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Discover research articles across all indexed journals

Vitamin B12 alleviates spliceosomopathy via phospholipid remodeling

Nature Communications Jonathan Kölschbach, Hormos S. Dafsari, Emily Baum et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76295-9

Abstract mRNA splicing represents a fundamental level of gene regulation that alters proteomic diversity and cellular state. Its dysfunction can profoundly rewire metabolism, yet underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we investigate Verheij syndrome, caused by mutations in core splicing factor PUF60 , using a Caenorhabditis elegans model, human cell lines, and patient-derived samples. We demonstrate that RNP-6/PUF60 deficiency disrupts splicing of genes governing one-carbon metabolism and phospholipid remodeling, impairing S-adenosylmethionine/S-adenosylhomocysteine cycling and phosphatidylcholine synthesis. These perturbations trigger the integrated stress response and compromise mTORC1 signaling, causing developmental growth defects. Vitamin B 12 supplementation restores metabolic balance by reactivating S-adenosylmethionine-dependent phospholipid remodeling and mTORC1 activity, effectively rescuing Verheij-like phenotypes. Similar responses arise from perturbing another splicing factor, PRP-19. Mechanistically, intron retention of nhr-114/HNF4 transcription factor drives these phenotypes, while restoring its splicing rescues them. Our findings implicate vitamin B 12 -dependent one-carbon metabolism as a metabolic modulator with therapeutic potential to mitigate Verheij syndrome and other spliceosomopathies.

Ultrafast electron acceleration by space chorus

Nature Communications C. M. Liu, B. N. Zhao, J. B. Cao et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76485-5

All-optical Mie void sensor for complex nanoplastic mixtures

Nature Communications Dominik Ludescher, Julian Schwab, Serkan Arslan et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76199-8

Abstract The fragmentation and direct release of plastic debris have emerged as a pressing ecological concern. Once dispersed, these particles infiltrate food webs, accumulate within organisms, and bind toxic co-contaminants, posing long-term risks to ecosystems and human health. Despite growing awareness, the characterization of nanoplastics remains highly challenging. Moreover, obtaining additional information, such as particle shape or material composition, further exacerbates these detection hurdles. Here, we introduce a photonic sensing platform based on nanoscale voids that enables the simultaneous material- and morphology-sensitive detection of particles below 500 nm. Void arrays embedded in a high-refractive-index material act in parallel as both sorting elements and color reporters. Spherical and elongated particles are selectively trapped in circular and elliptical voids, while different polymer types are distinguished simultaneously. This approach offers a scalable route toward optical identification of nanoplastics in environmental settings. Its compatibility with high-throughput analysis positions it as a promising tool for real-time studies.

Electrical control of exchange bias in sub-10 nm regime enabled by single-nanotube patterning

Nature Communications Hexin Li, Ke Zhang, Zhongxiang Zhang et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76524-1

The efficacy, immunogenicity and safety of the LZ901 vaccine for herpes zoster virus in adults 40 years of age or older: a multicentre, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 trial

Nature Communications Pengfei Jin, Yaru Quan, Xuefeng Gao et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76313-w

Melt burst events in a dominantly amagmatic lithosphere at Gakkel Ridge in the Arctic Ocean

Nature Communications Fei Zhou, Ingo Grevemeyer, Jérôme Dyment Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76409-3

Abstract Alternation of magmatic and amagmatic seafloor along the slow and ultraslow spreading ridges is common. Yet, temporal variation is obscured by sediments blanketing oceanic basement away from spreading centers. Here we analyze aeromagnetic data covering zero age to ~35 Ma oceanic crust at the ultraslow-spreading Gakkel Ridge to characterize magmatic and amagmatic lithospheric domains and their links to melt supply. Amagmatic seafloor unexpectedly dominates ~68% of the Eurasian Basin, while only 32% of magmatic seafloor over the last 35 Ma. The melt supply exhibits cycles initiating over a short episode of robust magmatism followed by a longer intermediate magmatism, then starved magmatism. These observations suggest that strong lithosphere presumably characterizing this ultraslow spreading ridge may prevent a continuous melt supply, instead favoring episodic melt bursts. Our study indirectly constraints the extent and duration of melting events and lithospheric accretion through the Gakkel Ridge history, away from the present spreading axis.

