Volume 22 Issue 12, December 2021

A study in Nature describes single-cell ribosome sequencing, which advances single-cell genomics by enabling the measurement of translational dynamics in single cells.

A study in Nature Biotechnology describes single-cell genome and epigenome by transposases sequencing (scGET-seq), which generates euchromatin and heterochromatin profiles from the same cell, and Chromatin Velocity, a computational framework capable of predicting future epigenetic cell fate trajectories from scGET-seq data.

In this Viewpoint, five experts discuss our biological understanding of super-enhancers, how we can responsibly study their functions, and their opinions on whether names for enhancer clusters are an informative reflection of their functional properties.

In this Review, the authors describe our latest understanding of the emergence and properties of SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants, particularly those designated as WHO (World Health Organization) ‘variants of concern’. They focus on the consequences of these variants for antibody-mediated virus neutralization, with important implications for reinfection risk and for vaccine effectiveness.

In this Review, the authors discuss computational methods for interpreting the molecular and clinical effects of genetic variants. They focus on methods leveraging machine learning, including those that characterize the effects on wider molecular networks.

Leigh and colleagues describe the potential of the emerging field of macrogenetics to improve conservation and biodiversity management. Challenges preventing the field from reaching its full promise are highlighted and possible solutions and a framework for future macrogenetic studies are proposed.