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Neonatal sepsis caused by Escherichia coli is associated with reduced transfer of pathogen-specific maternal antibodies and, in a mouse model, can be prevented by maternal preconceptual colonization with probiotic E. coli.

The fungus Candida albicans is ubiquitous and usually harmless in the human gut, but can also cause systemic infection. Here, Kakade et al. show that fungal secretion of an immunomodulatory toxin, candidalysin, activates a host IL-17-DUOX2 axis that regulates C. albicans colonization of the intestine.

Pregnancy poses many challenges, including protecting against infection and increased nutritional demands. Pregnancy-associated gut changes offer some help.

As a key AI hardware foundation, state-of-the-art electronics still face core scalability and compatibility limitations. Pradhan et al. present a LaAlO₃/SrTiO₃ heterostructure device integrating transistor, memristor, and memcapacitor, enabling complex circuits for reservoir computing and reconfigurable synaptic logic.

Triplet excitons in OPVs can redissociate via the charge-transfer state into free carriers, reducing losses and improving efficiency, enabled by molecular design controlling singlet–triplet energetics through exciton delocalization.

The tolerogenic activity of type 1 conventional dendritic cells (cDC1s) is determined by EPOR, which is preferentially expressed in cDC1s and induces antigen-specific FOXP3-expressing regulatory T cells.

The social-media platform is often a tool for procrastination, says Jet-Sing M. Lee. But what else can it be?

A tiny population of cells that are passed across the placenta between mother and baby challenge basic tenets of human immunology.

In neonatal mice, susceptibility to infection is due to an enriched subset of arginase-2-expressing CD71⁺ erythroid cells, which suppresses the systemic activation of immune cells, thereby protecting neonates against aberrant inflammation triggered by colonization with commensal microbes.

Observations from the JWST show the presence of a spectral absorption feature at 4.05 μm arising from SO₂ in the atmosphere of the gas giant exoplanet WASP-39b, which is produced by photochemical processes and verified by numerical models.

Newly emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants underscore the need for broad-spectrum antiviral solutions. This study shows a macrocyclic peptide inhibitor that locks the SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer into a “closed” conformation by engaging a conserved region, and demonstrates that intranasal administration of the peptide inhibitor protects against Omicron variants.

An article in Angewandte Chemie reports a solution-phase synthesis method to obtain free-standing crystalline circumcoronenes.

Leaders gathered at the US National Institutes of Health in November 2014 to discuss recent advances and emerging research areas in aspects of maternal-fetal immunity that may affect fetal development and pregnancy success.

This study develops a method for spatially resolving multipotent haematopoiesis, erythropoiesis and lymphopoiesis in mice and uncovers heterogeneous haematopoietic stress responses in different bones.

Pregnancy-induced post-translational antibody modification enables protection against the prototypical intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes.

Indigenous peoples are still underrepresented in genetic research. Here, the authors propose an ethical framework consisting of six major principles that encourages researchers and Indigenous communities to build strong and equal partnerships to increase trust, engagement and diversity in genomic studies.

How natural scenes are represented by the neuronal populations of a specific visual area such as V4 remain not fully understood. The authors produced a dataset of widefield calcium imaging of macaque V4 responses to a large set of natural images, and used deep learning techniques to elucidate how natural image features are encoded and topologically organized in V4.

Drosophila Microproteins Simba1/2 act in neural stem cells and blood-brain-barrier glia to promote reactivation of neural stem cells via activating WNT/Wingless signaling, while human ortholog ZNF706 is found to have a conserved role in activating WNT pathway.

Exome sequencing of 851 trios from more than 2,500 individuals finds 187 genes with de novo mutations that contribute to meningomyelocele (spina bifida) and highlights critical pathways required for neural tube closure.

JWST data show that the exoplanet WASP-18b has thermally distinct regions of its dayside. The authors mapped the sizes of these regions, measured their temperatures and potentially identify water destruction in the hottest region.

Mouse models of severe congenital neutropenia using patient-derived mutations in the GFI1 locus are used to determine the mechanisms by which the disease progresses.

A combination of fluorescent antibodies is used to build visual maps of all myeloid cells in the bone marrow, providing new insight into how the bone marrow microenvironment regulates cell-fate decisions.

Sadhu et al. identify and functionally validate ferredoxin-1 (FDX1) as a determinant of cholesterol metabolism and cardiovascular risk in Asian populations.

Polygenic scores for body mass index and obesity constructed using data from 5 million people with different ancestries were associated with distinct weight gain trajectories from early childhood to adulthood.

In a large multi-ethnic Asian cohort, associations between over 1,000 plasma metabolites and specific foods and beverages are made. These diet–metabolite relationships were used to accurately predict clinical phenotypes such as diabetes and hypertension.

Here, the authors generated a genome-wide map of the global targets bound by HNF4A and HNF1A in beta cells and hepatic cells, and highlighted notable downstream pathways and target genes that may influence beta cell function. This approach also shed light on a potentially activating effect of a HNF4A type 2 diabetes risk variant.

