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The clinical application of inhibitors targeting checkpoint kinase 1 (CHK1) is challenged by limited efficacy. Here, the authors identify that thioredoxin (Trx) system inhibition mediates sensitivity to CHK1 inhibitor via regulating the activity of ribonucleotide reductase, demonstrating the synergistic effect of CHK1 inhibitor and inhibitors targeting Trx system in lung cancer models.

Genetic alterations in the protein acid sphingomyelinase (ASM) lead to ASM deficiency and have been associated with Niemann–Pick disease. Here, the authors report the crystal structures of ASM alone and bound to its product, and discuss the catalytic mechanism and its possible significance for patients with ASM deficiency.

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.

The X-ray crystal structure of ultraviolet-B-sensing protein UVR8 is determined, revealing that, unlike other known photoreceptors, the chromophore is not an external cofactor but rather two amino acids.

A previously undescribed photocatalytic approach enables the effective p-type and n-type doping of organic semiconductors at room temperature using only widely available weak dopants such as oxygen and triethylamine.

Meta-analyses in up to 1.3 million individuals identify 87 rare-variant associations with blood pressure traits. On average, rare variants exhibit effects ~8 times larger than the mean effects of common variants and implicate candidate causal genes at associated regions.

A combination of structural and protein-chemistry approaches along with phylogenetic analyses provide insights into the specific activities of mouse tubulin tyrosine ligase-like enzymes as initiases or elongases of glutamylation.

2D chalcogenide semiconductors with luminescence and ferromagnetism (FM) are demanded in spintronics, valleytronic and photoelectric devices. Here the authors show such characteristics in monolayer MoS₂ by co-doping Co and Cr to build the FM interaction and cut-off the nonradiative recombination channels of excitons

Garlic has a mild antibacterial activity due to its organosulfur content. Here, the authors develop an approach to convert natural organosulfur into iron-sulfur nanosheets, with significantly higher antibacterial activity that can be used against infections as well as biofilms.

Across 46 proglacial landscapes worldwide, environmental properties and biodiversity have shown complex patterns of change since glaciers retreated.

From 1980 to 2018, the levels of total and non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol increased in low- and middle-income countries, especially in east and southeast Asia, and decreased in high-income western countries, especially those in northwestern Europe, and in central and eastern Europe.

Alkane monooxygenase (AlkB) plays a key role in the global carbon cycle and remediation of oil spills. Here, the authors report the cryo-EM structure of AlkB to provide insight into the catalytic mechanism and substrate selectivity.

The design of high-efficiency solution-processable orange-red thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters remains to be a challenge. Here, the authors synthesize a series of emitters consisting of a trinaphtho[3,3,3]propellane core with highly efficient emission in the orange-red region of the spectrum.

Solution shearing of semiconducting polymers with a patterned blade induces improved alignment of the polymeric chains at the nano- and macroscale. This leads to increased charge transport in stretchable, roll-to-roll deposited organic transistors.

Yu et al. identified sulfation modification that occurs on the tyrosine 99 residue of histone H3 (H3Y99sulf) and which is installed by histone sulfotransferase SULT1B1 and regulates gene transcription by recruiting PRMT1.

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

Preventing metal deposition by cathodic reduction under direct current electrolysis conditions is a formidable challenge in transition-metal-catalysed electrosynthesis. Now, an asymmetric-waveform alternating current (a.c.) electrolysis approach is developed for silver-catalysed C–H phosphorylation where this a.c.-based approach regenerates the silver catalyst and keeps the catalyst loading balanced during the reaction.

The assembly of atomically precise clusters into ordered superstructures enables new functional material designs. Here, the authors propose a strategy for linear arrangements of AgCu clusters and explore the consequent transfer and coupling of magnetic spins.

Bacteria-derived H2S functions as a universal defense against antibiotics challenge. Here, Ji et al developed a broad-spectrum H2S scavenger that efficiently removes endogenous H2S in several bacteria, disrupts biofilm formation and sensitizes persister cells to antibiotic-mediated killing in vitro and in vivo.

The integrated process of mechanochemical fractionation-assisted and solar-driven electrochemical reforming, followed by biological funnelling, enables the efficient upcycling of sewage sludge. This process not only co-produces valuable single-cell protein and green hydrogen but also effectively removes heavy metal contaminants.

Spontaneous monodispersion of active species and their stabilization in reductive atmospheres remain a challenge in catalytic syngas chemistry. Here the authors demonstrate that syngas-to-aromatic conversion can be significantly accelerated by the spontaneously monodispersed Fe in ZnCr₂O₄ spinel.

High power efficiency and low roll-off values are essential to the commercialization of white organic light-emitting diodes. Here, the authors construct all-fluorescence devices with an orange emitting layer sandwiched between two sky-blue emitting layers, achieving figure-of-merit of 130.7 lm/W.

A global multi-taxon extinction risk assessment of freshwater fauna for The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species finds one-quarter of species to be at high risk of extinction.

The large organic cations in low-dimensional perovskite often introduces carrier mobility anisotropy and impedes charge transport. Here, authors report perovskite heterojunction with strong aromatic conjugated perovskites, realizing certified efficiency of over 25% in stable perovskite solar cells.

Lin et al. show that MCM8 protects vascular health by mediating nitric-oxide-dependent mitophagy. The common East-Asian MCM8-P276 variant is ineffective in mitophagy, which potentiates cGAS-STING and type I interferon signaling in a mouse model of Kawasaki disease.

