< i > SPSL1 < /i > is essential for spermatophore formation and sperm activation in < i > Spodoptera frugiperda < /i >
In this study, our focus was onSPSL1, a gene that encodes a trypsin-type seminal fluid protein inSpodoptera frugiperda, a pest species with global invasive tendencies. Our findings revealed thatSPSL1 expression was predominantly observed in the male reproductive tracts, and the disruption of this gene resulted in male sterility. Surprisingly, fluorescence analysis indicated that the absence ofSPSL1 did not affect spermatogenesis or sperm migration within the male reproductive system. However, when females mated withSPSL1-mutant males, several defects were observed. These included disruptions in spermatophore formation, spe...
Source: PLoS Genetics - December 4, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Lansa Qian Source Type: research
A postmeiotically bifurcated roadmap of honeybee spermatogenesis marked by phylogenetically restricted genes
by Zhiyong Yin, Guiling Ding, Yingdi Xue, Xianghui Yu, Jie Dong, Jiaxing Huang, Jun Ma, Feng He
Haploid males of hymenopteran species produce gametes through an abortive meiosis I followed by meiosis II that can either be symmetric or asymmetric in different species. Thus, one spermatocyte could give rise to two spermatids with either equal or unequal amounts of cytoplasm. It is currently unknown what molecular features accompany these postmeiotic sperm cells especially in species with asymmetric meiosis II such as bees. Here we present testis single-cell RNA sequencing datasets from the honeybee (Apis mellifera) drones o...
Source: PLoS Genetics - December 4, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Zhiyong Yin Source Type: research
Deletion of the < i > Candida albicans TLO < /i > gene family using CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis allows characterisation of functional differences in α-, β- and γ- < i > TLO < /i > gene function
by Jessica Fletcher, James O ’Connor-Moneley, Dean Frawley, Peter R. Flanagan, Leenah Alaalm, Pilar Menendez-Manjon, Samuel Vega Estevez, Shane Hendricks, Andrew L. Woodruff, Alessia Buscaino, Matthew Z. Anderson, Derek J. Sullivan, Gary P. Moran
TheCandida albicans genome contains between ten and fifteen distinctTLO genes that all encode a Med2 subunit of Mediator. In order to investigate the biological role of Med2/Tlo inC.albicans we deleted all fourteenTLO genes using CRISPR-Cas9 mutagenesis. ChIP-seq analysis showed that RNAP II localized to 55% fewer genes in thetloΔ mutant strain compared to the parent, while RN...
Source: PLoS Genetics - December 4, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Jessica Fletcher Source Type: research
FiMAP: A fast identity-by-descent mapping test for biobank-scale cohorts
by Han Chen, Ardalan Naseri, Degui Zhi
Although genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified tens of thousands of genetic loci, the genetic architecture is still not fully understood for many complex traits. Most GWAS and sequencing association studies have focused on single nucleotide polymorphisms or copy number variations, including common and rare genetic variants. However, phased haplotype information is often ignored in GWAS or variant set tests for rare variants. Here we leverage the identity-by-descent (IBD) segments inferred from a random projection-based IBD detection algorithm in the mapping of geneti...
Source: PLoS Genetics - December 1, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Han Chen Source Type: research
Mutational impact of APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B in a human cell line and comparisons to breast cancer
by Michael A. Carpenter, Nuri A. Temiz, Mahmoud A. Ibrahim, Matthew C. Jarvis, Margaret R. Brown, Prokopios P. Argyris, William L. Brown, Gabriel J. Starrett, Douglas Yee, Reuben S. Harris
A prominent source of mutation in cancer is single-stranded DNA cytosine deamination by cellular APOBEC3 enzymes, which results in signature C-to-T and C-to-G mutations in TCA and TCT motifs. Although multiple enzymes have been implicated, reports conflict and it is unclear which protein(s) are responsible. Here we report the development of a selectable system to quantify genome mutation and demonstrate its utility by comparing the muta...
Source: PLoS Genetics - November 30, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Michael A. Carpenter Source Type: research
Correction: It ’s All in Your Mind: Determining Germ Cell Fate by Neuronal IRE-1 in < i > C < /i > . < i > elegans < /i >
by Mor Levi-Ferber, Yehuda Salzberg, Modi Safra, Anat Haviv-Chesner, Hannes E. B ülow, Sivan Henis-Korenblit (Source: PLoS Genetics)
Source: PLoS Genetics - November 30, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Mor Levi-Ferber Source Type: research
A dynamic population of prophase CENP-C is required for meiotic chromosome segregation
by Jessica E. Fellmeth, Janet K. Jang, Manisha Persaud, Hannah Sturm, Neha Changela, Aashka Parikh, Kim S. McKim
The centromere is an epigenetic mark that is a loading site for the kinetochore during meiosis and mitosis. This mark is characterized by the H3 variant CENP-A, known as CID inDrosophila. InDrosophila, CENP-C is critical for maintaining CID at the centromeres and directly recruits outer kinetochore proteins after nuclear envelope break down. These two functions, however, happen at different times in the cell cycle. Furthermore, inDrosophila and many other metazoan oocytes, centromere maintenance and kinetochore...
Source: PLoS Genetics - November 29, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Jessica E. Fellmeth Source Type: research
Inferring multi-locus selection in admixed populations
by Nicolas M. Ayala, Maximilian Genetti, Russell Corbett-Detig
Admixture, the exchange of genetic information between distinct source populations, is thought to be a major source of adaptive genetic variation. Unlike mutation events, which periodically generate single alleles, admixture can introduce many selected alleles simultaneously. As such, the effects of linkage between selected alleles may be especially pronounced in admixed populations. However, existing tools for identifying selected mutations within admixed populations only account for selection at a single site, overlooking phenomena such as linkage among prox...