Heterozygous HNF1A mutations can give rise to maturity onset diabetes of the young 3 (MODY3), characterized by insulin secretion defects. Here the authors show that MODY3-related HNF1A mutation in patient hiPSCderived pancreatic cells decreases glucose transporter GLUT2 expression due to compromised DNA binding.

The active site of RNA Polymerase II is highly conserved. Here the authors show that mutations can propagate effects across the enzyme and alter genetic behavior of distal residues, demonstrating plasticity for residue function beyond conservation.

Obesity is a global pandemic with limited treatment options. Here, the authors show evidence in mice that the mitochondrial uncoupler BAM15 effectively induces fat loss without affecting food intake or compromising lean body mass.

In this Review, the authors detail the emerging evidence that supports the existence of memory populations of regulatory T (T_Reg) cells. They explain the immunological settings in which memory T_Regcells develop, discuss the physiological relevance of these cells and address some of the key questions that remain for this rapidly evolving field.

Successful pregnancy requires immune tolerance against paternal antigens expressed by the fetus; here pregnancy is shown to stimulate the selective accumulation of maternal immune-suppressive regulatory T cells with fetal specificity that are retained post-partum, which may explain the protective benefits of prior pregnancy against pre-eclampsia and other complications in subsequent pregnancy.

Endogenous ACE2 is a receptor for SARS-CoV-2 and a recombinant soluble ACE2 protein can inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection acting as a decoy. Here the authors show that B38-CAP, an ACE2-like enzyme but not a decoy for the virus, is protective against SARS-CoV-2-induced lung injury in animal models.

Cardiovascular events (CVEs) are the leading cause of death among hip fracture patients. Here, the authors show the findings on subphenotyping the heterogeneous spectrum of hip fracture patients in both Hong Kong and the United Kingdom older adult populations and temporal associations with CVEs across all subphenotypes.

Intrinsic toughening in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenides can be achieved simply by twisting the layers. This twisting promotes cross-layer healing and grain boundary formation, which shield fracture tips from stress concentration.

Coronaviruses exploit the host caspase-6 to cleave coronavirus nucleocapsid protein into fragments with interferon-antagonizing activity to facilitate virus replication.

To fully catalogue rare genetic variation in humans, many samples need to be examined. In this study, Coventryet al. resequenced two genes, KCNJ11 and HHEX, in 13,715 humans, and concluded that most of the sequence variation arose recently and that variation is greater than expected.

Nitric oxide delivered and released by a nanoscale carrier improves the therapeutic effectiveness of chemotherapeutics and immunotherapy by normalizing tumour vasculature.

Designing synthetic surfaces whose properties dynamically adapt in response to mechanical stimuli is challenging. Now, liquid-infused nanoporous elastic substrates that respond to stretching by continuously changing their transparency and wettability—a consequence of smooth variations in surface roughening as the liquid flows inside the pores—are demonstrated.

Responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in different populations are important to define efficacy. Here the authors show using a cohort in Singapore that two doses of mRNA vaccine is less effective in recipients over 60 years of age and that a further dose of vaccine can improve these antibody levels.

The anti-leprosy drug clofazimine inhibits coronavirus replication in several cell models and shows potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 infection in a hamster model, particularly when used in combination with remdesivir.

CNS injuries cause persistent deficits. Here, the authors show that regenerated axons in an optic tract injury model form functional synapses, restoring the pupillary light reflex, and highlight neuronal types and presynaptic activity in recovery.

Mesenchymal stromal cells singly coated with a soft conformal gel incorporating specific chemomechanical cues inhibit aberrant tissue remodelling in mice with fibrotic lung injury.

Although extrapulmonary complications of different organ systems are recognized in patients with severe COVID19 effects are less well studied. Here, Qiao et al. characterize the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 on bone metabolism in Syrian hamster and find that bone loss is associated with virus-mediated cytokine dysregulation.

Phase-resolved mid-infrared observations from JWST of the hot gas giant WASP-43b detect a day–night difference of 659 ± 19 K. Comparison with climate models shows that the observations are compatible with cloudy skies, at least on the nightside, and the lack of methane detection suggests the presence of disequilibrium chemistry.

Deep-ultraviolet micro-light-emitting diodes based on aluminium gallium nitride are fabricated for maskless photolithography. The peak wavelength is 270 nm, and the 3 μm device achieved a peak external quantum efficiency of 5.7% and a maximum brightness of 396 W cm^–2.

SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern such as the Omicron variant pose a challenge for vaccination and antibody immunotherapy. Here, Zhou et al. isolate a broadly neutralizing antibody (bNAb), named ZCB11, that protects Golden Syrian hamsters against Omicron. Applying CryoEM the authors show that ZCB11 heavy chain predominantly interacts with RBD in up confirmation, which interferes with ACE2 receptor binding.

Viruses rely on host cell metabolism for replication, making these pathways potential therapeutic targets. Here, the authors show that AM580, a retinoid derivative and RAR-α agonist, affects replication of several RNA viruses by interfering with the activity of SREBP.