| | Pharmacology: Inside-out receptor inhibition
Structures of two chemokine receptor proteins in complex with small molecules reveal a previously unknown binding pocket that could be a drug target for treating a range of diseases involving this receptor family. | Cancer: A gene-expression profile for leukaemia
Can simple genetic risk profiles be identified for complex diseases? The development of a gene-expression profile for acute myeloid leukaemia suggests that they can, and that they may improve prognosis prediction. | Cardiovascular Disease: A turbulent path to plaque formation
Plaque deposits often occur in curved arterial regions with turbulent blood flow. Endothelial cells have been found to respond to blood flow through a previously unidentified signalling pathway that affects plaque build-up. | Hydrology: The dynamics of Earth's surface water
High-resolution satellite mapping of Earth's surface water during the past 32 years reveals changes in the planet's water systems, including the influence of natural cycles and human activities. | Electric-field-stimulated protein mechanics
A new method in which strong electric fields are applied to a protein crystal while collecting time-resolved X-ray diffraction patterns is able to follow the mechanical motions of all the constituent atoms, with implications for molecular biology and drug discovery. | Targeting metastasis-initiating cells through the fatty acid receptor CD36
Human oral carcinoma cells expressing high levels of the fatty acid receptor CD36 initiate metastasis in mouse models, and metastasis is increased by palmitic acid or a fatty diet and decreased by blockade of CD36. | Receptor usage dictates HIV-1 restriction by human TRIM5α in dendritic cell subsets
Human TRIM5α restricts HIV-1 infection of Langerhans cells through Langerin-dependent autophagy pathway. | High-resolution mapping of global surface water and its long-term changes
A freely available dataset produced from three million Landsat satellite images reveals substantial changes in the distribution of global surface water over the past 32 years and their causes, from climate change to human actions. | Structure and regulation of the chromatin remodeller ISWI
The crystal structures of ISWI, the catalytic subunit of several chromatin remodelling complexes, and its complex with a histone H4 peptide are reported. | A 17-gene stemness score for rapid determination of risk in acute leukaemia
A rapid gene signature test (LSC17) that captures stem cell expression programs in acute myeloid leukaemia patients at diagnosis is associated with therapy response and survival, facilitating initial treatment stratification. | Integrin-YAP/TAZ-JNK cascade mediates atheroprotective effect of unidirectional shear flow
YAP and TAZ, effectors of the Hippo pathway, sense mechanical forces generated by blood flow and play a role in atherosclerosis pathogenesis. | Structure of CC chemokine receptor 2 with orthosteric and allosteric antagonists
The crystal structure of CCR2 chemokine receptor in a complex with two different antagonists—one orthosteric the other allosteric—which functionally cooperate to inhibit CCR2. | Intracellular allosteric antagonism of the CCR9 receptor
The crystal structure of the CCR9 chemokine receptor in complex with vercirnon at 2.8 Å resolution. | Genome-wide changes in lncRNA, splicing, and regional gene expression patterns in autism
Gene expression analysis in brain tissue from individuals with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) suggests that the transcription factor SOX5 contributes to an ASD-associated reduction in transcriptional differences between brain areas and indicates that common transcriptomic changes occur in different forms of ASD. | Evidence for a spinon Fermi surface in a triangular-lattice quantum-spin-liquid candidate
A spin excitation continuum across a large region of the Brillouin zone that persists at near-zero temperatures provides evidence for a quantum spin liquid state with a spinon Fermi surface in YbMgGaO4. | Splicing factor 1 modulates dietary restriction and TORC1 pathway longevity in C. elegans
Precursor mRNA splicing homeostasis is a biomarker and predictor of life expectancy in Caenorhabditis elegans and defects in global pre-mRNA splicing associated with age are reduced by dietary restriction via splicing factor 1. | | Structural basis for ArfA–RF2-mediated translation termination on mRNAs lacking stop codons | | Mechanistic insights into the alternative translation termination by ArfA and RF2 | | Erratum: Transplanted embryonic neurons integrate into adult neocortical circuits | | Corrigendum: Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA matching shapes metabolism and healthy ageing | | Corrigendum: Linking high harmonics from gases and solids | | | |  The npj Microgravity Community is a multidisciplinary, online forum in which to further research in the microgravity environment. Launched with the support of NASA, the Community accompanies npj Microgravity and is a place for international collaboration, sharing knowledge and bringing about new research insights and opportunities. Join the Community to connect with experts in the field of microgravity and to keep up-to-date with the latest posts, videos and author interviews. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Certified randomness in quantum physics
Quantum technology enables new methods for generating of randomness with minimal assumptions, certified by the violation of a Bell inequality, which opens up new theoretical and experimental research directions and leads to new challenges.
Antonio Acín, Lluis Masanes | Safeguarding pollinators and their values to human well-being
Wild and managed pollinators are threatened by pressures such as environmental changes and pesticides, leading to risks for pollinator-dependent crop production, meaning more research and better policies are needed to safeguard pollinators and their services.
Simon G. Potts, Vera Imperatriz-Fonseca, Hien T. Ngo et al. | | Gamma frequency entrainment attenuates amyloid load and modifies microglia
Mouse models of Alzheimer’s disease show reduced, behaviourally driven gamma oscillations before the onset of plaque formation or cognitive decline; driving neurons to oscillate at gamma frequency (40 Hz) reduces levels of amyloid-β peptides.
