Correction: From water to land: Evolution of photoreceptor circuits for vision in air
by Tom Baden (Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents)
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 27, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Tom Baden Source Type: research

The scale of zebrafish pectoral fin buds is determined by intercellular K < sup > + < /sup > levels and consequent Ca < sup > 2+ < /sup > -mediated signaling via retinoic acid regulation of Rcan2 and Kcnk5b
by Xiaowen Jiang, Kun Zhao, Yi Sun, Xinyue Song, Chao Yi, Tianlong Xiong, Sen Wang, Yi Yu, Xiduo Chen, Run Liu, Xin Yan, Christopher L. Antos K+ channels regulate morphogens to scale adult fins, but little is known about what regulates the channels and how they control morphogen expression. Using the zebrafish pectoral fin bud as a model for early vertebrate fin/limb development, we found that K+ channels also scale this anatomical structure, and we determined how one K+-leak channel, Kcnk5b, integrates into its developmental program. From FLIM measurements of a FRET-based K+ sensor, we observed coordinated decreases in i...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 25, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Xiaowen Jiang Source Type: research

One size does not fit all: Lysosomes exist in biochemically and functionally distinct states
by Claudio Bussi, Maximiliano G. Gutierrez Single-organelle resolution approaches have the potential to advance our knowledge of the heterogeneity of lysosome function. Challenging population-based models, we propose a “lysosome states” concept that links single lysosomes to function. Single-organelle resolution approaches have the potential to advance our knowledge of the heterogeneity of lysosome function. In this Perspective article, the authors propose a ’lysosome states’ concept that links single lys osomes to function. (Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents)
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 22, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Claudio Bussi Source Type: research

Communication between the stem cell niche and an adjacent differentiation niche through miRNA and EGFR signaling orchestrates exit from the stem cell state in the < i > Drosophila < /i > ovary
We present evidence that the direct functional target of miR-124 in Cap cells is the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and that failure to limit EGFR expression leads to the ectopic expression of a key anti-differentiation BMP signal in neighboring somatic escort cells (ECs), which constitute a differentiation niche. We further found that Notch signaling connects EFGR activity in Cap cells to BMP expression in ECs. We deduce that the stem cell niche communicates with the differentiation niche through a mechanism that begins with the selective expression of a specific microRNA and culminates in the suppression of the ...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 21, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Jiani Chen Source Type: research

Including environmental and climatic considerations for sustainable coral reef restoration
by Heidi L. Burdett, Rebecca Albright, Gavin L. Foster, Tali Mass, Tessa M. Page, Buki Rinkevich, Verena Schoepf, Jacob Silverman, Nicholas A. Kamenos Coral reefs provide ecosystem benefits to millions of people but are threatened by rapid environmental change and ever-increasing human pressures. Restoration is becoming a priority strategy for coral reef conservation, yet implementation remains challenging and it is becoming increasingly apparent that indirect conservation and restoration approaches will not ensure the long-term sustainability of coral reefs. The important role of environmental conditions in restoration p...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 19, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Heidi L. Burdett Source Type: research

Social bonding in groups of humans selectively increases inter-status information exchange and prefrontal neural synchronization
by Jun Ni, Jiaxin Yang, Yina Ma Social groups in various social species are organized with hierarchical structures that shape group dynamics and the nature of within-group interactions. In-group social bonding, exemplified by grooming behaviors among animals and collective rituals and team-building activities in human societies, is recognized as a practical adaptive strategy to foster group harmony and stabilize hierarchical structures in both human and nonhuman animal groups. However, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the effects of social bonding on hierarchical groups remain largely unexplored. Here, we conducte...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 19, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Jun Ni Source Type: research

GALDAR: A genetically encoded galactose sensor for visualizing sugar metabolism < i > in vivo < /i >
by U ğurcan Sakizli, Tomomi Takano, Sa Kan Yoo Sugar metabolism plays a pivotal role in sustaining life. Its dynamics within organisms is less understood compared to its intracellular metabolism. Galactose, a hexose stereoisomer of glucose, is a monosaccharide transported via the same transporters with glucose. Galactose feeds into glycolysis and regulates protein glycosylation. Defects in galactose metabolism are lethal for animals. Here, by transgenically implementing the yeast galactose sensing system intoDrosophila, we developed a genetically encoded sensor, GALDAR, which detects galactosein vivo. Using this heterolo...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 19, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: U ğurcan Sakizli Source Type: research

SMARCAL1 ubiquitylation controls its association with RPA-coated ssDNA and promotes replication fork stability
by Ma ïlyn Yates, Isabelle Marois, Edlie St-Hilaire, Daryl A. Ronato, Billel Djerir, Chloé Brochu, Théo Morin, Ian Hammond-Martel, Sari Gezzar-Dandashi, Lisa Casimir, Elliot Drobetsky, Laurent Cappadocia, Jean-Yves Masson, Hugo Wurtele, Alexandre Maréchal Impediments in replication fork progression cause genomic instability, mutagenesis, and severe pathologies. At stalled forks, RPA-coated single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) activates the ATR kinase and directs fork remodeling, 2 key early events of the replication stress response. RFWD3, a recently described Fanconi anemia (FA) ubiquitin ligase, associates with RPA and promo...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 19, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Ma ïlyn Yates Source Type: research

