Featured
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Comment |
Genetic modification can improve crop yields — but stop overselling it
With a changing climate and a growing population, the world increasingly needs more-productive and resilient crops. But improving them requires a knowledge of what actually works in the field.
- Merritt Khaipho-Burch
- , Mark Cooper
- & Edward S. Buckler
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Research Briefing |
Using CRISPR to study gene function aids understanding of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome
Most high-throughput assays to investigate the role of genes in disease involve in vitro cell models. Now a technology that targets CRISPR–Cas9 gene editing to specific cells in mice, and analyses transcriptional effects in single nuclei, has led to fresh insights into the genes involved in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome.
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Article
| Open AccessTransgenic ferret models define pulmonary ionocyte diversity and function
Conditional genetic ferret models enable ionocyte lineage tracing, ionocyte ablation and ionocyte-specific deletion of CFTR to elucidate the roles of pulmonary ionocyte biology and function during human health and disease.
- Feng Yuan
- , Grace N. Gasser
- & John F. Engelhardt
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Article
| Open AccessTranscriptional linkage analysis with in vivo AAV-Perturb-seq
An in vivo single-cell CRISPR screening method identifies transcriptional phenotypes of 22q11.2 deletion syndrome associated with a broad dysregulation of a class of disease susceptibility genes that are important for RNA processing and synaptic function.
- Antonio J. Santinha
- , Esther Klingler
- & Randall J. Platt
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News |
AlphaFold tool pinpoints protein mutations that cause disease
Researchers have adapted the AI network to search for genetic changes linked to ill health.
- Ewen Callaway
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News |
Tasmanian tiger RNA is first to be recovered from an extinct animal
Genetic sequences from a museum specimen offer fresh clues about the physiology of thylacines, which went extinct in the 1930s.
- Miryam Naddaf
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Book Review |
Geneticist J. Craig Venter: ‘I consider retirement tantamount to death’
The human genome ‘maverick’ talks sequencing the ocean, setting up a health-screening company after checking his own genes — and why he has no plans to stop.
- Heidi Ledford
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News |
Super-precise CRISPR tool enters US clinical trials for the first time
Base editing, which makes specific changes to a cell’s genome, is put to the test in CAR-T-cell treatments for leukaemia.
- Heidi Ledford
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Research Briefing |
Genetic dissection of plants’ airborne defences
Plants communicate with neighbouring plants to activate an airborne defence against aphids. However, the genetic pathway underlying this defence mechanism is unknown. A signalling cascade centred around the gaseous form of the chemical methyl salicylate was found to control this interaction between plants.
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Nature Podcast |
Our ancestors lost nearly 99% of their population, 900,000 years ago
A roundup of stories from the Nature Briefing, including how human ancestors came close to extinction, historic pollution in Antarctica, and the AI that predicts smell from a compound's structure.
- Benjamin Thompson
- , Dan Fox
- & Shamini Bundell
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessA second update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19
- Masahiro Kanai
- , Shea J. Andrews
- & Matthew Solomonson
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Obituary |
Melaku Worede, crop genetics leader (1936–2023)
Plant geneticist who pioneered seed conservation for famine resilience and farmer livelihoods.
- Regassa Feyissa
- & Toby Hodgkin
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Article
| Open AccessIdentification of an alternative triglyceride biosynthesis pathway
Triacylglycerols are an energy source produced in humans by DGAT1 and DGAT2, but disrupting these enzymes reveals a noncanonical pathway involving the protein DIESL (formerly TMEM68) and its regulator TMX1, which is important during lipid scarcity.
- Gian-Luca McLelland
- , Marta Lopez-Osias
- & Thijn R. Brummelkamp
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News |
Most rare kākāpō parrots have had their genome sequenced
DNA from more than 100 of the critically endangered birds could help to save the species from extinction.
- Katharine Sanderson
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Article |
The complete sequence of a human Y chromosome
We present the complete 62,460,029-base-pair sequence of a human Y chromosome from the HG002 genome (T2T-Y) that corrects multiple errors in GRCh38-Y and adds over 30 million base pairs of sequence to the reference.
- Arang Rhie
- , Sergey Nurk
- & Adam M. Phillippy
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Review Article |
From target discovery to clinical drug development with human genetics
This Review provides a perspective on the development of non-cancer therapies based on human genetics studies and suggests measures that can be taken to streamline the pipeline from initial genetic discovery to approved therapy.
- Katerina Trajanoska
- , Claude Bhérer
- & Vincent Mooser
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Nature Podcast |
Brain-reading implants turn thoughts into speech
Two studies demonstrate how brain-computer interfaces could help people to communicate, and working out how hot it can get before tropical leaves start to die.
