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Cycling of the sulfur compound DMSOP by dimethylsulfoniopropionate lyase enzymes in the most abundant marine bacteria, algae and fungi is diverse and prevalent in Earth’s oceans and sediments and probably impacts climate-active gas production.

Many bacteria live in close association with eukaryotic hosts, exhibiting detrimental, neutral or beneficial effects on host growth and health. Here, the authors present a streamlined computational workflow for bacterial genome annotation, large-scale comparative genomics, and prediction of genes potentially involved in niche adaptation.

Sul-2 is a steroid sulfatase in c.elegans. Here the authors show that, in the absence of sul-2 enzymatic activity, worm lifespan is increased, and that chemical inhibition ameliorates symptoms of neurodegenerative disorders in worms and mice.

Mechanisms of growth promotion of Bacillus subtilis on melon seeds are identified using a combination of multi-omics and microscopy.

We have limited knowledge on how soil conditions affect microbiota and plant health. Here, the authors find that soil acidification impacts bacterial communities and reduces the capacity of soils to combat fungal pathogens such as Fusarium.

Known genetic loci account for only a fraction of the genetic contribution to Alzheimer’s disease. Here, the authors have performed a large genome-wide meta-analysis comprising 409,435 individuals to discover 6 new loci and demonstrate the efficacy of an Alzheimer’s disease polygenic risk score.

Meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies on Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias identifies new loci and enables generation of a new genetic risk score associated with the risk of future Alzheimer’s disease and dementia.

Patients with end-stage liver disease often experience disease progression and develop complications while waiting for a liver transplant. Prevention and management of these complications is, therefore, paramount to ensure that the patients can remain on the waiting list and have the greatest chance of a successful outcome following transplantation.

Genetics factors involved in rhizosphere microbiomes assembly remain largely elusive. Here, the authors integrate microbiomics and quantitative plant genetics to reveal genetic loci associated with specific microbes and rhizobacterial traits underlying microbiome assembly in tomato.

Predictions suggest that a high proportion of plant species will be threatened with extinction in the near future. A global assessment of the threat status of cacti suggests that these iconic plants are amongst the most threatened taxonomic groups, with 31% of the 1,478 evaluated species at risk of extinction.

Reading performance is associated with nine measures of brain structure in the left hemisphere, including regions of the reading network. This relationship is partially mediated by genetic factors for two surface area measures: total area and superior temporal gyrus.

There is currently no disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s disease, a common neurodegenerative disorder. Here, the authors use genetic variation associated with gene and protein expression to find putative drug targets for Parkinson’s disease using Mendelian randomization of the druggable genome.

Historical accounts of the mortality outcomes of the Black Death plague pandemic are variable across Europe, with much higher death tolls suggested in some areas than others. Here the authors use a ‘big data palaeoecology’ approach to show that land use change following the pandemic was spatially variable across Europe, confirming heterogeneous responses with empirical data.

Brain function alterations in schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders remain poorly understood. Here, the authors discover that increased neural connectivity in the cerebello-thalamo-cortical circuitry predicts psychosis in those at high risk, and is present in people with schizophrenia.

One of the possible events signaling a neutrinoless double beta decay is a Xe atom decaying into a Ba ion and two electrons. Aiming at the realisation of a detector for such a process, the authors show that Ba ions can be efficiently trapped (chelated) in vacuum by an organic molecule layer on a surface.

Knowledge of genomic features specific to humans may be important for understanding disease. Here the authors demonstrate a potential role for these human-lineage-specific sequences in brain development and neurological disease.

Chromodomain Helicase DNA-binding (CHD) proteins have been implicated in neurodevelopmental processes. Here, the authors identify missense variants in CHD3 that disturb its chromatin remodeling activities and cause a neurodevelopmental disorder with macrocephaly and speech and language impairment.

Regulation of gene expression and splicing are thought to be tissue-specific. Here, the authors obtain genomic and transcriptomic data from putamen and substantia nigra of 117 neurologically healthy human brains and find that splicing eQTLs are enriched for neuron-specific regulatory information.

The astronomical event GW170817, detected in gravitational and electromagnetic waves, is used to determine the expansion rate of the Universe, which is consistent with and independent of existing measurements.

Genomics and metabolomics are widely used to explore specialized metabolite diversity. The Paired Omics Data Platform is a community initiative to systematically document links between metabolome and (meta)genome data, aiding identification of natural product biosynthetic origins and metabolite structures.

Murat Günel and colleagues use an integrated genomic approach to analyze the malignant progression of IDH1-mutant gliomas. They observe nonlinear clonal expansion of the original tumors and identify oncogenic pathways driving progression, including activation of MYC and RTK-RAS-PI3K pathways and epigenetic silencing of developmental transcription factors.

Murat Günel and colleagues identify recurrent mutations in POLR2A, which encodes the catalytic subunit of RNA polymerase II, in a subset of meningiomas. They find that POLR2A-mutant tumors can be distinguished on the basis of their super-enhancer and gene expression profiles, which show dysregulation of key meningeal identity genes.

The biosynthetic gene clusters of Actinobacteria are poorly expressed in the laboratory, necessitating a better understanding of the signals that promote their expression in order to exploit their full biosynthetic potential. Here, the authors show that the stress hormone epinephrine elicits the expression of biosynthetic gene clusters and influences the metabolism of Streptomyces, with the catechol moiety proving key to this response.

Transcription factor NF-ĸB is a key regulator of immunity in mammals, but its function in protists like Capsaspora and choanoflagellates is not known. Here, Leah Williams et al. characterize and compare the structure, activity, and regulation of NF-ĸB from Capsaspora and one choanoflagellate, providing further insight into the origins of NF-ĸB.