Inflammation is a natural immune response, but when uncontrolled, it can worsen many diseases. Recent studies show that metabolism plays a surprising role in regulating this response. A new editorial in the Journal of Intensive Medicine highlights findings on the glyoxalase system, a metabolic pathway that helps immune cells tone down inflammation. This insight opens new possibilities for treating inflammatory diseases through metabolic targets, offering a promising direction beyond traditional immunosuppressants.

In recent years, the analysis of single-cell and spatial data has revolutionized biomedical research, making it possible to observe what happens in biological samples with an unprecedented level of detail. Interpreting this data, however, is not easy because different software offer different results which are hard to compare.

Taking this issue as the starting point, a research group from the University of Trento has developed the "Cell Marker Accordion", a bioinformatics tool that makes the identification of cell types in the new generation data clearer and more robust. The results of the research, conducted in collaboration with Yale University (United States), the University of Trondheim (Norway), Policlinico di Milano and the Institute of Biophysics of the National Research Council - CNR, were published in Nature Communications.

This study demonstrates that Setd2 overexpression rescues bivalent gene expression during zygotic genome activation (ZGA) in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) embryos, significantly improving cloning efficiency. By mapping H3K4me3 and H3K27me3 dynamics in mouse SCNT embryos, researchers identified aberrant hyperaccumulation of these histone marks at promoter regions during ZGA, leading to dysregulated bivalent gene expression. Overexpression of Setd2, the H3K36me3 methyltransferase, restored chromatin balance by antagonizing H3K27me3 deposition and enhancing transcriptional activation of ZGA-critical genes, thereby increasing blastocyst formation rates.

A tiny single-celled organism may have a big impact on how the world’s basic chemical building blocks cycle between living things and the non-living environment. Called Polarella, the algal genus is a dinoflagellate that was once thought to be restricted to polar regions of Earth, but a team has revealed that it is abundant and influential in the Eastern Tropical North Pacific Ocean off the coast of Mexico.

Most people associate Hong Kong with skyscrapers and shopping malls, but a small population of feral water buffalo calls the marshlands of South Lantau Island home. And they’re sparking a mix of curiosity, concern, and connection among locals.