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Journal articleBiswas P, Sanchez-Garrido J, Kozik Z, et al., 2025,
The accessory type III secretion system effectors collectively shape intestinal inflammatory infection outcomes
, GUT MICROBES, Vol: 17, ISSN: 1949-0976 -
Journal articleHerzog MK-M, Peters A, Shayya N, et al., 2025,
Comparing <i>Campylobacter jejuni</i> to three other enteric pathogens in OligoMM<SUP>12</SUP> mice reveals pathogen-specific host and microbiota responses
, GUT MICROBES, Vol: 17, ISSN: 1949-0976- Cite
- Citations: 1
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Journal articleMorón-Ortiz Á, Ferrando-Marco M, León-Vaz A, et al., 2025,
Effects of lutein, phytoene and carotenoid-rich microalgal extracts on the epidermis of Caenorhabditis elegans.
, Food Chem, Vol: 497Carotenoids are widespread bioactive compounds that can accumulate in the skin. Microalgae, such as Chlorella sorokiniana and Dunaliella bardawil, are a sustainable source of natural carotenoids. This study evaluates the effect of phytoene- and lutein-rich green microalgal extracts along with pure phytoene and lutein, on the epidermis of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Wild-type and sensitised mutant backgrounds were used to examine the effect of the selected carotenoids on epidermal stem cells, which differentiate to give rise to mature epidermal, neuronal, and support cell types. We also assessed their impact on cuticle integrity, the protective outer layer secreted by epidermal cells. Results revealed that phytoene-enriched microalgae at 3 μg/mL significantly increased stem cell number and improved cuticle integrity (4.4- to 12.4-fold less permeable). Our findings support a role for carotenoids in the epidermis of C. elegans, with potential implications for future developments in dermocosmetics.
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Journal articleGee A, Werden LK, Verduzco-Salazar OE, et al., 2025,
Secondary succession of a seasonally dry tropical forest is taxonomically stochastic but functionally deterministic
, FOREST ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT, Vol: 598, ISSN: 0378-1127 -
Journal articleHabtewold T, Lwetoijera DW, Hoermann A, et al., 2025,
Gene-drive-capable mosquitoes suppress patient-derived malaria in Tanzania.
, NatureGene drive technology presents a transformative approach to combatting malaria by introducing genetic modifications into wild mosquito populations to reduce their vectorial capacity. Although effective modifications have been developed, these efforts have been confined to laboratories in the global north. We previously demonstrated that modifying Anopheles gambiae to express two exogenous antimicrobial peptides inhibits the sporogonic development of laboratory-cultured Plasmodium falciparum, with models predicting substantial contributions to malaria elimination in Africa when integrated with gene drive1-3. However, the effectiveness of this modification against genetically diverse, naturally circulating parasite isolates remained unknown. To address this critical gap, we adapted our technology for an African context by establishing infrastructural and research capacity in Tanzania, enabling the engineering of local A. gambiae under containment. Here we report the generation of a transgenic strain equipped with non-autonomous gene drive capabilities that robustly inhibits genetically diverse P. falciparum isolates obtained from naturally infected children. These genetic modifications were efficiently inherited by progeny when supplemented with Cas9 endonuclease provided by another locally engineered strain. Our work brings gene drive technology a critical step closer to application, providing a locally tailored and powerful tool for malaria eradication through the targeted dissemination of beneficial genetic traits in wild mosquito populations.
