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SARS-CoV-2 Omicron XEC variant, a recombinant of JN.1 progeny, shows increased viral fitness and pathogenicity. Here, the authors show that the nucleocapsid mutation R204P enhances inflammation and suggest a growing role of non-spike mutations in viral evolution.

Kinematic measurements of the Perseus galaxy cluster reveal two drivers of gas motions: a small-scale driver in the inner core associated with black-hole feedback and a large-scale driver in the outer core powered by mergers.

XBB.1.5 of SARS-CoV-2 is a descendant of XBB.1 and has mutations in spike and ORF8, making it more infectious to humans. Here, the authors examined in detail the differences in virological properties of the two variants.

Unsatisfactory long-term stability of solid-state Li-metal batteries is hampering their commercialisation despite their potential high energy density. Here, authors employed a rationally designed porous tellurium interlayer and demonstrated high capacity retention for 4000 cycles.

Self-association of low-complexity protein sequences (LC domains) is important for polymer formation, but the mechanisms underlying cell recognition of LC domain polymers remain unclear. Here, authors show that zinc finger domains bind LC domains in a cross-β polymer-dependent manner.

Analysis of the blood DNA virome in patients with COVID-19 and autoimmune disease associates endogenous HHV-6 (eHHV-6) and high anellovirus load with increased disease risk, most notably for systemic lupus erythematosus. eHHV-6 carriers show a distinct immune response.

Isolates of authentic SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.1 and BA.2 exhibit similar infectivity and pathogenicity and show susceptibility to neutralizing therapeutic antibodies and antiviral compounds in mouse and hamster models.

XRISM observations show the presence of odd-numbered elements chlorine and potassium in Cas A. These findings suggest that stellar activity plays an important role in cosmic chemical evolution, enriching space with elements vital for planets and life.

XBB is the first recombinant, globally dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2. Here, the authors examine the variant’s origins and virological properties, showing it is the first example of SARS-CoV-2 improving its fitness through recombination.

Autoimmune pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (aPAP) is a complex lung disease caused by abnormal surfactant homeostasis. Here, the authors carry out a genome-wide association study of aPAP in a Japanese cohort, finding variants in the MHC and suggesting predisposition to abnormal antibody production.

In this paper, the authors introduce a structurally elegant 2D triquinoline molecule as a discrete model for graphitic materials with atom-sized voids. The compound has unusual chemical properties, including high proton affinity and rich supramolecular behavior, forming complexes via both π-π and CH-π contact modes.

Recent Omicron SARS-CoV-2 subvariants independently acquire 5 key Spike mutations. Here, the authors evaluate the evolutionary importance of the 5 mutations and characterize the virological properties of variant BQ.1.1 harboring all 5 mutations.

Most current cell sorting methods are based on fluorescence detection with no imaging capability. Here the authors generate and use Raman image-activated cell sorting with a throughput of around 100 events per second, providing molecular images with no need for labeling.

Right ventricular (RV) failure is clinically crucial, but there is no specific therapy. Here, the authors show that the complement alternative pathway is activated in RV failure and that blockade of the pathway ameliorates RV failure in mice.

The P681R mutation in the spike protein renders the Delta variant more pathogenic than prototypic SARS-CoV-2 in infected hamsters, and facilitates spike protein cleavage and enhances viral fusogenicity.

In physiologically normal epithelia, age-related expansion of clones that carry mutations in NOTCH1 and other driver genes is accelerated by risk factors for developing oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma, such as alcohol consumption or smoking.

In this work, a mirror-image protein binder derived from a monobody targeting MCP-1 is generated via in vitro display technology and chemical synthesis. It exhibits pharmaceutically promising properties, including protease resistance, negligible immunogenicity, and a potent inhibitory effect on cell migration.

Proliferation of cancer cells leads to replication stress through incompletely understood mechanisms. Here, the authors show that the long noncoding RNA TUG1 resolves R-loops and reduces replication stress in cancer cells.

The XRISM Resolve spectrum of the galactic neutron star X-ray binary, GX 13+1, reveals one of the densest winds ever seen in absorption lines.

Ito et al. present CoVFit, an AI model that predicts variant fitness (transmissibility) from spike protein sequences alone. They further demonstrate its utility in forecasting viral evolution via single amino acid mutations.

In vitro studies in human cell lines and in vivo studies in a hamster model show that the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is less pathogenic than both the Delta variant and an ancestral strain of SARS-CoV-2.

JN.1 lineage is a globally dominant variant of SARS-CoV-2. Here, the authors examine structural insights into the BA.2.86 and JN.1 spike dynamics to help understand the mechanisms underlying SARS-CoV-2 infection and its neutralizing-antibody evasion.

Receptor tyrosine kinase mutations are frequent and associated with poor prognosis in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Here the authors show that the antipsychotic drug chlorpromazine reduces AML cells viability by perturbing the intracellular localization of FLT3-ITD and KIT-D816V.

Patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) harboring Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kp) exhibit poor clinical outcomes. Here, the authors show that administration of a phage cocktail targeting PSC-derived Kp reduces bacterial burden in Kp-colonized mice and alleviates liver injury.

The molecular basis of T_H2 lineage commitment is poorly understood. Kubo and colleagues identify the Il4 enhancer HS2 as a target of the transcription factor GATA-3 and show it to be critical for IL-4 production and T_H2 functional commitment.

Understanding deregulation of biological pathways in cancer can provide insight into disease etiology and potential therapies. Here, as part of the PanCancer Analysis of Whole Genomes (PCAWG) consortium, the authors present pathway and network analysis of 2583 whole cancer genomes from 27 tumour types.

There’s an emerging body of evidence to show how biological sex impacts cancer incidence, treatment and underlying biology. Here, using a large pan-cancer dataset, the authors further highlight how sex differences shape the cancer genome.

Analyses of 2,658 whole genomes across 38 types of cancer identify the contribution of non-coding point mutations and structural variants to driving cancer.

In somatic cells the mechanisms maintaining the chromosome ends are normally inactivated; however, cancer cells can re-activate these pathways to support continuous growth. Here, the authors characterize the telomeric landscapes across tumour types and identify genomic alterations associated with different telomere maintenance mechanisms.

With the generation of large pan-cancer whole-exome and whole-genome sequencing projects, a question remains about how comparable these datasets are. Here, using The Cancer Genome Atlas samples analysed as part of the Pan-Cancer Analysis of Whole Genomes project, the authors explore the concordance of mutations called by whole exome sequencing and whole genome sequencing techniques.