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Exposure to a common plastic chemical before and shortly after birth may have lasting effects on behavior. Researchers found that male rats exposed early in life to DEHP—a plasticizer used in products ranging from medical devices to toys—showed significantly higher anxiety as adults, even long after exposure had ended. The animals were more hesitant to explore open spaces and spent more time frozen in place, classic signs of anxiety in rodents.

The Bundibugyo virus only emerged twice before. Now, scientists see a chance to get to know it better

Ancient hunter-gatherers may have contracted the pathogen from marmots

Genome-edited human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) provide a powerful platform to study complex diseases such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Here, we describe iSCORE-PD, an isogenic collection of 65 genome-edited hPSC lines carrying disease-causing or high-risk variants in 11 PD-linked genes (SNCA, PRKN, PINK1, DJ1/PARK7, LRRK2, ATP13A2, FBXO7, DNAJC6, SYNJ1, VPS13C, and GBA1). All lines are derived from a well-characterized female hESC line and subjected to extensive quality control. Whole-genome...

G-quadruplexes (G4s) are four-stranded nucleic acid structures that regulate virtually all nucleic acid-dependent cellular processes. At present, most functional studies involving G4s have focused on cancer cells. This study investigated how neurons respond to genotoxic stress induced by quarfloxin (CX-3543), a small molecule that stabilizes G4s. We found that quarfloxin treatment induced DNA damage in neurons, with double-strand breaks enriched in the nucleolus. Proteomic analysis revealed that...

We report the highly enantioselective nucleophilic addition reaction of simple ketone-derived hydrazones. Accordingly, a ErCl₃-catalyzed cyanation of both aliphatic and aryl ketone hydrazones is achieved for the facile access of C^(α)-tetrasubstituted α-hydrazino nitriles in up to 96% ee, by using the sterically confined pyridinebisoxazoline (PYBOX) ligand featuring a sulfonyl group at the pyridine C4 position. This method enables the shortest catalytic enantioselective total synthesis of...

Substantial heterogeneity in cognitive ageing is well documented. Such heterogeneity has been attributed to individual differences in brain maintenance - i.e., the relative preservation of neural resources in ageing. However, large-scale longitudinal evidence is currently lacking. In this study, we pooled data from three longitudinal population-based Swedish cohorts (total N = 1 356, 60-93 years at baseline, maximum follow-up duration: 7 years) to assess whether global brain maintenance is...

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is an ultra-rare premature aging disorder caused predominantly by a de novo LMNA c.1824C>T mutation that produces progerin, a truncated and permanently farnesylated lamin A isoform. Progerin accumulation disrupts nuclear lamina integrity and chromatin organization, inducing persistent DNA damage responses, telomere attrition, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cellular senescence. These processes drive a multisystem clinical phenotype characterized by...

Therapy-induced senescence (TIS) in cancer cells can be triggered by radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and certain targeted therapeutics. Here, we demonstrate that a new form of TIS, termed fatty acid synthesis therapy-induced senescence (FASTIS), can be induced by pharmacologically targeting de novo lipogenesis. Cancer cells can evade the anti-proliferative effects of clinically relevant inhibitors of core lipogenic enzymes, such as acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACC) and fatty acid synthase (FASN), by...

G-quadruplexes (G4s) are four-stranded nucleic acid structures that regulate virtually all nucleic acid-dependent cellular processes. At present, most functional studies involving G4s have focused on cancer cells. This study investigated how neurons respond to genotoxic stress induced by quarfloxin (CX-3543), a small molecule that stabilizes G4s. We found that quarfloxin treatment induced DNA damage in neurons, with double-strand breaks enriched in the nucleolus. Proteomic analysis revealed that...

Although senolytics such as dasatinib and quercetin (D+Q) show promise in modulating aging, their tissue-specific efficacy and optimal intervention timing remain poorly understood. Given D+Q's potential off-target effects, incomplete senescent cell clearance and associated hematologic side effects, we performed an unbiased multitissue single-cell analysis in aged mice across different aging phenotypes and tissue contexts. Here through integrative transcriptomics, single-cell technologies,...