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Journal articleMishra V, Kozik Z, Biswas P, et al., 2025,
Rehydration rescues Il22-/- mice from lethal Citrobacter rodentium infection
, Nature Communications, ISSN: 2041-1723Interleukin-22 (IL-22) is considered indispensable for host defence against Citrobacter rodentium, with 100% mortality of Il22 -/- mice. While IL-22 promotes epithelial barrier integrity and production of antimicrobial peptides, the precise mechanism underlying lethality remains unclear. Here, we show that following C. rodentium infection Il22-/- mice succumb due to dehydration, rather than failure to control bacterial burden or regenerate damaged intestinal epithelium. Proteomic and gene expression analysis reveal greater enterocyte depletion in C. rodentium-infected Il22-/- mice, resulting in significant reductions in ion transporter abundances. We show that while not reducing bacterial load, improving the gut barrier integrity, or affecting immune responses, fluid therapy (FT) fully rescues Il22-/- mice by correcting systemic dehydration. Survival is associated with locally increased Reg3b, IL-17F and IL-10 levels, suggesting activation of compensatory pathways that potentially support recovery in the absence of IL-22. Recovered Il22-/- mice exhibit epithelial cell regeneration and tissue physiology similarly to C. rodentium-infected Il22+/+ mice. These findings suggest that dehydration is the primary cause of mortality in Il22-/- mice and reveal that IL-22 prevent this outcome by preserving epithelial integrity and fluid-ion absorption. Importantly, this study underscores the necessity of incorporating supportive therapies into preclinical infection models to better reflect physiological settings and improve their relevance in modelling human disease.
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Journal articlePretorius D, Nikov G, Washio K, et al., 2025,
Designing novel solenoid proteins with in silico evolution
, Communications Chemistry, ISSN: 2399-3669Solenoid proteins are elongated tandem repeat proteins with diverse biological functions, making them attractive targets for protein design. Advances in machine learning have transformed our understanding of sequence-structure relationships, enabling new approaches for de novo protein design. Here, we present an in silico evolution platform that couples a solenoid discriminator network with AlphaFold2 as an oracle within a genetic algorithm. Starting from random sequences, we design α-, β-, and αβ-solenoid backbones, generating structures that span natural and novel solenoid space. We experimentally characterise 41 solenoid designs, with α-solenoids consistently folding as intended, including one structurally validated design that closely matches the design model. All β-solenoids initially failed, reflecting the difficulty of designing β-strand majority proteins. By introducing terminal capping elements and refining designs based on earlier experimental screens, we generate two β-solenoids that have biophysical properties consistent with their designs. Our approach achieves fold-specific hallucination-based design without depending on explicit structural templates.
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Journal articleMustri MP, Duan Q, Pawar S, 2025,
Accuracy of the Lotka-Volterra model fails in strongly coupled microbial consumer-resource systems.
, PLoS Comput Biol, Vol: 21The generalized Lotka-Volterra (GLV) model is a cornerstone of theoretical ecology for modeling the dynamics emerging from species interactions within complex ecological communities. The GLV is also increasingly being used to infer species interactions and predict dynamics from empirical data on microbial communities, in particular. However, despite its widespread use, the accuracy of the GLV's pairwise interaction structure in capturing the unseen dynamics of microbial consumer-resource interactions-arising from resource competition and metabolite exchanges-remains unclear. Here, we rigorously quantify how well the GLV can represent the dynamics of a general mathematical model that encapsulates key consumer-resource processes in microbial communities. We find that the GLV significantly misrepresents the feasibility, stability, and reactivity of microbial communities above a threshold biologically feasible level of consumer-resource coupling, because it omits higher-order nonlinear interactions. We show that the probability of the GLV making inaccurate predictions can be quantified by a simple, empirically accessible measure of timescale separation between consumers and resources. These insights advance our understanding of the temporal dynamics of resource-mediated microbial interactions and provide a method for gauging the GLV's reliability across various empirical and theoretical scenarios.
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Journal articleHeon SP, Bernard H, Ewers RM, 2025,
Decomposition dynamics of an orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus morio) carcass in a tropical forest: implications for conservation practices
, Ecology and Evolution, Vol: 15, ISSN: 2045-7758Over the past decade, more than 600 rehabilitated Bornean Orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus morio) have been released into protected forests in Borneo. Releasing rehabilitant Bornean Orangutans into the wild is a standard conservation practice, yet monitoring postrelease survival remains a challenge. Limited data exist on post release survival, with many individuals classified as “missing but presumed dead” due to the absence of a carcass for confirmation. Detecting carcasses in tropical forests is particularly difficult due to dense vegetation and the narrow time frame for observing remains before complete decomposition or scavenger removal. Here, we report the first documented observation of a wild adult female Bornean Orangutan carcass decomposing process in the Danum Valley Conservation Area, Malaysian Borneo, on 21 May 2023. The approximately 30 kg carcass was monitored using camera traps and field observations. Decomposition was assessed using Payne's (1965) decomposition framework, the Total Body Score (TBS) system, and Accumulated Degree Days (ADD) to evaluate the influence of ambient temperature on decay. Decomposition progressed to the dry-remains stage within 6 days, primarily driven by vertebrate scavengers such as the Asian water monitor lizard (Varanus salvator) and blow flies (Calliphoridae). This rapid decomposition rate challenges existing knowledge on the rate of decomposition of medium-sized carcasses (> 10 kg) and suggests that the common practice of weekly monitoring for post-release orangutans may be insufficient. Understanding decomposition processes and scavenger activity in tropical forests can improve carcass detection, refine mortality estimates for released Orangutans and other endangered species, and enhance conservation strategies for this critically endangered primate.
