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Calcium signaling is central to neural plasticity. In C. elegans , the CaM kinase I/ CMK-1 and the phosphatase Calcineurin A/ TAX-6 antagonistically regulate thermo-nociceptive behavior via partially overlapping neuronal circuits. Following prolonged exposure to noxious temperature (90 min, 28°C) CMK-1 localization shifts from cytoplasmic to nuclear in FLP neurons, which reduces behavioral responsiveness. We examined whether Calcineurin A/ TAX-6 influences this process. Using CMK-1 ::mNeonGreen, we found that Calcineurin A/ TAX-6 activation blocks, while its loss slightly enhances, CMK-1 nuclear translocation at 28°C. These results reveal that Calcineurin A/ TAX-6 signaling negatively regulates CMK-1 nuclear accumulation, providing a potential mechanism for opposing modulation of thermo-nociceptive plasticity.

The posterior ventral pallidum (pVP) is involved in positive affective behaviors and is called the "hedonic hotspot". However, the responses of the pVP neurons to affective taste stimuli are poorly understood. We examined the expression of c-fos , a molecular marker of neuronal activation, in the pVP and surrounding regions after several taste stimuli. The c-fos -positive cells were significantly increased in the pVP by bitter taste stimuli, which induced disgust reactions, suggesting that a subset of pVP neurons was activated by bitter taste stimuli associated with negative affective behaviors.

During endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, the ER membrane protein IRE1 initiates the regulated splicing of Xbp1 mRNA, leading to the production of a potent transcription factor that helps cells restore proteostasis. We report that Xbp1 is also spliced following the routine passaging of mouse MC3T3-E1 cells, without the addition of canonical ER stressors. This splicing was independent of the type of dissociation buffer used to release cells from the surface, but was reduced when cells were plated on non-adherent culture dishes. These findings suggest that certain cultured mammalian cells induce an unfolded protein response during reattachment and spreading after passaging.

The promiscuous fluorescence-activating and absorption-shifting tag (pFAST) enables reversible chemogenetic labeling with multiple fluorogens. We generated a single-copy tandem pFAST (td-pFAST) transgenic Caenorhabditis elegans strain expressed in pharyngeal muscle. In dissected worms, lime fluorogen produced rapid fluorescence that was efficiently quenched by the competing ligand darth, demonstrating reversibility. Amber and coral fluorogens also produced reversible signals with distinct emission spectra, supporting multicolor labeling. However, fluorogen delivery by soaking intact worms failed, indicating cuticle permeability remains a barrier. These findings establish td-pFAST as a functional probe for reversible, multicolor labeling in dissected C. elegans tissues.

Precise detection of endogenous protein expression is essential for understanding gene function in vivo . We generated a Drosophila knock-in line inserting a 3×Ollas tag at the C-terminus of the endogenous biniou ( bin ) locus, enabling specific visualization of the Bin transcription factor. The bin ^3xOllas allele faithfully recapitulates native expression in the visceral mesoderm and does not disrupt Bin function. Integrating single-cell RNA-sequencing data, we further identified Bin expression in adult reproductive tissues, including ovarian escort cells and testis hub and cyst cells. This allele provides a robust tool for studying Bin function and dynamics.

Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) offer a minimally invasive window into systemic biology and immune dysregulation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). We performed quantitative proteomic profiling of PBMCs from male and female AD patients and controls to assess sex differences. AD was associated with proteomic remodeling, with complement activation, coagulation, and neuronal signaling enriched in males, whereas females showed increased steroid hormone secretion, lipid metabolism, and acute-phase response with reduced translation and DNA maintenance. Despite distinct patterns, both sexes exhibited immune and hemostatic activation, underscoring shared systemic mechanisms and the need for sex-specific biomarkers and therapeutic strategies in AD.

Caenorhabditis elegans respond to mechanosensory taps with brief reversal responses. In past research, speed of the response was averaged over the entire reversal for each tap to analyze reversal speed habituation; however, with this measure, only a modest decrement in speed was observed. Using a more detailed breakdown of reversal speed, we found that speed is most plastic early in the reversal and stable later on. Using this analysis, we found that worms with mutations in neuropeptide genes show reduced speed plasticity during the first second of reversals, indicating peptidergic signaling may be involved in reversal speed plasticity.

Two newly discovered phages, BlueShadow and Schaffner, were isolated from soil in Bismarck, ND using the host Arthrobacter globiformis B-2979 . Based on gene content similarity, BlueShadow is assigned to actinobacteriophage cluster AY, while Schaffner is assigned to cluster AZ1. Both phages encode a putative integrase that is conserved within their respective clusters, implying a temperate lifestyle.

Carboxypeptidase D has been thought to process neuropeptides, though its role has not been fully characterized. Since specific neuropeptides regulate the defecation motor program of C. elegans , we used genetic analysis to determine how loss of the worm carboxypeptidase D ortholog CPD-1 affects defecation. We found that cpd-1 mutants do not have defecation defects but enhance the defecation defects of egl-21 mutants lacking carboxypeptidase E, a major neuropeptide processing enzyme. We also found that CPD-1 acts in intestinal cells and possibly GABAergic neurons to promote defecation. These results suggest that CPD-1 can process neuropeptides, specifically in the absence of EGL-21 .

Secreted proteins, R-Spondin 1 (RSPO1) and R-Spondin 3 (RSPO3), potentiate WNT/β-catenin signaling that play critical roles in reproductive organ development. However, the functional significance of RSPO1 and RSPO3 in Wolffian duct development remains undefined. In this report, we demonstrated their specific expression in the Wolffian duct mesenchyme during sexual differentiation. We generated individual conditional knockouts using Osr2-Cre that deleted Rspo1 or Rspo3 in the Wolffian duct mesenchyme. Wolffian duct maintenance and morphogenesis was unaffected in either Rspo1 or Rspo3 conditional knockout mice. Our results indicate that mesenchymal Rspo1 or Rspo3 is dispensable for Wolffian duct development in mice.