SCIENCE science.org 7 JANUARY 2022 • VOL 375 ISSUE 6576 38-B
CANCER
Tertiary lymphoid
structures in cancer
Tertiary lymphoid structures
(TLSs) are lymphoid formations
that are found in nonlymphoid
tissues. TLSs can develop in
inflamed tissues and are associ-
ated with chronic inflammatory
disorders, autoimmunity, and
cancer. In the setting of tumors,
TLSs facilitate the influx of
immune cells into the tumor site
and have therefore attracted
interest as a means of improv-
ing anticancer immunity and
favorable treatment response
in patients. Schumacher and
Thommen review the biology
of TLSs and outline recent
advances in TLS research. They
discuss how TLSs are detected
and defined, the mechanism(s)
of formation in cancer, and the
potential of targeting TLSs for
therapeutic benefit. —PNK
Science, abf9419, this issue p. 39
ORGANOIDS
Spatial and temporal
organoid control
Stem cell–derived organoids
form through self-organization
and serve as models for organ
development, function, and
disease, with potential applica-
tions in drug development and
personalized medicine. However,
in the absence of external guid-
ance, developmental processes
are stochastic, resulting in
variable end products that differ
significantly from the native
organ. Gjorevski et al. developed
approaches for specifying the
initial organoid geometry to build
intestinal organoids of defined
shape, size, and cell distribu-
tions, forming structures that
are predictable, more similar to
normal organs, and reproduc-
ible (see the Perspective by
Huycke and Gartner). These
methods identify symmetry-
breaking mechanisms in
intestinal morphogenesis and
have potential for standardizing
organoid-based therapies and
facilitating the refinement of
mechanistic studies. —BAP
Science, aaw9021, this issue p. 40;
see also abn3054, p. 26NEUROSCIENCE
Cell type diversity
in the neocortex
The ability to link molecularly
identified neurons with their
function during behavior
requires monitoring the activ-
ity of these cell types in vivo.
Condylis et al. developed a plat-
form for population functional
imaging with spatial transcrip-
tomics. Using newly acquired
transcriptomic cell census data
from the Allen Institute for Brain
Science, the authors studied the
function of cell types in primary
somatosensory cortex in mice
performing a tactile working
memory task. Task-related
properties of both excitatory and
inhibitory neurons continued to
differentiate as they were segre-
gated into increasingly discrete
molecular types. A new excit-
atory cell type, Baz1a, formed
a sensory-driven circuit hub
that orchestrated local sensory
processing in superficial layers
of the neocortex. This approach
opens new venues for exploring
information processing in the
brain. —PRS
Science, abl5981, this issue p. 41NEUROSCIENCE
The amygdala and
goal-directed actions
Almost everything we do in our
daily lives is goal directed. The
brain can maintain a motiva-
tional state to direct actions to
achieve desired outcomes. Using
deep-brain calcium imaging,
electrophysiology, and opto-
genetics in mice, Courtin et al.
observed that at the time of
goal-directed action, basolateral
amygdala principal neurons
integrate and encode pursued
outcome identity, pursuedoutcome value, and action-out-
come contingency information.
At the time of consumption,
basolateral amygdala neuro-
nal firing represents current
outcome identity and value.
Together, action- and consump-
tion-associated activity integrate
behaviorally relevant informa-
tion at distinct time points along
goal-directed action-consump-
tion sequences. —PRS
Science, abg7277, this issue p. 42CORONAVIRUS
Antibody levels predict
vaccine efficacy
Symptomatic COVID-19 infec-
tion can be prevented by severe
acute respiratory syndrome
coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)
vaccines. A “correlate of protec-
tion” is a molecular biomarker
to measure how much immu-
nity is needed to fight infection
and is key for successful global
immunization programs. Gilbert
et al. determined that antibodies
are the correlate of protection in
vaccinated individuals enrolled
in the Moderna COVE phase 3
clinical trial (see the Perspective
by Openshaw). By measuring
binding and neutralizing antibod-
ies against the viral spike protein,
the authors found that the levels
of both antibodies correlated
with the degree of vaccine
efficacy. The higher the antibody
level, the greater the protec-
tion afforded by the messenger
RNA (mRNA) vaccine. Antibody
levels that predict mRNA vaccine
efficacy can therefore be used to
guide vaccine regimen modifica-
tions and support regulatory
approvals for a broader spec-
trum of the population. —PNK
Science, abm3425, this issue p. 43;
see also abn0007, p. 22NANOMATERIALS
Zeolitic nanotubes
Nanotubes generally have solid
walls, but a low-dimensional
version of zeolites now intro-
duces porosity into suchstructures. Korde et al. used a
structure-directing agent with
a hydrophobic biphenyl group
center connecting two long alkyl
chains bearing hydrophilic bulky
quaternary ammonium head
groups to direct hydrothermal
synthesis with silicon-rich pre-
cursors (see the Perspective by
Fan and Dong). The nanotubes
have a mesoporous central
channel of approximately 3
nanometers and zeolitic walls
with micropores less than 0.6
nanometers. Electron micros-
copy and modeling showed that
the outer surface is a projection
of a large-pore zeolite and the
inner surface is a projection of a
medium-pore zeolite. —PDS
Science, abg8, this issue p. 62;
see also abn2048, p. 29SOLAR CELLS
Directing efficient
hole transport
Surface defects in three-
dimensional perovskites can
decrease performance but
can be healed with coatings
based on two-dimensional (2D)
perovskite such as Ruddlesden-
Popper phases. However, the
bulky organic groups of these
2D phases can lead to low and
anisotropic charge transport.
F. Zhang et al. show that a
metastable polymorph of a Dion-
Jacobson 2D structure based on
asymmetric organic molecules
reduced the energy barrier for
hole transport and their trans-
port through the layer. When
used as a top layer for a triple-
cation mixed-halide perovskite, a
solar cell retained 90% of its ini-
tial power conversion efficiency
of 24.7% after 1000 hours of
operation at approximately 40°C
in nitrogen. —PDS
Science, abj2637, this issue p. 71STRUCTURAL VIROLOGY
A block to viral cell entry
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic
fever virus is a tickborne virus
that can cause severe diseaseRESEARCHEdited by Michael FunkALSO IN SCIENCE JOURNALS