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Single-cell RNA-sequencing of seven mouse developmental stages identifies lineage-specific and shared regulatory programs controlling cell-fate decisions. Cross-species analysis associates differentiation potency with ribosomal protein gene expression.

In poplar, a quantitative genetic screen identifies a G-type lectin receptor-like kinase that mediates ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with Laccaria bicolor. Expression of the kinase in non-host Arabidopsis makes mycorrhizal colonization possible.

Abnormal blood lipid levels are important risk factors for cardiovascular and other various diseases. Here the authors conduct a large-scale multi-ethnic epigenome-wide association study combined with epigenetic (cis-QTL and eQTM) data, and identify CpG-lipid traits associations that are specific to or common across racial/ethnic groups.

The majority of polar structures emerging naturally in ferroelectrics are topologically trivial. Here, the authors demonstrate reconstruction of topologically trivial strip-like domain architecture into arrays of polar vortex in (PbTiO₃)₁₀/(SrTiO₃)₁₀ superlattice.

Tumor associated macrophages (TAMs) contribute to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Here the authors show that macrophage-derived microparticles modified with a M2-like macrophage targeting peptide and loaded with the TLR7/8 agonist resiquimod reprogram TAMs from immunosuppressive to inflammatory, promoting anti-tumor immune responses in preclinical HCC models.

Understanding genetic regulation and the underlying mechanism for genetic associations with human phenotypes is complicated by cellular heterogeneity and linkage disequilibrium. Here, the authors propose an analytical framework to decode genetic variation of gene regulation at both cell-type and single-nucleotide levels.

An Omicron BA.4/BA.5 mRNA booster vaccine elicits high neutralizing responses to the BA.4/BA.5 variant and to ancestral SARS-CoV-2, supporting tailoring booster vaccines to the predominant Omicron variant.

Hongbing Shen, Dongxin Lin, Yongyong Shi and colleagues identify two new susceptibility loci for non-cardia gastric cancer. They also confirm three previously reported risk loci for this gastric cancer subtype.

A long-term problem in the casting of alloys such as steels is macrosegregation, which are variations in composition of the cast material. Here, the authors observe that the formation and flotation of oxide-based inclusions from light metals represent a mechanism through which macrosegregation occurs in steels.

Robust estimates of either urban expansion worldwide or the effects of such phenomenon on terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP) are lacking. Here the authors used the new dataset of global land use to show that the global urban areas expanded largely between 2000 and 2010, which in turn reduced terrestrial NPP globally.

Adam optimization-based pointillism deconvolution (A-PoD) is a broadly applicable super-resolution deconvolution algorithm. A-PoD-coupled SRS microscopy reveals heterogeneous metabolic activity in subcellular structures like lipid droplets.

Microwell-seq is used to generate single-cell, whole-body expression landscapes of zebrafish, Drosophila and earthworm. A deep-learning model, Nvwa, predicts gene expression from DNA sequence and identifies regulatory programs shared across eight species.

The Mexican axolotl is a well-established tetrapod model for regeneration and development. Here the authors report a scRNA-seq method to profile neotenic, metamorphic and limb development stages, highlighting unique perturbation patterns of cell type-related gene expression throughout metamorphosis.

Here the authors pull apart the cellular composition of the tumor microenvironment using RNA sequencing data from a wide variety of cancer types. They identify immunity quantitative trait loci and integrate these data with analysis of colorectal cancer cohorts, creating a polygenic risk score and a database for community access.

Analysis of whole-genome sequencing data across 2,658 tumors spanning 38 cancer types shows that chromothripsis is pervasive, with a frequency of more than 50% in several cancer types, contributing to oncogene amplification, gene inactivation and cancer genome evolution.

Photocatalytic water splitting systems using Sm₂Ti₂O₅S₂, a visible light-active oxysulfide, exhibited low efficiencies due to low intrinsic photoactivity and rapid back reaction. Here, the efficiency was greatly improved by refining the preparation of photocatalysts and electron mediators

Efficient, large-scale genomic analysis is facilitated on the cloud by a computational tool with error-diagnosing and self-healing capabilities.

III-V commercial optical semiconductor GaP crystalizes in either zincblende or wurtzite structure at ambient pressure. Zincblende GaP transforms into orthorhombic phase across a critical pressure during compression, accompanying piezochromic transition, metallization and superconductivity. Upon decompression, superconductivity could be preserved toward ambient pressure and displays broadening features due to amorphization. It reveals the presence of two high-pressure superconducting phases.

BES1 and BZR1 transcription factors are activated by the BRI1-BAK1 receptor complex during brassinosteroid signaling. Here the authors show that BES1-family members also act in anthers, downstream of another receptor-like kinase-mediated signaling pathway, EMS1-TPD1-SERK1/2, to promote tapetum development.

