microPublication biology最新文献

Autoimmune disorders such as Hashimoto's thyroiditis lack curative treatments, only therapeutic agents that treat symptoms very broadly and dampen the entire immune system, including healthy cells. Cytotoxic T-Lymphocyte Antigen-4 (CTLA-4) is an immune checkpoint receptor expressed on T cells, and in Hashimoto's thyroiditis the overexpression of CTLA-4 on dysfunctional immune cells is a key factor in disease progression. Here, we evaluated CTLA-4 antibody-antigen binding to specifically treat dysfunctional cells. Protein-protein docking identified Cluster 0 as the most stable pose (energy score -334), ChimeraX showed a buried surface area of 2,136 Ų and 1,023 hydrogen bonds, and in vitro assays confirmed binding.

In rodents, exposure to cannabidiol (CBD) was shown to alter responses to alcohol, primarily via CB1/CB2 signaling. However, CBD also targets non-canonical receptors whose potential roles in modulating CBD-alcohol interactions remain unknown. We used a simple behavioral assay to compare responses to ethanol in Drosophila melanogaster , which lacks CB1/CB2 genes but has orthologs for non-canonical targets. Flies fed with a CBD-enriched diet retain baseline ethanol sensitivity but fail to develop rapid functional tolerance to ethanol. These findings support using Drosophila as a model to study non-canonical CBD signaling in ethanol behaviors relevant to the development of alcohol use disorder.

Cross-kingdom trafficking of extracellular vesicles (EVs) is documented between plants and fungal pathogens, yet evidence for plant-herbivore exchange remains scarce. Here we show that EVs isolated from Nicotiana tabacum suspension cultures show fluorescence consistent with uptake by the pedal epithelial cells of the herbivorous slug Arion vulgaris within 30 min ex vivo. Fluorescently labeled EVs appeared as discrete intracellular puncta enriched in glandular ridges; unlabeled EVs and final-wash controls showed no detectable fluorescence under identical imaging settings. These observations suggest that plant EVs can cross the mucus barrier of a molluscan herbivore, enabling plant-to-slug molecular communication.

Seizures have a bidirectional relationship to sleep deprivation; sleep loss increases seizure susceptibility and duration, while seizures disrupt sleep (Mituzaite et al., 2021; Konduru et al., 2021). This study tested whether two treatments, cannabidiol (CBD) and Zizyphus jujube extract, reduced seizure activity in Drosophila melanogaster . We hypothesized the treatments would decrease seizure duration and increase seizure latency in sleep-deprived bang-sensitive ( sesB ^9Ed-4 ) and temperature-sensitive ( sei ^P ) mutants, respectively. Sleep-deprived sesB ^9Ed-4 flies treated with Z. jujube showed reduced seizure duration and both treatments increased seizure latency in sleep-deprived sei ^P flies. This demonstrates CBD and Z. jujube have anti-convulsant activity in the Drosophila model.

In this paper, we report the discovery and characterization of Byron23, a bacteriophage isolated from a soil sample collected approximately 30 cm beneath the surface of a stream bank in Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina. Byron23 infected the host Microbacterium foliorum NRRL B-24224 resulting in clear, round plaques surrounded by a turbid edge. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that Byron23 exhibits siphoviral morphology. Genome sequencing using the Illumina platform revealed a 41,821 bp genome encoding 64 predicted genes. The bacteriophage was classified within the subcluster EA1 and is predicted to be a lytic phage.

Bacteriophage Ichiang is a siphovirus capable of infecting Arthrobacter globiformis B2979. The genome has a length of 41,984 base pairs with 64.8 % GC content and contains 64 predicted protein-coding genes and 1 tRNA gene. Based on gene content, Ichiang has been assigned to Actinobacteriophage FF cluster.

Some organisms can regrow severed body parts. In vertebrates, the anabolic pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) aids regeneration, but we do not know if invertebrates require the PPP for regeneration. To test this, we attempted to inhibit the PPP rate limiting enzyme, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), with the steroid dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), using the regenerative annelid Lumbriculus variegatus as our model organism. DHEA inhibited Lumbriculus regeneration, a result also observed in tadpole tails, which may suggest conserved regenerative mechanisms in vertebrates and invertebrates. Notably, we did not observe G6PD inhibition with DHEA treatment, suggesting that DHEA may be working through a G6PD-independent mechanism. .

As part of the Fly-CURE consortium, a mutant allele of Apoptosis inducing factor ( AIF ) was characterized using complementation mapping, genomic sequencing, and mosaic phenotypic analysis to investigate its role in cell growth control in Drosophila melanogaster . The AIF ^e04281 mutation dramatically reduced homozygous mutant clone size and caused morphological defects in genetically mosaic eyes. Sequencing confirmed a transposon insertion that truncates the AIF protein preceding conserved domains essential for mitochondrial function and apoptosis. The observed clone loss indicates a cell-autonomous requirement for AIF and supports the use of AIF ^e04281 as a loss-of-function background for genetic modifier screens on chromosome arm 2L.

Transgenic regulators and reporter controls such as GAL80 and RNA interference (RNAi) constructs targeting fluorescent proteins are invaluable tools in Drosophila research. During experiments designed to temporally regulate gene expression, we observed unexpected flight defects in aged flies with constitutive expression of temperature-sensitive GAL80 ^TS . Furthermore, ubiquitous expression of RNAi targeting EGFP or mCherry induced survival and motor impairments, even in the absence of corresponding fluorescent reporters. These findings suggest that genetic tools commonly assumed to be physiologically inert can have measurable effects on motor behaviour. Researchers employing these tools should therefore interpret behavioural data with caution and include appropriate controls.

Cyclic nucleotides (cAMP, cGMP) are critical second messengers that transduce diverse signaling events within cells, ranging from developmental processes and neuronal signaling to roles in cellular growth (Fajardo et al., 2014; Galande & Cote, 2025; Levy et al., 2011). Thus, the regulation of cyclic nucleotide levels is critical for the regulation of signal transduction pathways and cellular homeostasis.  We previously reported a role for cGMP in the negative regulation of bitter taste avoidance in C. elegans (Chaubey et al., 2023; Krzyzanowski et al., 2013; Krzyzanowski et al., 2016).  Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) are a class of enzymes that break down cyclic nucleotides, and we show here that multiple PDEs likely work together to modulate C. elegans bitter taste sensitivity.