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This paper explores how voltage-gated potassium channels can plug the pore to prevent the conductance of ions during inactivation.

Fabric-retentive dolostones preserve the lithium isotope composition of the seawater in which they formed and could provide a high-resolution record to complement or extend foraminiferal proxy records, as indicated by isotopic analyses of Neogene dolostones from the South China Sea.

Transformations in organic chemistry are mainly limited to the incorporation of only one equivalent of the greenhouse gas CO₂ per substrate. Now, a visible-light photoredox-catalysed dicarboxylation of alkenes, allenes and arenes allows the incorporation of two CO₂ molecules into organic compounds.

In divergent carbonylative transformations using identical starting substrates, ligand-assisted transition metal catalysis has dominated selectively controllable transformations, but achieving precise control of CO insertion in transition-metal-free systems remains a challenge. Here, the authors disclose a divergent radical tandem carbonylation of multisubstituted homoallylic alcohols for the synthesis of γ-lactones and 1,4-diones.

Chiral amides are common and effective structural motifs found in many pharmaceuticals and biologically active molecules but existing synthetic methods are predominantly employed for the synthesis of α-amides and β-amides. Here, the authors present a general procedure for the copper-catalyzed enantioselective synthesis of γ-chiral amides, employing a reductive relay hydroaminocarbonylation strategy with trisubstituted allylic benzoates and hydroxylamine electrophiles.

Cells undergoing ferroptosis secrete Galectin-13, which binds to CD44 and inhibits the plasma membrane localization of SLC7A11 in neighboring cells, thereby accelerating neighboring cell death and promoting ferroptosis propagation.

Gestational diabetes milletus (GDM) may have impairments on offspring health. Here, the authors suggest that the increase of EZH2 is an important reason for the disrupted DNA methylome in oocytes exposed to GDM, which may be associated with the transgenerational inheritance of the metabolic disorders.

Cyclin B1 is a mitotic co-factor of CDK5.

A cross-sectional study of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 and a longitudinal follow-up study of patients with COVID-19 suggest that SARS-CoV2-specific IgG or IgM seroconversion occurs within 20 days post symptom onset.

Glycosylated asparagine residues that mediate the function of the B7H3 protein are unclear. Here the authors identify the important N-glycosylation sites for B7H3 cell surface localization and T cell inhibition, followed by the development of N91/309 and N104/322 preferentially targeting monoclonal antibody manifesting enhanced antitumor immunity.

Skp2 forms part of the SCF complex—an E3 ubiquitin ligase. Here the authors identify macroH2A1 as a novel target of Skp2 and propose an axis of regulation involving Skp2-macroH2A1-CDK8-p27 in cancer.

The neurovirulence determinants of Zika virus remain not fully established. Song et al identified a single K101R substitution in the capsid protein that contributes to the lineage-specific virulence phenotypes.

Growing demand for food is confronting constraints to its sustainable production. This study finds that intercropping increases grain yields and their stability and that yield benefits increase over time.

Poorly differentiated hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is an aggressive disease with poor prognosis. Here the authors show that GDF1, a member of the TGF-β superfamily, is highly expressed in high-grade poorly differentiated HCC and is associated with tumor plasticity, and that GDF1-induced reexpression of cancer testis antigens could render tumors sensitive to immune checkpoint inhibition.

Human RNA binding protein Musashi-1 binds various host transcripts as well as Zika virus RNA in neural progenitor cells. Here, Chen et al. characterise the interactions between Musashi-1 and its binding site using a combination of molecular and biophysical methods to shed light on its role in viral neurotropism.

J-aggregation, is an effective strategy to extend the wavelength of organic NIR-II fluorescence dyes but weak intermolecular interactions often lead to decomposition of the aggregates in biological environment. Here, the authors demonstrate a series of activatable quinazoline derivatives which can self-assemble in vivo into highly stable NIR-IIJ-aggregates.

