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The formation of directional fibrous tissue bands, typical of liver fibrosis progression, might be induced by the tension of the hepatic stellate cells, as studied with an in vitro microfabricated model.

Alternative splicing crucially affects various biological processes, however, its function in heart development is largely unknown. Here, the authors show an essential role of alternative splicing factor PTBP1 in ventricular chamber development.

Evidence for the treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate COPD is limited. Here, the authors show that long-term treatment with high-dose N-acetylcysteine neither significantly reduced the annual rate of total exacerbations nor improve lung function in patients with mild-tomoderate COPD.

China is planning to launch its Tianwen-3 mission, with the purpose of bringing back a sample from Mars, by the end of the decade. This Perspective presents the scientific objectives and architecture of Tianwen-3, including a preliminary selection of landing sites and a description of the Mars Sample Laboratory that will curate the material on Earth.

Two recently discovered bird fossils from the Late Jurassic Zhenghe Fauna demonstrate that highly derived bird-like features and the origin of birds appeared much earlier in the Jurassic period than previously estimated.

In the prevention and treatment of acute ventricular arrhythmia, rapid and accurate photothermal autonomic neuromodulation is crucial but challenging. Here, the authors report Pt nanoparticle shells with a photothermal conversion efficiency of 73.7% at 1064 nm that contributes to efficient and precise autonomic nerve modulation.

MAPK cascades activate innate immunity to defend against various pathogens. Here the authors show that Nicotiana benthamiana NbMPK3/6 can phosphorylate the tomato chlorosis virus P7 protein leading to suppression of callose-dependent antiviral defence.

Calorie restriction has been shown to extend lifespan in diverse model systems, however, the mechanisms underlying this effect remain unclear. Zhang et al.show that calorie restriction changes the structure of the gut microbiota in mice, enriching for phylotypes positively correlated with lifespan.

Actin mediates insulin secretion in pancreatic β-cells through remodeling. Here, authors report the in situ structure of actin remodeling and quantify changes in architecture, alignment, and interactions during glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.

Helicobacter pylori FabX, a dehydrogenase/isomerase flavoprotein, is required for unsaturated fatty acid synthesis. Here, the authors characterize FabX substrate recognition and catalytic mechanism, and reveal that it contains an atypical [4Fe-4S] cluster, which is essential and participates in the catalytic cycle.

Modules of foldable crystalline silicon solar cells retain their power-conversion efficiency after being subjected to bending stress or exposure to air-flow simulations of a violent storm.

The spontaneous bioelectrical activity of pacemaker cells in sinoatrial node (SAN) triggers the heartbeats. Here, the authors perform single-cell RNA sequencing in the mouse SAN and identify molecular and cellular features of the SAN conserved in rabbit and cynomolgus monkey, identifying a new potential SAN marker.

S-nitrosylation can influence many pathophysiological processes. Here the authors show that the coupling efficiency of GNAI2 with CXCR5 is enhanced by S-nitrosylation of GNAI2, leading to Hippo-YAP dysfunction in endothelium, and plays a role in diabetes-accelerated atherosclerosis.

The authors collate literature on the responses of bird assemblages to forest loss and show that locations with a more variable natural environment and a longer history of agricultural land use have bird assemblages that are more tolerant to forest loss.

Methanosuratincola petrocarbonis LWZ-6 is a strict hydrogen-dependent methylotrophic methanogen that does not ferment sugars, peptides or amino acids.

Wu et al. report that IFNγ induces the phase separation of KAT8 and IRF1 into condensates that promote PD-L1 upregulation. They further identify a peptide that blocks KAT8–IRF1 condensates, reducing PD-L1 levels and increasing antitumor immunity.

Antimicrobial toxins are secreted by bacteria to kill rival species. Here the authors report the mechanism of inhibition of EsaD, a toxin secreted by some S. aureus strains to kill competitors that lack the antitoxin EsaG, showing marked mechanistic differences to other Type II toxin-antitoxin systems.

The CRISPR–Cas9-mediated generation of germline-transmissible mutations of SHANK3 in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis) forms the basis of a non-human-primate model of autism spectrum disorder and Phelan–McDermid syndrome.

An avialan species from the Zhenghe Fauna—a collection of vertebrate fossils from the Late Jurassic of China—had an unusual combination of features, including very long hindlimbs, suggesting that it had a terrestrial or wading lifestyle.

The NLRP3 inflammasome plays a pivotal role in clearing viral respiratory infection, but the molecular mechanism is not fully known. Here authors show that acetate, produced by gut bacteria, may enhance NLRP3-mediated type I interferon production following influenza infection in mice.

The protein Insig-2 negatively regulates lipid biosynthesis and is short-lived in liver cells but stable in muscle cells. Here, the authors show that in muscle cells producing reactive oxygen species, there is increased oxidation compared to ubiquitination of Insig-2, stabilising Insig-2 and reducing lipid biosynthesis.

Powdery mildew threatens worldwide wheat production. Here, the authors report the cloning of two powdery mildew resistant Pm55 alleles and show that they exhibit distinct interactions with the inhibitor SuPm55 to cause different resistance.

Synthetic biology applications require finely tuned gene expression, often mediated by synthetic transcription factors. Here the authors validate two plant-derived proteins, FHY1 and FHL, acting as transactivators in mammalian cells for orthogonal, modular, and tunable control of gene transcription by forming a photosensing transcriptional regulation complex with PhyA.

A controllable protease-based protein secretion platform was developed for the rapid delivery of user-defined therapeutic protein secretion in response to FDA-approved drugs, tumor antigen and light, enabling cell-based precision therapies.

NH₄⁺-derived pathways, rather than NO₃^--derived pathway, are the dominant hyporheic N₂O sources in lower-order streams. These findings provide insights into better estimation of N₂O emissions in global models of riverine ecosystems and emphasize the importance of managing ammonium.

The Vesta anorthosite meteorite discovery suggests Vesta experienced a lunar magma ocean-like process. Anorthite formed during magma crystallization could have floated to the surface of Vesta, creating a primary anorthositic crust.

Cancer cells can employ aberrant glycosylation patterns to evade the host immune response. Here the authors report that inhibition of branched N-glycans sensitizes homologous recombination (HR)-proficient, but not HR-deficient, epithelial ovarian cancer to immune checkpoint inhibitors.

Zhang et al. show that in mice, an adipocyte population with high expression of the transcription factor JunB in the brown adipose tissue shows reduced thermogenic capacity. Depletion of JunB increases the fraction of adipocytes with high thermogenic capacity and ameliorates diet-induced insulin resistance.