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Patients with myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) have limited therapeutic options. Here the authors show that functionally impaired NK cells contribute to immune escape of pre-malignant clones in early stage MDS and that NK adoptive cell therapy can be considered to prevent or delay the development of MDS.

The mechanism of macrophage cytotoxicity against cancer cells requires further illustration. By employing CRISPR screening in CAR-macrophage and cancer cell co-culture system, the authors identify depletion of ATG9A on cancer cells sensitizes them to macrophage-mediated killing, which can be synergic with CSF1R inhibition in cancer treatment.

Using pancreatic organoids and genetic mouse models, Antonucci et al. show that cellular stress activates an NRF2–EZH2 epigenetic axis leading to metabolic reprogramming and subsequent malignant transformation of KRAS-mutant benign lesions.

Antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) cellular activity requires endosomal escape. Here, the authors show that disrupting Golgi-endosome protein AP1M1 enhances ASO activity by prolonging ASO endosomal residence and increasing the likelihood of endosomal escape.

Chromogranin A (CgA) ablation in Tauopathy mice reduces toxic Tau buildup, reverses cognitive decline and improves lifespan. Mechanistically, the deletion of CgA normalizes the adrenergic signaling axis in the brain.

Immunotherapy has yet to demonstrate efficacy for patients with glioblastoma. Here, the authors employ human single-cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics, and a preclinical mouse model to show that glioblastoma cell-derived synaptogenic factor Thrombospondin-1 promotes neuronal circuit remodeling and regional immunosuppression, highlighting a potential therapeutic target.

Hu et al. discovered that the truncated form of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), called p95HER2, drives tumor progression and resistance to the antibody–drug conjugate trastuzumab deruxtecan in HER2⁺ breast cancer. Blocking p95HER2 restores antitumor immunity.

JMML is an aggressive hematologic malignancy with myeloproliferative characteristics affecting young children. Here the authors report that C-type lectin-like molecule-1 (CLL-1) is upregulated in JMML and they develop CLL-1 CAR T cells showing in vitro and in vivo anti-JMML activity.

PIEZO1 is critical in numerous physiological processes, but monitoring its activity and localization in cells can be challenging. Here, the authors present a chemogenetic platform to visualize endogenous human PIEZO1 localization and activity in native cellular conditions, expanding the knowledge on mechanotransduction across single cells and tissue organoids.

Relatively few lncRNAs have been shown to regulate animal behavior. Here, Saha et al. use mouse genetic methods to show that the lncRNA Pnky can underlie specific mouse behavior by functioning in trans.

Lentiviral vectors are promising gene delivery vehicles to target hepatocytes in vivo, but restriction factors limit their efficiency. Here, the authors counteract many of these restrictions, amplifying lentiviral gene transfer into hepatocytes, strengthening its translational potential.

The mechanisms underlying the interplay between tumour cells and the microenvironment remain to be explored. Here, the authors report that the transcription factor FOXM1 epigenetically silences the DNA sensing pathway suppressing anti-tumour immunity and immune memory.

Adipose tissue-resident T cells are known to regulate thermogenesis and energy expenditure. Here the authors report that deletion of mitochondria-localized protein DsbA-L in T cells promotes diet-induced thermogenesis via suppressing IFN-γ production.

Transplantation of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) is the only reported cure of HIV-1. Here, authors describe an autologous HSC transplant therapy with cells engineered for multilayered resistance to HIV-1 through CCR5 knockout and secretion of HIV inhibiting antibodies by B cell progeny.

Stable microRNAs (miRNAs) can undergo turnover via target-directed miRNA degradation (TDMD). Here, the authors show that TDMD triggers in non-coding regions degrade miRNAs more effectively than those in coding regions, where translation interferes with this process.

Human, mouse and iPSC-derived microglia demonstrate that interaction between GRN and phagocytic receptors can rescue (MERTK) or worsen (AXL) FTD-disease features. CSF MERTK maybe a biomarker of symptomatic disease conversion in genetic FTD.

TMEM127 is a tumor suppressor protein, loss of which predisposes to catecholamine-secreting tumors. Here the authors show that TMEM127 expression is modulated by nutritional status and that it has a role in regulating organismal insulin sensitivity.

Multiplexed editing using Cas12a transgenic mice facilitates the study of disease models with complex genotypes.

Patients with MMR-proficient, microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer (CRC) are highly resistant to immune-checkpoint inhibitors. Here the authors report that tumor intrinsic expression of the autophagy gene ATG16L1 is associated with resistance to anti-tumor immunity in preclinical CRC models and that elevated ATG16L1 expression predicts poor immunotherapy response in Kras-mutant CRC patients.

Chromatin-associated retrotransposon RNA 5-methylcytosine can be recognized by the methyl-CpG-binding-___domain protein MBD6, which guides deubiquitination of nearby monoubiquitinated Lys119 of histone H2A to promote an open chromatin state in TET2-deficient cells.

Genetic alteration can render tumor cells resistant to immune cell-mediated killing. Here based on a genome-wide CRISPR screening, the authors show that expression of CHMP2A confers tumor cell resistance to NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity, mechanistically involving CHMP2A-dependent regulation of extracellular vesicle secretion.

Here the authors use genetic mutations to alter TCR signal strength and clonal selection of exhausted CD8⁺ T cells. They implicate CARD11 signaling as a sensor of this TCR signal strength and as a regulator of antitumor function in exhausted T cells that might be targeted to enhance cancer immunotherapies.

Single cell analysis of histologic variant bladder tumors detects a shared CA125+ tumor cell state associated with aggressive clinical features and reveals enriched expression of TM4SF1, a membrane protein that can be targeted with CAR T cells.