Response to “On the impact of incomplete taxon sampling on the relative timing of gene transfer events”
by Th éo Tricou, Eric Tannier, Damien M. de Vienne (Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents)
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 19, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Th éo Tricou Source Type: research

On the impact of incomplete taxon sampling on the relative timing of gene transfer events
by Mois ès Bernabeu, Saioa Manzano-Morales, Toni Gabaldón A recent study questioned the use of branch length methods to assess the relative timing of horizontal gene transfers because of the effects of so-called “ghost” lineages. This Formal Comment discusses key considerations regarding the potential effect of missing lineages when assessing relative timing of evolutionary events. (Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents)
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 18, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Mois ès Bernabeu Source Type: research

The evolutionary safety of mutagenic drugs should be assessed before drug approval
by Gabriela Lobinska, Vyacheslav Tretyachenko, Orna Dahan, Martin A. Nowak, Yitzhak Pilpel Some drugs increase the mutation rate of their target pathogen, a potentially concerning mechanism as the pathogen might evolve faster toward an undesired phenotype. We suggest a four-step assessment of evolutionary safety for the approval of such treatments. Some drugs increase the mutation rate of their target pathogen, raising the concern that they might thereby increase the pathogen ’s rate of adaptation. This Perspective article proposes a four-step process to evaluate the evolutionary safety of new treatments, calling on re...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 15, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Gabriela Lobinska Source Type: research

Engineering of Cas12a nuclease variants with enhanced genome-editing specificity
by Peng Chen, Jin Zhou, Huan Liu, Erchi Zhou, Boxiao He, Yankang Wu, Hongjian Wang, Zaiqiao Sun, Chonil Paek, Jun Lei, Yongshun Chen, Xinghua Zhang, Lei Yin The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas12a system is a powerful tool in gene editing; however, crRNA-DNA mismatches might induce unwanted cleavage events, especially at the distal end of the PAM. To minimize this limitation, we engineered a hyper fidelity AsCas12a variant carrying the mutations S186A/R301A/T315A/Q1014A/K414A (termed HyperFi-As) by modifying amino acid residues interacting with the target DNA and crRNA strand. HyperFi-...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 14, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Peng Chen Source Type: research

Developing inhibitory peptides against SARS-CoV-2 envelope protein
by Ramsey Bekdash, Kazushige Yoshida, Manoj S. Nair, Lauren Qiu, Johnathan Ahdout, Hsiang-Yi Tsai, Kunihiro Uryu, Rajesh K. Soni, Yaoxing Huang, David D. Ho, Masayuki Yazawa Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has affected approximately 800 million people since the start of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Because of the high rate of mutagenesis in SARS-CoV-2, it is difficult to develop a sustainable approach for prevention and treatment. The Envelope (E) protein is highly conserved among human coronaviruses. Previous studies reported that SARS-CoV-1 E deficiency reduced viral pro...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 14, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Ramsey Bekdash Source Type: research

Low-cost, versatile, and highly reproducible microfabrication pipeline to generate 3D-printed customised cell culture devices with complex designs
by Cathleen Hagemann, Matthew C. D. Bailey, Eugenia Carraro, Ksenia S. Stankevich, Valentina Maria Lionello, Noreen Khokhar, Pacharaporn Suklai, Carmen Moreno-Gonzalez, Kelly O ’Toole, George Konstantinou, Christina L. Dix, Sudeep Joshi, Eleonora Giagnorio, Mads S. Bergholt, Christopher D. Spicer, Albane Imbert, Francesco Saverio Tedesco, Andrea Serio Cell culture devices, such as microwells and microfluidic chips, are designed to increase the complexity of cell-based models while retaining control over culture conditions and have become indispensable platforms for biological systems modelling. From microtopography, mic...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 13, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Cathleen Hagemann Source Type: research

Neuronal ageing is promoted by the decay of the microtubule cytoskeleton
by Pilar Okenve-Ramos, Rory Gosling, Monika Chojnowska-Monga, Kriti Gupta, Samuel Shields, Haifa Alhadyian, Ceryce Collie, Emilia Gregory, Natalia Sanchez-Soriano Natural ageing is accompanied by a decline in motor, sensory, and cognitive functions, all impacting quality of life. Ageing is also the predominant risk factor for many neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson ’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. We need to therefore gain a better understanding of the cellular and physiological processes underlying age-related neuronal decay. However, gaining this understanding is a slow process due to the large amoun...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - March 13, 2024 Category: Biology Authors: Pilar Okenve-Ramos Source Type: research