The jujube is a major dry fruit crop in China and is commonly used for medicinal purposes. Here the authors sequence the genome and transcriptome of the most widely cultivated jujube cultivar, Dongzao, and highlight the genetic and molecular basis of agronomically important jujube traits, such as vitamin C content.

Population genomics uncover multiple independent origins and the importance of gene flow in the spread of target-site resistance mutations in the mite pest Tetranychus urticae.

Given the recent Zika virus (ZIKV) epidemic, development of an effective vaccine is of high importance. Here, the authors use a licensed live-attenuated flavivirus vaccine backbone to develop a ZIKV vaccine and determine immunogenicity, safety and protection profiles in different animal models.

Beclin 1 is an essential autophagy effector, necessary to form the autophagosome. Here Sun et al. show that Beclin 1 acetylation regulated by p300 and SIRT1 inhibits autophagosome maturation, and mutation of the acetylation sites leads to tumour growth suppression in vivo.

Human case studies suggest that Zika virus can be transmitted independently of mosquitoes and sexual contact. Here, the authors show intranasal Zika infection in different animal models and show that contact transmission of Zika virus occurs in guinea pigs.

Through CRISPR–Cas9 and kinase inhibitor screening, Zhang et al. show that PKCβII phosphorylates and activates ACSL4 to enhance polyunsaturated fatty acid-containing lipid biosynthesis, thereby promoting accumulation of lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis.

The emergence of superconductivity under pressure is reported in a chromium-based kagome metal, CsCr₃Sb₅, which has strong electron correlations, frustrated magnetism and characteristic flat bands close to the Fermi level.

B7H3 is a transmembrane B7 family checkpoint molecule present on many cancer cells. Here the authors show that FUT8 mediates fucosylation of B7H3 to limit the immune response to triple-negative breast cancer as a potentially targeted mechanism of non-responsiveness to current checkpoint therapies.

Carbonylation of alkyl bromides can be limited by competing beta-hydride elimination or nucleophilic substitution, hence few methods are available. Here a combination of copper and iron catalyzes the alkoxycarbonylation of unactivated bromides, providing efficient access to a range of primary, secondary, and tertiary alkyl esters.

IL-2 is a classic T cell growth factor. Huang and colleagues demonstrate, however, that chronic IL-2 stimulation leads to a new exhaustion pathway that impairs antitumor immune responses.

Hundreds of arthritis-associated genetic variants have been identified but in most cases their functions remain unknown. Here the authors develop a resource to reveal the effects of variants on gene expression in human synovium, and identify arthritis-related genes.

T cell mediated therapies have proven largely unsuccessful in triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Here, the authors show that autophagy is reduced in TNBC, which results in an increase in Tenascin C and reduced activation of tumour infiltrating lymphocytes.

Theory predicts that hourly rainfall extremes may increase with anthropogenic warming. Observations from Australia suggest changes two to three times above the Clausius–Clapeyron rate, above that expected from natural variability.

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is a Flavivirus responsible for thousands of deaths every year for which there are no specific anti-virals. Here, Wang et al. report the cryo-EM structure of mature JEV at near-atomic resolution and identify structural elements that modulate stability and virulence.

Neuroblastoma cell differentiation is regulated by Id proteins. Here, the authors show that CaMKII-mediated phosphorylation of Beclin 1 can activate K63-linked ubiquitination and autophagic degradation of Id proteins uncovering a role for autophagy in cell differentiation.

How histone modifications crosstalk with DNA methylation to regulate epigenomic patterning and genome stability in mammals remains elusive. Here, the authors show that DNA methyltransferase DNMT1 is a reader for histone H4K20 trimethylation via its BAH1 domain, which leads to optimal maintenance of DNA methylation at repetitive LINE-1 elements.

The mass balance of glaciers will influence regional water resources in the Himalayas. Changes in atmospheric dynamics, the Karakoram vortex contraction, and interaction with the monsoon influence the glacial melt of the region.