Control over the size and shape of nanostructures is important for many applications but challenging, especially for bimetallic systems. Here, the authors report the size-controlled synthesis of star-shaped gold–copper nanocrystals and show their applications in catalysis and photothermal therapy.

Co-expression of PD-L1-specific chimeric switch receptors (CSRs) improves the antitumor effects of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells. Here, CSRs are shown to promote the differentiation of mesothelin-targeting CAR T cells into central memory-like cells and improve their efficacy.

While most broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAb) against Influenza virus target conserved conformational epitopes of the glycoprotein hemagglutinin (HA), Sun et al. characterize a lineage of bnAbs that neutralize group 1 and 2 strains. Structural characterization shows that antibody 28-12 binds a continuous epitope within H3 (group 2) but requires a conformational epitope for H1 (group 1) binding. Comparison of germline-reverted Ab and intermediate mutants provides evidence for an evolutionary adaptation from group 2 to group 1 strain.

Pericytes play an essential role in blood brain barrier (BBB) integrity. Here, the authors generate pericyte-like cells (PCs) from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) which display functional properties and also promote BBB recovery in a mouse model of cerebral artery occlusion.

A strategy that depends on attenuated brassinosteroid signalling is described for the design of semi-dwarf wheat varieties with improved grain yield compared with that of green revolution varieties.

A trade-off exists between improving crystallinity and minimizing particle size in the synthesis of perovskite-type transition-metal oxynitrides. The authors break this limitation to fabricate sub-50 nm ATaO2N (A = Sr, Ca, Ba) single nanocrystals exhibiting improved photocatalytic water-splitting performance

The dynamic and reversible S-palmitoylation of the transcription factor STAT3 enhances its activation and promotes the differentiation of T_H17 cells.

While the role of PbTiO₃ in PbTiO₃/SrTiO₃ superlattices has been widely studied, little attention is paid to possible polar topologies in SrTiO₃. Here, the authors create atomic-scale vortex–antivortex pairs in the superlattices, expanding the understanding of topological structures.

The sphingolipid GIPC in the plant cell plasma membrane binds to sodium and triggers calcium influx, thereby triggering responses to excess salt such as efflux of sodium ions from cells.

Analysis of mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA) by using whole-genome sequencing data from 2,658 cancer samples across 38 cancer types identifies hypermutated mtDNA cases, frequent somatic nuclear transfer of mtDNA and high variability of mtDNA copy number in many cancers.

The crystal structure of Drosophila melanogaster YL1 in complex with an H2A.Z–H2B dimer exposes a selective recognition mechanism distinct from those of other H2A.Z chaperones and suggests a hierarchical transfer mechanism mediating H2A.Z deposition.

Base editors can efficiently produce single nucleotide alterations without requiring a double-strand break. Here the authors show base editing at multiple sites simultaneously in pigs.

The authors have developed a new method, metagenome-wide association study (MGWAS), to compare the combined genetic content of the faecal microbiota of healthy people versus patients with type 2 diabetes; they identify multiple microbial species and metabolic pathways that are associated with either cohort and show that some of these may be used as biomarkers.

Bio-inspired materials are an intense area of study as researchers try to adapt biomaterials for other applications. Here, the authors report on the processing of protein materials derived from the byssal thread of scallops to create high-extensibility materials with self-recovery under wet conditions.

Genome-wide association analyses across individuals of East Asian and European ancestries identify new risk loci for inflammatory bowel diseases. A polygenic risk score derived from the combined datasets shows improved prediction accuracy.

The greater wax moth (GWM) is a major bee pest. Here, the authors show how a pest control method that combines a strain of Bacillus thuringiensis and a lure-based entrapment can help to control GWM using lab experiments and field beehives.

Dongxin Lin, Chen Wu and colleagues identify a LINC00673 variant that associates with pancreatic cancer risk in Han Chinese cohorts. They show that the variant creates a target site for miR-1231 and that LINC00673 regulates PTPN11 degradation and leads to altered SRC–ERK and STAT1-dependent signaling.

Genome-wide association studies have been performed to identify genetic variants that are associated with susceptibility to colorectal cancer. Here, the authors expand on these studies and identify a variant that regulates the expression of ETV6 and find that over-expression of ETV6 blocks cell proliferation in vitro.

Dongxin Lin and colleagues report a genome-wide association study for esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) in Chinese populations, identifying nine new susceptibility loci. They also perform a genome-wide gene-environment interaction analysis with alcohol consumption, a known risk factor for ESCC.

Nerve/glial antigen 2 (NG2) glia can sense synaptic inputs from neurons. Here, the authors show NG2 glia form functional GABAergic synapses by regulating inhibitory synaptic transmission onto adjacent hippocampal interneurons, and activation of NG2 glia induces anxiety-like behaviour in a mouse model of chronic social defeat stress.