microPublication biology最新文献

Three water isolates were previously identified as promising antibiotic producers from freshwater sources in Wisconsin, United States. Each isolate produced effective antibiotics against three or more bacterial relatives of antibiotic resistant pathogens. The isolates were identified as Calidifontibacillus erzuremensis , Pantoea agglomerans , and Pseudomonas glycinae through 16S rRNA sequencing and further characterized with biochemical tests to verify the genus and species of each isolate.

Humidity is an important environmental factor that causes physiological changes in organisms. In humans, high humidity disrupts thermoregulation by limiting heat dissipation, leading to heat stress. While Caenorhabditis elegans lacks comparable thermoregulatory systems, humidity may still impact its heat tolerance by affecting cellular stress responses. We tested this by subjecting C. elegans to heat shock under different humidity conditions and found that lower humidity during heat shock improved survival compared to higher humidity. These findings demonstrate that humidity is an important variable affecting thermotolerance in C. elegans and should be standardized in heat-stress experiments.

The Drosophila kikkawai feature with Gene ID 108083276 was determined to be an ortholog of Drosophila melanogaster absent, small, or homeotic discs 1 ( ash1 ). Two isoforms, ash1-PB and ash1-PC, were constructed on the D. kikkawai Muller D element using the GEP annotation protocol. The second coding exon of D. kikkawai ash1 includes an insertion translated into 18 additional amino acids compared to the D. melanogaster protein and is supported by RNA-Seq coverage, the lack of splice junction predictions, and multiple gene predictors. The first intron in both isoforms of D. kikkawaiash1 contains a well conserved non-canonical GC splice site.

In females of the mouthbrooding cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni , we recently found a positive relationship between liver antioxidant function and filial cannibalism. Here, we manipulated the level of fry consumption in A. burtoni females to assess how the level of fry consumption affects liver antioxidant function. Feeding treatment did not affect liver antioxidant function, but feeding treatment significantly influenced the relationship between gonadal development and antioxidant function. Future studies should isolate the effects of gonadal development and fry consumption on antioxidant function.

The skin is the most extensive organ in vertebrates, composed of two layers: the epidermis and the dermis. Sensory axons originating from the dorsal root ganglia innervate the skin mechanoreceptors in the dermis. Elasmobranchs, which appeared 380 million years ago, are characterized by rough skin composed of dermal denticles. While we know about the epidermis and dermis of elasmobranchs, we do not know much about the presence or abundance of mechanoreceptors in their skin. Using the classic histological hematoxylin and eosin method, we examined the skins of hatchling embryos and adults Batoidea (skates and rays) and Selachimorpha (modern sharks). Our histology findings provide substantial evidence to identify structures with similar morphology to traditional mammalian and reptilian mechanoreceptors like Pacinian and Meissner corpuscles. An interesting observation was the presence of Pacinian in the skin of Batoidea but not in the skin of a Selachimorpha Squalus shark.

The evolutionary conserved transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signaling pathway participates in the regulation of several cellular functions and tissue homeostasis. In the model Drosophila melanogaster , the two TGF-β signaling pathway branches Bone Morphogenic Protein (BMP) and Activin are involved in important developmental and immune processes. Here we examine the effect of mutations in various BMP and Activin signaling molecules on the fly lifespan. We find that loss-of-function fly mutants for distinct Activin and BMP components differentially modulate the fly lifespan. These results indicate that the TGF-β signaling pathways act as regulators of lifespan in the adult D. melanogaster .

TBI occurs when sudden trauma to the head causes damage to the brain, leading to long-term health problems. Many features of TBI can be replicated in Drosophila , making them an ideal model. Previous research on male flies showed that TBI decreases lifespan and locomotion, both of which were ameliorated by dietary restriction (DR). Considering female flies are known to be more responsive to DR, we examined whether DR ameliorates the effect of TBI in females. We found DR significantly extended lifespan and improved climbing ability at 2 weeks post-TBI, consistent with prior results in males.

The excision of specific tRNA-derived small RNAs (tsRNAs), yRNA-derived small RNAs (ysRNAs) and ribosomal RNA-derived small RNAs (rsRNAs) is now well established. Several reports have suggested many of these fragments function much like traditional microRNAs (miRNAs). That said, whereas the expressions of the majority of appreciably expressed miRNAs in HCT116 colon cancer cells are significantly decreased in individual knockouts (KOs) of DROSHA, DGCR8, XPO5, and DICER, on average, only 3.5% of tsRNA, ysRNA, and rsRNA expressions are impaired. Conversely, tsRNA, ysRNA, and rsRNA expressions are significantly increased in each of these KOs as compared to WT. As such, although DICER has been suggested to be involved with the expression of specific tsRNAs, ysRNAs, and rsRNAs, our study finds no evidence supporting the involvement of any of these canonical miRNA biogenesis enzymes in their expressions.

Antibiotics are produced by microorganisms as defense mechanisms against bacteria and have treated bacterial infections for decades. Most of the current antibiotics are extracted from soil bacteria, and no new antibiotic class has been found in nearly 40 years. However, antibiotic-producing bacteria were discovered on tree bark, emphasizing that other environments should be explored for these bacteria. This research identified a new environment for antibiotic-producing bacteria-freshwater. Bacteria from freshwater sources in Wisconsin were cultured and screened against nine tester bacteria. All four water sources contained antibiotic-producing bacteria; therefore, freshwater environments should be further studied for novel antibiotic-producing bacteria.

Temperature experience-regulated gene expression changes have been shown to underlie long-term adaptation of the response threshold of the AFD thermosensory neuron pair, and contribute to thermotaxis behavioral plasticity in C. elegans . We previously showed that the SRTX-1 GPCR is expressed primarily in AFD and is localized to their sensory endings. Here we find that SRTX-1 levels are regulated by the animal's temperature experience. However, loss or overexpression of srtx-1 does not affect thermotaxis behaviors or examined temperature-evoked calcium responses in AFD. Our observations suggest that SRTX-1 may modulate AFD responses and behavior under defined temperature conditions, or in response to specific environmental stimuli.