{"title":"Small variant calling in the era of long-read sequencing.","authors":"Zhenxian Zheng, Fritz J Sedlazeck, Ruibang Luo","doi":"10.1038/s41576-026-01020-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-026-01020-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Long-read sequencing enables accurate analysis of complex and repetitive genomic regions but has distinct error profiles compared to short-read sequencing. Consequently, the tools for calling small variants - the predominant source of human genetic diversity - have shifted towards deep learning-based methods. This transition has reshaped variant calling across biological contexts, including germline, de novo, somatic and mosaic variants, and sequencing modalities for capturing both DNA and RNA at different resolutions. These deep learning frameworks are being developed in combination with alignment-based, assembly-based and pangenome-based strategies for small variant detection. In this Review, we chart the trajectory towards complete telomere-to-telomere profiling of small variants and consider the computational innovations needed to benchmark newly accessible repetitive regions and complex variants.</p>","PeriodicalId":19067,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":51.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149228346","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Towards equitable population epigenomics: implications for global health.","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41576-026-01027-0","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-026-01027-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19067,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":51.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149224651","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yuanzhen Zhu, Guang Li, Peter W H Holland, Günter P Wagner, Sebastian M Shimeld
{"title":"Towards a rational terminology for cell types.","authors":"Yuanzhen Zhu, Guang Li, Peter W H Holland, Günter P Wagner, Sebastian M Shimeld","doi":"10.1038/s41576-026-01028-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-026-01028-z","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19067,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":51.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149207565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Gene regulation at the early human maternal-fetal interface.","authors":"Ana Paredes, Christina E Kim, Roser Vento-Tormo","doi":"10.1038/s41576-026-01014-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-026-01014-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Pregnancy is a distinct physiological context in which the mother hosts and nurtures the development of a genetically distinct fetus. Healthy pregnancy outcomes rely on successful placental development, during which specialized placental cells with fetal genotype, known as trophoblasts, drive the establishment of the maternal-fetal interface, a balanced tissue ecosystem that supports fetal development while safeguarding maternal well-being. Advances in single-cell, single-nuclei and spatial genomics technologies, along with data science, are now providing an unprecedented view of trophoblast regulation, which drives their differentiation into diverse cell subtypes that dynamically transform the maternal niche. More specifically, these cells modulate the immune system and remodel the vasculature to facilitate communication with maternal cells, leading to the successful formation of the maternal-fetal interface. These advances, when combined with in vitro modelling, hold promise for inferring causality in mechanisms that govern genome regulation, cellular behaviour and ultimately pregnancy homeostasis and maladaptive responses.</p>","PeriodicalId":19067,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Genetics","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":51.4,"publicationDate":"2026-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149165817","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Histone acetylation finds its link to transcription","authors":"Liling Wan","doi":"10.1038/s41576-026-01024-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41576-026-01024-3","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":19067,"journal":{"name":"Nature Reviews Genetics","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":42.7,"publicationDate":"2026-10-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149090464","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}