PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Ploidy evolution in a wild yeast is linked to an interaction between cell type and metabolism
This study provides novel mechanistic insight into the molecular basis of an environment –cell type fitness interaction and illustrates how selection on traits unexpectedly linked to ploidy states or cell types can drive karyotypic evolution in fungi. (Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents)
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 9, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Johnathan G. Crandall Source Type: research

Differential adhesion during development establishes individual neural stem cell niches and shapes adult behaviour in Drosophila 
by Agata Banach-Latapy, Vincent Rincheval, David Briand, Isabelle Gu énal, Pauline Spéder Neural stem cells (NSCs) reside in a defined cellular microenvironment, the niche, which supports the generation and integration of newborn neurons. The mechanisms building a sophisticated niche structure around NSCs and their functional relevance for neurogenesis are yet to be understood. In theDrosophila larval brain, the cortex glia (CG) encase individual NSC lineages in membranous chambers, organising the stem cell population and newborn neurons into a stereotypic structure. We first found that CG wrap around lineage-related ce...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 9, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Agata Banach-Latapy Source Type: research

Targeted inhibition of Wnt signaling with a Clostridioides difficile toxin B fragment suppresses breast cancer tumor growth
by Aina He, Songhai Tian, Oded Kopper, Daniel J. Horan, Peng Chen, Roderick T. Bronson, Ren Sheng, Hao Wu, Lufei Sui, Kun Zhou, Liang Tao, Quan Wu, Yujing Huang, Zan Shen, Sen Han, Xueqing Chen, Hong Chen, Xi He, Alexander G. Robling, Rongsheng Jin, Hans Clevers, Dongxi Xiang, Zhe Li, Min Dong Wnt signaling pathways are transmitted via 10 homologous frizzled receptors (FZD1-10) in humans. Reagents broadly inhibiting Wnt signaling pathways reduce growth and metastasis of many tumors, but their therapeutic development has been hampered by the side effect. Inhibitors targeting specific Wnt-FZD pair(s) enriched in cancer cell...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 9, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Aina He Source Type: research

Nonsense mutation suppression is enhanced by targeting different stages of the protein synthesis process
by Amnon Wittenstein, Michal Caspi, Ido Rippin, Orna Elroy-Stein, Hagit Eldar-Finkelman, Sven Thoms, Rina Rosin-Arbesfeld The introduction of premature termination codons (PTCs), as a result of splicing defects, insertions, deletions, or point mutations (also termed nonsense mutations), lead to numerous genetic diseases, ranging from rare neuro-metabolic disorders to relatively common inheritable cancer syndromes and muscular dystrophies. Over the years, a large number of studies have demonstrated that certain antibiotics and other synthetic molecules can act as PTC suppressors by inducing readthrough of nonsense mutation...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 9, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Amnon Wittenstein Source Type: research

Mothers in a cooperatively breeding bird increase investment per offspring at the pre-natal stage when they will have more help with post-natal care
We present the findings of a decade-long study of cooperatively breeding white-browed sparrow-weaver,Plocepasser mahali, societies. Within each social group, reproduction is monopolized by a dominant breeding pair, and non-breeding helpers assist with nestling feeding. Using a within-mother reaction norm approach to formally identify maternal plasticity, we demonstrate that when mothers have more female helpers, they decrease their own post-natal investment per offspring (feed their nestlings at lower rates) but increase their pre-natal investment per offspring (lay larger eggs, which yield heavier hatchlings). That these ...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 9, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Pablo Capilla-Lasheras Source Type: research

Accurate classification of major brain cell types using in vivo imaging and neural network processing
by Amrita Das Gupta, Jennifer John, Livia Asan, Carlo Beretta, Thomas Kuner, Johannes Knabbe Comprehensive analysis of tissue cell type composition using microscopic techniques has primarily been confined to ex vivo approaches. Here, we introduce NuCLear (Nucleus-instructed tissue composition using deep learning), an approach combining in vivo two-photon imaging of histone 2B-eGFP-labeled cell nuclei with subsequent deep learning-based identification of cell types from structural features of the respective cell nuclei. Using NuCLear, we were able to classify almost all cells per imaging volume in the secondary motor corte...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 9, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Amrita Das Gupta Source Type: research

The regional variation of laminar thickness in the human isocortex is related to cortical hierarchy and interregional connectivity
by Amin Saberi, Casey Paquola, Konrad Wagstyl, Meike D. Hettwer, Boris C. Bernhardt, Simon B. Eickhoff, Sofie L. Valk The human isocortex consists of tangentially organized layers with unique cytoarchitectural properties. These layers show spatial variations in thickness and cytoarchitecture across the neocortex, which is thought to support function through enabling targeted corticocortical connections. Here, leveraging maps of the 6 cortical layers based on 3D human brain histology, we aimed to quantitatively characterize the systematic covariation of laminar structure in the cortex and its functional consequences. After...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 9, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Amin Saberi Source Type: research

