Search

Prediabetics have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. In this parallel-design, randomized controlled trial, the authors show improvements in metabolic health in a prediabetes population consuming a legume-rich diet, which are mediated through favorable changes in gut microbiome.

Arctic marine ecosystems have experienced significant change through the Holocene. Here, the authors used sedaDNA from Northern Greenland to reconstruct marine mammal occurrence, demonstrating the impact of air temperature and sea ice cover over the past 12000 years.

In vivo mutagenesis allows improving cell factories through directed evolution. Here, the authors present CoMuTER, a tool for targetable random mutagenesis of complete biosynthetic pathways using a Cas3 enzyme fused to a cytidine deaminase.

The specifics of the pediatric immune response that gives rise to antibodies capable of neutralising diverse HIV-1 strains is not fully understood. Here the authors characterise the immune environment of Simian-HIV infected paediatric macaques and link to antibody neutralisation induction.

Here they identify the C. elegans homolog of Sjogren’s Syndrome Nuclear Antigen 1 as a centriole-stabilizing factor. In the absence of SSNA-1 centrioles assemble normally but are prone to fragmenting in the early embryo leading to multipolar spindle formation and embryonic lethality.

Integrative analyses of transcriptome and whole-genome sequencing data for 1,188 tumours across 27 types of cancer are used to provide a comprehensive catalogue of RNA-level alterations in cancer.

Here, the authors present a data storage and computation engine comprised of DNA adsorbed to soft dendricolloids, demonstrating end-to-end capabilities from archival storage to non-destructive file access for reading, erasing, rewriting and computing.

Human iPSC-CMs are invaluable for cardiac disease modeling and regeneration. Here, authors developed an optimized suspension culture protocol to efficiently and reproducibly differentiate hiPSCs into cardiomyocytes and cardiac organoids.

Phosphorescent materials made of purely organic components are typically less efficient than their organometallic counterparts. Here, the authors report a strategy to improve the phosphorescence efficiency of metal-free materials by reducing radiationless transitions by covalently linking into a polymer matrix.

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.

A genome-wide, high-resolution single nucleotide polymorphism array analysis of a large number of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia samples identifies a number of genomic changes. These include alterations in the genes encoding Pax5 and other regulators of B-cell development and differentiation.

A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies of type 2 diabetes (T2D) identifies more than 600 T2D-associated loci; integrating physiological trait and single-cell chromatin accessibility data at these loci sheds light on heterogeneity within the T2D phenotype.

Rapid diagnosis and implementation of treatments is crucial in many genetic conditions. Here the authors describe Genome-to-Treatment, a virtual disease management system that can achieve a rapid diagnosis by expedited whole genome sequencing in 13.5 hours and provide guidance to clinicians for possible therapies.

Magnetic anisotropy in mixed rare earth iron garnet films is shown to originate from the atomic ordering of the rare earth cations during growth of the film. Cation ordering on inequivalent sites provides a powerful strategy to engineer the magnetic properties of complex oxides.

Lattice distortions induced by ripples in two-dimensional molybdenum disulfide can reduce electron–phonon scattering, leading to improved charge carrier mobility and enhanced transistor performance.

1000 Genomes imputation can increase the power of genome-wide association studies to detect genetic variants associated with human traits and diseases. Here, the authors develop a method to integrate and analyse low-coverage sequence data and SNP array data, and show that it improves imputation performance.

A temporally asymmetric synaptic plasticity kernel results from bidirectional modifications of synaptic weights around the induction of a place field.

A generalizable and interpretable artificial-intelligence system achieves clinical accuracy for screening and early breast-cancer detection on 2D and 3D mammograms.

The [4Fe4S]²⁺ cluster-containing DNA-repair enzyme MUTYH helps safeguard the integrity of Watson–Crick base pairing and the human genetic code. The MUTYH [4Fe4S]²⁺ cluster mediates DNA redox signalling and DNA lesion identification. Now, a MUTYH pathologic variant associated with catastrophic [4Fe4S]²⁺ cluster redox degradation, impairment of DNA signalling and human colonic tumorigenesis has been identified.

Matriglycan, a repeating disaccharide on α-dystroglycan, is the receptor for Lassa virus and specific extracellular matrix proteins. Here, the authors demonstrate that matriglycan, in a length-dependent tunable manner, is both necessary and sufficient for protein binding and viral infection.

This study challenges the prevailing paradigm that wetness drives peat carbon accumulation, by showing that increased catchment water and nutrient inputs to high-latitude peatlands reduce recent carbon accumulation because of enhanced peat decay.

To date, various aspects of connectivity have been inferred from electron microscopy (EM) of synaptic contacts, light microscopy of axonal and dendritic arbors, and correlations in activity. However, until now it has not been possible to relate the complex structural wiring between neurons to the function of individual cells. Using a combination of functional imaging and three-dimensional serial EM reconstruction at unprecedented scale, two papers now describe the connectivity of single cells in the mouse visual system. This study examines how the selectivity of directionally selective retinal ganglion cells may arise from their asymmetry in the wiring with amacrine cells.

