News & Comment

Segun Fatumo highlights a paper by Mahajan et al. that uses a multi-ancestry genome-wide association studies approach to uncover the genetic underpinnings of type 2 diabetes, emphasizing the importance of incorporating diverse populations in such studies.

Zhang et al. describe mSwAP-In, a platform for large-scale, efficient, biallelic and ‘scarless’ genome editing in mice.

Geopolitical instability has prompted renewed discussions on the risks of DNA technology being weaponized in international conflict. With today’s changing security environment, the authors argue that risk assessments must be broadened from genetically targeted weapons to a series of new domains.

Johnson et al. identify a WNT regulator that underlies the development and evolution of distinct colour patterning in the African striped mouse.

Three papers in Nature report on the largest open-access plasma proteomics dataset to date, a valuable resource for understanding human disease and the identification of drug targets.

Li Zhao recalls a 2006 paper by Levine et al. that, by identifying a handful of de novo genes, outlined a potentially universal process of de novo gene birth and propelled forward this field of research.

Legnini et al. report in Nature Methods their new optogenetic method for controlling gene expression in organoids that can be coupled with single-cell and spatial transcriptomics.

Reporting in Science, a team from Google DeepMind describe AlphaMissense, a tool to predict the pathogenicity of missense variants.

A paper in Nature finds that nuclear genetic variation can influence heteroplasmy and the human mitochondrial genome.

Guhlin et al. sequenced the genomes of almost the entire extant population of the critically-endangered kākāpō, revealing genetic variants for fitness-related traits that can inform conservation strategies.

Luis Barreiro highlights a 2007 paper by Tishkoff et al. that identified genetic variants associated with lactose persistence in East African populations, representing one of the first examples of convergent evolution in humans.

Roohani et al. have developed a deep learning tool called GEARS that predicts the effects of multigene perturbations.

In this Comment, Ahmad Abou Tayoun advocates for studies inclusive of historically under-represented populations to ensure equitable global access to genomic newborn screening.

A paper in Science reports a time-resolved multiomic atlas of the human yolk sac, expanding knowledge of this poorly resolved structure in humans.

Marnie Blewitt highlights the visionary 1961 paper by Mary Lyon in which she proposed that dosage compensation in female mammals involves X-inactivation and recognized its implications for sex-specific phenotypes in X-linked disorders.

Breda et al. developed a method for gene editing bone marrow cells in vivo, circumventing the need for toxic conditioning regimens such as chemotherapy or radiation.

In April 2023, leading experts met with members of US Congress to discuss strategies to ensure global food security. Following on from this, Pamela Ronald emphasizes the role that plant genetics has in achieving these goals.

Two studies published in Nature investigate the genetic mechanisms of sex bias in cancers and implicate Y chromosome genes in contributing to the aggressiveness of bladder cancer and colorectal cancer in men.

Jacobs et al. report in Science that different co-repressors repress the transcriptional activity of different subsets of enhancers associated with genes of different function.

Leon Mutesa highlights a 2009 article by Yehuda and Bierer that considered the relevance of epigenetic mechanisms to post-traumatic stress disorder, which inspired his own research on the importance of DNA methylation changes in trauma survivors.