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Solidification upon heating, known as Pomeranchuk effect, is a known phenomenon for 3He. Here, leveraging on the hybridization of organic molecules orbitals with those of inorganic elements in polymers, the authors report the Pomeranchuk effect within an electronic system and the impact of magnetic fields on it.

Poor access to suitable light-sheet microscopes remains a big obstacle for many end-users in biomedical research. Here, the authors present descSPIM, a low-cost, low-expertise light-sheet microscope for routine 3D imaging of cleared samples.

The zinc-finger transcription factor IKAROS is essential for B cell development. Taniuchi, Morio and colleagues identify a human kindred presenting with B cell immunodeficiency that was caused by a heterozygous missense mutation in IKZF3 encoding the related AIOLOS protein. AIOLOS^G159R is a mutant protein that interferes with both wild-type AIOLOS and IKAROS by forming heterodimers that bind to aberrant DNA-binding sites and prevent normal expression of IKAROS-dependent genes.

Ophiorrhiza pumila is a medicinal plant that can produce the anti-cancer monoterpene indole alkaloid (MIA) camptothecin. Here, the authors report its genome assembly and propose a working model for MIA evolution and biosynthesis through comparative genomics, synteny, and metabolic gene cluster analyses.

A single-cell multiomic immune cell atlas from 235 Japanese, including patients with COVID-19 and healthy individuals, linked with host genetics including germline and somatic mutation, plasma proteomics and metagenomics data reveals that immune cells are dynamically regulated in a cell state-dependent manner.

Analysis of the blood DNA virome in patients with COVID-19 and autoimmune disease associates endogenous HHV-6 (eHHV-6) and high anellovirus load with increased disease risk, most notably for systemic lupus erythematosus. eHHV-6 carriers show a distinct immune response.

Genetic mechanisms influencing COVID-19 susceptibility are not well understood. Here, the authors analyzed whole blood RNA-seq data of 465 Japanese individuals with COVID-19, highlighting thousands of fine-mapped variants affecting expression and splicing of genes, as well as the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs.

A genome-wide association study highlights a variant in DOCK2, which is common in East Asian populations but rare in Europeans, as a host genetic risk factor for severe COVID-19.

Trans-chromosomic (Tc) mice have helped the development of therapeutic antibodies, but chromosome instability limits its application. Here the authors develop a new line of Tc mice with full human Ig heavy and kappa loci integrated into the mouse artificial chromosome for stable passage, and confirm efficient generation of B cell responses and specific antibodies.

Sterols are essential structural components of cell membranes and have functions in many different physiological processes. For example, brassinosteroids are a class of sterol phytohormones that are important in regulating plant growth and development. This study describes the identification of a protein factor that regulates sterol homeostasis in Arabidopsis.

Simultaneous small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering studies on crystallization dynamics of poly(4-methylpentene-1) (P4MP1) from melt by Kazuki Mita, Hiroshi Okumura, Kazuki Kimura, Takeharu Isaki, Mikihito Takenaka and Toshiji Kanaya. Crystallization process of P4MP1 under an isothermal condition was investigated by means of simultaneous small- and wide-angle synchrotron radiation X-ray scattering. The changes in lamella structure and crystal lattice during the crystallization were elucidated for the first time: the lamellae thickness is kept constant, whereas the lattice constant a changes toward the most stable value. We also found that there is some inhomogeneous structure even in the melt and in the induction period and the subsequent crystallization consists of the first and the second processes.

Single-photon detection is challenging in the microwave regime due to the small photon energy. Here, the authors demonstrate the deterministic detection of single microwave photons through an impedenance-matched artificial Λ system composed by a driven superconducting qubit and a microwave resonator.

Saponins such as glycyrrhizin, a natural sweetener found in licorice root, are a class of triterpenoids synthesized that are characterized by a glucoronic acid moiety at the C-3 position. Here the authors show that saponin glucuronosylation is catalyzed by cellulose-synthase like enzymes and reconstitute glycyrrhizin synthesisin yeast.

Water ice exhibits several hydrogen-ordered and disordered phases and it’s unclear if a disordered phase can transform into only one ordered phase. Here, the authors identify a partially hydrogen-ordered phase at high pressure, ice XIX, as the second hydrogen-ordered phase of ice VI beside ice XV.

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.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 73 Japanese patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and 75 healthy controls were analyzed using single-cell transcriptomics. Combining these data with genotyping data highlights the interplay between host genetics and the immune response in modulating disease severity.

De novo mutations significantly contribute to autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Here, the authors demonstrate that ASD-associated de novo mutations in the POGZ gene, one of a high-confidence ASD gene, lead to ASD-related impaired neuronal development and disrupted mature cortical network function.

Normal epithelial intestine organisation requires Wnt and Hedgehog signalling activity. Here, the authors show that parafibromin can activate both pathways in a mutually exclusive manner and is important for intestinal homeostasis.

A total of 1074 patients with a history of ischemic stroke enrolled in The Recurrent Stroke Prevention Clinical Outcome (RESPECT) Study were assigned to intensive blood pressure (BP) control group (blood pressure < 120/80 mmHg) or standard blood pressure control group (blood pressure < 140/90 mmHg) and were followed up for a mean of 3.9 years. Seventy-eight first recurrent strokes occurred, including 70 ischemic stroke and 8 intracerebral hemorrhage. Intensive treatment did not change annual risk of ischemic stroke (1.74% vs. 1.75%, P = 0.999), but markedly reduced risk of hemorrhagic stroke (0.00% vs. 0.39%, P = 0.005). Beneficial effect of intensive BP control were observed for risk of hemorrhagic stroke in the patients with a history of ischemic stroke.

Using more than 100 independent iPSC lines derived from patients with Alzheimer’s disease, the authors discovered loci associated with the neuronal production of amyloid β and confirmed their influence using RNA interference.

The relevance of cell competition in intestinal epithelial carcinogenesis remains to be explored. Here, the authors find aberrant Wnt activation in RasV12-transformed cells reverses the directionality of cell extrusion mediated by cell competition in intestinal epithelium, causing infiltration into basal lamina rather than apical elimination of transformed cells and consequent development of invasive carcinomas.

This study identifies TTTCA- and TTTTA-repeat expansions in benign adult familial myoclonic epilepsy. Cortical neurons from affected people exhibit RNA foci containing these expanded repeats, suggesting RNA toxicity as the mechanism underlying disease pathogenesis.

Here the authors determine the high-resolution 3D chromatin architecture of mouse male germ cells during spermatogenesis and show that CTCF-mediated 3D chromatin dictates the gene expression program required for spermatogenesis.

Mixed-stack complexes consisting of alternating donors and acceptors typically show low electrical conductivity. Here, the authors improved the conductivity by hybridizing the frontier orbitals of the donor and acceptor at the neutral–ionic boundary.

One goal of potato breeding is to reduce the accumulation of toxic solanidane glycoalkaloids. Here the authors show that potato DPS, a 2-oxoglutarate dependent dioxygenase, catalyzes ring rearrangement of a biosynthetic precursor to differentiate solanidanes from spirosolanes that are found in other solanaceous plants.

Folliculogenesis and ovulation are regulated by separate hormones (FSH and LH), though the release of both has been thought to be regulated by the same upstream hormone, GnRH. Here they show that in fish, FSH release is regulated by a distinct hormone, FSH-RH, thereby revisiting our current understanding of gonadotropin release.