Angstrom-fluidic chemical synapses for accurate cancer diagnosis

Nature Communications Jing Zhao, Qun Ma, Xueqin Luo et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76214-y

Push until it breaks: engineering is stronger when we know its limits

Nature Communications Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76456-w

A functional atlas of transposon-encoded products and their integration into host networks

Nature Communications Carles Borredá, Pol Vendrell-Mir, Basile Leduque et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76280-2

Tuning electron back-donation to switch reaction pathway in CO2 hydrogenation

Nature Communications Zhongnian Huang, Jundi Wang, Xiaohu Ge et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76432-4

Glycosylation orchestrates megakaryocytic fate of hematopoietic stem cells via Wnt-MUC13 signaling

Nature Communications Alejandro Roisman, Leonardo Rivadeneyra, Lindsey Conroy et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76246-4

Asymmetric fluorinated sulfonamide electrolyte solvent for high-voltage and wide-temperature Li-metal batteries

Nature Communications Luyi Chen, Jingwen Liu, Zehang Peng et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76496-2

Spatiotemporally coupled sulfur chemistry for stable silicon-90+ anodes

Nature Communications Mengyu Tian, Ziyu Song, Zhou Jin et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76591-4

Bulk delivery of a preassembled apical surface initiates epithelial lumen formation

Nature Communications Sujasha Ghosh, Eleanor Martin, Yuhong Chen et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-75503-w

Abstract During de novo lumenogenesis, epithelial cells establish luminal identity by directing apical cargo to an apical membrane initiation site (AMIS). Although this process has been widely studied, the mechanisms governing AMIS formation and its progression into a luminal precursor remain poorly understood. Here we combine quantitative light and electron microscopy with proximity proteomics to demonstrate that apical cargo is delivered to the AMIS in large apical precursor organelles, termed vacuolar apical compartments (VACs). VACs possess a microvilli-rich cortex and undergo exocytic fusion at the AMIS to generate a nascent lumen. Lumen initiation is tightly coordinated with the assembly and rearrangement of apical cell junctions and requires the Crumbs complex protein PatJ. Together, our results show that PatJ is a key structural determinant of the apical-lateral interface and indicate that VACs act as specialized transport organelles that deliver a preassembled apical surface to the AMIS, enabling rapid and efficient lumen initiation.

Deterministic wet etching of aspheric fiber microlenses with tunable conic geometry for tailored optical functionality

Nature Communications Sanggon Kim, Iason Keramidis, Isabel Plasencia-Fernandez et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-75331-y

Abstract Efficient coupling between guided optical fiber modes and radiated fields in the surrounding medium remains a fundamental limitation across photonics, sensing, and biophotonics. Micro-lensed fibers offer a promising solution, yet scalable fabrication with predictable geometry and deterministic optical performance has remained elusive. Here, we introduce laser-controlled wet-chemical etching (LCWCE), a single-parameter strategy that directly sculpts micro-lenses, from hyperbolic to parabolic and prolate elliptical profiles, on standard optical fibers. Local laser illumination establishes an axially confined etching-rate gradient, enabling sub-micrometer control of curvature and working distance independent of fiber type or internal structure. A physics-separated multiphysics framework combining wave optics, heat-transfer, and temperature-dependent etching kinetics captures the observed geometry evolution and validates the underlying mechanism. LCWCE enables milliwatt-scale, minimal-power fiber-based optical trapping, as well as minimally invasive in vivo dendritic detection and single-cell neural interrogation beyond 1.5 mm depth in live brains, transforming ubiquitous optical fibers into scalable, high-performance photonic probes.

CAFs shape the immunosuppressive microenvironment of pancreatic cancer through the Lin28b-STING Axis

Nature Communications Minghe Fan, Ziyang Zhang, Wei Xu et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76495-3

Evaluating technology upgrades as a complement to traditional bill assistance programs

Nature Communications Sydney P. Forrester, Eric O’Shaughnessy, Galen Barbose Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76489-1

Molecular-level insight into water adsorption and projected atmospheric water harvesting performance in a hydrolytically stable MOF

Nature Communications Mei-Yan Gao, Andrey A. Bezrukov, Alan C. Eaby et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76301-0

Lying mirror using structured surfaces

Nature Communications Yuhang Li, Shiqi Chen, Bijie Bai et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76488-2

Abstract We introduce an all-optical system, termed the “lying mirror”, to hide input information by transforming it into misleading, ordinary-looking patterns that effectively camouflage the underlying image data and deceive the observers. This misleading transformation is achieved through passive light-matter interactions of the incident light with an optimized structured diffractive surface, enabling the optical concealment of any form of secret input data without any digital computing. These lying mirror designs were shown to camouflage different types of input image data, exhibiting robustness against a range of adversarial manipulations, including random image noise as well as unknown, random rotations, shifts, and scaling of the object features. The feasibility of the lying mirror concept was also validated experimentally using a structured micro-mirror array along with multi-wavelength illumination at 480, 550 and 600 $${nm}$$ n m , covering the blue, green and red image channels. Furthermore, we created a broadband lying mirror that operates across a continuous spectral range, enhancing its adaptability under diverse illumination conditions. This framework showcases the power of structured diffractive surfaces for visual information processing and might find various applications in defense, security and entertainment.

Atomic-scale engineering of Pt shells on chiral Au nanoparticles for enhanced oxygen reduction

Nature Communications Zixu Wang, Binbin Zhang, Jinyu Ding et al. Aug 07, 2026 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-76426-2