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Journal articleSimoni A, Tolosana I, Bernardini F, 2025,
Genetic control strategies for population suppression in the Anopheles gambiae complex: a review of current technologies
, Current Opinion in Insect Science, Vol: 72, ISSN: 2214-5745Malaria continues to pose a critical public health threat, with mosquitoes from the Anopheles gambiae complex acting as the main vectors of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa, where approximately 95% of malaria-related deaths occur. Despite significant advancements in vector control, such as insecticide-treated bed nets and indoor spraying, the effectiveness of these interventions is increasingly compromised by various challenges, including rising levels of insecticide and pathogen resistance, mosquito behavioural adaptations, and persistent funding gaps. In this context, genetic vector control strategies have shown considerable promise, primarily based on findings from controlled laboratory studies. This review explores the development of these genetic approaches within the Anopheles gambiae complex and outlines future directions for their advancement and potential integration into malaria control efforts.
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Journal articleVictor Ribeiro Amaral A, Sykulski A, Fielding S, et al., 2025,
Navigating challenges in spatio-temporal modelling of Antarctic krill abundance: addressing zero-inflated data and misaligned covariates
, Spatial Statistics, Vol: 70, ISSN: 2211-6753Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) are among the most abundant species on our planet and serve as a vital food source for many marine predators in the Southern Ocean. In this paper, we utilise statistical spatio-temporal methods to combine data from various sources and resolutions, aiming to model krill abundance. Our focus lies in fitting the model to a dataset comprising acoustic measurements of krill biomass. To achieve this, we integrate climate covariates obtained from satellite imagery and from drifting surface buoys (also known as drifters). Additionally, we use sparsely collected krill biomass data obtained from net fishing efforts (KRILLBASE) for validation. However, integrating these multiple heterogeneous data sources presents significant modelling challenges, including spatio-temporal misalignment and inflated zeros in the observed data. To address these challenges, we fit a Hurdle-Gamma model to jointly describe the occurrence of zeros and the krill biomass for the non-zero observations, while also accounting for misaligned and heterogeneous data sources, including drifters. Therefore, our work presents a comprehensive framework for analysing and predicting krill abundance in the Southern Ocean, leveraging information from various sources and formats. This is crucial due to the impact of krill fishing, as understanding their distribution is essential for informed management decisions and fishing regulations aimed at protecting the species.