Defining the minimal components of the influenza A virus replication machinery via an in vitro reconstitution system
by Zihan Zhu, Haitian Fan, Ervin Fodor During influenza A virus infection, the viral RNA polymerase transcribes the viral negative-sense segmented RNA genome and replicates it in a two-step process via complementary RNA within viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) complexes. While numerous viral and host factors involved in vRNP functions have been identified, dissecting the roles of individual factors remains challenging due to the complex cellular environment in which vRNP activity has been studied. To overcome this challenge, we reconstituted viral transcription and a full cycle of replication in a test tube using vRNPs isola...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 9, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Zihan Zhu Source Type: research

Intrinsically disordered regions are not sufficient to direct the compartmental localization of nucleolar proteins in the nucleus
by Emily D. Lavering, Maunika Gandhamaneni, Daniel L. Weeks The nucleolus is a non-membrane bound organelle central to ribosome biogenesis. The nucleolus contains a mix of proteins and RNA and has 3 known nucleolar compartments: the fibrillar center (FC), the dense fibrillar component (DFC), and the granular component (GC). The spatial organization of the nucleolus is influenced by the phase separation properties of nucleolar proteins, the presence of RNA, protein modification, and cellular activity. Many nucleolar proteins appear to concentrate within the borders of the compartments. We investigated whether the intrinsic...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 9, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Emily D. Lavering Source Type: research

The ortholog of human REEP1-4 is required for autophagosomal enclosure of ER-phagy/nucleophagy cargos in fission yeast
by Chen-Xi Zou, Zhu-Hui Ma, Zhao-Di Jiang, Zhao-Qian Pan, Dan-Dan Xu, Fang Suo, Guang-Can Shao, Meng-Qiu Dong, Li-Lin Du Selective macroautophagy of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the nucleus, known as ER-phagy and nucleophagy, respectively, are processes whose mechanisms remain inadequately understood. Through an imaging-based screen, we find that in the fission yeastSchizosaccharomyces pombe, Yep1 (also known as Hva22 or Rop1), the ortholog of human REEP1-4, is essential for ER-phagy and nucleophagy but not for bulk autophagy. In the absence of Yep1, the initial phase of ER-phagy and nucleophagy proceeds normally, w...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 8, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Chen-Xi Zou Source Type: research

Corrective feedback guides human perceptual decision-making by informing about the world state rather than rewarding its choice
by Hyang-Jung Lee, Heeseung Lee, Chae Young Lim, Issac Rhim, Sang-Hun Lee Corrective feedback received on perceptual decisions is crucial for adjusting decision-making strategies to improve future choices. However, its complex interaction with other decision components, such as previous stimuli and choices, challenges a principled account of how it shapes subsequent decisions. One popular approach, based on animal behavior and extended to human perceptual decision-making, employs “reinforcement learning,” a principle proven successful in reward-based decision-making. The core idea behind this approach is that decision...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 8, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Hyang-Jung Lee Source Type: research

Components of iron –Sulfur cluster assembly machineries are robust phylogenetic markers to trace the origin of mitochondria and plastids
by Pierre Simon Garcia, Fr édéric Barras, Simonetta Gribaldo Establishing the origin of mitochondria and plastids is key to understand 2 founding events in the origin and early evolution of eukaryotes. Recent advances in the exploration of microbial diversity and in phylogenomics approaches have indicated a deep origin of mitochondria and plastids during the diversification ofAlphaproteobacteria andCyanobacteria, respectively. Here, we strongly support these placements by analyzing the machineries for assembly of iron –sulfur ([Fe–S]) clusters, an essential function in eukaryotic cells that is carried out in mitocho...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 8, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Pierre Simon Garcia Source Type: research

Correction: The genetic identity of neighboring plants in intraspecific mixtures modulates disease susceptibility of both wheat and rice
by R émi Pélissier, Elsa Ballini, Coline Temple, Aurélie Ducasse, Michel Colombo, Julien Frouin, Xiaoping Qin, Huichuan Huang, Jacques David, Florian Fort, Hélène Fréville, Cyrille Violle, Jean-Benoit Morel (Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents)
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 8, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: R émi Pélissier Source Type: research

Minding the “T”s beyond the “B”s: Shaping vaccines for future pandemics
by Shirin Kalimuddin, Eng Eong Ooi The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of vaccines for viral infections. However, a failure to integrate T cell immunity as a determinant of vaccine efficacy could curtail advancement of newer vaccines for pandemic preparedness. In this Perspective, Eng Eong Ooi and colleagues argue that a failure to integrate T cell immunity as a determinant of vaccine efficacy could curtail the development of newer vaccines to help us prepare for future pandemics. (Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents)
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 7, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Shirin Kalimuddin Source Type: research

Diet-induced glial insulin resistance impairs the clearance of neuronal debris in Drosophila brain
by Mroj Alassaf, Akhila Rajan Obesity significantly increases the risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders, yet the precise mechanisms underlying this connection remain unclear. Defects in glial phagocytic function are a key feature of neurodegenerative disorders, as delayed clearance of neuronal debris can result in inflammation, neuronal death, and poor nervous system recovery. Mounting evidence indicates that glial function can affect feeding behavior, weight, and systemic metabolism, suggesting that diet may play a role in regulating glial function. While it is appreciated that glial cells are insulin sensitive,...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - November 7, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Mroj Alassaf Source Type: research