Wang and Tang et al. show that two-species microbial consortium is more efficient in hydrogen production and starch utilization, compared to pure cultures. This work underscores a utility of synthetic microbial consortia, which can be optimized for increasing production of a certain metabolite.

Chao Qin, Bing Yang et al. show that organochlorinated pesticides as environmentally persistent organic contaminants enhance the degradation of extracellular DNA by making it more accessible to DNase I. This study provides insight into the persistence of DNA in contaminated environments.

Hernandez et al. show the effectiveness of ⁹⁰Y for targeted radionucleotide therapy of T-cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL). This study suggests that delivering radiation to all NHL disease sites elicits minimal toxicity and induces a memory T-cell response, inviting combination therapies with immune activating agents.

Yasuhiko Yamamoto et al. show that oxytocin is transported into the brain by the receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) on the blood-brain barrier. This study explains how circulating oxytocin crosses the blood-brain barrier, which is important to manifest oxytocin’s maternal bonding effects.

Daichi Shigemizu et al. developed a risk prediction model using potential miRNA biomarkers of different dementias identified by a supervised principal component analysis logistic regression method. Their models achieved high accuracy when tested on a validation cohort and demonstrate the potential application of miRNA-based risk prediction models.

Nhan Phan et al. present a high-throughput approach to screen tumor organoids by seeding cells in mini-rings. They apply their method to cell lines and patient-derived tumor organoids representing four different cancers, and identified personalized responses for each organoid within a clinically relevant timeline.

Michael Schönrock et al. created a functional chimeric channel composed of the pore domain of the potassium channel, KcvATCV-1, and the glutamate binding domain of the mammalian ionotropic glutamate receptor, GluA1. This chimera recognized glutamate as a ligand while displaying the potassium selectivity of KcvATCV-1; highlighting the modular design of ionotropic glutamate receptors.

Lin Wang et al. present a new super-resolution modality using a super-hemispherical immersion lens. They achieve a 12 nm spatial resolution in cells under cryogenic conditions, which offers the technical means to study bacterial and mammalian cell samples at molecule localisation length-scales.

Lindsay Zanno et al. report the discovery of a new tyrannosaur that helps to fill in a 70 million year gap in the fossil record. This new species reveals that the earliest North American tyrannosaurs relied on speed and small body size to survive and that apex predator status and large body sizes were not reached until much later in their evolutionary history.

Heather Chandler, Tao Tan, Chunlin Yang et al. find that the cell membrane repair protein MG53 plays a key role in repairing cornea injury. Using mouse and rat models, they show that recombinant human MG53 protects the cornea against injury and enhances healing.

Nai-Chi Chen et al. solved the structures of two shrimp nodaviruses, focusing on the major domains to improve understanding of capsid organization. By combining cryo-EM and x-ray crystallography, the authors were able to observe the structures at a high resolution.

Melanie Das et al. demonstrate that transplantation of young bone marrow preserves the cognitive function of old recipient mice. This study suggests that microglial rejuvenation via peripheral manipulation of the hematopoietic system may be sufficient to delay a cognitive decline during aging.

Dimitre Simeonov, Alexander Brandt et al. report a pathogenic bystander mutation caused by unintended repair of a CRISPR-Cas9-mediated deletion in mice. They generate mice lacking an IL2RA intronic enhancer previously associated with human disease risk and find that one line of edited mice show unexpected disease features due to a bystander mutation.

Kathleen Prudic et al. examine the persistence of mimicry in viceroy butterflies in locations with low model abundance. They show that when queen butterflies are less abundant, viceroy butterflies become more abundant, but also increase their chemical defenses to gain protection from predation.

Zielinski et al. show that quantitative label-free cathodoluminescence-scanning electron microscopy differentiates spectral signatures of two extracellular matrices. This method can monitor the progress of a smooth muscle cell-mediated remodeling process without using antibodies to enhance the optical signal.

Adree Khondker et al. identify new mechanisms by which the membrane surface and lipid packing in the bacterial membrane control the penetration of antibiotics such as of polymyxin B. These findings indicate that biophysical factors might influence the resistance strength of bacteria to antibiotics.

Eriel Martínez et al. report that the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa can convert oleic acids into oxylipins for use in cell-cell communication. This quorum sensing system is regulated by the bacterial protein called oxylipin-dependent diol synthase regulator OdsR.

