Research Highlights in 2021

The oncoprotein MYC and the topoisomerases TOP1 and TOP2 form a complex named the ‘topoisome’, which promotes MYC-driven transcription.

Blastoids (blastocyst-like structures) that accurately model human blastocyst development and are capable of implantation are generated, potentially opening up new avenues for basic and clinical research.

Kaneshige et al. show that skeletal muscle-resident mesenchymal progenitors relay the mechanical signal of muscle overload to muscle stem cells to induce their proliferation.

DNA damage accumulation in zebrafish neurons during wakefulness is detected by Parp1, which induces a homeostatic drive to sleep and repair the damage.

Lengefeld et al. show that haematopoietic stem cell enlargement explains, at least in part, the reduction of tissue regenerative potential with ageing.

Zimmerli and Allegretti et al. show, in fission yeast, that nuclear pores constrict under energy deprivation or osmotic stress, which is linked to a reduction in nuclear membrane tension.

Betti et al. show that plants can take up microRNAs generated by other plants, and that these exogenous miRNAs are active in silencing the expression of their target genes.

The 2021 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine goes to David Julius and Ardem Patapoutian for their work on molecular basis of somatosensation.

Xie et al. show that the hair shaft regulates the size of the hair follicle stem cell niche and consequently its maintenance.

tiRNA-containing extracellular vesicles produced by osteoblasts in the bone marrow are taken up by granulocyte–monocyte progenitors, which promotes their proliferation, increasing host immunity.

An amino acid substitution found in a ribosomal protein in archaea can increase translation fidelity and lifespan in metazoans.

Xu et al. report engineering a compact version of Cas that can be useful for a broad range of genome engineering applications in mammalian cells.

Tau oligomers bind to m⁶A-modified RNA transcripts in the cytoplasm via the linker RNA-binding protein HNRNPA2B1; such complexes are found in individuals with Alzheimer disease and are part of a stress response that represses translation.

Base excision repair promotes transcriptional noise, which likely increases cell responsiveness to cell-type-specification cues.

Garabedian et al. developed designer biomolecular condensates serving as tools for flexible interrogation and temporal regulation of cell functions.

Suppressing ovulation protects against chromosomal abnormalities in ageing mouse oocytes, which can be partly explained by increasing REC8–cohesin retention on chromosomes.

RNA interference mediated by a Dicer isoform protects mammalian stem cells against RNA viruses.

The pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) involves mechanisms of liquid–liquid phase separation, which can be explored as targets for new antiviral therapeutics.

Apoptotic hair follicle stem cells contribute to tissue regeneration by producing WNT3, which promotes cell proliferation, enlarging the stem cell pool.

In response to replication stress, TOPBP1 is recruited by Treacle to nucleoli, where the two proteins facilitate the stress response and help maintain the transcription of rRNA genes.