So-called rock-eating microorganisms obtain their energy to convert carbon dioxide (CO₂) from inorganic sources and make up the vast majority of biomass producers. Using electron microscopy and infrared spectroscopy, a research team from the universities of Potsdam and Marburg has investigated the structure of DAB2 in the sulfur bacterium Halothiobacillus neapolitanus. Their findings have been published in “Nature Communications”.

 

Ependymoma is a central nervous system tumor that occurs primarily in children and can arise in the supratentorial region, posterior fossa, or spinal cord. Although molecular classification has substantially improved disease stratification and prognostic assessment, the metabolic phenotypes associated with the major pediatric subtypes have remained poorly defined. Because pediatric ependymoma is rare, assembling a cohort that spans multiple molecularly defined subtypes for systematic metabolic comparison is itself challenging.

How does the innate immune system distinguish pathogens from self-components while avoiding excessive immune response and inflammation? Toll-like receptors (TLRs) have provided the answer to this central question over four decades of research. This review synthesizes the multilayered and interactive regulatory mechanisms—from post-translational modifications to phase separation—that ensure balanced TLR signaling, and explores the translational promise of targeting these pathways in infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, cancer, and inflammatory aging.

A multicenter study found that the advanced lung cancer inflammation index (ALI) predicts outcomes in acute ischemic stroke patients receiving thrombolysis. Lower ALI levels were strongly linked to poorer functional recovery, with a non-linear J-shaped relationship and a threshold effect. Derived from routine clinical measures, ALI offers a simple, accessible biomarker for early risk stratification.

How cells precisely control the timing of mRNA activation during differentiation is a longstanding question in molecular biology. In this study, researchers uncovered the MX-H pathway and MXL vesicles as the machinery responsible for removing inhibitory RNA-binding proteins and unleashing stored mRNAs at the right moment for sperm maturation. Importantly, the team found that this germ cell-specific system is hijacked by gastric cancer to promote tumor growth. These findings not only illuminate a fundamental regulatory mechanism in development but also identify a promising new target for selective cancer therapy.

Researchers have established a comprehensive public dataset, GlycoHBF, which provides a detailed map of proteins and their glycosylation (N-glycosylation) across 15 types of human body fluids. Using standardized processing and advanced mass spectrometry, the study reveals significant molecular heterogeneity among fluids like plasma, urine, saliva, tears, and cerebrospinal fluid. This work provides a rigorous analytical framework and a baseline reference that will accelerate the discovery of liquid biopsy biomarkers for diseases including cancer and neurological disorders.