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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.

The herpes simplex virus 1 uracil-DNA glycosylase counters host APOBEC1 to evade genome editing and to enable viral replication that promotes encephalitis in mice.

In cancer it is assumed that microRNAs recognise and regulate their targets uniformly. Here, the authors show that in gastrointestinal cancers methylation of microRNAs may impact their stability, and that levels of microRNA methylation are distinct in pancreatic cancer patients compared to healthy controls with potential diagnostic implications.

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.

A subset of Macro-positive macrophages is identified to have immunosuppressive functions in the periportal vein zones of the liver to mediate excessive inflammation, and their effects depend on commensal gut bacteria.

This study identified a subset of osteoclastogenic fibroblasts expressing INHBA/activin A in human cholesteatoma. It further elucidated the mechanism behind the induction of inflammatory bone destruction, suggesting a potential therapeutic target.

MR1 functions as an antigen presenting protein on cells in addition to MAIT cells. Here the authors use an early T cell-specific Bcl11b-deficient mouse that develops autoimmunity through a population of nonconventional MR1-restricted T cells and characterise their function.

Alveolar macrophages represent a cell type that is physiologic to the lung immune landscape, however, it is not known whether they play an active role to maintain the tumour immune microenvironment. Here authors show by single cell RNA sequencing and functional experiments, that intra-tumour alveolar macrophages are phenotypically and transcriptionally different from the healthy ones, and likely play an aetio-pathologic role in tumorigenesis.

Bone remodeling involves a switch between bone formation and resorption, but the mechanisms is unclear. Here, the authors show that intercellular communication via extracellular vesicles secreted by mature osteoblasts is a key factor for the switching, via a microRNA-mediated mechanism.

Myasthenia Gravis and thymoma are frequently associated with patients suffering from both diseases. Here the authors perform single cell sequencing of thymoma and find that there are autoimmune antigens such as neuromuscular proteins expressed aberrantly in neuromuscular mTECs in patients with both diseases.

The population genome structure of Asian Toxoplasma remains incompletely understood. This study analyzes intercontinental genomic admixture in 17 isolates from Japan and China, providing insights into the evolution of parasites and their impact on public health.

Hoshino et al., engineer a human virus receptor, hACE2, and demonstrate its potential for overcoming SARS-CoV-2 mutations that otherwise hinder therapeutic interventions. Overall, the data provide insights in to the therapeutic potential of engineered receptors.

Returned samples from the carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu provide pristine information on the original aqueous alteration history of the Solar System. Here, the authors utilize Breunnerite grain and magnesium isotope chemistry to reveal cation partitioning during aqueous alteration of asteroid Ryugu.

Personal information such as genetic sex, ancestry and clinically relevant genetic variants can be recovered from human reads present in faecal metagenomic sequencing data.

Mammalian GPI membrane anchors are modified by GalNAc to confer structural diversity but the biosynthetic pathway is poorly understood. Here, the authors identify and characterize the Golgi-resident GPI-GalNAc transferase PGAP4, providing insights into the initial step of GPI-GalNAc biosynthesis.

Thymic regulatory T (T_reg) precursors undergo a distinct developmental pathway. Sakaguchi and colleagues show the chromatin organizer Satb1 is required for establishing the super-enhancer chromatin landscape of T_reg cell–specific signature genes before Foxp3 expression.

Gut-associated Peyer’s patches are lymphoid tissues that generate IgA-secreting cells, however less is known about related caecal patches. Here, Masahata et al.show that caecal patches produce IgA-positive B cells that migrate to the intestines to maintain faecal microbiota homeostasis.

The asteroid Ryugu samples are by far the freshest extraterrestrial carbonaceous material. The authors report soluble ions and organic sulfur molecules linked with primordial brine and prebiotic organic evolution of the primitive asteroid.

In this study, the authors report primordial aqueous alteration signatures in water-soluble organic molecules from the carbonaceous asteroid Ryugu. This provides evidence o coevolutionary aqueous alteration between water and organics in this asteroid.

Declined fertility in aged male mice are associated with decreased sperm production in aged testes and functional sperm defects in aged epididymides, which are independent of testosterone levels.

Decreased fertility in middle-aged female mice is associated with age-related reductions in the cumulus-oocyte interaction and abnormalities in the microfilament structure of the zona pellucida surface.

Bronchial organoids (BO) and BO-derived air-liquid interface models (BO-ALI) are used to model SARS-CoV-2 infection of human bronchial epithelial cells, reporting that ciliated cells were permissive to the virus, unlike basal cells.

Lypd8 protein derived from intestinal epithelial cells binds to flagellated bacteria to reduce their motility, which limits the entry of Gram-negative bacteria into the inner colonic mucus and prevents invasion of colonic epithelia.

Functional polymers such as semiconducting polymers and polyelectrolytes are essential materials for various polymer thin-film devices. Here we discuss the relationship among the aggregation states, the thermal molecular motion, the carrier properties of their thin films, and the interfacial effects.

Knockout of Zfp296, which encodes a zinc finger protein, downregulates early epiblast-marker genes and elevates chromatin accessibility, leading to a unique state of pluripotency in the embryonic stem cells.

Shinzawa et al. develop a method that improves the transfection efficiency for Plasmodium parasites that cause malaria by transfecting Cas9-expressing parasites with linear donor templates. This method allows efficient integration of the donor template while preventing unexpected recombination.