Rhodium catalysts confined in zeolite pores exhibit high regioselectivity in the hydroformylation process of propene to high-value n-butanal, surpassing the performance of all heterogeneous and most homogeneous catalysts developed so far.

Compared with traditional fluorophores, aggregation-induced emission luminogens (AIEgens) offer enhanced fluorescence in aggregated states, large Stokes shifts and excellent photostability. This Review discusses the biomedical applications of AIEgens, such as cell imaging, in vivo bioimaging, phototheranostics and in vitro diagnosis of human clinical samples, as well as their route to in vivo clinical translation.

The practical application of electrosynthesis of propylene oxide is hindered by limited performance. Here, the authors report a spatial decoupling strategy by utilizing the bromide mediator to link propylene and anode within separated reactors, realizing high-performance electrosynthesis of propylene oxide.

An optimal catalyst for nitrate electroreduction should satisfy the simultaneously optimized adsorption of intermediates. Here, the authors report a tandem electrocatalyst by combining Cu single atoms with Co₃O₄ nanosheets, enhancing the binding with NO₂⁻, thus promoting nitrate electroreduction to NH₃.

Combining human proteome and transcriptome analyses and Mendelian randomization on a large genetic dataset of HFpEF and HFrEF cases, Rasooly et al. identified 58 potential therapeutic targets specific for either HEpEF or HFrEF and created their therapeutic target profiles.

Master regulator transcription factors TP63 and SOX2 have been reported to overlap in genomic occupancy in squamous cell carcinomas (SCCs). Here, the authors demonstrate that TP63 and SOX2 promote co-operatively long non-coding RNA CCAT1 expression through activating its super-enhancer, and CCAT1 forms a complex with TP63 and SOX2, which regulates EGFR super-enhancers and enhances both the MEK/ERK1/2 and PI3K/AKT signaling pathways in SCC.

Implantation-associated infections often lead to infections. Here, the authors propose a piezo-based nanoreactor to achieve US-excited tandem catalysis, endowing the polyetherketoneketone bone scaffold with on-demand antibacterial and osteogenic capacities.

The Nernst effect of transverse thermoelectric flow is usually small in less ordered systems with low charge mobility. Here, the authors show that conjugated polymers defy this expectation with Nernst effects orders of magnitude larger than predicted.

Characterization of full-length genome sequences from patients infected with a new coronavirus (2019-nCoV) shows that the sequences are nearly identical and indicates that the virus is related to a bat coronavirus.

The practical application of single atom catalyst (SAC) in liquid-phase heterogeneous catalysis is hampered by the productivity bottleneck as well as catalyst leaching. Here, a bench-top, fast-flow reactor integrated with Pt1-MoS2 SAC was fabricated for continuous production of multifunctional anilines (28 examples) at a record productivity of 5.8 g h-1.

Production of value-added chemicals by using renewable energy and cheap water attract great interest. Herein, the authors design a paired electrocatalytic system to produce 4-aminobenzyl alcohol at cathode and 2,5-furandicarboxylic acid at anode.

Most proton exchange membrane fuel cells are designed to operate within a temperature range of a few tens of degrees, but functioning in a broader range of conditions could be advantageous. Here the authors use ultramicroporous, phosphoric acid-doped membranes that allow fuel cell operation from −20 °C to 200 °C.

Structures of human vesicular monoamine transporter 2 in complexes with serotonin and three clinical drugs provide insights into the structural basis for serotonin transport and inhibition of transporter activity by the drugs.

The authors realize low-pressure-driven polarization switching in PbTiO₃ membranes by leveraging their structural tunability and substrate elasticity, enabling ferroelectric field-effect transistors on silicon, operatable mechanically and electrically.

High-performance approaches for terpenoid discovery and characterization in fungi are lacking. Now, a fully automated and high-throughput biofoundry is developed using Aspergillus oryzae as chassis for efficient genome mining and biosynthetic pathway analysis of bioactive terpenoids.

Ambient-stable solution-processed conductive materials with a low work function are essential to facilitate electron injection. Here, the authors design and synthesise polymer electrolyte with work function down to 2.2 eV for applications in high-performance light-emitting diodes and solar cells.

Proteomics can aid in the identification of molecular subtypes in cancers. Here, the authors perform proteomic profiling of 124 paired oesophageal cancer and adjacent non-tumour tissues and identify two subtypes that are associated with patient survival for therapeutic targeting.

Implantable biomaterials evoke foreign body responses in the central nervous system. The authors compare hydrogel-based biomaterials to identify cellular interactions and molecular mechanisms that drive different types of foreign body responses that have different effects on biomaterial function.

Strain engineering is promising for improving catalytic capability of biocatalysts, but it is challenging to modify the atomic-scale strain for specific enzyme-like reactions. Here, the authors report the biocatalysts with atomically-resolved Pt clusters laminated on PdAu nanocrystals and show that the tensile strains contribute to the enzyme-like activities greater than that of natural enzymes.

The strongly coupled interface between molecular catalysts and light absorbers is the key to solving efficient photoelectrochemical water oxidation. An in situ polymerized supramolecular-like catalyst was used to couple with BiVO4 for efficient and stable photoelectrochemical seawater splitting

Achieving long-term stability of water oxidation electrocatalysts remains a formidable challenge. Now, an in situ electrochemical reduction strategy to revivify mixed Ni–Fe hydroxide catalysts by reversible phase segregation is presented.