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A genome-wide association study including over 76,000 individuals with schizophrenia and over 243,000 control individuals identifies common variant associations at 287 genomic loci, and further fine-mapping analyses highlight the importance of genes involved in synaptic processes.

BRCA1 and BRCA2 are well known breast cancer predisposition genes, however, many variants have not yet been classified for their pathogenicity. Here, the authors analyse a large combined cohort to provide evidence of variant pathogenicity.

MASLD is a growing global health concern. Here, the authors define a senescent hepatocyte gene signature (SHGS), demonstrate its clinical relevance, and identify senolytic therapies that selectively eliminate SHGS+ hepatocytes to improve MASLD and systemic health.

Although tens of millions of individuals worldwide use NSAIDs daily, balancing the competing risks and benefits of these agents continues to be a challenge. Evidence-based treatment guidelines and expert opinions have been promulgated, but will they actually translate to improved patient care? A new web-based tool could aid physicians' treatment decision-making.

Analysis of 1,988 cases of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia characterizes 23 subtypes defined by genomic features and shows that two of the subtypes have frequent PAX5 alterations.

Fine-mapping of causal variants and integration of epigenetic and chromatin conformation data identify likely target genes for 150 breast cancer risk regions.

Miller et al. show that blocking ACSS2 remodels acetate metabolism in cancer cells, thereby freeing acetate for tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes, which bolsters their effector function and promotes antitumor immunity in breast cancer.

The nature of defects in transition metal dichalcogenide semiconductors is still under debate. Here, the authors determine the atomic structure and electronic properties of chalcogen-site point defects common to monolayer MoSe₂ and WS₂, and find that these are substitutional defects, where a chalcogen atom is substituted by an oxygen atom, rather than vacancies.

Glioblastomas are generally resistant to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors. Here the authors show that IL6 blockade, in combination with a CD40 agonist, overcomes macrophage-mediated immunosuppression and sensitizes glioblastoma to immune checkpoint blockade in preclinical models.

A genetic mouse model is used to reveal a two-pronged mechanism of fructose-induced de novo lipogenesis in the liver, in which fructose catabolism in hepatocytes provides a signal to promote lipogenesis, whereas fructose metabolism by the gut microbiota provides acetate as a substrate to feed lipogenesis.

Both systemic and local biomechanical factors contribute to joint degeneration in osteoarthritis, and diverse molecular mechanisms of the disease pathogenesis are being uncovered. Can mechanism-based treatments be developed for patients with this disease, as has happened with rheumatoid arthritis, and what are the challenges in drug development?

Bagley et al. conduct a phase 1 trial to study safety and tolerability of CAR T-EGFRvIII cells administered concomitantly with PD-1 inhibition via pembrolizumab in patients with glioblastoma and show tolerability, but without signs of efficacy.

Similarities in cancers can be studied to interrogate their etiology. Here, the authors use genome-wide association study summary statistics from six cancer types based on 296,215 cases and 301,319 controls of European ancestry, showing that solid tumours arising from different tissues share a degree of common germline genetic basis.

Oestrogen negative breast cancer is associated with a poor prognosis. In this study, the authors perform a meta-analysis of 11 breast cancer genome-wide association studies and identify four new loci associated with oestrogen negative breast cancer risk. These findings may aid in stratifying patients in the clinic.

Hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine have been investigated as a potential treatment for Covid-19 in several clinical trials. Here the authors report a meta-analysis of published and unpublished trials, and show that treatment with hydroxychloroquine for patients with Covid-19 was associated with increased mortality, and there was no benefit from chloroquine.

Acute lymphoblastic leukaemia is characterized by chromosomal rearrangements. Here, the authors carry out RNA-sequencing on a large cohort of patients and identify recurrent rearrangements of MEF2D, which lead to increased transcriptional activity of the gene, and cellular transformation in vitro.

Stig Bojesen, Georgia Chenevix-Trench, Alison Dunning and colleagues report common variants at the TERT-CLPTM1L locus associated with mean telomere length measured in whole blood. They also identify associations at this locus to breast or ovarian cancer susceptibility and report functional studies in breast and ovarian cancer tissue and cell lines.