Source: PLoS Genetics - November 28, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Nicolas M. Ayala Source Type: research
Transfer learning with false negative control improves polygenic risk prediction
by Xinge Jessie Jeng, Yifei Hu, Vaishnavi Venkat, Tzu-Pin Lu, Jung-Ying Tzeng
Polygenic risk score (PRS) is a quantity that aggregates the effects of variants across the genome and estimates an individual ’s genetic predisposition for a given trait. PRS analysis typically contains two input data sets: base data for effect size estimation and target data for individual-level prediction. Given the availability of large-scale base data, it becomes more common that the ancestral background of base and target data do not perfectly match. In this paper, we treat the GWAS summary information obtained in the base data as knowle...
Source: PLoS Genetics - November 27, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Xinge Jessie Jeng Source Type: research
Spatial transcriptomics reveals novel genes during the remodelling of the embryonic human arterial valves
by Rachel Queen, Moira Crosier, Lorraine Eley, Janet Kerwin, Jasmin E. Turner, Jianshi Yu, Ahlam Alqahtani, Tamilvendhan Dhanaseelan, Lynne Overman, Hannah Soetjoadi, Richard Baldock, Jonathan Coxhead, Veronika Boczonadi, Alex Laude, Simon J. Cockell, Maureen A. Kane, Steven Lisgo, Deborah J. Henderson
Abnormalities of the arterial valves, including bicuspid aortic valve (BAV) are amongst the most common congenital defects and are a significant cause of morbidity as well as predisposition to disease in later life. Despite this, and compounded by their small size and relative inaccessibility, there is still much to underst...
Source: PLoS Genetics - November 27, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Rachel Queen Source Type: research
An allele-sharing, moment-based estimator of global, population-specific and population-pair < i > F < /i > < sub > ST < /sub > under a general model of population structure
by Jerome Goudet, Bruce S. Weir
Being able to properly quantify genetic differentiation is key to understanding the evolutionary potential of a species. One central parameter in this context isFST, the mean coancestry within populations relative to the mean coancestry between populations. Researchers have been estimatingFST globally or between pairs of populations for a long time. More recently, it has been proposed to estimate population-specificFST values, and population-pair mean relative coancestry. Here, we review the several definitions and estimation methods ofFST, and stress that they provide values relative to a ...
Source: PLoS Genetics - November 27, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Jerome Goudet Source Type: research
Phosphate starvation decouples cell differentiation from DNA replication control in the dimorphic bacterium < i > Caulobacter crescentus < /i >
by Joel Hallgren, Kira Koonce, Michele Felletti, Julien Mortier, Eloisa Turco, Kristina Jonas
Upon nutrient depletion, bacteria stop proliferating and undergo physiological and morphological changes to ensure their survival. Yet, how these processes are coordinated in response to distinct starvation conditions is poorly understood. Here we compare the cellular responses ofCaulobacter crescentus to carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) starvation conditions. We find that DNA replication initiation and abundance of the replication initiator DnaA are, under all three starvation conditions, regulated by a common mechani...
Source: PLoS Genetics - November 27, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Joel Hallgren Source Type: research
TGF ß/activin-dependent activation of Torso controls the timing of the metamorphic transition in the red flour beetle < i > Tribolium castaneum < /i >
In this study, we investigate the role of the interaction between the Torso and TGF ß/activin signaling pathways in regulating metamorphic timing in the red flour beetle,Tribolium castaneum. Our results show that Torso signaling is required specifically during the last larval instar and that its activation is mediated not only by the prothoracicotropic hormone (Tc-Ptth) but also by Trunk (Tc-Trk), another ligand of the Tc-Torso receptor. Interestingly, we show that while Torso activation by Tc-Ptth determines the onset of metamorphosis, Tc-Trk promotes growth during the last larval stage. In addition, we found that the ex...
Source: PLoS Genetics - November 27, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: S ílvia Chafino Source Type: research
Functional and evolutionary analysis of host Synaptogyrin-2 in porcine circovirus type 2 susceptibility
In this study, CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene editing of the porcine kidney 15 (PK15,wtSYNGR2+p.63Arg) cell line generated clones homozygous for the favorableSYNGR2 p.63Cys allele (emSYNGR2+p.63Cys). Infection of edited clones resulted in decreased PCV2 replication compared to wildtype PK15 (P700) revealed the favorableSYNGR2 p.63Cys allele is unique to domestic pigs and more predominant in European than Asian breeds. A haplotype defined by theSYNGR2 p.63Cys allele was likely derived from an ancestral haplotype nearly fixed within European (0.977) but absent from Asian wild boar. We hypothesize that theSYNGR2 p.63Cys allele aro...
Source: PLoS Genetics - November 27, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Lianna R. Walker Source Type: research
Electrical synapse structure requires distinct isoforms of a postsynaptic scaffold
This study expands the notion of molecular complexity at the ESD, revealing that an individual genomic locus can contribute distinct isoforms to the macromolecular complex at electrical synapses. Further, independent scaffold isoforms have differential contributions to developmental assembly of the interneuronal GJ channels. We propose that ESD molecular complexity arises both from the diversity of unique genes and from distinct isoforms encoded by single genes. Overall, ESD proteomic diversity is expected to have critical impacts on the development, structure, function, and plasticity of electrical transmission. (Source: PLoS Genetics)
Source: PLoS Genetics - November 27, 2023 Category: Genetics & Stem Cells Authors: Jennifer Carlisle Michel Source Type: research
