Although zygotic genome activation (ZGA) is universally required for development, the responsible transcription factors are poorly conserved. In mammalian totipotent embryos, (pioneer) transcription factors of two families co-regulate many ZGA genes by binding to nearby SINE retrotransposons, which thus function as their enhancers.

Ferroptosis is a non-apoptotic, iron-dependent cell death mechanism driven by plasma membrane lipid peroxidation and subsequent plasma membrane rupture. Various cellular compartments and organelles contribute to regulating susceptibility to ferroptosis. This regulation involves a plethora of mechanisms centred on iron metabolism and storage, lipid metabolism, and redox balance.

Subunits of mitochondrial and cytosolic ribosomes need to be targeted to their correction cellular location. A study identified a mitochondrial avoidance segment in a eukaryotic cytosolic ribosome subunit that prevents its mislocalization to mitochondria.

Synonymous mutations can promote tumorigenesis by perturbing m⁶A modification of tumour suppressor mRNAs.

In this Tools of the Trade article, Wang and Cheng (Deng Lab) describe an improved protocol for the generation of human pluripotent stem cells by chemical reprogramming based on the targeting of epigenetic obstacles.

In this Tools of the Trade article, Zhang and Owyong (Hong lab) discuss the development of a fluorescent probe that binds disordered proteins in situ and allows their enrichment and identification using a mass-spectrometry-based workflow.

In this Tools of the Trade article, Zong (Zhou lab) describes how using genetic code expansion enabled the precise incorporation of post-translational modifications such as lysine lactylation into proteins, allowing the authors to investigate their role in cellular processes.

This study uncovered how extracellular vesicles carrying gasdermin D pores propagate pyroptosis between cells, exacerbating inflammation.