Hannah F. Iaccarino, Annabelle C. Singer, Anthony J. Martorell et al. | m6A modulates neuronal functions and sex determination in Drosophila
One of the most abundant modifications found in messenger RNAs is N6-methyladenosine (m6A); here, this modification is shown to alter gene expression during sex determination and affect neuronal functions and behaviour in Drosophila via the m6A reader protein YT521-B.
Tina Lence, Junaid Akhtar, Marc Bayer et al. | S-2-hydroxyglutarate regulates CD8+ T-lymphocyte fate
S-2-hydroxyglutarate produced by CD8+ T cells under hypoxic conditions affects locus-specific histone and DNA methylation patterns, which enhances T-cell proliferation, survival and recall responses.
Petros A. Tyrakis, Asis Palazon, David Macias et al. | | Greenland was nearly ice-free for extended periods during the Pleistocene
Measurements of cosmic-ray-produced 10Be and 26Al in a bedrock core from beneath the summit of the Greenland Ice Sheet show that Greenland was nearly ice-free for extended periods under Pleistocene climate forcing.
Joerg M. Schaefer, Robert C. Finkel, Greg Balco et al. | Microcins mediate competition among Enterobacteriaceae in the inflamed gut
Certain commensal enterobacteria secrete small proteins called microcins that suppress the growth of other bacteria in the inflamed gut, conferring an intra- and interspecies competitive advantage.
Martina Sassone-Corsi, Sean-Paul Nuccio, Henry Liu et al. | A massive, quiescent, population II galaxy at a redshift of 2.1
The ratio of magnesium to iron abundance is measured for a massive quiescent galaxy at a redshift of 2.1, corresponding to when the Universe was three billion years old.
Mariska Kriek, Charlie Conroy, Pieter G. van Dokkum et al. | Dynamics of a seafloor-spreading episode at the East Pacific Rise
Seismic observations clarify the roles of magma pressure and tectonic stress in the development of seafloor spreading during the most recent eruption at the East Pacific Rise.
Yen Joe Tan, Maya Tolstoy, Felix Waldhauser et al. | Mitochondrial replacement in human oocytes carrying pathogenic mitochondrial DNA mutations
Analysis of mitochondrial replacement therapy shows, even with efficient mutant mitochondrial DNA replacement and maintenance in embryonic stem cells, a gradual loss of donor mitochondrial DNA in some lines owing to a polymorphism in the D-loop, potentially causing preferential replication of specific mitochondrial DNA haplotypes.
Eunju Kang, Jun Wu, Nuria Marti Gutierrez et al. | Intronic polyadenylation of PDGFRα in resident stem cells attenuates muscle fibrosis
Changes in intronic polyadenylation of the Pdgfra in fibro/adipogenic progenitors lead to increased expression of a shorter variant with a truncated kinase domain, which modulates pro-fibrotic pathways to reduce tissue fibrosis in muscle.
Alisa A. Mueller, Cindy T. van Velthoven, Kathryn D. Fukumoto et al. | Host genome integration and giant virus-induced reactivation of the virophage mavirus
Endogenous viral elements found in a marine protozoan have a function in defence against infection by giant viruses.
Matthias G. Fischer, Thomas Hackl | Capturing pairwise and multi-way chromosomal conformations using chromosomal walks
A conformation capture sequencing method is developed to link multiple genomic loci into three-dimensional proximity chains called chromosomal walks (C-walks), adding to our understanding of how higher-order chromosomal structures participate in genome regulation.
Pedro Olivares-Chauvet, Zohar Mukamel, Aviezer Lifshitz et al. | m6A potentiates Sxl alternative pre-mRNA splicing for robust Drosophila sex determination
Two complementary studies describe how the pervasive N 6-methyladenosine modification in mRNA can affect Drosophila sex determination, neuronal function and behaviour.
Irmgard U. Haussmann, Zsuzsanna Bodi, Eugenio Sanchez-Moran et al. | Ad26/MVA therapeutic vaccination with TLR7 stimulation in SIV-infected rhesus monkeys
A combination of therapeutic vaccination with Ad26/MVA and stimulation of innate immune responses leads to improved virologic control and delayed rebound in SIV-infected macaques following discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy.
Erica N. Borducchi, Crystal Cabral, Kathryn E. Stephenson et al. | A persistent and dynamic East Greenland Ice Sheet over the past 7.5 million years
10Be and 26Al isotopic evidence in quartz sand from the seafloor shows that a dynamic East Greenland Ice Sheet has existed for the past 7.5 million years.
Paul R. Bierman, Jeremy D. Shakun, Lee B. Corbett et al. | Land-use intensification causes multitrophic homogenization of grassland communities
Analysis of a large grassland biodiversity dataset shows that increases in local land-use intensity cause biotic homogenization at landscape scale across microbial, plant and animal groups, both above- and belowground, that is largely independent of changes in local diversity.
Martin M. Gossner, Thomas M. Lewinsohn, Tiemo Kahl et al. | Designed proteins induce the formation of nanocage-containing extracellular vesicles
Autonomously produced hybrid biological nanomaterials termed ‘enveloped protein nanocages’ incorporate features for membrane binding, self-assembly, and ESCRT recruitment for cellular release.
Jörg Votteler, Cassandra Ogohara, Sue Yi et al. | | | | |