- Benjamin Thompson
- & Nick Petrić Howe
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Article |
Assembly of 43 human Y chromosomes reveals extensive complexity and variation
De novo assemblies of 43 Y chromosomes spanning 182,900 years of human evolution reveal considerable diversity in the size and structure of the human Y chromosome.
- Pille Hallast
- , Peter Ebert
- & Charles Lee
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Technology Feature |
The quest to map the mouse brain
By combining single-cell sequencing with methods to map the spatial location of gene expression, scientists are unravelling the extraordinary cellular diversity of the brain.
- Diana Kwon
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Article
| Open AccessNuclear genetic control of mtDNA copy number and heteroplasmy in humans
We quantify mitochondrial DNA copy number and heteroplasmy levels and study their association with nuclear genetic loci in population-scale biobanks.
- Rahul Gupta
- , Masahiro Kanai
- & Vamsi K. Mootha
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News & Views |
Mitochondrial DNA comes with nuclear strings attached
A genetic analysis provides the most-detailed glimpse yet of how genetic variants in nuclear DNA regulate the copy number and variability of DNA housed in organelles called mitochondria.
- Sonia Boscenco
- & Ed Reznik
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Research Briefing |
A way to wipe a cell’s memory
Cells that have been artificially reprogrammed into states similar to embryonic stem cells — known as induced pluripotent stem cells — can bear a memory of their previous history. An innovative method that incorporates a step mimicking early development yields pluripotent cells that more closely resemble those in embryos, both on a molecular and functional level.
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News |
Ötzi the Iceman has a new look: balding and dark-skinned
Improved DNA analysis updates thinking on alpine mummy’s skin colour, ancestry and more.
- Freda Kreier
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Article
| Open AccessLong-molecule scars of backup DNA repair in BRCA1- and BRCA2-deficient cancers
Linked-read whole-genome sequencing reveals patterns of structural DNA variants that are specific to homologous recombination deficiency and can be used to distinguish between BRCA1- and BRCA2-deficient phenotypes.
- Jeremy Setton
- , Kevin Hadi
- & Marcin Imieliński
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Article
| Open AccessTransient naive reprogramming corrects hiPS cells functionally and epigenetically
A new reprogramming strategy used to produce human induced pluripotent stem cells from somatic cells results in epigenetic and functional profiles that are highly similar to those of human embryonic stem cells.
- Sam Buckberry
- , Xiaodong Liu
- & Ryan Lister
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Research Briefing |
Insights into different populations’ immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection
Analysis of immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 at single-cell resolution reveals marked differences across human populations that are caused by previous infections and genetic variation. Natural selection and past reproduction with Neanderthals contributed to these differing immune responses and disparities in COVID-19 risk.
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Article
| Open AccessDissecting human population variation in single-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2
Population differences in immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 can be explained by environmental exposures, but also by local adaptation acting through genetic variants acquired after admixture with archaic hominin forms.
- Yann Aquino
- , Aurélie Bisiaux
- & Lluis Quintana-Murci
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Obituary |
Donald D. Brown, groundbreaking embryologist (1931–2023)
Molecular biologist whose work on isolated genes helped launch the era of recombinant DNA and gene editing.
- Susan A. Gerbi
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News |
Ancient DNA reveals the living descendants of enslaved people through 23andMe
A landmark genomic study raises the possibility that many more people could find links to distant ancestors through genetic analysis.
- Ewen Callaway
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Research Briefing |
Evolutionary history of world’s oldest domesticated crop
High-quality reference genomes of einkorn wheat, the world’s first domesticated crop, have now been sequenced. The contiguous wheat genome assemblies include gap-free centromeres (parts of the chromosome that are crucial for cell division). The genomes shed light on the evolution of einkorn wheat and provide opportunities for improving wheat and other cereals.
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Research Briefing |
Variation in African genomes linked to control of HIV
Genomic analyses of individuals living with HIV-1 revealed a region in chromosome 1 that is associated with reduced viral loads specifically in populations with African ancestry. This could point to much-needed therapeutic targets to address the global public-health crisis caused by HIV-1.
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Article
| Open AccessEinkorn genomics sheds light on history of the oldest domesticated wheat
Around 1% of the A subgenome of modern bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) originates from einkorn (Triticum monococcum), the first domesticated wheat species.
