Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Neha Agrawal, Katherine Lawler, Catherine M. Davidson, Julia M. Keogh, Robert Legg, Ines Barroso, I. Sadaf Farooqi, Andrea H. Brand
Summary: The discovery of new obesity-associated genes regulating adiposity in severely obese children, through exome sequencing and functional assessment in Drosophila, suggests potential therapeutic targets for weight loss. Identification of rare genetic variants in consanguineous families and the involvement of Hippo signaling pathway genes in neuroregulation of adiposity highlight the complexity of genetic factors affecting human obesity.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Masayuki Oginuma, Moana Nishida, Tomomi Ohmura-Adachi, Kota Abe, Shohei Ogamino, Chihiro Mogi, Hideaki Matsui, Tohru Ishitani
Summary: Researchers have developed a new CRISPR/Cas9 method for rapid generation of knockout and transgenic African turquoise killifish. They have also successfully developed a method for knock-in of reporter genes without crossing. These advances will accelerate aging and developmental studies using the fish model.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Zhikun Gai, Philip C. J. Donoghue
Summary: An analysis of a 458-million-year-old fossil fish sheds light on the evolution of vertebrate skull organization and provides anatomical insights into the transition from ancestral early vertebrates to jawed vertebrates.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Shuai Zhang, Lang Xie, Shuqing Zheng, Baoyue Lu, Wenjing Tao, Xiaoshuang Wang, Thomas D. Kocher, Linyan Zhou, Deshou Wang
Summary: This study conducted genome-wide identification and comprehensive analysis of the SDR superfamily in 29 animal species, revealing that the number of SDR genes in animals increased with whole genome duplication, and vertebrate SDRs were clustered into five categories. Tandem duplication of specific SDR genes was observed in different animal groups, and sexually dimorphic expression of certain SDRs in adult fish gonads was confirmed by in situ hybridization and qPCR, suggesting their potential roles in steroidogenesis and gonadal differentiation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vasileios Papadogiannis, Alessandro Pennati, Hugo J. Parker, Ute Rothbacher, Cedric Patthey, Marianne E. Bronner, Sebastian M. Shimeld
Summary: This study investigates the role of the Hmx gene in the development of sensory ganglia in vertebrates. The results demonstrate the conservation of regulatory and functional properties of Hmx between Ciona and vertebrates, and suggest that bipolar tail neurons might be homologous to cranial sensory ganglia.
Article
Immunology
Anthony K. Redmond, Rita Pettinello, Fiona K. Bakke, Helen Dooley
Summary: In this study, the TNFSF repertoires of five cartilaginous fish genomes were analyzed. It was found that sharks have more TNFSF genes, with about 30 genes, compared to any other vertebrate species. This suggests that the ancestral jawed vertebrate had a larger and more diverse TNFSF repertoire than previously thought, challenging the notion that the cartilaginous fish immune system is primitive compared to mammals.
JOURNAL OF IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Changjun Peng, Dong-Dong Wu, Jin-Long Ren, Zhong-Liang Peng, Zhifei Ma, Wei Wu, Yunyun Lv, Zeng Wang, Cao Deng, Ke Jiang, Christopher L. Parkinson, Yin Qi, Zhi-Yi Zhang, Jia-Tang Li
Summary: By analyzing 14 newly assembled genomes, we investigated the genetic basis of snake phenotypes and conducted functional experiments to understand their morphological characteristics. We identified genes, regulatory elements, and structural variations that have potentially contributed to the evolution of snakes, such as limb loss, elongated body plan, asymmetrical lungs, sensory systems, and digestive adaptations. We also found genes and regulatory elements that might have shaped the evolution of vision, skeletal system and diet in blind snakes, and thermoreception in infrared-sensitive snakes. Our study provides new insights into the evolution and development of snakes and vertebrates.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xi-guang Zhang, Brian R. Pratt
Summary: This article presents Tian et al.'s claim about Cambrian yunnanozoan animals being stem vertebrates based on their observation of microfibrillar tissue in the branchial arches. However, an alternative view suggests that the observed "microfibrils" are more likely modern organic contamination.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yu-Feng Xie, Rong-Xiang Zhang, Li-Jun Qin, La-la Song, De-Gang Zhao, Zhong-min Xia
Summary: MYB proteins play a crucial role in plant growth, development, stress responses, and heavy metal stress. The study identified R2R3-MYB members and classified them into 35 subgroups based on conserved gene structures. Segmental duplication events played a crucial role in functional expansion of the CaMYB gene family, and some CaMYB family genes were upregulated under stress of five metal ions.
