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Kato et al. show that red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae aurora kinase CmAUR regulates mitochondrial division by phosphorylating mitochondrial division ring components. Depletion of the evolutionarily conserved phosphorylation site on CmAUR targets causes defective mitochondrial divisions, suggesting an ancient origin of this regulation during endosymbiosis.
Katherine Grabek et al. use genotype-by-sequencing to characterize genetic variation in 153 ground squirrels, finding high heritability for hibernation onset. They find 14 loci associated with hibernation onset, and a putative causal variant in the promoter of FAM204A.
Hettle et al. investigate the ability of marine Pseudoalteromonas sp. to metabolise carrageenan, a polysaccharide abundant in red algae. They isolate and characterise previously unstudied strains and find that the recently identified κ/ι-carrageenan specific polysaccharide utilization locus (CarPUL) is required for growth on carrageenan, and biochemically map out many of the steps.
Schmidt et al. present population genomic analyses of 111 mosquito Anopheles gambiae specimens sampled from west to east Africa. This study suggests a high degree of genetic isolation of populations on the Comoros, highlighting the importance of physical barriers to gene flow in this African malaria vector species.
Detavernier et al. show that localized waves of epigenetic programming regulate the differentiation process of Ly6Chi monocytes during oral infection by Toxoplasma gondii, which are dominated by STAT1 in the bone marrow and AP-1/NF-kB in the periphery. This study provides insight into how monocytes are differentiated in response to inflammatory cues.
Arroyo et al. show that pulmonary surfactant protein-D (SP-D), an innate immune collectin, neutralizes LPS and attenuate LPS-mediated formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) in human neutrophils. This study suggests that SP-D sustains the breathing function of the lung during sepsis by reversing NET-mediated inhibition of lung surfactant.
Magdeleine Hung et al. report the comprehensive kinetic and structural basis for the inhibition of HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase by FTC and 3TC, as well as the drug resistant M184V variant. Structural analysis of HIV-1 RT and inhibitors provide insights into the mechanism of binding and resistance.
Yoshikatsu Hosoda et al. present a genome-wide association study in Japanese and European cohorts, identifying genes related to central serous chorioretinopathy pathogenesis. They report two novel susceptibility loci, one of which is a known risk allele for age-related macular degeneration.
Rocio S. Alcala, J. Martin Caliva et al. quantify and model the effect of social environments and individual dominance on temporal dynamics of behaviour in the Japanese quail. They show that dominance can decrease behavioural complexity due to higher levels of synchronization in locomotion.
Gustavo Sanchez et al. describe three species of bobtail squid from the Ryukyu archipelago using morphological analysis, mitochondrial sequences, and transcriptome sequences. One of these species was a previously unknown bobtail squid from the genus Euprymna, the second is reassigned to the genus Euprymna, and the third species is closely related to another bobtail squid endemic from Australia and East Timor.
Sung-Moo Park et al. identify the transcription factor IRF1 as a critical component of the STING signaling complex following microbial c-di nucleotides stimulation and Salmonella infection. They find that activation of IRF1 by STING is required for antigen-specific T cell specification and subsequent host defense response.
Heelan, Lee et al. collect recordings from microelectrode arrays in the auditory cortex of macaques to decode English words. By systematically characterising a number of parameters for decoding algorithms, the authors show that the long short-term memory recurrent neural network (LSTM-RNN) outperforms six other decoding algorithms.
Chauvigné et al. show that the Aqp14 subfamily is phylogenetically related to other aquaporin channels in vertebrate lineages, but transports a range of solutes in addition to water. They show that Apq14 intracellular trafficking can be regulated by the vasotocinergic/isotocinergic neuropeptide and receptor systems.
Ian Salter et al. report a quantitative comparison of environmental DNA (eDNA) and demersal trawl surveys for detecting Atlantic cod in oceanic waters. Their results suggest that this approach could contribute to regional assessments of commercially important fish species.
Liu et al. measured the frequency of DNA rearrangements at the qγ27 locus and linked it to the variation in the maize endosperm texture. Through a series of genetic and RNAi experiments, they were able to identify the mechanism to improve maize’s nutritive value.
Brett Sansbury et al. show that a CRISPR-Cas complex that provides double-stranded cleavage combined with a mammalian cell-free extract can enhance non-homologous end joining and homology-directed repair. They use the system to show the range of genetic outcomes of gene-editing.
Sharon Wismer et al. report the effects of coral loss on the Great Barrier Reef on coral-dependent fish populations. They show that despite huge losses in coral cover, both adult and young fishes persisted by using a range of alternative reef habitats.
Henning Höfig et al. present a brightness-gated two-color coincidence detection method that overcomes the limitations of confocal detection. The method adds a selection criterion for the brightness of single fluorescence bursts, substantially improving the counting accuracy for single fluorophores.
Chun Gui et al. identify CytA, a reductase involved in C-7 reduction during the biosynthesis of cytorhodin, as an anthracycline antibiotic. This study suggests that CytA may protect its producer bacteria by inactivating anthracycline drugs.
Justin Doritchamou et al. study VAR2CSA, a protein from Plasmodium falciparum currently in use in two vaccines to prevent placental malaria. They identify atypical extracellular structures that impact antigen reactivity and function, potentially impacting the design of VAR2CSA-based vaccines.