorly understood. Here the authors show that treatment with an antibody against the L1 cell adhesion molecule inhibits nuclear L1CAM translocation, thereby controlling vascular DNA damage and preventing cardiotoxicity.

Structural designs based on the geometric arrangement of their building blocks have been utilized to develop advanced mechanical metamaterials. Here, the authors use the DNA origami method to realize a nanoscale metastructure exhibiting mechanical frustration, the mechanical counterpart of the well-known magnetic frustration, and show that this DNA metastructure can be precisely controlled to adopt either frustrated or non-frustrated mechanical states.

The tumour suppressor p53 is known to be inhibited by histone deacetylase 3 but the molecular mechanism is poorly understood. Here Choi et al. show regulation by programmed cell death 5 and an essential role in activating p53 following DNA damage.

Adipose tissue has an important role in metabolic homeostasis and undergoes age-related changes contributing to metabolic decline, via mechanisms that remain incompletely explored. Here the authors show that Crtc2 deficiency in adipocytes protects against age-related hyperactivation of the BCAA–mTORC1 axis and metabolic alterations.

Heteroatom doping of graphitic networks has been shown to modify electrocatalytic performance. Here, the authors fabricate semimetal antimony doped graphene nanoplatelet based catalysts and demonstrate their enhanced stability for oxygen reduction, due to the multiple accessible antimony oxidation states.

It is known that torques can be exerted on spins in a ferromagnet (FM) layer when an in-plane electric current is injected into a heavy metal (HM) layer in contact with the FM layer. Here, the authors demonstrate that torques can be generated without the current injection by shining instead circularly polarized light on the HM.

In response to brain injury, microglia extend processes to isolate the lesion. Here Choi et al. show that microglia expressing a pathogenic mutation in the Parkinson’s disease-associated LRRK2 gene show reduced motility and delayed lesion isolation in vitro and in vivodue to attenuated focal adhesion kinase activity.

Minimally invasive cellular-level target-specific neuromodulation is needed to decipher brain function and neural circuitry. Here nano-magnetogenetics using magnetic force actuating nanoparticles has been reported, enabling wireless and remote stimulation of targeted deep brain neurons in freely behaving animals.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) has evolved several mechanisms to evade the host immune response. Here, Park et al. show that HCMV-encoded US7 and US8 proteins bind TLR3 and TLR4 and facilitate TLR degradation by distinct mechanisms, including ER-associated and lysosomal degradation.

A biodegradable electronic tent electrode array that can be inserted into the brain cortex using a syringe, where it then expands to 200 times its original size, can be used for electrocorticography monitoring.