02/06/2026
Research Article
The endocytic protein AP180 regulates synaptic vesicle recycling during neurotransmission, but how are vesicle size and release frequency determined? Yu Wang, Lanxi Wu, Jihong Bai and co-workers show that the AP180 assembly domain regulates synaptic vesicle size and release fidelity in C. elegans via actin binding, revealing how vesicle morphology influences neurotransmission..
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Current Issue January 2026
02/06/2026
Research Article
Brain macrophages detect pathogens without direct contact, yet how this occurs remains unclear. Chenxu Feng, Ge Wang, Yixuan Wang, and co-authors show that microglia sense capsular components from capillary-bound Cryptococcus neoformans via endothelial nucleotide signaling, triggering uptake but not clearance.
Image credit: pbio.3003642
02/05/2026
Research Article
The ability to anticipate musical structure is a fundamental human trait, but whether it exists at birth is unclear. Roberta Bianco, Giacomo Novembre and colleagues find that newborns encode rhythmic expectations based on statistical regularities in real music, while melodic tracking is absent, suggesting rhythm-driven predictive processing from birth.
Image credit: pbio.3003600
02/03/2026
Short Reports
The vaginal microbiota is shaped by bacterial access to specific nutritional resources, influencing health outcomes. Tsukushi Kamiya, Samuel Alizon and co-workers use a resource-based model supported by clinical data to identify key ecological mechanisms underlying microbiota composition and potential bacterial vaginosis interventions. Don't miss the related Primer by François Massol.
Image credit: pbio.3003575
02/02/2026
Research Article
Unlike other bacteria, Clostridioides difficile must detect both a germinant signal and a co-germinant signal to trigger spore germination, but how are these cues sensed? Morgan McNellis, Gonzalo González-Del Pino, Ekaterina Heldwein, Aimee Shen and co-authors reveal that the CspC:CspA complex serves as a key signaling node that integrates environmental cues to regulate C. difficile spore germination.
Image credit: pbio.3003610
02/02/2026
Research Article
Antifungal resistance is a global health threat, yet epigenetic mechanisms driving rapid, reversible adaptation in fungi are poorly understood. Ye-Eun Son, Carlos Pérez-Arques and Joseph Heitman show that RNAi- or heterochromatin-driven epimutations transiently silence the gene fkbA to confer FK506 (tacrolimus) resistance in Mucor species.
Image credit: pbio.3003598
02/02/2026
Essay
The human sexes differ in autoimmunity, infections, cancer and responses to immunotherapy and vaccines. This Essay explores the major areas where further research is required to determine sex-differential mechanisms in immunity.
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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.
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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
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 10 - 13
Meet Editor in Chief Nonia Pariente (npariente@plos.org)
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)
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