Cells do not determine their fate in isolation. The spatial organization that emerges spontaneously within cell populations can also shape how cell death spreads. Building on their 2024 discovery that ferroptotic “trigger waves” can drive large-scale cell death, a research team led by Associate Research Fellow Sheng-hong (Sheng) Chen at the Institute of Molecular Biology, Academia Sinica, has now uncovered how cell density, alignment, and intracellular lipid distribution govern where ferroptosis begins, the direction in which it spreads, and where it stops. By combining live-cell imaging, single-cell RNA sequencing, pharmacological and genetic perturbations, and mathematical modeling, the researchers connected molecular processes within individual cells to the collective behavior of cell populations. Their findings reveal that cellular self-organization plays a critical role in shaping susceptibility to ferroptosis and controlling its propagation, extending our understanding of cell death beyond the molecular responses of individual cells. This discovery provides a new framework for investigating how spatial organization may influence cell death during embryonic development, tissue injury, and disease.

Researchers from Capital Medical University, Beijing, China, have identified a CaN/NFATC3/Id3/E2A/Bmp4 signaling pathway that helps explain how low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) promotes bone regeneration. Id3 was identified as a molecular “brake” that limits LIPUS-induced osteogenesis and was significantly downregulated following ultrasound stimulation. The researchers developed an Id3 inhibitory peptide, rID3, which, when combined with LIPUS, enhanced osteogenesis and bone-defect healing in mice, suggesting a potential strategy for improving ultrasound-based bone regeneration.

Even a local mRNA injection can produce unwanted expression in the liver. Researchers have redesigned the lipid nanoparticles that carry mRNA to reduce this spillover in mice while preserving expression in injected muscle. The formulation also supports repeated dosing and improves the confinement of expression after local brain and eye delivery.

Only four enzymes including D-apionate oxidoisomerase (ApnO) are known to catalyze distinct, sequential chemical reactions at a single active site. Biochemical and crystallographic analysis revealed the catalytic mechanism of ApnO containing zinc and manganese ions as metal cofactors, and unique tetrahedral coordination geometry of the later. This study provides new insight into the molecular evolution of rare enzymes that defy the general paradigm wherein a single enzyme's activity is classified under a single reaction mode.

Soils are among the planet's largest carbon reservoirs, yet salinity and land degradation threaten their ability to store carbon and support agriculture. Improving carbon storage in salt-affected farmland could therefore offer a dual benefit: restoring soil health while supporting climate change mitigation.

Analysis of Italian paintings reveals the cultural and culinary significance of the thorny oyster, combining with other historical texts and testimonies to uncover its "forgotten history"