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A single-cell multiomic immune cell atlas from 235 Japanese, including patients with COVID-19 and healthy individuals, linked with host genetics including germline and somatic mutation, plasma proteomics and metagenomics data reveals that immune cells are dynamically regulated in a cell state-dependent manner.

Genetic mechanisms influencing COVID-19 susceptibility are not well understood. Here, the authors analyzed whole blood RNA-seq data of 465 Japanese individuals with COVID-19, highlighting thousands of fine-mapped variants affecting expression and splicing of genes, as well as the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs.

A genome-wide association study highlights a variant in DOCK2, which is common in East Asian populations but rare in Europeans, as a host genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19.

A mode of bidirectional microglia–neuron crosstalk through Hex–GM2–MGL2 and centred around GM2 ganglioside turnover is essential for homeostatic regulation of central nervous system membrane components.

A newly identified bacterial strain (YB328) isolated from the faeces of patients who responded to immune checkpoint blockade therapies can promote antitumour immunity through the activation of tumour-specific CD8⁺ T cells.

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.

This study shows that the preferential use of gluconeogenic pathways in the liver depends on exercise load.

The superconducting gap structure of FeSe remains a debated issue. Here, Hashimoto et al. report momentum dependence of the gap in single- and multi-domain regions of orthorhombic FeSe crystals, revealing an unusual node lifting of the gap structure in multi-domain regions.

Authors present results from a national surveillance in Japan that found MRSA strains causing bloodstream infections are predominantly from three clonal lineages. They also identified the emergence of highest 30-day-mortality MRSA clone ST764-SCCmecII and traced its evolutionary path.

Researchers demonstrate a watt-class high-power, single-mode photonic-crystal laser operating continuously at room temperature. A beam quality of M² ≤ 1.1 is achieved.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 73 Japanese patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 75 healthy controls were analyzed using single-cell transcriptomics. Combining these data with genotyping data highlights the interplay between host genetics and the immune response in modulating disease severity.

Resistance to EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitors (EGFR-TKIs) is prevalent. Here the authors establish a biobank of patient-derived EGFR-mutant lung cancer organoids and identify a subgroup of EGFR-TKI-resistant lung adenocarcinoma organoids, which exhibit a basal-shift phenotype and vulnerability to CDK4/6 inhibitors.

Using more than 100 independent iPSC lines derived from patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the authors discovered loci associated with the neuronal production of amyloid β and confirmed their influence using RNA interference.

The bacterial protein disaggregation machine ClpB uses ATP to generate mechanical force to unfold and thread its protein substrates. Here authors visualize the ClpB ring using high-speed atomic force microscopy and capture conformational changes of the hexameric ring during the ATPase reaction.

Semiconductor nanocrystals are potential nanoelectronic materials but often display nonuniform electric properties due to their anisotropic growths. Here, the authors report cross-sectional cathodoluminescence imaging of a single-crystalline ZnO nanowire to resolve its growth sectors with different carrier concentrations.

D-luciferin is the standard bioluminescent substrate for in vitro and in vivo imaging. Here the authors introduce AkaLumine-HCl, a soluble luciferin analogue with a near-infrared emission maximum, which allows deep tissue imaging at lower concentrations than D-luciferin.

Thorium-229 has the extraordinarily low-energy nuclear state and therefore has potential in atomic clocks. Here, the authors measured the radiative branching fraction of the “clock state”, which is consistent with unity in crystals, and found that this state can be de-populated by X-ray beam irradiation.

The extracellular matrix contributes to tissue regeneration by binding and releasing growth factors. Here the authors present the jigsaw-shaped self-assembling peptide JigSAP as an artificial ECM and show that VEGF-JigSAP has therapeutic effects on the subacute-chronic phase of brain stroke.

Reliably modelling bone metastasis in mice is essential for research. Here, the authors present a new murine model for cancer metastasis based on intra-caudal artery injection that reliably recapitulates bone metastasis.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a common pediatric disease leading to spinal deformities. Here, the authors report GWAS followed by genome-wide meta-analysis in up to 79,211 Japanese individuals, identifying 20 genetic loci for AIS, 14 of which were previously unreported, and perform in vitro validation for rs1978060.

In C-glycosides the sugar moiety is linked through a carbon-carbon bond to the non-sugar moiety, which can be cleaved by intestinal microbes. Here, the authors use bioinformatics analysis to identify C-glycoside deglycosidase enzymes in intestinal and soil bacteria, biochemically characterise them and determine their structures and probe catalytic important residues in mutagenesis experiments.

In quantum chromodynamics, the condensation of quark–antiquark pairs breaks the chiral symmetry of vacuum. Experiments with pionic tin atoms demonstrate that the symmetry is partially restored at high densities.

Methodologies to study the mechanisms of cell–cell interactions in metastatic niches remain scarce. Here, the authors develop a secretory GFP reconstitution-based system to tag tissue-resident cells neighboring on cancer cells within the metastatic niche.

Mammalian genomes are scattered with repetitive sequences, but their biology remains largely elusive. Here, the authors show that transcription can initiate from short tandem repetitive sequences, and that genetic variants linked to human diseases are preferentially found at repeats with high transcription initiation level.

Adaptive thermogenesis is regulated by central neuronal circuits. Here, the authors show that microRNA-33 in the brain contributes to the maintenance of brown adipose tissue thermogenesis and whole-body energy balance via enhanced sympathetic nerve tone, and regulating the expression of GABAa receptor subunits.

The authors report a new type of genetic alteration in lung adenocarcinoma. Fusions of KIF5B with RET kinase are found in 1–2% of lung cancer patients, segregate from other known alterations and can potentially be targeted using RET kinase inhibitors.

The factors shaping the development of infants' gut microbiota are poorly understood. Here, the authors show that alterations in gut microbiota development in infants are associated with the presence of bifidobacteria having a gene for utilisation of human milk oligosaccharides.

Colonization of trypsin-degrading commensal bacteria may contribute to the maintenance of intestinal homeostasis and protection against pathogen infection in humans and mice.

Shigemitsu et al. describe the preparation of supramolecular hydrogelators that undergo redox-responsive gel degradation. Encapsulation of a variety of enzymes in the gels allows for degradation in response to various biomolecules.

A handheld and battery-operated far-ultraviolet plane-emission device is demonstrated. The device has low current consumption and stable operation at an output power of 0.2 mW at 225 nm, and may be useful in photochemical and biotechnological applications such as photo catalysis, sterilization and the modification of chemical substances.

Nonlinear topological insulators are investigated from the viewpoint of dynamical systems. Strong nonlinearity induces spatially chaotic modes, which break the conventional notion of topology - the bulk-edge correspondence between topological invariants and localized modes.

Here, the authors report bi-functional, wide tropic macrocycles that bind the influenza viral envelope protein hemagglutinin and inhibit virus infection by blocking adsorption and fusion and show efficacy in preventing severe pneumonia at later stages of infection in mouse and non-human primate cynomolgus macaque models.

RAS, identified over 30 years ago as a potent oncogene, is one of the most commonly mutated genes in cancer. Here the authors show that KR12, an alkylating reagent that specifically cleaves the DNA coding for the G12D and G12V activated variants of KRAS, limits the growth of KRAS mutant cells in vitro and in vivo.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

Here, the authors investigate wing development in cricket and find support for evolution of the novel insect wing from the pre-existing dorsal body wall of a wingless ancestor by activation of an evolutionarily conserved growth mechanism.

Prior to consuming a meal, food-odor perception is sufficient to trigger systemic lipid utilization in male mice.