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Intelectin-2 defends mucosal interfaces by crosslinking mucus and blocking microbial growth. This study reveals that mouse and human intelectin-2 recognizes galactose-rich glycans to bind and target diverse bacteria—uncovering a potent, dual-action lectin that shapes host–microbe balance.

In this work, Beyer and colleagues have utilized display screening technologies to comprehensively chart RAS proteins “druggability” and in doing so unravel a targetable ligand-induced pocket in RAS opening unprecedented anti-RAS targeted opportunities.

The authors synthesize bee assemblage data from 681 crop fields across three continents, finding that local pesticide hazards and decreasing adjacent semi-natural habitats both negatively affected wild bee abundance and species richness in crop fields, while pesticides also reduced functional diversity.

Genomic analyses applied to 14 childhood- and adult-onset psychiatric disorders identifies five underlying genomic factors that explain the majority of the genetic variance of the individual disorders.

A public data set on the size and racial composition of US prison populations has been generated. Its analysis indicates how biases in sentencing lengths shape prisons’ racial make-up in the United States.

Jayavelu, Samaha et al., apply machine learning models on hospital admission data, including antibody titers and viral load, to identify patients at high risk for Long COVID. Low antibody levels, high viral loads, chronic diseases, and female sex are key predictors, supporting early, targeted interventions.

Dietary cysteine enhances intestinal stem cell-mediated intestinal repair following injury by promoting CD8 T cell-regenerative immune responses.

The authors summarize the data produced by phase III of the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements (ENCODE) project, a resource for better understanding of the human and mouse genomes.

Cumulative pressures are driving tropical coral reefs, pivotal components of the ocean social ecological system, to functional collapse. This Review summarizes their trends and threats, before detailing a strategy to avoid the functional collapse of coral reefs by deploying a global action plan layering a broad range of science-based interventions.

Multi-ancestry genome-wide analyses identify new risk loci for age-related macular degeneration. Ancestry-specific analyses identify distinct effects at major risk loci, including smaller effect sizes for CFH risk alleles in haplotypes of African ancestry.

GM-CSF-secreting whole-cell cancer vaccine (GVAX) promotes T-cell response against a range of tumor associated antigens in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDA). Here the authors report the results of the initial three treatment arms of a platform trial of neoadjuvant and adjuvant GVAX alone or in combination with PD-1 antagonist and CD137 agonist antibodies in patients with resectable PDA.

IκBζ is a rather unknown transcriptional co-factor of NF-κB. Here, the authors show that constitutive IκBζ expression in a subgroup of patients with melanoma drives immunotherapy resistance and enhanced tumor growth.

Single-cell gene expression analysis is challenging. This work describes a new droplet-based single cell RNA-seq platform capable of processing tens of thousands of cells across 8 independent samples in minutes, and demonstrates cellular subtypes and host–donor chimerism in transplant patients.

Current knowledge of the mechanisms that underly Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infections remains limited. Here, the authors present an in vitro gastric model that combines structural complexity with experimental accessibility, enabling improved research into H. pylori-induced pathogenesis.

Climate change is impacting mountain regions and the agricultural livelihood of residents, and will continue to do so. In this study, the authors survey farmers in ten African mountain regions to understand their perceptions of climate change impacts and identify adaptation opportunities and constraints.

Results from 316 Bombus terrestris colonies at 106 agricultural sites across eight European countries find pesticides in bumble bee pollen to be associated with reduced colony performance, especially in areas of intensive agriculture.

Iris Heid, Gonçalo Abecasis, Sudha Iyengar and colleagues report the results of a large genome-wide association meta-analysis of macular degeneration based on over 43,000 subjects. They identify 16 new risk loci, including some very rare coding variants.

Aspartoacylase expression in white adipose tissue regulates circulating levels of N-acetylaspartate, which in turn modulates plasma pyrimidine levels and regulates postprandial body temperature.

A study of dependencies associated with cancer-causing mutations has identified a small molecule that binds to SHOC2 and inhibits RAS signalling in cells carrying NRAS Q61 mutations, a common oncogenic driver in melanoma.

Extensive disturbances of blue carbon ecosystems deplete soil carbon to 0.5-2 m, while limited disturbances affect only surface layers or cause minimal loss. This global synthesis refines greenhouse gas estimates for climate policy and reporting.

In the final report of a phase 1 trial evaluating intracerebroventricular B7-H3-targeting CAR T cells in children and young adults with diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma, repeated intracranial infusions were feasible and well tolerated with a median overall survival of 19.8 months and 3 patients surviving over 40 months from diagnosis.

Authors perform an analysis of the patient data and risk factors to evaluate unfavorable outcomes and adverse events in adults with pulmonary tuberculosis treated with a 4-month rifapentine based regimen. Low rifapentine exposure was the most clinically significant risk factor for treatment failure and tuberculosis relapse.

This analysis of net-zero strategies designed in an iterative stakeholder dialogue finds that without behavioral change and with restriction of technologies, the target of greenhouse gas neutrality in the European Union cannot be reached.