Whole-genome sequencing analysis of individuals with primary immunodeficiency identifies new candidate disease-associated genes and shows how the interplay between genetic variants can explain the variable penetrance and complexity of the disease.

In this study, Henderson and Zhou et al. visualize the development of a HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) from germline to maturity by determining cryo-EM structures of HIV-1 Envelope (Env) proteins bound to Fab fragments of antibodies at different stages of development of a Env V3-glcyan supersite targeting bnAb clone.

Nanopore sequencing is used to profile chromatin accessibility and DNA methylation on DNA molecules over 100 kb. Phasing analysis at the H19/IGF2 locus identifies a primate-specific enhancer driving biallelic IGF2 expression in specific cellular contexts.

Barrett’s esophagus is a pre-malignant condition that can progress to esophageal cancer. Here, the authors carry out whole genome sequencing of samples from patients who did or did not progress to cancer and find that mutations in many genes occur regardless of progression status, but also find features associated with progressive disease.

Epigenetic markers are potential biomarkers for diabetes and related complications. Here, the authors identify CpG sites associated with kidney function and its subsequent decline using both single-site and multisite analyses, which are shown to have functional significance in the kidney.

Anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis is the most common autoimmune encephalitis. Michalski et al. reveal epitope diversity, conformational changes and functional impacts of the autoantibodies using cryo-EM and electrophysiology.

The goals, resources and design of the NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) programme are described, and analyses of rare variants detected in the first 53,831 samples provide insights into mutational processes and recent human evolutionary history.

Transition metal perovskite oxide membranes are promising platforms for infrared polaritonics. Here, the authors experimentally demonstrate highly confined epsilon-near-zero modes and propagating surface phonon polaritons in high-quality SrTiO₃ membranes with deep subwavelength thickness.

Targeted radionuclide therapy (TRT) is a therapeutic modality that combines the strengths of radiotherapy and systemic molecularly targeted therapy. Over the past few years, new TRT agents have been developed against an expanding array of molecular targets, particularly in cancers with limited treatment options. The authors of this Review discuss these advances, focusing on what constitutes an optimal target and discussing lessons learned from past experience in order to broaden the scope of TRT.

Non-classical crystallization may proceed through formation of intermediate phases, but it is not known whether these are linked to the final crystallization. Here, using an atomic force microscope at 90 bar, brucite carbonation is directly observed, with an amorphous intermediate acting as the seed for crystalline nesquehonite.

Detection of resistance to the antibiotic metronidazole in C. difficile often requires the presence of heme in the media, for unclear reasons. Here, the authors show that most metronidazole-resistant strains carry a mutation that promotes expression of a heme-dependent enzyme that degrades nitroimidazoles, and the mutation often co-occurs with an amino-acid substitution in DNA gyrase that confers resistance to another class of antibiotics, fluoroquinolones.

Electric fields in the solar atmosphere are not studied as widely as the magnetic fields mainly due to small, short living signals. Here, the authors show measurement of an electric field associated with magnetic diffusion triggering an energetic event in the solar atmosphere.

The pancreatic vasculature displays significant heterogeneity, with the islets perfused by a specialized microcirculation with greater density than the surrounding acinar tissue. Using single-cell RNA sequencing of human pancreases and integration with further data, the authors reveal the vascular transcriptomic heterogeneity in the healthy and diabetic pancreas.

Leveraging enzymatic selectivity, a single reaction stream provides a single diastereomer of the cyclic dinucleotide MK-1454, a promising immune-oncology drug candidate, without the use of protecting groups or chiral auxiliaries.

Analyses of genetic variation and population structure based on over 3,000 cultivated rice (Oryza sativa) genomes reveal subpopulations that correlate with geographic location and patterns of introgression consistent with multiple rice domestication events.

Loss of Amplified in Liver Cancer 1 (ALC1) has been shown to confer PARP inhibitor hypersensitivity in BRCA-mutant cells. Here, the authors show that in ALC1-deficient BRCA-mutant cells, APE1 cleaves abasic sites at the forks resulting in DNA breaks and thereby enhances PARP inhibitor sensitivity.

Purely organic materials are usually considered non-phosphorescent. Here, a crystal design that relies on the formation of halogen bonds is used to combine the heavy-atom effect with the triplet-state emission from aromatic carbonyls to produce organic crystals with bright phosphorescence of the type formerly observed only from inorganic and organometallic materials.

This Comment posits that enhancers stimulate the transcription machinery only through short-range interactions and, therefore, that enhancer activity at a distance is mediated by chromatin loops between distal and proximal enhancers, not between enhancers and promoters.

Many metalloenzymes are highly specific for their cognate metal ion but the molecular principles underlying this specificity often remain unclear. Here, the authors characterize the structural and biochemical basis for the different metal specificity of two evolutionarily related superoxide dismutases.

Sojka et al. analyse the transcriptomic and epigenomic landscape of human astrocyte maturation and identify an epigenetically regulated intermediate state associated with aberrant development in glioblastoma.