Intravenous infusion of ketamine rapidly reduces obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms. Here, the authors show in mice that ketamine acts by increasing activity in a fronto-striatal circuit that causally controls compulsive grooming behaviour.

In this study authors use morphological profiling and CRISPR/Cas9 genetic screens to investigate the mechanisms by which BiDACs induce the degradation of plasma membrane receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) EGFR and Her2.

Adenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs) impact diverse cellular processes. Here the authors chart time-course RNA editing profiles in human organs from fetal to adult stages to shed light on the role of ADARs in cell-fate specification.

Mitochondrial function is essential for energy metabolism in brown adipocytes. Here, the authors show that LCN2 plays a critical role as a phosphatidic acid binding protein in phospholipid acyl chain remodeling and mitochondrial bioenergetics, influencing signaling pathway activation.

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome is caused by mutations in WASP, but the underlying mechanisms remain to be explored. Here the authors reveal that WASP deficiency results in aberrant RNA splicing, and that WASP regulates the transcription of splicing factor genes and co-transcriptional RNA splicing via a phase-separation process that involves splicing factors and nascent RNA.

Conditional deletion of the transcriptional co-activator Brd4 in infiltrating Cx3cr1⁺ mouse macrophages ameliorates heart failure and substantially reduces fibroblast activation.

This study, together with a companion manuscript, shows that in mice, weight loss as a result of GIP receptor antagonism requires and potentiates functional GLP-1 receptor signalling in the brain, explaining how both GIP receptor agonists and antagonists trigger weight loss through different mechanisms.

Uroz et al. report that the distinct mechanical properties of brain vasculature versus parenchyma drive cancer cell migration through a talin-dependent mechanism, enabling vessel co-option and metastatic invasion in the brain.

Germinal center (GC) is where B cells interact with other immune cells for optimal induction of antibody responses. Here the authors show that galectin-3 regulates GC development by modulating interferon-γ and B cell-intrinsic signaling, such that galectin-3 deficiency mice exhibit lupus-like autoimmune symptoms.

The study advances the use of serological surveys to guide trachoma elimination program decisions and provides a way to set thresholds for whether or not to continue an intervention program.

Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes, which negatively regulate mTORC1 signalling. Here the authors selectively delete Tsc1 from dopamine neurons in mice and find impairments in striatal dopamine release that are sufficient to reduce cognitive flexibility.

SMARCB1 is frequently lost in solid cancer and reported to support tumourigenesis through STAT3 activation. Here, the authors show in several preclinical models that targeting IL6/JAK/STAT3 molecular pathway is a potential therapeutic approach for SMARCB1-deficient bladder cancer.

The transition from non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) to muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC) is associated with poorer patient prognosis. Here, the authors investigate NUMB loss as a driver of the NMIBC-to-MIBC transition and identify a RHOA/ROCK/YAP signaling pathway as a therapeutic vulnerability.

Genome-wide CRISPR screens, biochemical studies and animal models show that RASA2 has a key role in regulating T cell function and has potential as a genetic target for enhancing anti-tumour immunity.

Stem cell migration plays critical roles in the regeneration of adult tissue. Here, the authors demonstrate that Wnt5a-mediated activation of non-canonical Wnt signaling promotes migration of airway stem cells after epithelial injury.

Xia et al. show that the activity of the small GTPase RalA is increased in white adipocytes in diet-induced obese mice. RalA enhances mitochondrial fission and therefore reduces energy expenditure, which contributes to weight gain.

A combination of genome-wide CRISPR screens in target cancer cells identifies pathways that regulate γδ T cell killing and BTN3A cell surface expression.

Energy metabolism is dysregulated in obesity, and some if these changes persist after weight loss and may contribute to weight regain. Here the authors report that a vacuolar-type H⁺ ATPase, ATP6v0a1, is induced in adipocytes during obesity and persists after weight loss, and regulates food intake and weight gain in C. elegans and mice.

Negative elongation factor B (NELFB) is one of the four subunits of the NELF complex that controls RNA polymerase II pausing. Here the authors show that, by associating with the key T cell transcription factor TCF1, NELFB is required for eliciting CD8 + T cell memory and anti-tumor immune responses.

Functional genomics and lipidomic analyses reveal that sphingolipid synthesis is required for tumour immune evasion and tumour growth in vivo, mediated in part by the impact of glycosphingolipid synthesis on cell surface expression of IFNγ receptors.

TFF3 secretion by goblet cells regulates mucus viscosity and wound healing, but a receptor for TFF3 has not been identified. Here, the authors show that TFF3 binds LINGO2 to de-repress and enhance EGFR signaling that drives wound healing and immunity against helminths.

Rag family proteins control activation of the mTORC1 complex at the lysosome. Here the authors show that loss of RagA/B causes cardiac hypertrophy in mice, revealing an mTORC-independent function of Rag GTPAses as regulators of lysosome function and autophagic flux in cardiomyocytes.

How dsRNAs translocate to the cytosol during soaking RNAi remains unclear. Here, the authors show that the Cl⁻/H⁺ antiporter supports dsRNA-induced LMP and the cytosolic release of dsRNAs.

Reviewer recognition:

Glioblastoma (GBM) is rich in tumor-associated vasculature and it remains to be understood how GBM is supported by vascular endothelial cells. Here, the authors identify that endothelial-secreted proteoglycan endocan acts as a ligand of PDGFR alpha receptor to promote GBM progression and induce therapy resistance.

Chronic wounds impose a significant burden to a broad patient population. Here, the authors use CRISPR/Cas9 to enhance the regenerative capacity of dendritic cells by knocking out the gene Ndrg2, and show that seeding these engineered dendritic cells on hydrogels constitutes an effective therapy for chronic wounds in diabetic and non-diabetic conditions.