Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Qingyi Tian, Fangchen Zhao, Han Zeng, Maoyan Zhu, Baoyu Jiang
Summary: Pharyngeal arches are an important innovation in the evolution of vertebrate jaws and braincase. By analyzing the branchial arches of yunnanozoans, it was found that they share similar cellular cartilage and extracellular matrix features with vertebrates, providing further evidence that yunnanozoans are stem vertebrates.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Chiara Anselmi, Mark Kowarsky, Fabio Gasparini, Federico Caicci, Katherine J. Ishizuka, Karla J. Palmeri, Tal Raveh, Rahul Sinha, Norma Neff, Stephen R. Quake, Irving L. Weissman, Ayelet Voskoboynik, Lucia Manni
Summary: This study uses Botryllus schlosseri as a model organism to investigate neurogenesis, neural degeneration, and evolutionary neuroscience. The results show that a decrease in the number of neurons in the adult brain is associated with reduced behavioral response and changes in the expression of neurodegenerative disease-related genes. Additionally, older colonies have fewer neurons, reduced behavioral response, and changes in the expression of genes. This finding provides a new platform to study the relationship between aging, neural regeneration and degeneration, and loss of nervous system function.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jin Guo, Luke A. Parry, Jakob Vinther, Gregory D. Edgecombe, Fan Wei, Jun Zhao, Yang Zhao, Olivier Bethoux, Xiangtong Lei, Ailin Chen, Xianguang Hou, Taimin Chen, Peiyun Cong
Summary: Lophotrochozoa is the largest group among extant animals, radiating rapidly during the Cambrian explosion. The early evolution and phylogenetic relationships of this group have been uncertain, mainly due to the limited knowledge from isolated skeletal microfossils. However, the discovery of articulated fossils, such as the camenellan Wufengella, has provided new insights into the morphology and soft tissues of these early lophotrochozoans, confirming their position in the lophophorate phylogeny and revealing evidence of a metameric body plan similar to annelids.
Review
Health Care Sciences & Services
Frauke Wilken, Peter Buschner, Christian Benignus, Anna-Maria Behr, Johannes Rieger, Johannes Beckmann
Summary: This review summarizes the current pharmacotherapeutic treatment options for osteoarthritis (OA). The therapy is mainly symptomatic and there is no specific pill for arthrosis. Surgical and non-surgical treatments can help manage symptoms and slow down progression. However, current therapy does not alter the progression of OA and there is still no causal treatment available.
JOURNAL OF PERSONALIZED MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Hatena Osawa, Jean-Bernard Caron, Robert R. Gaines
Summary: A new well-preserved polychaete species, Ursactis comosa gen. et sp. nov., was discovered in the Burgess Shale. It is the most abundant Cambrian polychaete known to date, with a length ranging from 3 to 15 mm. The number of segments in Ursactis is remarkably small compared to other polychaete species, and the body growth is achieved by increasing the size of existing segments rather than adding new ones.
ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Medicinal
Oron Goldstein, Edna Ayerim Mandujano-Tinoco, Tom Levy, Shani Talice, Tal Raveh, Orly Gershoni-Yahalom, Ayelet Voskoboynik, Benyamin Rosental
Summary: Botryllus schlosseri, a colonial tunicate closest to vertebrates, lacks adaptive immunity but possesses unique characteristics making it a valuable model for studying innate immunity mechanisms. Studies in B. schlosseri have revealed a framework underlying the loss of tolerance to allogeneic tissues and provided insights into hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Understanding the successful innate immune tolerance in B. schlosseri can potentially offer novel insights and modulations of immune processes in humans.
