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Significant progress has been made in the field of CRISPR diagnostics, but it is still challenging to achieve multiplexed detection. Here authors exploit CRISPR-Cas12a cis-cleavage to develop a multiplexed assay which includes a portable device incorporating multiplexed PCR, Cas12a cis-cleavage, and lateral flow detection.

Recently exceptional plasticity has been discovered in defective Bi₂Te₃ crystal. Here, the authors further investigate the plasticity of other Bi₂Te₃-family compounds and then determine the composition range with good plasticity, high power factor and figure-of-merit.

Influenza A HA plasticity often leads to resistant strains that compromise mAb potency as bivalent IgGs. Here, the authors show that engineered IgM molecules overcome this resistance by expanded avidity but still provide potent neutralization and in vivo protection while retaining parental IgG specificity.

A method for acetylome profiling requiring a low quantity of hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) was developed, revealing a significant reduction in H4K77ac in aged HSCs, associated with decreased lymphocyte differentiation potential.

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.

A graph-based pan-genome constructed from 30 genome assemblies covering Malus domestica ‘Golden Delicious’ and 29 wild diploid or polyploid Malus species highlights structural variation and genome evolution in the Malus genus.

Antibody cocktails represent a promising approach to prevent SARS-CoV-2 escape. Here, Ku et al., identify SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies from a phage library and identify an antibody combination that prevents viral escape and protects mice from viral challenge.

Bispecific antibodies can have advantages compared to antibody cocktails. Here, the authors engineer and characterize two different approaches for generating bispecific SARS-CoV-2 specific antibodies and find that only one design increases antigen-binding and virus neutralizing activities.

C-aryl glycosides are present in many natural products and of interest in drug design, but their chemical synthesis is challenging. This work reports an efficient and diastereoselective ortho-directed C−H glycosylation of arenes and heteroarenes with glycosyl chloride using a palladium catalyst.

An engineered IgM antibody administered intranasally in mice shows high prophylactic efficacy and therapeutic efficacy against SARS-CoV-2, and is also effective against multiple variants of concern that are resistant to IgG-based therapeutics.

How to melt and quench the largest subclass of MOFs, metal carboxylate frameworks, into glasses is a major challenge. Here, the authors develop a strategy by grafting the zwitterions onto the carboxylate ligands and incorporating organic acids into the framework channels to realize the glass formation.

The efficacy of antiangiogenic therapy in the clinic is often limited by the emergence of resistance. Here, the authors show that in ovarian cancer anti-VEGF inhibitors induce the overexpression of CD5L in endothelial cells through hypoxia-driven PPARy activation and that blocking CD5L can overcome resistance.

Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning relationships may vary with climate. Here, the authors study relationships of plant and soil microbial diversity with soil nutrient multifunctionality in 130 dryland sites in China, finding a shift towards greater importance of soil microbial diversity in arid conditions.

In mouse models of triple-negative breast cancer, the extracellular ___domain of the collagen receptor DDR1 has a role in tumour defence against the immune system, by aligning collagen fibres to obstruct immune infiltration.

Humidity detection is a feature of many species. Here the authors show that in Drosophila, Or42b neurons, located in sensilla with humidity-dependent shape act as humidity sensors via the mechanically gated channel TMEM63.

The mode of action of the biological Dnd antiphage defence system to cleave foreign DNA was not known. Now the activities of Dnd protein complexes are revealed, and a mechanism to discriminate between self-DNA and invading DNA is proposed.

Wu et al. show that LILRB3 modulates AML cell survival and antileukemic T-cell responses through regulation of TRAF2–cFLIP–NF-κB signaling and demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of LILRB3-blocking antibodies in humanized PDX models in vivo.

The selective degradation of mitochondria by autophagy is essential for cell homeostasis. Here, Nan et al show that the effector protein BipD, secreted by Burkholderia pseudomallei, is able to modulate host mitophagy to promote its survival.

In this study the authors report USP48 and BRAF are frequently mutated in USP8 wild-type corticotroph adenomas, and cause Cushing’s disease mainly through promoting the promoter activity of POMC. Inhibition of BRAF may be a promising therapeutic strategy for the treatment of patients with BRAF-mutated corticotroph adenomas.

Electrically switching perpendicular magnetized ferromagnets using spin-orbit torques without assisting magnetic fields is a major goal for spintronics. Recently, several works have proposed using out-of-plane spin polarized currents to achieve this, but these rely on antiferromagnetic metals with low Neel temperatures. Here, Wang et al show that such out-of-plane spin polarization driven switching can be achieved using the interface of an antiferromagnetic insulator and a heavy metal.

It is still challenging to discover plastically deformable inorganic semiconductors. Here, the authors report a high-throughput screening of tens of potential 2D van der Waals crystals that can deform plastically accompanied with experimental verification.

The receptor LILRB4 on monocytic leukaemia cells suppresses T cell activity and support the infiltration of tumour cells into tissues.

The catalysis of a ribozyme targeting the RNA sequence of SARS-CoV-2 involves a conformational selection mechanism as revealed by a single-molecule mechanical conformer probing method.

SspABCD–SspE is a widespread bacterial defence system against phage infection, in which SspABCD is responsible for introducing phosphorothioate modifications and SspE serves as a nickase that cleaves foreign DNA.

Ding Ma, Xing Xie, Yongyong Shi and colleagues report a genome-wide association study of cervical cancer in the Han Chinese population. They identify two new susceptibility lociat 4q12 and 17q12.

Global sampling of microbial communities associated with wastewater treatment plants and application of ecological theory revealed a small, core bacterial community associated with performance and provides insights into the community dynamics in this environment.

Da-Zhi Wang and colleagues knock out Trbp in mouse cardiomyocytes in vivo and investigate its requirement for normal heart function. They find that Trbp is necessary for the biogenesis of miR-208a, which targets and represses Sox6.

Hongbing Shen and colleagues identify three new susceptibility loci for lung cancer in the Chinese population. Their follow-up analyses suggest that two of these loci interact multiplicatively with smoking dose to influence lung cancer risk.

Hongbing Shen and colleagues report a genome-wide association study for lung cancer in individuals of Han Chinese ancestry. The authors identify two new lung cancer susceptibility loci.