Search

The liver is a heterogeneous organ organized in lobules that are radially polarized. The use of single-cell spatial transcriptomics has revealed that half of hepatic genes are differentially expressed across the lobule. Ben-Moshe et al. show how a multi-omics approach, which consists of transcriptomics, micro RNA profiling and proteomics, allows for characterization of liver heterogeneity with higher resolution.

Clearance of apoptotic neutrophils by macrophages is important for the resolution of inflammation. Here, the authors show that interferon-β produced by resolution phase macrophages promotes neutrophil apoptosis and efferocytosis and induces macrophage reprogramming to a pro-resolving phenotype, thereby identifying IFN-β as a multi-pronged pro-resolution cytokine.

Mongillo et al. use theoretical modeling to link structure & activity in a cortical network. They find that activity patterns are predominantly controlled by inhibitory connections, making the network robust to ongoing changes in excitatory synapses.

The miR-372-3 cluster has a role in oncogenesis. In this study, by utilizing parthenogenetic induced pluripotent stem cells, that lack the paternal genome, Stelzer et al.report that these miR-372-3 are negatively regulated by a paternally imprinted antisense transcript and that loss of its expression promotes oncogenesis.

Dahan and colleagues develop bispecific antibodies to overcome toxicities associated with CD40 agonists by preferentially targeting CD40 activation to dendritic cells, demonstrating effective antitumor immunity in multiple murine solid tumor models.

Interhemispheric correlations are mediated by the corpus callosum, an extensive fiber bundle connecting the cortical hemispheres. The authors show that interhemispheric correlations between the somatosensory cortices of awake mice are reduced during whisking as a result of lower callosal activity.

Current quantum dot emitters are limited to small-spectral-range colour tuning accompanied by intensity reduction. Electric-field-induced reversible emission colour switching without intensity loss can be achieved on a single-particle level in quantum dot molecules with two coupled emission centres.

We call upon the research community to standardize efforts to use daily self-reported data about COVID-19 symptoms in the response to the pandemic and to form a collaborative consortium to maximize global gain while protecting participant privacy.

An experimental realization of a photonic topological insulator is reported that consists of helical waveguides arranged in a honeycomb lattice; the helicity provides a symmetry-breaking effect, leading to optical states that are topologically protected against scattering by disorder.

By introducing a further modal dimension to transform a two-dimensional photonic waveguide array, a photonic topological insulator with protected topological surface states in three dimensions, enabled by a screw dislocation, is demonstrated.

Conventionally, a continuous motion or “dynamic friction” is expected to take place after the initial rupture under friction. Here, the authors perform direct measurement of real contact and slip at the frictional interface and show that the secondary rupture takes place after each initial rupture.

In situ chirality identification for single-molecule systems is not a straightforward task. Now, real-time chirality identification during a Michael addition reaction has been realized by continuous measurements of spin-polarized currents through a single-molecule junction, providing a promising method for studying symmetry-breaking reactions.

Human cancer cells often double their genome through an error in cell division, and this can lead to further genomic instability. A detailed analysis of the first cell cycle after genome doubling sheds light on this phenomenon.

It is widely assumed that D1 and D2 dopamine receptor-expressing striatal neurons code for discrete pathways in the basal ganglia. Combining optogenetics and electrophysiology, the authors show that this output architecture does not apply to nucleus accumbens neurons. Current thinking attributing D1/D2 selectivity to accumbens projections thus should be reconsidered.

Qualitative psychological principles are commonly utilized to influence the choices that people make. Can this goal be achieved more efficiently by using quantitative models of choice? Here, we launch an academic competition to compare the effectiveness of these two approaches.

Choice bias - the tendency to prefer one option over another for no apparent reason - is stable for at least 22 months in perceptual tasks. While feedback can induce choice bias, its effect diminishes within weeks, suggesting a different underlying mechanism.

Exploiting Einstein’s theory of general relativity, the curved space associated with specially designed nanophotonic structures is shown to be able to manipulate light propagation.

Nissim Benvenisty and colleagues use induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) derived from individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) to model PWS in vitro. By comparison to parthenogenetic human iPSCs, they find that the PWS-associated noncoding RNA IPW regulates maternally expressed genes at the DLK1-DIO3 imprinted region through its effect on H3K9me3 histone marks in that region.

Characterizing not only the fluorescence intensity but also the inherent quantum correlations of the fluorescent photon stream can enhance the spatial resolution of image scanning microscopy up to twofold, a fourfold improvement over the diffraction limit.

Chromosomal instability leads to aneuploidy, a state of karyotype imbalance. By inducing controlled chromosome mis-segregation, Santaguida and colleagues show that aneuploidy can also instigate chromosomal instability.

Dysfunction of the deacetylase Sirt1 has been associated with certain metabolic diseases. Abramson and colleagues show that Sirt1 has high expression in the thymus, where it deacetylates the transcriptional regulator Aire and is essential for Aire's ability to switch on the expression of tissue-specific genes.

We study second harmonic generation in photonic time-crystals, and find conditions for which the process is highly enhanced, leading to efficient generation of higher-order harmonics.

Abramson and colleagues show that the coordinated action of several transcriptional regulators, including Irf4, Irf8, Tbx21, Tcf7 and Ctcfl, acts on medullary-thymic-epithelial-cell-specific accessible regions in the locus encoding the transcriptional regulator Aire to control its expression.

The performance of superconducting qubits is often limited by spurious two-level systems. Now, a qubit operating as a heat engine manipulates its bath of nearby two-level systems, providing insights into their dynamics and interactions.

Understanding the correlation between structure and charge transport properties of a DNA-based single molecule device is crucial to the creation of nanoscale functional devices. Now, a DNA-based molecular rectifier with a high rectification ratio has been constructed by site-specific intercalation of small molecules (coralyne) into native double-stranded DNA.

New data, backed up by simulations, support the existence of Majorana fermions in the one-dimensional topological superconductor that is induced by placing an aluminium superconductor close to an indium-arsenide nanowire.

An artificial intelligence system that can engage in a competitive debate with humans is presented.

Transcriptional regulator Rbpj is involved in T-helper subset differentiation. Here the authors show that expression of Rbpj in regulatory T cells is required to both regulate T_H2 responses and regulate T_reg T_H2 differentiation potential.

Recent experience can only provide limited information to guide decisions in a volatile environment. Here, the authors report that the choices made by a monkey in a dynamic foraging task can be better explained by a model that combines learning on both fast and slow timescales.

Cancer cells and stromal cells have been shown to pass cellular information between each other via exosomes. Here, the authors demonstrate that cancer cells can communicate with endothelial cells through nanoscale membrane bridges, and demonstrate that microRNAs are passed through these nanobridges, which modulates endothelial cell phenotype.

Membrane protein diffusion is affected by distinct mechanisms such as molecular crowding and medium elasticity. Here the authors present an analytical approach to analyse single particle trajectories and distinguish mixed subdiffusive processes affecting membrane protein mobility in living cells.

Characterizing the cellular stages that lead to induced reprogramming is of much interest and cell surface markers could offer unique advantages for this. Here the authors use surface proteomics and discover CD24 as a marker that tracks reprogramming-responsive cells and enables the analysis and enrichment of transgene-dependent and -independent induced pluriopotent stem cells.