Author summary Biomolecular condensates, including stress granules, are key regulatory compartments that control fundamental cellular processes. By condensing RNAs and proteins, these structures enabl...

Multi-color super-resolution microscopy provides an atlas of SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA and proteins in infected human cells, uncovering nanoscale aspects of protease-dependent replication organelle maturat...

Alt: Jeff Goldblum: Life Uh Finds A Way (Jurassic Park)

Nine cases confirmed in Uganda after virus spread in central Africa

In this Comment, Cedric Feschotte highlights evidence from diverse lineages showing that transposable elements are key drivers of evolutionary innovation, repeatedly introducing regulatory and coding ...

Cell Death & Differentiation - STING is the scaffold protein for stress granule pre-condensation at the ER

Singh et al. combine cryo-electron microscopy and functional studies to reveal how a single protein complex selects diverse mRNAs for subcellular localization using a combination of shape, positional ...

How host organisms adapt their defense systems to newly invading transposable elements remains poorly understood. Here, we show how Drosophila melanogaster acquired PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA)-mediat...

Non-spike changes driving SARS-CoV-2 fitness remain undiscovered. This Primer comments on two PLOS Biology papers that show that evolutionary N gene mutations create a transcription-regulating sequenc...

Iselin et al. explore how the type I IFN response regulates RNA-binding activity using RNA-interactome capture and extend the RIC protocol to assess the role of phosphorylation in this process. Focusi...

SARS-CoV-2 has evolved to optimize its replication fitness in the human host. This study shows that a nucleocapsid gene mutation enhances production of a truncated protein that boosts viral fitness in...

Current therapies for neurodegenerative diseases largely manage symptoms and only modestly slow progression. This Perspective highlights emerging evidence that vaccines and antivirals may lower…

Zygotic genome activation (ZGA) failure leads to developmental arrest and poses a clinical challenge to women’s fertility. We observed that human embryos arresting at the eight-cell ZGA stage exhibite...

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Herpesvirales utilize a unique nuclear egress route for capsid export. Here the authors show that herpesviruses exploit a cellular membrane protein, once thought to transport chloride, to facilitate membrane fusion and egress from the nucleus.

Nature - N1-Methylpseudouridine enhances the translation of synthetic mRNAs, independently of innate immunity.

Mpox (formerly monkeypox) is caused by monkeypox virus (MPXV) and has prompted two recent global health emergencies. Clade IIb MPXV, a recently recognized subclade, has been associated with oral and g...

Findings from ancient DNA may shed light on HPV’s history in our species

Accurate repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) is essential for genome stability, and defective repair underlies diseases such as cancer. Homologous recombination uses an intact homologous sequenc...

The intracellular delivery of trans-cyclooctene and bicyclo[6.1.0]nonyne as sterically demanding groups for the inverse electron-demand Diels–Alder was achieved by the triphosphate prodrug (TriPPPro)....

imageimageNINJ1 blocks HSV-1 entry into mouse macrophages independent of its role in cell death, resulting in greater secretion of pro inflammatory cytokines downstream of infection. Mouse macrophages lacking NINJ1 are more permissive to HSV-1 ...

From making you live longer to making cities more resilient: If you want a reason to make your city more walkable, it's in here.

Mirusviruses were detected in metagenomic datasets, but little is known about how they infect their hosts. Here, the authors characterize mirusviruses in the marine protist Aurantiochytrium, detecting...

Mechanisms of membrane fusion and determinants of host range for pathogens remain poorly understood. Improved understanding of these concepts could open new areas for therapeutic development and shed light on virus epidemiology. Our analyses of NSP1-1 proteins from species B, G, and I rotaviruses provide insights into the variability tolerated by functional FAST proteins. Further, the observation that all putative FAST proteins tested can induce syncytium formation in at least some cell types provides evidence that rotaviruses that encode NSP1-1 proteins are fusogenic viruses. Finally, although the criteria for their specificity remain unclear, our observations regarding fusion capacities of different NSP1-1 proteins and of chimeric FAST proteins suggest a potential role for rotavirus FAST proteins in determining the efficiency of viral replication within a given host or cell type.

Most eukaryotic mRNAs contain a poly(A) tail, which in post-embryonic cells enhances their stability. Many cytoplasmic RNA viruses also harbor poly(A) tails on their genomic RNA and mRNAs. Here, we re...

Stem cell differentiation is controlled by manipulating RNA condensates.