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Variants in the PSMC5 gene impair proteasome function and cellular homeostasis, altering brain development in children. This study reveals underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to this neurodevelopmental phenotype, and suggests therapeutic leads for neurodevelopmental proteasomopathies.

Characteristics of drug-resistant SARS-CoV-2 viruses are unclear. Here, the authors report that an in vitro selected nirmatrelvir-resistant virus replicates efficiently and can be transmitted in Syrian hamsters but that nirmatrelvir retains some antiviral activity against that virus in infected hamsters.

The biological role of 2′-O-methylation of host and viral mRNA has remained elusive. Thiel and co-workers show that this modification modulates the induction of type I interferon and sensitivity to interferon.

A live-attenuated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine based on one-to-stop codon modifications can elicit broad, systemic and mucosal immunity, as well as reduced transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in vivo.

A SARS-CoV-2 variant containing a D614G substitution in the spike protein shows enhanced binding to human ACE2, increased replication in human cell cultures and a competitive advantage in animal models of infection.

The Alpha variant of SARS-CoV-2 outcompetes progenitor SARS-CoV-2 in upper respiratory tract replication competition in vivo.

A yeast-based synthetic genomics platform is used to reconstruct and characterize large RNA viruses from synthetic DNA fragments; this technique will facilitate the rapid analysis of RNA viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, during an outbreak.

A comprehensive characterisation of Omicron-BA.1 and VOC Delta in numerous in vitro and in vivo models uncovers the factors that led to its global dominance.

Putative fossil melanosomes have been reported but, because their shape and size correspond well with those of bacteria, further evidence is required to confirm their identity. This study reports evidence of melanin in association with melanosome-like microbodies in an argentinoid fish eye from the early Eocene.

It emerges that the SARS-CoV-2 virus has evolved to mimic one of the histone proteins that package DNA in the cell nucleus. This mimicry leads to disrupted gene transcription and a diminished antiviral response.

It is widely hypothesised that primeval life utilized small organic molecules as sources of carbon and energy, however, the presence of such primordial ingredients in early Earth habitats has not yet been demonstrated. Here the authors report the existence of indigenous organic molecules and gases in primary fluid inclusions in c. 3.5- billion-year-old rocks from Western Australia.

Double membrane vesicles (DMV) are used as replication organelles by several RNA viruses. Applying proteomics and lipidomics, Tabata and Prasad et al. find that two cellular acyltransferases (AGPAT1/2), responsible for synthesis of phosphatidic acid, play a role in the DMV-biogenesis of HCV and SARS-CoV-2, highlighting a common biogenesis mechanism for evolutionary distant positive-strand RNA viruses.

Here, the authors identify lymphocyte antigen 6E (LY6E) as a coronavirus (CoV) restriction factor that prevents infection of B cells and dendritic cells. LY6E inhibits both human and mouse CoV entry into cells by interfering with viral spike protein-mediated membrane fusion. It facilitates an antiviral immune response that prevents liver disease and reduces death in the mouse model of MHV-A59 CoV infection.

Many cellular and virus messenger RNAs are methylated at the 2′-O positions of the 5′ guanosine cap. The role of 2′-O methylation in virus infection has been unclear. These authors show that this form of methylation enables several unrelated viruses to evade the antiviral effects of genes stimulated by type I interferon.

N⁶-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is a widespread modification on cellular RNA that is dynamically regulated involving m⁶A writers, erasers and readers, and can impact many cellular processes and pathways. A recent study demonstrates that viruses can use m⁶A to ensure their RNA avoids innate immune sensing.

Viral infections and exposure to inhaled allergens are linked to asthma onset, exacerbations and progression. Here, the authors used controlled experimental rhinovirus infection in patients with and without asthma, and further assessed in vitro the role of house dust mite allergen combined with rhinovirus and SARS-CoV-2 infection. They discovered that rhinovirus-induced activation of epithelial RIG-I inflammasome supresses antiviral immunity, promotes inflammation during asthma exacerbations and aggravates subsequent infection with SARS-CoV-2, particularly upon house dust mite exposure.

Here, Dias de Melo et al. assess the clinical, olfactory, and neuroinflammatory conditions of golden hamsters infected with SARS-CoV-2 wt and VOCs and report that viruses can infect neurons, travel inside axons, and invade the central nervous system.

In this Review, Thiel and colleagues summarize our emerging knowledge of the SARS-CoV-2 intracellular life cycle and the molecular functions of the viral proteins, as well as their interaction with the host cell.

MERS-CoV is enzootic in dromedary camels, can spread to humans but undergoes limited onward transmission. Here, Schroeder et al. compare clinical isolates of MERS-CoV in vitro and show that the predominantly circulating recombinant lineage 5 possess a fitness advantage over parental lineage 3 and 4 due to reduced activation of innate immune signaling.

Multi-omics profiling of effects of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV on A549, a lung-derived human cell line, produces a dataset enabling identification of common and virus-specific mechanisms of infection.

The presence of blubber and distribution of melanophores in a countershading pattern in an Early Jurassic ichthyosaur demonstrate that the evolutionary convergence of these reptiles with extant marine amniotes extends to the cellular and molecular levels.

Cryo-EM structural analysis reveals the mechanism by which the SARS-CoV-2 protein Nsp1 inhibits global translation.

In this Review, Thiel and colleagues discuss the key aspects of coronavirus biology and their implications for SARS-CoV-2 infections as well as for treatment and prevention strategies.

The World Health Organization framework for tracking SARS-CoV-2 variants has been updated to reflect the continued evolution of the virus; this framework could be adapted for other emerging respiratory diseases with epidemic and pandemic potential.

Global sequencing and surveillance capacity for SARS-CoV-2 must be strengthened and combined with multidisciplinary studies of infectivity, virulence and immune escape, in order to track the unpredictable evolution of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Synergistic interactions between the forage crop Medicago sativa L. and the bacteria Paraburkholderia tropica WTPI1 enhance rhizoremediation of diesel fuel-contaminated soils, according to genomic analyses and inoculation experiments with hydrocarbon-polluted soils in Germany.

A group convened and led by the Virus Evolution Working Group of the World Health Organization reports on its deliberations and announces a naming scheme that will enable clear communication about SARS-CoV-2 variants of interest and concern.

Human coronavirus-EMC (hCoV-EMC) is a new coronavirus that has killed around half of the few humans infected so far; this study now identifies DPP4 as the receptor that this virus uses to infect cells.