01/30/2026
Research Article
The complex organization of the brain's superficial white matter is a challenge for studying its contribution to cortico-cortical connectivity and large-scale brain function. Youngeun Hwang, Boris Bernhardt and colleagues report a novel computational approach based on 3D histology and 7-Tesla MRI, revealing associations between superficial white matter microstructure and diverse cortical properties.
Image credit: pbio.3003629
Current Issue December 2025
01/30/2026
Research Article
Probiotics can influence neuronal health, but how microbial signals are translated into neuroprotective host responses remains poorly understood. Yu Sang, Jie Ren and Alejandro Aballay show that Enterococcus faecium activates an intestinal NHR-86/cytochrome P450 pathway that lowers ROS and protects motor neurons, in a nematode model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Image credit: pbio.3003627
01/30/2026
Research Article
Energy metabolism involves the activity of distinct biochemical processes that are key for cellular function, but their distribution across cortex is poorly understood. Moohebat Pourmajidian, Bratislav Misic, Alain Dagher and co-workers map five energy metabolism pathways in the human brain, linking metabolic organization with brain structural and functional properties, as well as developmental dynamics.
Image credit: pbio.3003619
01/27/2026
Research Article
Cancer immunotherapy faces widespread resistance driven by tumor heterogeneity and immune evasion through mechanisms like PD-L1 suppression. Zhihui Zhou, Ying Lu, Pan Li and co-authors identify the metabolic enzyme HSD17B12 as a regulator of PD-L1 degradation and show that an HSD17B12-derived peptide boosts anti-tumor immunity in a mouse model.
Image credit: pbio.3003603
01/27/2026
Research Article
Retinal organoids are important models for studying development and disease, however stochastic heterogeneity in their development remains a major challenge. Cassian Afting, Joachim Wittbrodt, Tarik Exner and colleagues use deep learning to predict the differentiation path and resulting tissues in retinal organoids, informing the design of similar predictive platforms for other organoid systems.
Image credit: pbio.3003597
01/26/2026
Research Article
Interferons (IFNs) initiate antiviral defense to protect against infection, but can hinder recovery by impairing tissue repair by an unknown mechanism. Krupakar Subramaniam, Ellen Foxman and co-workers show that at high concentrations, Type I and III IFN suppress bronchial cell migration and proliferation during tissue repair, independent of STAT1, separating repair inhibition from antiviral defense.
Image credit: Krupakar Subramaniam
01/27/2026
Editorial
Immunometabolism is more than just metabolic shifts in immune cells. This Editorial highlights a new collection of articles exploring effects of molecular, cellular and systemic metabolic mechanisms in health and disease.
Image credit: Shogo Suga & Koki Nakamura
01/21/2026
Essay
Chronic low-grade metabolic inflammation (metaflammation) drives insulin resistance and metabolic dysfunction in obesity. This Essay discusses the immunometabolic mechanisms underlying metaflammation, including lesser known beneficial effects.
Image credit: pbio.3003620
01/20/2026
Essay
Immunometabolism may be a useful target for cancer therapy. This Essay explores the potential for incorporating both lifestyle changes and drug therapies that target immunometabolism into treatments for cancer.
Image credit: pbio.3003617
01/09/2026
Perspective
This Perspective highlights how systems biology approaches, including multi-omics profiling and perturbomics screening, are being used to advance our understanding of immunometabolism.
Image credit: pbio.3003570
This PLOS Biology collection aims to shine a light on the many facets of immunometabolism, highlighting how molecular and cellular mechanisms impact diverse tissue and organismal functions and the exciting potential for leveraging immunometabolism for therapeutic interventions.
Recent technological advancements in omics have unveiled the mechanisms governing tumor progression across spatial and temporal scales. This collection reveals the complexities of the crosstalk between cancer cells and the tumor microenvironment.
Neurotechnology offers unprecedented opportunities to treat neural disorders, restore brain function and enhance cognitive abilities. This collection explores the present and possible futures of neurotechnology to improve human health and cognition.
Translating conservation and biodiversity research from the field into the real world is a complex problem. This collection discusses issues around economics, policy, and how to do research that answers questions that decision makers have.
Symbiosis research has become a holistic and pervasive field with a mature theoretical basis. This collection showcases symbiotic relationships across the tree of life, exploring their evolutionary basis and underlying mechanisms.
March 11 - 13
Meet Magazine section Senior Editor Joanna Clarke (jclarke@plos.org).
March 16 - 17
(Attended remotely) Contact Magazine section Senior Editor Joanna Clarke (jclarke@plos.org)
March 22 - 25
Meet Senior Editor Ines Alvarez-Garcia (ialvarez-garcia@plos.org)
May 5 - 7
Meet Editor in Chief Nonia Pariente (npariente@plos.org)
June 8 - 11
Meet Senior Editor Richard Hodge (rhodge@plos.org)
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