Tancredi Caruso et al. analyze biodiversity survey data from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, an extreme desert ecosystem in Antarctica in which abiotic factors are thought to determine species distributions. Focusing on three nematode species, they find that abiotic factors alone cannot explain the data and interaction between species have been historically underestimated.

Hidefumi Shinohara and colleagues used the CLE9-BAM1 ligand-receptor pair as a model system for screening peptide hormone receptor-binding small molecules in plants. They identified the small molecule NPD12704 as an antagonist for BAM1 and demonstrated the specific regulatory activity of NPD12704 in shoot apical meristem.

Yu Liu, Zhiwei Xie et al. show that nucleoid-associated protein NapM enhances the survival of M. tuberculosis in macrophages under stress by inhibiting DNA synthesis as a DnaA antagonist. This study suggests NapM as a potential drug target for tuberculosis control.

Charles Lee, Daniel Laughlin et al. use structural equation modeling to analyze ecological data from more than 500 sites in the Antarctic Dry Valleys. They find that although abiotic factors are the primary drivers of biodiversity variation, biotic interactions are needed to explain the data fully and may play previously underestimated roles.

Dennis Eickelbeck et al. engineered light-activated constructs, CaMello and CaMello-5HT_2A, which are targeted to the 5HT_2A-R domains and enable visualization of calcium signals and receptor trafficking in response to activation. The reported CaMello tool could be applied to other GPCRs coupled to the G_q/11 signaling pathways which may shed light on mechanisms of GPCR localization and plasticity.

Guo et al. identify the role of acidic glycosphingolipids as the mechanism of action of the pore-forming protein complex βγ-CAT from the frog. This study suggests that βγ-CAT binds to both gangliosides and sulfatides, initiating its endocytosis and ultimately exerting its antimicrobial effects.

Weilin Lin et al. report a new assay for measuring the activity of peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerase (PPIase) at the cell surface using ultra performance liquid chromatography. They find that PPIase activity correlates with development and functional properties of the extracellular matrix in primary healthy and leukemic cells.

Ryuichi Ono et al. show that a large number of unintentional trans-species gene transfers can occur when double-strand breaks are introduced by CRISPR-Cas9 in mouse eggs and cell lines. They propose a mechanism of trans-species horizontal gene transfer via double-strand break repair.

Aleksia Vaattovaara et al. investigate the evolutionary history of a representative protein family, the DUF26-containing proteins, which is specific to land plants. They suggest that domain duplications and rearrangement led to the protein family’s two main subclasses.

Gregory Kimmel et al. model the population dynamics of public goods games in which interactions occur within local neighborhoods but density dependence is global. They find that neighborhood size drives changes between different evolutionary dynamics and apply their model to dynamics observed in cell populations.

Yong Wei et al. present the crystal structure of the human lysosomal protein EPDR1 and reveal a role in lipid-binding. They show that the larger family of ependymin-related proteins adopt a β-sheet fold previously seen only in bacterial proteins, and that this fold is found throughout the archaea and eukaryotes.

Jingshu Xu et al. did a comprehensive post-mortem proteomics analysis across six brain regions obtained from Alzheimer’s disease patients and controls. With this spatial proteomics approach, they identified new disease-related pathways and a gradient of protein expression changes that correlates with the pathology of the affected regions.

Kim and Audet present a model-free, iterative search algorithm that optimizes serum-free formulations used to expand human hematopoietic cells. This method automatically identifies serum-free formulations that support cell expansions as effectively as the serum-containing conditions, demonstrating its utility.

Fatemeh Dorri et al. present MuClone, a method for simultaneous detection and classification of mutations across multiple tumor samples derived from one patient. They show that clonal information improves sensitivity in detecting somatic mutations.

Jaindra Tirpathi et al. report a strategy for inactivating endogenous banana streak virus sequences in the plantain B genome using CRISPR/Cas9. They show that three-quarters of edited plants had no viral symptoms under stress conditions, providing an improved B genome germplasm for plantain and banana breeding.

Takehara et al. show that Clostridium perfringens alpha-toxin impairs granulocyte colony-stimulating factor receptor-mediated granulocyte production while enhancing host inflammation. This study identifies dual mechanisms, whereby bacterial toxin simultaneously cripples and overstimulates host immunity to its demise.

Aleksandr Zenin et al. present a genome-wide association study and genetic risk model for human healthspan, the length of morbidity-free life. They identify 12 loci associated with healthspan and osbserve genetic correlations between healthspan and life-history and lifestyle traits, such as obesity and smoking.

