Even bugs as small as woodlice can disperse seeds they eat, setting a new record for smallest animal recorded to do so. The Kobe University discovery underscores the crucial yet often overlooked role that small invertebrates play in ecosystems.

Scientists from Nagoya University in Japan have clarified the relationship between energy levels and fertility in animals and humans. They identified signaling from serotonin neurons as important for maintaining reproductive function by sensing glucose availability and subsequently enhancing the release of the reproductive hormone gonadotropin. Their findings explain why the reproductive function of mammals, including humans, improves when they have sufficient energy and why fertility is suppressed in depressed people. 

Researchers from Osaka University developed an in silico library comprising 54 potential triarylborane catalysts for the functionalization of amino acids and peptides with molecular hydrogen as a reductant. This library, together with chemometric machine learning, was used to identify the best candidates. Based on this process, an optimal catalyst was identified and found to promote the alkylation of aniline derivatives with exceptional functional group tolerance and produce only water as a coproduct.

Homologous recombination (HR) is an essential process by which cells repair damaged DNA and maintain genomic stability. However, many unanswered questions persist regarding the functions of specific proteins and enzymes involved in the pathway underlying HR. In a recent study, researchers from Japan shed light on the role of FIGNL1, a specialized enzyme that regulates a key protein in HR called RAD51. Their findings could contribute to the accelerated development of genetic engineering and advance anticancer therapies.

Gut bacteria convert dietary fatty acids into useful metabolites with benefits in metabolic and inflammatory disorders. However, their immunomodulatory effects and underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. Now, researchers from Tokyo University of Science have uncovered a novel gut bacteria-generated, fatty acid metabolite — ‘gKetoC’ which exerts protective effects against inflammatory bowel disease. Their study sheds light on molecular targets which mediate their immunosuppressive effects against intestinal bowel inflammation and highlights their therapeutic potential.

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) is often an essential component of nano-sized drug and gene delivery systems, enabling the development of safer and more effective therapies. The best-known commercial example being mRNA vaccine formulations for COVID-19, whereby functional PEG polymers are essential stabilizers. Though essential, a part of the population can develop allergic reactions to PEG, complicating treatment or vaccination, or rendering it ineffective. Poly(2-oxazoline)s (POx) are a potential alternative to PEG and exhibit a large structural versatility, thus enabling fine-tuning of pharmaceutical properties whilst circumventing PEG-based allergic reactions, allowing the development of improved therapies, particularly for those exhibiting hypersensitivity to PEG. Though a promising alternative, the functionalization of the POx chain-ends, often necessary for its application in therapeutic settings, is typically a time-consuming and laborious process. To overcome this issue, a team of researchers from Japan and the Netherlands developed a simple synthetic approach to facilitate end-group diversification with a broad range of commercially available reagents. Their approach allows straightforward installment of lipids or other functional groups, enabling the rapid exploration of this promising PEG-alternative in nano-sized drug and gene delivery systems. Through their approach, the researchers could quickly develop prototype drug/gene delivery platforms, enabling further exploration of POx in lipid nanoparticle-mediated mRNA delivery, culminating in the development of a POx-based SARS-COV-2 mRNA vaccine formulation. The POx-based formulation allowed robust immunization of mice against COVID-19, comparable to commercial formulations, thus underscoring the value of POx as a viable PEG alternative.

In an exploratory clinical trial, four male patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder at Nagoya University Hospital in Japan underwent eight weeks of treatment with a device that generates a low-frequency ultralow magnetic field environment (ELF-ELME). An improvement in depressive symptoms was observed, with no adverse effects, among all patients. If the efficacy of the device can be confirmed in larger clinical trials with a control group, this therapy could serve as an alternative treatment for patients who do not want to take antidepressant medications.