Throughout the female reproductive lifespan, the ovary undergoes hundreds of cycles of follicle development, ovulation and tissue regeneration. How aging disrupts the coordination of such precise, multicellular interactions across time and space is not well understood. Using Slide-seq, a near-cellular spatial transcriptomics method, here we profile 22 mouse ovaries across the reproductive cycle and chronological ages, capturing 610,620 spots across 69 spatial profiles. We develop a novel...

Formation in lithium-ion battery manufacturing typically involves low-rate charge-discharge cycles to establish stable electrode-electrolyte interfaces-a time-consuming process^(1-4). Here, our findings on lithium-rich layered oxide cathodes challenge the necessity of conventional formation, which can even shorten battery lifespan. Fast formation, on the other hand, reduces production cost and enhances capacity and stability. Multiscale synchrotron-based techniques show that residual lithium...

The etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear but is likely driven by gene-environment interactions. We present a multi-organ untargeted metabolomics atlas (n = 2,271) paired with metagenomics data (n = 666) from two AD transgenic mouse models (3xTg and 5xFAD) under colonized and germ-free conditions. Systems-level analyses revealed clusters of dysregulated molecules across tissues, including carnitines, bile acids, B vitamins, neurotransmitters, and N-acyl lipids. Metabolic shifts...

The etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) remains unclear but is likely driven by gene-environment interactions. We present a multi-organ untargeted metabolomics atlas (n = 2,271) paired with metagenomics data (n = 666) from two AD transgenic mouse models (3xTg and 5xFAD) under colonized and germ-free conditions. Systems-level analyses revealed clusters of dysregulated molecules across tissues, including carnitines, bile acids, B vitamins, neurotransmitters, and N-acyl lipids. Metabolic shifts...

The human heart undergoes continuous transcriptional remodeling from development through aging, yet the cellular and regulatory features governing this process remain incompletely defined. Here, we generated a single-nucleus RNA sequencing atlas of 442,239 nuclei from 54 nonfailing myocardial tissues of 29 individuals spanning development, adulthood, and aging, covering left and right ventricles. Across all major cell types, we uncovered coordinated yet cell type-specific transcriptional...

Cerebrospinal fluid circulation through the glymphatic system plays a crucial role in removing metabolic waste from the central nervous system. However, the mechanism underlying the brain-wide glymphatic dynamics is not yet fully understood, in part due to the lack of glymphatic imaging technologies on deep brains. Here, we report a hybrid imaging technology that integrates three-dimensional photoacoustic tomography and ultrasound localization microscopy (3D-PAULM), enhanced by a photoacoustic...

Peripheral tolerance depends on limiting conventional T cell responses to self-antigens. To define the contribution of nutritional factors and related epigenetic regulation, we perform in vivo CRISPR screening and identify the ascorbate transporter Slc23a2 as a key regulator of naive T cell (Tn) reactivity. T cell-specific loss of Slc23a2 reduces intracellular ascorbate, induces regional DNA hypermethylation, enhances differentiation of Tn cells into effector and memory populations, and promotes...

STING is an innate immune adaptor, classically activated by cytosolic DNA via cGAS-cGAMP to induce interferon signaling. Recent studies reveal that STING participates in non-canonical signaling pathways and localizes to the nucleus, where its functions remain poorly understood. In Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), a premature aging disease caused by expression of the lamin-A mutant protein 'progerin', STING accumulates in the nucleus and drives chronic inflammation. Here, we show that...

With the global rise in life expectancy, promoting healthy aging has become a central focus in biomedical research. From global initiatives like The World Health Organization's Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030) to local ones, they highlight the need for accessible, non-invasive, and cost-effective tools to monitor aging-related physiological changes. Since the hand skin is an easily accessible tissue, it can offer valuable insights into aging processes, influenced by age, gender, and...