Search

A CRISPR knock-in strategy that uses endogenous gene regulatory mechanisms can engineer ‘armoured’ CAR T cells that secrete proinflammatory cytokines directly within a tumour without causing toxicity, leading to prolonged survival in mice.

An analysis of 24,202 critical cases of COVID-19 identifies potentially druggable targets in inflammatory signalling (JAK1), monocyte–macrophage activation and endothelial permeability (PDE4A), immunometabolism (SLC2A5 and AK5), and host factors required for viral entry and replication (TMPRSS2 and RAB2A).

A global network of researchers was formed to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity; this paper reports 13 genome-wide significant loci and potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection.

Bevers and Litovchenko et al. sequence mitochondrial genomes from 169 different inbred Drosophila melanogaster strains to reveal mitochondrial population structure as well as links between mitochondrial haplotypes and metabolic variation in flies.

The ubiquitin ligase, RNF168, promotes DNA break repair but must be regulated to prevent run-away ubiquitin signaling. Here, the authors identify a three-step post-translational cascade regulating RNF168 chromatin removal, acting to suppress excessive signaling and radiosensitivity.

Whole-genome sequencing, transcriptome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in over 7,000 individuals with critical COVID-19 are used to identify 16 independent variants that are associated with severe illness in COVID-19.

Chronic infection with SARS-CoV-2 leads to the emergence of viral variants that show reduced susceptibility to neutralizing antibodies in an immunosuppressed individual treated with convalescent plasma.

Sera from vaccinated individuals and some monoclonal antibodies show a modest reduction in neutralizing activity against the B.1.1.7 variant of SARS-CoV-2; but the E484K substitution leads to a considerable loss of neutralizing activity.

Analysing camera-trap data of 163 mammal species before and after the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns, the authors show that responses to human activity are dependent on the degree to which the landscape is modified by humans, with carnivores being especially sensitive.

Ronchese and colleagues show that IL-13 secreted homeostatically by dermal ILCs contributes to the differentiation of a CD11b^lo type 2 dendritic cell subset, which supports the development of T_H2 cells and curtails the development of T_H17 cells in the skin of mice and humans.

A multi-tissue transcriptome-wide association study based on genetic predictors of expression level and alternative splicing in relevant tissues identifies 25 candidate genes associated with high-grade serous ovarian cancer.

Here the authors provide the biospecimen collection methodology from the SpaceX Inspiration4 mission, including venous blood, capillary blood, saliva, urine, stool, skin biopsy, body swab, and environmental swab samples.

Here the authors profile skin microenvironment changes in response to spaceflight by performing a multi omics analysis using skin punch biopsies from the crew members of SpaceX Inspiration4 mission comparing before, post launch and one day after return 91 of the 3-day mission.

Multiple omics platforms and deep single-cell profiling in the I4 astronauts reveal both conserved and distinct immune system disruptions across missions, provide a single-cell immune reference for future missions.

Addressing plastic pollution in the environment is difficult due to the high complexity and diversity of physical and chemical properties. This Perspective argues that process-based mass-balance models could provide a viable solution for evaluating environmental exposure to plastic pollution.

Three mysterious features at Titan’s northern polar region appear as lakes when observed with Cassini’s radar during winter but as land when observed in the infrared during spring, providing evidence of liquid removal on Titan at seasonal scale.

Here the authors report spaceflight secretome profiles by integrating plasma proteome, metabolome, and extracellular vesicles/particles proteome from the SpaceX Inspiration4 crew, which showed differences in coagulation, oxidative stress, and brain-enriched proteins.

Longitudinal multi-omics reveals shifts to the human microbiome across multiple body sites and the associated immune responses during short-term spaceflight.

SpaceX’s Inspiration4 mission sent an all-civilian crew into orbit to study physiological, neurovestibular and neurocognitive changes in the astronauts and found that short-duration civilian space missions do not pose a major health risk.

An integrated data and sample repository for clinical, cellular and multi-omics research from diverse spaceflight missions known as Space Omics and Medical Atlas (SOMA) is presented.

HFpEF has few effective treatments. Here, the authors show that inhibition of histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) with TYA-018 reverses established HFpEF symptoms in mice, comparably to the use of a sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitor; highlighting HDAC6 as a potential target to treat HFpEF.

Current guidelines for classification of symptoms of neuropsychiatric systemic lupus erythematosus have not proven helpful for the dissection of pathological mechanisms of this disorder or the identification of appropriate therapy. A reclassification of symptoms is proposed in this Viewpoint; the new scheme is based on pathoanatomic localization of the disease.

The immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection is variable but has been linked to prognosis and the development of severe immunopathology. Here the authors assess a range of immune parameters in both peripheral blood and respiratory samples, providing a comparative assessment of the immune response between these compartments and their potential impact on immune-pathogenesis.

Here, using clinical samples and autopsy tissues, the authors combine fast-colorimetric test (LAMP) for SARS-CoV-2 infection and large-scale shotgun metatranscriptomics for host, viral, and microbial profiling and provide a map of the viral genetic features of the New York City outbreak and associate specific host responses and gene expression perturbations with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Bispecific CAR T cells targeting CD19 and CD22 exhibit clinical activity and low toxicity in patients with large B cell lymphoma and B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, with relapses associated with loss of CD19 but not CD22.

High-resolution omics data have facilitated the ongoing Human Cell Atlas project. In this Perspective, Rutter and colleagues propose that a parallel Human Cell Space Atlas initiative would provide a platform for spaceflight-associated research and healthcare.

Analysis of peatland carbon accumulation over the last millennium and its association with global-scale climate space indicates an ongoing carbon sink into the future, but with decreasing strength as conditions warm.

Genomic and functional analysis of intratumor heterogeneity in pediatric glioma uncovers early clonal divergence and stable spontaneous cooperation between subclonal populations throughout tumor evolution.

The burden of mosaic chromosomal alterations in blood-derived DNA, a type of clonal hematopoiesis, is associated with an increased risk for diverse types of infections, including sepsis and pneumonia.

The 16p11.2 deletion leads to a range of neurodevelopmental phenotypes, but to date, sequencing studies have not been able to pinpoint individual genes that are causative for the disease on their own. Here, using Drosophila homologs of 14 16p11.2 genes, the authors take a combinatorial approach to show that gene interactions contribute to a neurological phenotype.

Designing high radiation efficiency antennas for portable transmitters in low frequency communication systems remains a challenge. Here, the authors report on using piezoelectricity to more efficiently radiate while achieving a bandwidth eighty three times higher than the passive Bode-Fano limit.

The discovery of water vapour and ice particles erupting from Saturn's moon Enceladus fuelled speculation that an internal ocean was the source. The presence of sodium chloride is expected in a long-lived ocean in contact with a rocky core; however, a ground-based spectroscopic search for atomic sodium near Enceladus now places an upper limit on the mixing ratio in the vapour plumes orders of magnitude below expected ocean salinity. These observations are consistent with a variety of alternative eruption sources including a deep ocean, a freshwater reservoir, or ice.

Gene-expression profiling has led to the development of signatures designed to predict survival and treatment response in patients with breast cancer. In this Review, Prat et al. discuss the clinical utility of gene-expression-based assays and compare them with the performance of breast cancer biomarkers that are currently used as standard of care.

As space travel promises to become a reality for more humans, insights from human genetics could serve to inform space medicine. Here, the authors overview genetic variants that might confer a protective effect in space, and ethical and technical challenges to translating these findings.

The current ‘second space age’ has enabled multiple studies on the effects of spaceflight on human physiology and health, which are contributing to the development of measures that will be needed to maintain astronaut health in future space missions.