Analysis of copy number alterations in 1,451 patient-derived xenografts (PDXs) and matched patient tumor samples shows strong conservation from patient tumors through late-passage PDXs and a lack of systematic copy number evolution driven by the mouse host.

NFAT nuclear translocation has been shown to be required for CD8⁺ T cell cytokine production in response to viral infection. Here the authors show NFATc1 controls the cytotoxicity and metabolic switching of activated CD8⁺ T cells required for optimal response to bacteria and tumor cells.

Truncation of exon 18 of FGFR2 (FGFR2^ΔE18) is a potent driver mutation in mice and humans, and FGFR-targeted therapy should be considered for patients with cancer expressing stable FGFR2^ΔE18 variants.

The authors defined a roadmap for investigating the genetic covariance between structural or functional brain phenotypes and risk for psychiatric disorders. Their proof-of-concept study using the largest available common variant data sets for schizophrenia and volumes of several (mainly subcortical) brain structures did not find evidence of genetic overlap.

Temporal multi-omic analysis of tissues from rats undergoing up to eight weeks of endurance exercise training reveals widespread shared, tissue-specific and sex-specific changes, including immune, metabolic, stress response and mitochondrial pathways.

Longitudinal genomic and transcriptomic profiling of 1,143 patients with multiple myeloma by the Relating Clinical Outcomes in Multiple Myeloma to Personal Assessment of Genetic Profile study yields an improved copy number and gene expression subtype scheme, most notably a high-risk proliferative subtype associated with complete loss of RB1 or MAX.

Genome-wide analysis identifies variants associated with the volume of seven different subcortical brain regions defined by magnetic resonance imaging. Implicated genes are involved in neurodevelopmental and synaptic signaling pathways.

A retrospective analysis using PCR testing, viral enrichment-based sequencing and agnostic metagenomic sequencing finds an association between adeno-associated virus type 2 and paediatric hepatitis of unknown cause.

Bioenergy has been widely viewed as an alternative for fossil fuels and an option for carbon dioxide removal, but there are doubts given the induced land-use changes. This study shows the importance of uniform regulation and comprehensive coverage of carbon-rich areas in reducing total emissions.

Little is known about the distribution, evolution and functions of the K1 capsule at a population level, despite the important role in the pathogenesis of E. coli; authors explore this through the utilisation of over 5,000 clinical isolates in population genomics studies and statistical modelling.

A longitudinal analysis of humoral immune responses in patients with COVID-19 with varying disease severities reveals that mortality does not correlate with antiviral antibody levels but, instead, with slower seroconversion.

Rapid extracellular antigen profiling of a cohort of 194 individuals infected with SARS-CoV-2 uncovers diverse autoantibody responses that affect COVID-19 disease severity, progression and clinical and immunological characteristics.

A longitudinal analysis of immune responses in patients with moderate or severe COVID-19 identifies a maladapted immune response profile linked to severe disease.

Male patients with COVID-19 have higher plasma levels of innate immune cytokines and chemokines such as IL-8, IL-18 and CCL5 and more non-classical monocytes than female patients, whereas female patients mount robust T cell activation maintained even in older age.

Type 2 diabetes is associated with insulin resistance, impaired insulin secretion and liver steatosis. Here the authors report a proof-of-concept study for small molecule SWELL1 modulators as a therapeutic approach to treat diabetes and associated liver steatosis by enhancing systemic insulin-sensitivity and insulin secretion in mice.

Current action is insufficient to meet both the Paris Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals. Integrated model-based analysis shows that strong interventions across many dimensions, together with ambitious lifestyle change, are needed to enable real progress towards the UN Agenda 2030.

Biodiversity change can impact ecosystem functioning, though this is primarily studied at lower trophic levels. Here, Schuldt et al. find that biodiversity components other than tree species richness are particularly important, and higher trophic level diversity plays a role in multifunctionality.

SIRT6 plays essential roles in metabolism, tumor suppression, and DNA repair through the deacetylation of histone substrates. Here the authors use biophysical methods to investigate the molecular basis for SIRT6 interaction with the nucleosome core particle.

ENCODE is a resource comprising thousands of functional genomic datasets. Here, the authors present custom annotation within ENCODE for cancer, highlighting a workflow that can help prioritise key elements in oncogenesis.

Here, the authors show that SARS-CoV-2 infection causes gut microbiome dysbiosis and gut epithelial cell alterations in a mouse model, and correlate dysbiosis observed in COVID-19 patients with blood stream infections, matching reads of bacterial sequences from stool samples to organisms found in the blood.

STING signalling is activated in metastatic cancer cells that exit from an immune-evasive dormant state, blocking their progression and cancer relapse.

In a GWAS study of 32,438 adults, the authors discovered five novel loci for intracranial volume and confirmed two known signals. Variants for intracranial volume were also related to childhood and adult cognitive function and to Parkinson's disease, and enriched near genes involved in growth pathways, including PI3K-AKT signaling.