Cognitive performance prediction may help identify early cognitive decline. However, the heterogeneity of research findings impedes the identification of key predictors. This study used 21,877 participants (25–74 years) from the German National Cohort (NAKO Gesundheitsstudie, NAKO) to systematically predict cognitive test scores based on brain structure, demographic, health-related, and cognitive data. Importantly, validation...

Key message The evolutionary conserved TOR kinase positively controls growth and development of the moss Physcomitrella, development and function of its chloroplasts, its protein synthesis, and cell-cycle progression. Abstract Target of Rapamycin (TOR) is a conserved protein kinase and an important signalling hub in eukaryotes. The moss Physcomitrella ( Physcomitrium patens ) is a model organism for plant physiology, developme...

Key message Scalable moss bioreactors enable the production of high-quality recombinant prolyl-hydroxylated human collagen without heterologous P4H expression, offering a sustainable and vegan alternative to conventional collagens derived from animals. Abstract Collagens are structural proteins of the extracellular matrix essential for skin elasticity and integrity. They are widely used in dietary supplements and cosmetics. Co...

Key message First production of virus-like particles as a vaccine candidate in a non-vascular plant. Abstract Virus-like particles (VLPs) are self-assembling nanoparticles composed of viral structural proteins which mimic native virions but lack viral DNA and infectivity. VLPs are a resourceful class of biopharmaceuticals applied as subunit vaccines or as delivery vehicles for drugs and nucleic acids. Similar to viruses, VLPs...

Key message We report the successful moss-produced recombinant spider silk key protein component containing both the N- and the C-terminal domain. Abstract Spider dragline silk stands out as a remarkable biomaterial, representing one of nature's toughest fibres. Its strength rivals that of many synthetic fibres used commercially, rendering it applicable across various industrial and medical domains. However, its widespread uti...

High-definition approaches are currently revolutionizing our understanding of the archaeology of urban archives. Multi-proxy studies at a high spatial resolution offer especially an opportunity to capture their high data potential. Here we present a study of complex floor layers from an occupation phase dating to c. AD 790–830 uncovered in the Viking-age emporium Ribe, Denmark (c. AD 700–900). In order to better understand str...

Key message Characterization of Physcomitrella 3′UTRs across different promoters yields endogenous single and double terminators for usage in molecular pharming. Abstract The production of recombinant proteins for health applications accounts for a large share of the biopharmaceutical market. While many drugs are produced in microbial and mammalian systems, plants gain more attention as expression hosts to produce eukaryotic p...

Sphagnum mosses are important carbon sequesters and emerging model organisms. However, induction and long-term cultivation of thalloid protonema in several species was not achievable so far. Here, we provide protocols for a set of new tools relevant for Sphagnum molecular biology: a new way for Sphagnum protoplast isolation and regeneration, and a first protocol for transient protoplast transformation. Together, these protocol...

Key message In Physcomitrella, whole-genome duplications affected the expression of about 3.7% of the protein-encoding genes, some of them relevant for DNA repair, resulting in a massively reduced gene-targeting frequency. Abstract Qualitative changes in gene expression after an autopolyploidization event, a pure duplication of the whole genome (WGD), might be relevant for a different regulation of molecular mechanisms between...