Nature, Published online: 20 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10572-xA fungal long non-coding RNA from Magnaporthe oryzae translocates into rice cells to sequester a host microRNA that normally represses PKR1, a negative immunity regulator, thereby facilitating infection and revealing a widespread RNA-based pathogen–host interaction mechanism.

Nature, Published online: 20 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10566-9The Small Auxin Up RNA (SAUR) protein ZmSAUR72 in maize (Zea mays) promotes silk growth via regulation of H+-ATPase activity, and is a key determinant of the anthesis-silking interval and thus resilience to drought.

Nature Cancer, Published online: 03 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s43018-026-01145-yHuang, Hou, Yang et al. demonstrate that leptomeningeal metastatic cells favor the formation of a premetastatic niche by remodeling the choroid plexus vasculature through the serotonin metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid, which signals into endothelial cells through the aryl hydrocarbon receptor.

npj Digital Medicine, Published online: 24 March 2026; doi:10.1038/s41746-026-02568-8Performance of DeepSeek in the generation of in-training examination questions in radiology resident education