Lee et al. show that, after nitrogen starvation and genetic interference with the architecture of nuclear pore complexes, nucleoporins are degraded by autophagy, constituting a quality-control step at the nuclear envelope.

Lee et al. show that energy stress inhibits ferroptosis through AMPK activation and demonstrate a role for AMPK in ferroptosis-associated renal ischaemia–reperfusion injury in vivo.

Li et al. show that BCAA transaminase 2 enhances uptake and catabolism of branched-chain amino acids, thereby promoting development of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma harbouring KRAS mutations.

The Hippo and mTORC1 pathways regulate growth control for proper organ development. Here, Gan et al. find that the Hippo pathway kinases LATS1 and LATS2 phosphorylate the mTORC1 component Raptor to attenuate mTORC1 activation.

RNA-targeting CRISPR. In this Perspective, Smargon, Shi and Yeo discuss the rapid development of the RNA-targeting CRISPR–Cas engineering system and highlight how this can be leveraged to further understand RNA biology.

Sun et al. uncover a conserved mechanism by which ribosomes function in defining the position of pachytene piRNA formation on long single-stranded RNAs during spermatogenesis.

Understanding the metabolic rewiring of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is an emerging strategy for identifying cancer-associated liabilities and improving treatment. A new study now elucidates the function of the transaminase BCAT2 in the early stages of tumor development, providing insights that could stimulate novel therapeutic strategies.

The ribosome decodes messenger RNAs and constructs proteins based on the genetic blueprint. Ribosomes also associate with non-coding RNAs, such as PIWI-interacting RNA (piRNA) precursors, during the meiotic pachytene stage. Intriguingly, the ribosome mediates pachytene piRNA biogenesis by guiding endonucleolytic cleavage of piRNA precursors.

A mechanism of secretory autophagy explains aspects of the packaging of proteins and RNA into extracellular vesicles and paves the way to a better understanding of their biological roles and medical applications.

The molecular clock regulates the rhythmic transcription of myriad genes, leading to a circadian pattern of expression of the encoded proteins. A study demonstrates circadian regulation of expression of components of the protein secretory pathway, providing a mechanism to generate circadian patterns of secreted protein expression.

Different types of stromal cells in the bone marrow associate to form niches that support differentiating blood cells and ensure lifelong production of all major blood lineages. A study now combines single-cell and spatial transcriptomics with imaging to infer the cellular composition and spatial architecture of specific niches.

Tangential expansion of neural stem cells in the mammalian neocortex increases the number of cortical columns. A new study shows that neural stem cells that become detached from the apical surface during division regenerate an apical endfoot to ensure tangential expansion in the early stage but later lose this ability when radial expansion occurs.