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Accurate quantification of intracellular ATP is essential for comparing ATP levels across different organelles, cell types, and samples. Here, authors develop a fluorescence lifetime indicator called qMaLioffG for quantifying ATP, with demonstrations including spheroids and the Drosophila brain.

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.

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 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.

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.

Archaea use a tRNA^Ile with agmatine conjugated at the C34 position to decode the AUA codon. The enzyme that catalyzes this reaction, TiaS, has been previously identified, and it is now shown that it uses a novel kinase domain to hydrolyze ATP into AMP and pyrophosphate before phosphorylating itself and the tRNA on its way to conjugating the agmatine.

The prototypical trans–cis photoisomerization of stilbenes is thought to occur via a transient intermediate with a perpendicular conformation—often called ‘the phantom state’—but its unambiguous identification has thus far proved difficult. Now, using ultrafast ultraviolet Raman spectroscopy and ab initio molecular dynamics simulation, evidence for its existence and its perpendicular conformation has been obtained.

Mutant forms of the transmembrane receptor activin receptor-like kinase 2 are associated with different genetic diseases. Here, the authors report that disease-associated forms of this receptor cause intracellular domains to dimerize in response to ligand binding of extracellular domains.

TiaS catalyzes the transfer of agmatine onto the first position cytidine of the tRNAIle2 anticodon in archaea, ensuring proper translation of the matching codon. Now the crystal structures of the TiaS–tRNAIle2 complex with ATP, or with AMPCPP and agmatine, reveal a novel kinase domain and show how TiaS selects the correct tRNA while segregating the target cytidine until agmatine is bound.

Euryarchaeal ArcS alone cannot produce G⁺-containing tRNA but works as a lysine transferase to produce a lysine adduct intermediate, which finally forms G⁺-containing tRNA in the presence of a newly identified SAM enzyme, RaSEA.

Zeolitic transition metal oxides provide both porosity and redox activity, thereby further expanding the diversity of porous materials, but their design and development remain rare. Here, the authors report a new class of zeolitic vanadotungstates with tunable frameworks exhibiting a large porosity and redox activity.

The detection and simulation of a type Ia supernova with an early, red flash suggests that it formed through detonation of the helium shell of a white dwarf, rather than by collision of the ejecta with a companion star or by merging with another white dwarf.

Artificial nucleic acids with a fixed conformation of the backbone of the oligonucleotide can form stable duplexes, however, the synthesis of modified nucleotides with non-canonical three-dimensional structures remains very challenging. Here, the authors design and synthesize dinucleotides containing 2′,3′-trans-bridged nucleic acids (2′,3′-trans-BNAs), showing a similar N-type sugar conformation in RNA-duplex but with different ζ and α torsion angles.

We examined the crystallization behavior of poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) chains in binary blends of PCL-block-polyethylene copolymers and PCL homopolymers using synchrotron SAXS/WAXD. When PCL homopolymers were localized between PCL blocks in lamellar microdomains (dry brush), the crystallinity of PCL chains showed a composition-dependent increase, suggesting the formation of separate PCL lamellar crystals. When PCL homopolymers were uniformly mixed with PCL blocks (wet brush), the time evolution of crystallinity was identical to that of PCL blocks, indicating the formation of a mixed crystal of PCL blocks and PCL homopolymers.

Observations of a protostellar envelope and disk (from which planets should form) in the relatively close star-forming region of the Taurus molecular cloud reveal unexpected chemistry in the gas between the envelope and the disk: the unsaturated hydrocarbon molecule cyclic-C₃H₂ and sulphur monoxide.

Samples returned from Ryugu contain fresher material than the space weathered outer asteroid surface observed by remote sensing, according to a comparison of spectral data from returned samples, orbital observations and Murchison meteorite samples.

High-resolution X-ray spectra show near-solar abundances of chromium, manganese and nickel with respect to iron in the Perseus cluster, suggesting that the progenitors of type Ia supernovae could be near- and sub-Chandrasekhar-mass white dwarfs.

The variable frequency microwave (VFM) technology is known for its theoretically uniform microwave E-field distribution, although the experimental distribution remains poorly understood. Here, the authors examine the effectiveness of VFM irradiation experimentally by in situ 3D observation of the E-field, and apply VFM to the large scale synthesis of 4-methylbiphenyl via the Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction catalyzed by solid Pd supported on activated carbon particulates.

Microwave irradiation allows for direct and focused heating of solid catalysts, however, temperature control remains a major challenge. Here the local temperatures of platinum nanoparticles on γ-Al₂O₃ and SiO₂ supports are elucidated with in situ XAFS and operando XANES spectroscopy.

The mechanism of intense autopolymerization reaction of 2-bromo-3-methoxythiophenes spewing brownish gas was clarified from UV-Vis, ESR, GC/MS, elemental analysis, NMR, and FT-IR spectroscopy. The reaction contained the formation of the hydrogen bromide gas during the autopolymerization. The gas induced the cleavage of the methoxy group on the thiophene ring to form the methyl bromide gas as the side reaction. This work provides an important guide for the application of the autopolymerization of thiophene derivatives to design new polymer materials.