Hadas Nevenzal, Meirav Noach-Hirsh et al. present a method for direct detection and analysis of tyrosine autophosphorylation using integrated microfluidics and arrays. They show that their method can be applied to soluble and transmembrane tyrosine kinases as well as to membranes in vitro.

Lars Maerz et al. show that pharmacological inhibition of cholesterol synthesis in zebrafish embryos leads to organ malformations and dysfunctions in cilium formation and signaling. These findings together with alterations to the cilia transition zone suggest an important role of cholesterol in cilia biogenesis and function.

Hideyuki Doi and Helmut Hillebrand investigate how the sequence of species immigration affects food-chain length and whether the effect depends on productivity. Using a microcosm experiment including a copepod predator, ciliate species, and bacteria, they find that food chains are longest when the top predator is added last and that high productivity reduces food-chain length.

Cristina de la Malla et al. show that an individual with extensive lesions to the ventral visual pathway can accurately judge the velocity at which an object moves despite not being able to correctly identify the object in question. This findings support a role of the dorsal visual pathway in judging velocity irrespective of perceptual processing.

Jeannine Diesch et al. report the changes in rDNA chromatin state associated with cell transition into malignancy. They show that a specific transcription factor regulates this transition by altering rDNA chromatin, resulting in the reorganization of contacts between rDNA and the genome.

Zhang, Hou, Xu, Srinivas et al. report the mechanism of colistin resistance imparted by MCR-4, which has a distinct catalytic domain but employs a similar ping-pong catalysis mechanism to that used by the well-studied MCR-1. This study provides further insights into the bacterial resistance to colistin, the last-resort antibiotic.

Saori Noguchi et al. demonstrate the role of Beclin 1 for recycling endosome during skin development, using keratinocyte-specific Beclin 1-knockout mice. This study suggests that a key autophagy player Beclin 1 is also important for skin formation by ensuring a proper localization of integrins.

Chengju Xiao et al. find that acute tobacco smoke exaggerates inflammation in recently wounded mouse corneas, thereby impairing wound repair. They show that the effect of tobacco smoke is mediated by activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

Hidenori Hashimura et al. show that cAMP-mediated signaling changes from propagating waves to a steady state at a multicellular stage of amoeba Dictyostelium discoideum. This study suggests that cAMP oscillation is not required for collective cell migration despite its importance at a unicellular stage.

Alexandra Murschhauser et al. present a high-throughput microscopy method for the analysis of single-cell longitudinal data using fluorescent markers. They apply the method to cancer cell lines exposed to cytotoxic nanoparticles and find that 58 nm PS-NH₂ nanoparticles induce a lysosomal pathway and, at high doses, lead to cell death via a mitochondrial pathway.

Tomoyuki Murano et al. showed that neural hyperexcitation increases the expression of immaturity related genes. These changes in gene expression are shared among different neuropsychiatric and neurological conditions, hinting at their potential role as biomarkers.

Michal Olszewski et al. demonstrate the collaboration of Cdc48 and the 26S proteasome in degrading ubiquitinated, well-folded proteins that lack unstructured segments. This study suggests that Cdc48 creates flexible initiation regions in compact substrates for their proteasome-mediated degradation.

Akihisa Shinozawa, Ryoko Otake et al. report on an ancient subclass of the SNF1-related protein kinase 2 family involved in ABA signaling, which protect moss from drought stress. They propose that this signaling module evolved in early land plants to regulate dehydration-response.

Billing et al. clarify mechanisms ensuring reliable cytokine signaling despite variable expression and activation of signaling proteins in cells. Limited activation of signaling proteins either by feedback inhibition or low cytokine doses, and STAT3 serine phosphorylation timely orchestrate robustness and capacity of IL-6-induced signaling.

Ming-Tsung Chung et al. report a method for estimating field metabolic rate (FMR) in teleost fishes using the isotopic composition of carbon found in inner ear structures called otoliths. They show that their method can provide accurate estimates of FMR for free-ranging wild fishes and allows for tracking FMR of individual fish over time.

Fujisawa, Ichinose, and Dobata used simulated robot swarms to study the evolution of pheromone-guided foraging and traffic rules. Interestingly, they showed that in most cases traffic rules evolved before the foraging traits suggesting an important role for regulatory mechanisms in guiding core evolutionary adaptations.