Article
Biology
Konner M. Winkley, Wendy M. Reeves, Michael T. Veeman
Summary: This study utilized droplet single-cell RNA sequencing to investigate inductive signaling interactions between different cell types in Ciona robusta embryos. A total of 59 distinct cell states were identified, with 34 being associated with MAPK-mediated signaling. Additionally, the upregulation of the Ets family transcription factor Elk1/3/4 in induced cell types was observed, aiding in the inference of MAPK-controlled bifurcations.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhengfu Zhao, Nicolas R. Thibault, Tais W. Dahl, Niels H. Schovsbo, Aske L. Sorensen, Christian M. O. Rasmussen, Arne T. Nielsen
Summary: The authors present a new astronomical time scale that allows for a numerical assessment of the evolution of major biotic and abiotic changes that characterized the late Cambrian Earth. By using geochemical variations as an astronomical signal and radioisotopic dates as anchors, a 16-million-year time scale is established and correlated with the biostratigraphic framework.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Emily R. Lanier, Trine Bundgaard Andersen, Bjoern Hamberger
Summary: From the perspectives of pathway evolution, discovery and engineering of plant specialized metabolism, the nature of the biosynthetic routes represents a critical aspect. Classical models depict biosynthesis typically from an end-point angle and as linear, connecting central and specialized metabolism. As the number of functionally elucidated routes increased, the enzymatic foundation of complex plant chemistries became increasingly well understood. The perception of linear pathway models has been severely challenged. With a focus on plant terpenoid specialized metabolism, we review here illustrative examples supporting that plants have evolved complex networks driving chemical diversification. The completion of several diterpene, sesquiterpene and monoterpene routes shows complex formation of scaffolds and their subsequent functionalization. These networks show that branch points, including multiple sub-routes, mean that metabolic grids are the rule rather than the exception. This concept presents significant implications for biotechnological production.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Morrison R. Nolan, Sally E. Walker, Tara Selly, James Schiffbauer
Summary: This study presents new morphological, chemical, and structural data to evaluate the affinities of Brooksella and determine whether it is a hexactinellid sponge or a trace fossil. The findings suggest that Brooksella is not a hexactinellid sponge or a trace fossil, but rather an unusual form of silica concretion. The study highlights the importance of thorough and accurate descriptions in Cambrian paleontology, considering both biotic and abiotic hypotheses for fossils.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yang Liu, Qi Chen, Hyun-Woo Jeong, Bong Ihn Koh, Emma C. Watson, Cong Xu, Martin Stehling, Bin Zhou, Ralf H. Adams
Summary: The colonization of bone marrow by hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells is critical for blood cell formation throughout life. This study reveals distinct features of fetal bone marrow and identifies artery-derived signals, such as Wnt2, that promote hematopoietic colonization. The findings suggest a fundamental switch in the cellular organization and molecular regulation of bone marrow niches between embryonic and adult organisms, and provide insights into improving transplantation outcomes.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mingdou Zhang, Qingbang Wu, Weilu Li, Dongqi Sun, Fei Huang
Summary: This study examines the impact of industrial specialization agglomeration and diversification agglomeration on urban economic resilience by measuring the economic resilience of 241 cities in China. The results show that the effect of industrial agglomeration on urban economic resilience varies depending on the type of agglomeration and the stage of economic recovery. This study provides valuable references for policymakers concerned with enhancing urban resilience.
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Feiyang Chen, Timothy P. Topper, Christian B. Skovsted, Luke C. Strotz, Jian Shen, Zhifei Zhang
Summary: The Guanshan Biota in the Cambrian Stage 4 reveals an ecological transition from trilobite-dominated to brachiopod-dominated communities. The presence of parasitic tube worms associated with palaeoscolecidomorphs and brachiopods provides evidence of biological interactions in the ecosystem. This study highlights the complexity of early Cambrian ecosystems and the role of brachiopods as ecosystem engineers.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Hee Ju Kim, Ok-Hee Kim, Ha-Eun Hong, Sang Chul Lee, Say-June Kim
Summary: The study aimed to generate a 'disease-specific secretome' using disease-causing agents to pre-sensitize MSCs, which showed a more prominent therapeutic effect on the specific disease compared to the naive secretome.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Paleontology
I. V. Korovnikov
Summary: Two new trilobite species of the genus Oryctocephalus, Oryctocephalus doliiformis sp. nov. and Oryctocephalus molodoensis sp. nov., were discovered in the Middle Cambrian Amginian Stage of the Siberian Platform. They were found in the middle part of the Kuonamka Formation in sections on the Molodo and Muna rivers.
PALEONTOLOGICAL JOURNAL
(2023)