Editorial Material
Ecology
Fernanda Santos, Joseph K. Bailey, Jennifer A. Schweitzer
Summary: Fire is a natural process that plays a significant role in ecological and evolutionary dynamics. This article synthesizes contributions to a Special Feature on fire as a dynamic force and provides a broader context for fire research. The topics covered include the impacts of novel fire regimes on forest mortality, vegetation-fire feedbacks and resulting plant syndromes, fire impacts on plant-fungal interactions, and arthropod community responses to fire. The article concludes by suggesting pathways to further understand the ecological and evolutionary consequences of fire.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Amr Aswad, Giulia Aimola, Darren Wight, Pavitra Roychoudhury, Cosima Zimmermann, Joshua Hill, Dirk Lassner, Hong Xie, Meei-Li Huang, Nicholas F. Parrish, Heinz-Peter Schultheiss, Cristina Venturini, Susanne Lager, Gordon C. S. Smith, D. Stephen Charnock-Jones, Judith Breuer, Alexander L. Greninger, Benedikt B. Kaufer
Summary: This study used advanced sequencing technology and mining of public human genome datasets to comprehensively understand the evolution of HHV-6, revealing that heritable integration of HHV-6 has existed since human migrations out of Africa. The research also showed that circulating and integrated HHV-6A and HHV-6B have distinct evolutionary histories and characteristics.
MOLECULAR BIOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2021)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael J. Gaudry, Martin Jastroch
Summary: The protein UCP1 in brown fat helps burn calories by releasing heat. The structures of human UCP1 provide important insights into its mechanism and can potentially aid in designing drugs for obesity and metabolic complications.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Felicia Kuperwaser, Itai Yanai
Summary: A comprehensive cell atlas of gene expression and regulation in human embryos has provided a unique opportunity for innovative investigation of development through multi-organ and multi-modal analysis.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Hui Deng, Jianxiong He, Dan Feng, Yuanyuan Zhao, Wei Sun, Huamei Yu, Chengjun Ge
Summary: Microplastics, as emerging contaminants, have attracted international attention for their threats to the environment, with particular focus on mangrove ecosystems. Studies have explored sources, distribution, and factors influencing microplastics pollution in mangrove habitats, highlighting the need for future research to address gaps in understanding their dynamics in these unique environments.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Dipti Mayee Dash, W. Jabez Osborne
Summary: Since the concept of bioremediation was introduced, microorganisms, microbial enzymes, and plants have been used as principal elements for Organophosphate pesticide (OPP) bioremediation. Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and constructed wetlands (CWs) have brought new prospects to OPP biodegradation strategies. Application of synthetic biology, system biology, and bioinformatics tools have provided significant knowledge regarding the genetic, enzymatic, and biochemical aspects of OPP biodegradation.
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Yuval R. Zelnik, Yair Mau, Moshe Shachak, Ehud Meron
Summary: The article focuses on managing human intervention to achieve its goal without impairing ecosystem function by identifying inherent response ways of ecosystems to disturbances. The approach is demonstrated mathematically and compared to remote sensing data. The surprising insights include the beneficial effect of managing grazing non-uniformly and the need to identify self-organization modes that drive ecosystem change.
PLOS COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Mariane G. Delaunay, Charlotte Brassey, Carl Larsen, Huw Lloyd, Robyn A. Grant
Summary: Facial bristles, one of the least studied feather types in avian species, have been characterized and their evolution described for the first time in this study. The presence, length, and shape of facial bristles varied within and between species, and were associated with species-specific ecological traits, especially nocturnality. These findings suggest that rictal bristles may have evolved in early birds and underwent multiple gains and losses throughout evolution.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Meng-Zhen Liu, Ni Kong, Guang-Yu Zhang, Qin Xu, Yang Xu, Ping Ke, Chong Liu
Summary: Ferritinophagy is a process mediated by NCOA4 that regulates iron homeostasis and reactive oxygen species production, leading to ferroptosis. Under normal conditions, ferritinophagy maintains intracellular iron stability by controlling iron release. However, excessive ferritinophagy under pathological conditions results in the release of large amounts of iron, causing lipid peroxidation and ferroptosis.
FRONTIERS IN PHARMACOLOGY
(2022)
Editorial Material
Microbiology
Christopher E. Lawson
Summary: The commentary discusses the development of microbial communities in biotechnology applications over the past century, and how systems biology and genetic engineering tools have helped us better understand and manipulate the functions of microbiomes. It also emphasizes the integration of synthetic biology, automation, and machine learning technologies to accelerate microbiome engineering to meet future sustainability challenges.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Roser Vento-Tormo, Roser Vilarrasa-Blasi
Summary: The HuBMAP consortium has created spatially resolved cell atlases for the human intestine, kidney, and placenta, providing unprecedented detail for analyzing tissue organization.
Article
Business
Yu Xu, Simon Hazee, Kevin Kam Fung So, K. Daisy Li, Edward Carl Malthouse
Summary: Drawing upon the literature on ecosystem ecology and socio-cultural evolution, this study proposes an evolutionary framework to understand the dynamics of service platform ecosystems, identifying key components and an evolutionary model, as well as discussing directions for future research in the sharing economy.
JOURNAL OF BUSINESS RESEARCH
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Changjun Li, Lixin Zhu, Wen -Tao Li, Daoji Li
Summary: Marine microplastic (MP) pollution is a global environmental issue that has raised concerns. This study aims to summarize the development, key areas of interest, and research deficiencies of MP pollution in seagrass beds through bibliometric analyses and comprehensive data exploration. The findings highlight the ubiquitous presence of MPs in seagrass canopies, sediments, and marine organisms, as well as the lack of research on seagrass species. The study also points out methodological inconsistencies and the need for further analysis of the sources and impacts of MPs in seagrass beds.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sean J. Humphrey, Elise J. Needham
Summary: A computational resource can identify candidate protein targets for a major class of kinase enzymes in humans, which is important for understanding the role of cell signaling in health and disease.
Review
Cell Biology
Cong Zhou, Xin Zhao, Shiwei Duan
Summary: This article reviews the research progress of miR-543 in cancerous and noncancerous diseases, emphasizing its regulatory mechanism, biological functions, and prognostic value. The study elaborates on the direct and indirect regulation of numerous downstream target genes by miR-543, highlighting its importance in cellular processes and molecular functions.
JOURNAL OF CELLULAR PHYSIOLOGY
(2021)
