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Elucidation of broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAb) is a goal in HIV vaccine development. Here, Bradley et al. show that administration of CTLA-4 blocking antibody with vaccine antigens increases HIV-1 envelope antibody responses in macaques and a bnAb precursor mouse model.

The authors introduce an analytical approach for quantitative analysis of 3D atom dynamics during electron microscopy. They image a Co-Mo-S nanocrystal with 1.5 Å resolution, and observe chemical transformations caused by beam-stimulated vibrations.

Most studies of the genetics of the metabolome have been done in individuals of European descent. Here, the authors integrate genomics and metabolomics in Black individuals, highlighting the value of whole genome sequencing in diverse populations and linking circulating metabolites to human disease.

For comprehensive biodiversity conservation efforts, knowledge of the number and distribution of species is required. Here, Westgate et al.perform a meta-analysis to show that studies of cross-taxon congruence rarely give consistent results between different locations, undermining the assumption that a subset of taxa can be representative of biodiversity.

Genome-wide analysis of copy number variants in 2,824 cases across the phenotypic spectrum of CAKUT sheds light on the genomic architecture of disease and identifies TBX6 as a driver for CAKUT subphenotypes in the 16p11.2 microdeletion syndrome.

Familial cortical myoclonic tremor (FAME) has so far been mapped to regions on chromosome 2, 3, 5 and 8 and pentameric repeat expansions in SAMD12 were identified as cause of FAME1. Here, Corbett et al. identify ATTTT/ATTTC repeat expansions in intron 1 of STARD7 in individuals with FAME2.”

The shortage of viable donated livers limits patient access to liver transplantation. Here the authors report the use of normothermic machine perfusion to help identify viable organs from livers discarded based on current clinical criteria, which are then transplanted to recipients in a single-arm clinical trial.

First-in-human combined intrathalamic and intrathecal gene therapy in two patients with Tay-Sachs disease provides early evidence on the safety and feasibility of the approach.

Shell markings are the oldest abstract signs ever discovered.

Several prominent cognitive theories propose that in situations affording more than one action strategy, the brain prepares multiple competing movements prior to selecting one. Here the authors provide direct experimental evidence for this provocative but largely untested notion.

Psoriatic arthritis (PsA) is a chronic inflammatory arthritis with a significant genetic component. Here, the authors analyse immune-related genetic markers in 1,962 PsA patients and 8,923 controls to identify novel PsA risk loci and highlight distinct genetic differences between psoriasis and PsA.

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.

Single cell RNA sequencing generates short reads from one end of a template, providing incomplete transcript coverage and limiting identification of diverse sequences such as antigen receptors. Here the authors combine long read nanopore sequencing with short read profiling of barcoded libraries to generate full-length antigen receptor sequences.

Achieving genetic circuits on single DNA molecules could have varied applications. Here, authors observed proteins emerging from single DNA molecules through coupled transcription-translation complexes, and show that nascent proteins lingered on DNA, regulating cascaded reactions on the same DNA and allowing the design of a pulsatile genetic circuit.

Genetic and testing data from England show that the SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern B.1.1.7 has a transmission advantage over other lineages.

Sera from vaccinated individuals and some monoclonal antibodies show a modest reduction in neutralizing activity against the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2; but the E484K substitution leads to a considerable loss of neutralizing activity.

Sarcopenia is the loss of muscle mass and strength associated with physical disability during ageing. Here, the authors analyse muscle biopsies from 119 patients with sarcopenia and age-matched controls of different ethnic groups and find transcriptional signatures indicating mitochondrial dysfunction, associated with reduced mitochondria numbers and lower NAD⁺ levels in older individuals with sarcopenia.

This study finds that sST2 is a disease-causing factor for Alzheimer’s disease. Higher sST2 levels impair microglial Aβ clearance in APOE4⁺ female individuals. A genetic variant, rs1921622, is associated with a reduction in sST2 level and protects against AD in APOE4⁺ female individuals.

DNA repair in response to DSBs in the preimplantation embryo is hard to analyze. Here the authors show that over 25% of pre-existing heterozygous loci in control single blastomere samples appeared as homozygous after whole genome amplification, therefore, they validated gene editing seen in human embryos in ESCs.

Multi-ancestry genome-wide association analyses identify 124 risk loci for rheumatoid arthritis, of which 34 are novel. A polygenic risk score based on multi-ancestry data showed comparable performance between populations of European and East Asian ancestries.

Any DNA sequence can be represented by a chiral partner sequence – an exact copy arranged in reverse nucleotide order. Here, the authors show that chiral DNA sequence pairs share important properties and show the utility of synthetic chiral sequences (sequins) as controls for clinical genomics.

The interplay between amyloid and tau pathology in Alzheimer’s disease is still not well understood. Here, the authors show that amyloid-related increased in soluble p-tau is related to subsequent accumulation of tau aggregates and cognitive decline in early stage of the disease.

Chronic infection with SARS-CoV-2 leads to the emergence of viral variants that show reduced susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies in an immunosuppressed individual treated with convalescent plasma.

In this study, Aggarwal and colleagues perform prospective sequencing of SARS-CoV-2 isolates derived from asymptomatic student screening and symptomatic testing of students and staff at the University of Cambridge. They identify important factors that contributed to within university transmission and onward spread into the wider community.

Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) is still not well understood. Here the authors provide patient reported outcomes from 590 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and show association of PASC with higher respiratory SARS-CoV-2 load and circulating antibody titers, and in some an elevation in circulating fibroblast growth factor 21.

Whole-genome sequencing and population genomics of 218 Aspergillus fumigatus environmental and clinical isolates reveals strong genetic clustering and the occurrences of near-identical genotypes, indicating the infection of patients with resistant isolates from the environment.

Rheumatoid arthritis patients respond differently to anti-TNF treatment. Using community-based challenge, the authors show that currently available data does not reveal meaningful genetic predictors of response to anti-TNF therapy, thus confirming clinical observations.

Crystal structures of HIV-1 Env V1V2 in complex with human broadly neutralizing antibodies and ontogeny analyses allow the engineering of Env trimers that are recognized by ancestor and intermediate antibody forms.

A prerequisite to exploiting soil microbes for sustainable crop production is the identification of the plant genes shaping microbiota composition in the rhizosphere. Here, the authors report QTLs and the associated candidate genes underlying rhizosphere microbiome composition in barley.