Analysis of copy number alterations in 1,451 patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and matched patient tumor samples shows strong conservation from patient tumors through late-passage PDXs and a lack of systematic copy number evolution driven by the mouse host.

Paul Pharoah and colleagues report the results of a large genome-wide association study of ovarian cancer. They identify new susceptibility loci for different epithelial ovarian cancer histotypes and use integrated analyses of genes and regulatory features at each locus to predict candidate susceptibility genes, including OBFC1.

Tumor stroma is a key component of the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). Here, in preclinical PDAC models, the authors show that depletion of FAP-expressing cancer associated fibroblasts with FAP-targeted CAR T cells results in a loss of the integrity of the desmoplastic matrix, rendering tumors more susceptible to sequential treatment with mesothelin-targeted CAR-T cells.

The microbes that inhabit our bodies play an important part in regulating the homeostasis of the immune system—disequilibrium in this symbiotic relationship can lead to development of disease. In this Review, the authors present an overview of the historical evidence implicating microbes in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and describe how the use of DNA sequencing techniques and germ–free animal models of disease are elucidating the role of host–microbial interactions in the pathogenesis of RA.

Understanding how memory T cells develop has important implications for vaccine design. Here,Nature Reviews Immunologyasks four leading researchers in this field their thoughts on the ontogeny and lineage relationships of memory T cells.

Comprehensive molecular profiles are required to understand and treat sarcomas, which comprise more than 70 different subtypes. Here, the authors profile the genomic landscape of 7494 sarcomas across 44 histologies using targeted panel sequencing and identify potential therapeutic targets.

Breast cancer risk for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers varies depending on other genetic factors. Here, the authors perform a case-only genome-wide association study and highlight novel loci associated with breast cancer risk for BRCA1/BRCA2 mutation carriers.

Genetic variants at multiple loci of chr5p15.33 have been associated with susceptibility to numerous cancers. Here the authors show that the association of one of these loci may be explained by a variant, rs36115365, influencing telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) expression via ZNF148.

Patient-derived xenograft models (PDX) have been extensively used to study the molecular and clinical features of cancers. Here the authors present a cohort of 536 PDX models from 25 cancers, as well as their genomic and evolutionary profiles and their suitability for clinical trials.

The multifarious fates of CD4⁺ T helper cells mediate helpful and harmful immunity. An unexpected kinship between 'harmful' interleukin 17–producing T helper cells and 'helpful' follicular T helper cells has now been found.

Charles Mullighan, Jinghui Zhang and colleagues characterize a subtype of B-progenitor acute lymphoblastic leukemia with deregulated DUX4 and ERG. They find that aberrant DUX4 activation results in loss of ERG function, either through deletion or by the induction a novel transforming ERG isoform, ERGalt, that inhibits wild-type ERG activity.

The heterodimeric cytokine IL-27 consists of the subunits p28 and EBI3. Hunter and colleagues demonstrate that p28 acting alone can inhibit the signaling of many cytokines by interfering with the common receptor gp130.

PERK regulates tumour cell survival. Bu et al. show that the unfolded protein response protein PERK induces miR-211 repression of the circadian factor Bmal1 to regulate protein synthesis and stress responses, contributing to tumour progression.

Inhibition of CSF-1R with recurrent activating alterations and other actionable targets identified by genomic sequencing elicits clinical activity in patients with histiocytosis.

Georgia Chenevix-Trench and colleagues report meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies identifying six loci newly associated with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). They also test variants at the 12 known and 6 new EOC susceptibility loci for association in BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutation carriers.

This Review provides an overview of new discoveries that are changing our understanding of the complex role of the human gut microbiota and its metabolites in health and disease, including their effects on rheumatic diseases. Factors that modulate the microbiota, such as diet and probiotics, and advances in pharmacomicrobiomics are also discussed.

Roger Milne and colleagues conduct a genome-wide association study for estrogen receptor (ER)-negative breast cancer combined with BRCA1 mutation carriers in a large cohort. They identify ten new risk variants and find high genetic correlation between breast cancer risk for BRCA1 mutation carriers and risk of ER-negative breast cancer in the general population.