- Hanin Ibrahim Ahmed
- , Matthias Heuberger
- & Simon G. Krattinger
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Article |
Africa-specific human genetic variation near CHD1L associates with HIV-1 load
Africa-specific genetic variation on chromosome 1 near CHD1L is associated with HIV replication in vivo.
- Paul J. McLaren
- , Immacolata Porreca
- & Jacques Fellay
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Research Briefing |
Salamanders’ regenerative potential might be driven by a specific protein variant
Axolotls — aquatic salamanders with an exceptional regenerative ability — rapidly increase their production of proteins in response to wounds. An axolotl-specific evolutionary divergence in a key protein called mTOR might drive this protein response and thus the regenerative potential of these amphibians, with possible implications for improving healing in mammals.
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Research Briefing |
Family trees of a Neolithic community uncovered by ancient DNA
Ancient DNA has enabled the reconstruction of two large genetic ‘family trees’ from a 6,700-year-old Neolithic burial site in France called Gurgy ‘Les Noisats’. The DNA data combined with other lines of evidence offer insights into biological relationships within the site and across a broader social and cultural context.
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News |
Seven generations of a prehistoric family mapped with ancient DNA
Unprecedented genealogical tree reveals details of prehistoric social relationships.
- Ewen Callaway
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessReply to: Re-evaluating evidence for adaptive mutation rate variation
- J. Grey Monroe
- , Kevin D. Murray
- & Detlef Weigel
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Matters Arising
| Open AccessRe-evaluating evidence for adaptive mutation rate variation
- Long Wang
- , Alexander T. Ho
- & Sihai Yang
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Article
| Open AccessEvolutionary histories of breast cancer and related clones
By using phylogenetic analyses of multiple microdissected samples from both cancer and non-cancer lesions, unique evolutionary histories of breast cancers harbouring a common driver alteration are shown, providing new insight into how breast cancer evolves.
- Tomomi Nishimura
- , Nobuyuki Kakiuchi
- & Seishi Ogawa
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Article
| Open AccessSmall protein modules dictate prophage fates during polylysogeny
Prophage lysogeny-to-lysis transitions are controlled by regulatory modules consisting of transcription factors and partner small proteins that are activated through DNA-damage-independent pathways, including by quorum sensing, and these modules determine inter-prophage competition outcomes.
- Justin E. Silpe
- , Olivia P. Duddy
- & Bonnie L. Bassler
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Correspondence |
Pangenomics: prioritize diversity in collaborations
- Mildred K. Cho
- , Stephanie Malia Fullerton
- & Jenny Reardon
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Book Review |
How a scholarly spat shaped a century of genetic research
A fresh look at the early history of genetics reveals why a simplified view of biological inheritance came to hold sway — and argues for a revision of how genetics is taught today.
- Brian K. Hall
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News |
Short arms and lanky legs: the genetic basis of walking on two legs
Genome-wide map reveals regions associated with skeletal changes that enabled humans to walk upright.
- Dyani Lewis
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Research Briefing |
A genetic basis for asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection
A common genetic variant of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) complex, a family of genes involved in the immune response, is associated with an absence of symptoms during SARS-CoV-2 infection. Previous exposure to cold viruses seems to confer this immunity.
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News & Views |
Cell-level reference maps for the human body take shape
The HuBMAP consortium has generated spatially resolved cell atlases for the human intestine, kidney and placenta, which enable analysis of tissue organization in unprecedented detail.
- Roser Vento-Tormo
- & Roser Vilarrasa-Blasi
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News |
Cell ‘atlases’ offer unprecedented view of placenta, intestines and kidneys
Organ mapping studies show how kidney cells become diseased, and how cells from a fetus invade and remodel blood vessels in the lining of the uterus.
- Heidi Ledford
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Article
| Open AccessEarly contact between late farming and pastoralist societies in southeastern Europe
Archaeogenetic analysis of 135 individuals from the zone between southeastern Europe and the northwestern Black Sea region indicates contacts between farming and pastoralist populations at the end of the Copper Age.
- Sandra Penske
- , Adam B. Rohrlach
- & Wolfgang Haak
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Article
| Open AccessOrganization of the human intestine at single-cell resolution
Intestinal cell types are organized into distinct neighbourhoods and communities within the healthy human intestine, with distinct immunological niches.
- John W. Hickey
- , Winston R. Becker
- & Michael Snyder
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Article
| Open AccessA common allele of HLA is associated with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection
The human leukocyte antigen allele HLA-B*15:01 is associated with asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection due to pre-existing T cell immunity.
- Danillo G. Augusto
- , Lawton D. Murdolo
- & Jill A. Hollenbach
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