microPublication biology最新文献

Plants synthesize compounds that modulate animal nervous systems through various mechanisms, but the key interactions remain understudied. We used chemotaxis assays with the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans to test if plant extracts can be detected by the worm nervous system and which compounds induce behavioral responses. We found that C. elegans avoid the extract of bay leaves ( Laurus nobilis ). Subsequent testing of known bay leaf compounds identified cadinene and eugenol as key molecules that may mediate the repulsion effect. These experiments were conducted by undergraduate students in an upper-division laboratory course, providing practical research experiences and new insights into plant-animal interactions.

Polyploidy, or whole genome duplication, is common in land plants. Polyploidy causes new gene combinations and is thought to provide an advantage amid the rising temperature and unpredictable precipitation regimes expected under climate change. Using related woodfern species, we investigated the gametophyte physiology of two parent species, Dryopteris intermedia (2n) and Dryopteris expansa (2n) in comparison to their polyploid offspring, Dryopteris campyloptera (4n) . We subjected gametophytes from each species to environmentally stressful heat and drought conditions. Surprisingly, the polyploid did not exhibit a significant physiological advantage or greater resilience to stress compared to the diploid parents.

We previously reported that triazine thiols reduce apolipoprotein B (ApoB) secretion from human iPSC-derived hepatocytes (HLCs) and from humanized mice. To determine whether these compounds affected hepatocyte mRNA levels, we performed bulk RNA sequencing of HLCs treated with the triazine thiol DL-1 or with vehicle (DMSO) for 24 hours. Analyses revealed that in triazine thiol-treated cells, 145 mRNAs were reduced and 37 increased by ≥ 2-fold.  Several mRNAs encoding cysteine-rich metallothionines were upregulated, implying that HLCs respond to treatment by mounting a protective response through metal buffering.

Kremtemulon is a siphovirus isolated on the host bacterium Mycobacterium smegmatis mc ² 155 with a genome spanning 51,438 bp in length. Kremtemulon encodes 87 putative genes, 36 of which have predicted functions, and based on gene content, is assigned to Cluster A and Subcluster A4. Kremtemulon forms turbid plaques and encodes for both an immunity repressor and a tyrosine integrase, suggesting that Kremtemulon is a temperate phage.

Serotonergic neurons extend long, highly branched axons throughout the brain during development and are responsible for the modulation of many behaviors. Because proper behavioral output is dependent on precise outgrowth and targeting of serotonergic axons, it is important to understand how serotonergic axon outgrowth is regulated during development. Our previous pharmacological experiments suggest that autoreceptor 5-HT1A negatively regulates axon outgrowth and branching of Drosophila serotonergic neurons in vitro , though the cellular mechanisms are unknown. Here we show that pharmacological activation of 5-HT1A leads to increases in G/F-actin ratios, suggesting 5-HT1A negatively regulates serotonergic axon outgrowth through actin depolymerization.

A physiological marker of human aging is a decline in sleep patterns, a behavior also found in Drosophila melanogaster . To understand the connection between aging and sleep, we monitored sleep in long-lived flies. RNAi targeting the electron transport chain ATPsynβL gene in glutamate neurons has been demonstrated to extend life span. We investigate the sleep behavior in these RNAi flies at 5 days and 30 days of age and observe a persistent increase in daytime sleep, but not in nighttime sleep or sleep bout length. These results demonstrate the unique effects on sleep by glutamate-specific RNAi of ATPsynβL .

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cyanoHABs) can form in freshwater, and their toxins are harmful to flora and fauna, including humans. To assess the extent of cyanoHABs in urban waterways, seven creeks and Lady Bird Lake in Austin, TX USA were sampled from July to December 2024. Water chemistry was measured, cyanoHABs identified by microscopy, and cyanotoxins detected by LC-MS. Cyanobacteria, mostly genus Oscillatoria , was detected in all creeks sampled, and the primary cyanotoxin detected was cylindrospermopsin with levels varying between sampling locations and seasons. This study highlights the presence of cyanoHABs in creeks, and the potential risk they may pose.

The intestine acts as the primary site for absorption of dietary lipids. These lipids are packaged and transported via lipoprotein complexes, whose altered levels correlate with metabolic disease.  The Drosophila splicing factor glorund (glo) has been shown to affect the expression of apoB-family lipoproteins, including microsomal triacylglycerol transfer protein, lipid transfer particle, and lipophorin, in the fly adipose tissue. Here, we demonstrate that decreasing glo in intestines leads to increased whole animal triglyceride storage, but decreased expression of lipid transport protein genes. Together, these data suggest that glo functions in the intestine to regulate lipid transport and organismal fat storage.

Parental stress can influence stress responses in offspring. In  C. elegans  neurons, proteostress can induce the extrusion of aggregates and organelles in large extracellular vesicles called exophers. Under mild proteostress, ~20% of ALMR neurons produce exophers. We tested if the high exopher production trait is heritable. Offspring of parents that produced exophers (both under standard growth conditions and after 6-hour food withdrawal) displayed similar exopher production levels compared to offspring of parents that didn't produce ALMR exophers and the exopher level changes in response to fasting remained the same. Our data suggest that the high exopher production trait is not heritable.

Wormtrails is a python package designed to create images and videos depicting the motion of C. elegans on solid media. Darkfield or brightfield images may be converted into stills or movies, with time encoded by color. This package was primarily designed to be used for visualizing locomotion during chemotaxis, but it may be used to visualize locomotory patterns in a wide array of behavioral assays.