Search

We describe a human DNA methylome atlas based on deep whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, allowing fragment-level analysis of cell-type-specific markers and providing an essential resource for studies of gene regulation and for deconvolution of cell mixtures and liquid biopsies.

Using a global database of the radiocarbon content of rivers combining new and published measurements, isotopic mass balance suggests that about 60% of river CO₂ emissions are derived from millennial or older carbon sources.

Fallout radionuclide (FRN) chronometry reveals that accumulation of Hg in soils is five times higher than reported in sediment or peat archives. This confirms that global forest soils are strong and stable sinks of gaseous elemental mercury (GEM).

The genomes of two fern species, Azolla filiculoides and Salvinia cucullata, are reported and provide insights into fern-specific whole-genome duplications, fern-specific insect-resistant gene evolution and fern–cyanobacterial symbiosis.

The One Thousand Plant Transcriptomes Initiative provides a robust phylogenomic framework for examining green plant evolution that comprises the transcriptomes and genomes of diverse species of green plants.

Circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) has diagnostic potential, and clarifying its origins will aid in the minimally-invasive detection and monitoring of disease. Here, authors find that physiologically, megakaryocytes are major sources of cfDNA, while erythroblasts also release small amounts of cfDNA.

An analysis of 24,202 critical cases of COVID-19 identifies potentially druggable targets in inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).

Single and multiple intravenous infusions with laromestrocel, an allogeneic cell therapy, is safe in patients with mild AD and may reduce the impact of cognitive decline and brain atrophy within 9 months of treatment.

A high-throughput chemical–genetic screening approach for the discovery of targets and chemicals to treat Mycobacterium tuberculosis yields tenfold more hit compounds than conventional whole-cell screening methods.

Exploring the diversity of the wild progenitor of the wheat D subgenome allows for rapid trait discovery.

An international team of researchers finds high potential for improving climate projections by a more comprehensive treatment of largely ignored Arctic vegetation types, underscoring the importance of Arctic energy exchange measuring stations.

The methylation status of circulating cell-free DNA (cfDNA) can be informative about recent cell death events. Here the authors present an approach to determine the tissue origins of cfDNA, using a reference methylation atlas of 25 human tissues and cell types, and find that cfDNA from patients reveals tissue contributions that agree with clinical findings.

The study of the electronic, thermal and optical properties of dysprosium-doped cadmium oxide reveals high electron mobility, rendering the material suitable for plasmonic applications in the mid-infrared region.

Suthaharan et al. show that levels of paranoia increased in the general population during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, in association with more erratic belief updating. Government policies also played a role.

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

Using embryonic stem cells as a model system for studying the basic bimodal DNA methylation pattern in vivo, a new study now indicates that demethylation is not required for generating unmethylated regions such as CpG islands as part of the overall bimodal methylation pattern but is involved in resetting methylation patterns during somatic-cell reprogramming.

The authors show that NMDA receptor activation induces a rapid protein phosphatase 1–dependent dephosphorylation and downregulation of the neuron-specific potassium-chloride co-transporter KCC2. Deficits in KCC2 activity have been observed in disease states associated with pathophysiological glutamate release. Blocking dephosphorylation reduces the glutamate-induced degradation of KCC2 and maintains hyperpolarizing GABAergic inhibition.

Whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in over 7,000 individuals with critical COVID-19 are used to identify 16 independent variants that are associated with severe illness in COVID-19.

Clostridium difficile toxins TcdA and TcdB enhance pathogenesis by inducing vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) production and promoting colonic vascular permeability.

The detection of cardiomyocyte death is a critical aspect in the diagnosis and monitoring of heart diseases. Here the authors show that cardiomyocyte-specific methylation patterns of circulating cell-free DNA may serve as a biomarker of cardiac cell death in infarcted and septic patients.

Analysis of more than 236,000 observations of glacier terminus positions shows that accelerated calving reduced the ice area of Greenland by about 5,000 km² since 1985, producing over 1,000 Gt of freshwater that could influence ocean salinity and circulation.

Next-generation sequencing of pooled samples tagged with sample-specific molecular barcodes enables the testing, for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, of thousands of nasal or saliva samples in a single run without the need for RNA extraction.

The bicyclic azetidines, a class of potent, well-tolerated antimalarial compounds that is active against multiple stages of the Plasmodium life-cycle, has been discovered following screens against libraries of compounds reminiscent of natural products.

Nearly all organic carbon has now been quantified and characterized in a highly complex evolving atmospheric system, specifically, the multigenerational oxidation of α-pinene. It has been observed that initial addition of functional groups quickly gives way to fragmentation reactions, with organic carbon ultimately becoming sequestered in chemically resistant reservoirs: organic aerosols and long-lived gas-phase species.

Inflatable balloon catheters are widely used in many surgical and diagnostic procedures. Such catheters have now been used as a platform for a collection of components including semiconductor devices, sensors and actuators, and these multifunctional catheters probed for their use in cardiac-related applications.

This Resource describes genetic tools for microbial eukaryotes, providing a roadmap for developing genetically tractable organisms.

Pancreatic acinar cell carcinoma (ACC) is an aggressive exocrine tumor with largely unknown biology. Here, the authors perform genome- and epigenome-wide analyses from normal and ACC pancreatic tissue that identify aberrations in genome stability and cell cycle control.

This overview of the ENCODE project outlines the data accumulated so far, revealing that 80% of the human genome now has at least one biochemical function assigned to it; the newly identified functional elements should aid the interpretation of results of genome-wide association studies, as many correspond to sites of association with human disease.

A single dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine elicits antibodies and cytokine-producing T cells that might help control or prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In this Review, James et al. provide an overview of approaches for planning, constructing, and fine-tuning synthetic genomes and describe their potential applications.

Growing season nitrous oxide emissions from thermokarst can be significant and may influence greenhouse gas budgets, according to flux measurements from the North Slope of Alaska.

Yeast central carbon metabolism has been engineered to achieve a more efficient isoprenoid biosynthesis pathway, an advance that brings commodity-scale production of such compounds a step closer.

Application of soil nitrogen limitation selective pressure enhanced seed yield and nitrogen use efficiency in the 9th generation of Brassica rapa, likely due to alterations in soil microbiome composition.