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Kun Wang, Jun Wang, Chenglong Zhu, Liandong Yang, Yandong Ren, Jue Ruan, Guangyi Fan, Jiang Hu, Wenjie Xu, Xupeng Bi, Youan Zhu, Yue Song, Huatao Chen, Tiantian Ma, Ruoping Zhao, Haifeng Jiang, Bin Zhang, Chenguang Feng, Yuan Yuan, Xiaoni Gan, Yongxin Li, Honghui Zeng, Qun Liu, Yaolei Zhang, Feng Shao, Shijie Hao, He Zhang, Xun Xu, Xin Liu, Depeng Wang, Min Zhu, Guojie Zhang, Wenming Zhao, Qiang Qiu, Shunping He, Wen Wang
Summary: A chromosome-level assembly of the African lungfish genome was reported, revealing that the large size of the lungfish genome is mainly due to retrotransposons. The study showed that lungfishes have evolved high transcription efficacy to keep gene expression balanced, and identified potential genes and regulatory elements related to terrestrial adaptation traits.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kaiyue He, Jianni Liu, Jian Han, Qiang Ou, Ailin Chen, Zhifei Zhang, Dongjing Fu, Hong Hua, Xingliang Zhang, Degan Shu
Summary: In this study, the researchers examined over 8000 specimens of yunnanozoans and found no evidence of cellular cartilage or fibrillin. They also reject the idea that yunnanozoans are stem-group vertebrates based on their ultrastructure and morphology.
Article
Biology
Hui Zhang, Haifang Wang, Xiaoyu Shen, Xinling Jia, Shuguang Yu, Xiaoying Qiu, Yufan Wang, Jiulin Du, Jun Yan, Jie He
Summary: Researchers generated single-cell transcriptomes of cells in different regions of larval zebrafish brains, confirming major brain cell types. Neuronal clusters with similar features often showed different transcription factor profiles, while neurotransmitter-type sister clusters predominantly expressed the same profiles.
Article
Quantum Science & Technology
Lucas Friedrich, Jonas Maziero
Summary: With the rapid development of quantum computers, various applications such as quantum simulations, optimization problem solving, and quantum neural networks have been proposed. However, challenges like noise, limited qubits, circuit depth, and gradient vanishing need to be addressed for full utilization.
QUANTUM INFORMATION PROCESSING
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francesca R. Napoli, Christina M. Daly, Stephanie Neal, Kyle J. McCulloch, Alexandra R. Zaloga, Alicia Liu, Kristen M. Koenig
Summary: Research shows that the process of retinal neurogenesis in the squid Doryteuthis pealeii utilizes mechanisms similar to those found in vertebrates. These findings reveal common mechanisms underlying the growth of highly proliferative neurogenic primordia and contribute to our understanding of the formation of complexity and growth in animal nervous systems.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Aymeric Rogalski, S. W. A. Himaya, Richard J. Lewis
Summary: This study documents the culture of Conus magus and reveals dramatic shifts in predatory feeding behavior between post-metamorphic juveniles and adult specimens. The research found that early juveniles exclusively feed on polychaete worms using a unique sting-and-stalk foraging behavior, while adults capture fish using venom peptides and a hooked radular tooth.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)