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Journal articleMoulick D, Santra SC, Majumdar A, et al., 2025,
Efficacy of Seed Priming Technology in Ameliorating Metals and Metalloids Toxicity in Crops: Prospective and Issues
, REVIEWS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINATION AND TOXICOLOGY, Vol: 263, ISSN: 0179-5953 -
Journal articleJessop A, Steyaert M, Daraghmeh N, et al., 2025,
A review of autonomous reef monitoring structures ( <scp>ARMS</scp> ) for monitoring hard‐bottom benthic biodiversity
, Methods in Ecology and Evolution, ISSN: 2041-210X<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p> <jats:list> <jats:list-item> <jats:p>Amid increasing anthropogenic pressures on ecosystems, standardised biodiversity monitoring is critical for assessing biodiversity change. Marine hard‐bottom habitats, though ubiquitous and biodiverse, present challenges for biodiversity monitoring due to their complex structure and limited accessibility. Autonomous reef monitoring structures (ARMS) have been developed to standardise marine hard‐bottom biodiversity monitoring across sites and research groups.</jats:p> </jats:list-item> <jats:list-item> <jats:p>This review analyses the methodological approaches utilised to date, spatial distribution, and temporal coverage of ARMS research across 49 publications.</jats:p> </jats:list-item> <jats:list-item> <jats:p>Variation in deployment, retrieval, replication strategy, and processing of ARMS was observed, presenting a barrier to study interoperability. Spatial coverage is biased to coral reef ecosystems and the Northern Hemisphere but is expanding globally. Irregular deployment timing and overall deployment durations constrain temporal coverage across sites and biogeographical regions, with few studies exploring the influence of deployment timing and duration on ARMS' community composition. Genetic methods, namely, DNA barcoding and metabarcoding, dominate community composition analyses but there is significant variation in methods of DNA extraction, PCR protocols, target genes, sequencing platforms, and bioinformatic pipelines. Furthermore, images of ARMS' plates are an underutilised resource for biodiversity investigations and rarely used in conjunction with genetic analyses.</jats:p>
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Journal articleDavydova S, Meccariello A, 2025,
Engineering new clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats-mediated population control for tephritid pests
, CURRENT OPINION IN INSECT SCIENCE, Vol: 72, ISSN: 2214-5745 -
Journal articleDemurtas M, Barnada S, van Domselaar E, et al., 2025,
Neural crest induction requires SALL4-mediated BAF recruitment to lineage specific enhancers
, Development, ISSN: 0950-1991Neural crest induction begins early during neural plate formation, requiring precise transcriptional control to activate lineage-specific enhancers. Here, we demonstrate that SALL4, a transcription factor associated with syndromes featuring craniofacial anomalies, plays a critical role in early cranial neural crest (CNCC) specification. Using SALL4-het-KO human iPSCs to model clinical haploinsufficiency, we show that SALL4 directly recruits BAF to CNCC-lineage specific enhancers at the neuroectodermal stage, specifically when neural crest gene expression is induced at the neural plate border. Without functional SALL4, BAF is not loaded at chromatin, leaving CNCC enhancers inaccessible. Consequently, the cells cannot undergo proper CNCC induction and specification due to persistent enhancer repression, despite normal neuroectodermal and neural plate progression. Moreover, by performing SALL4 isoform-specific depletion, we demonstrate that the SALL4A is the isoform essential for CNCC induction and specification, and that SALL4B cannot compensate for SALL4A loss in this developmental process. In summary, our findings reveal SALL4 as essential regulator of BAF-dependent enhancer activation during early stages of neural crest development, providing molecular insights into SALL4-associated craniofacial anomalies.
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Journal articleMoitra T, Larrouy-Maumus G, 2025,
Integrated approaches for discovery and functional annotation of proteins of unknown function.
, Trends Biochem Sci, ISSN: 0968-0004Proteins of unknown function (PUFs) remain a persistent blind spot in molecular biology. Emerging evidence implicates many PUFs in crucial but poorly characterised roles in biomedical contexts, particularly cancer and infectious diseases. Here, we explore integrative strategies combining high-throughput experimental platforms with computational models to address this gap. We outline how functional insights can be derived across a molecular hierarchy, spanning individual proteins, interaction networks, and transient assemblies, and evaluate the distinct opportunities and challenges faced at each level. Framing these advances within a systems biology lens, we argue that characterising PUFs could redefine therapeutic discovery pipelines. We call for data-driven discovery methods and community efforts to support reproducible, scalable annotation of the 'dark' proteome.
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Journal articleWeeks TL, Walkden PA, Edwards DP, et al., 2025,
Land-use change undermines the stability of avian functional diversity.
, NatureLand-use change causes widespread shifts in the composition and functional diversity of species assemblages. However, its impact on ecosystem resilience remains uncertain. The stability of ecosystem functioning may increase after land-use change because the most sensitive species are removed, which leaves more resilient survivors1-3. Alternatively, ecosystems may be destabilized if land-use change reduces functional redundancy, which accentuates the ecological impacts of further species loss4,5. Current evidence is inconclusive, partly because trait data have not been available to quantify functional stability at sufficient scale. Here we use morphological measurements of 3,696 bird species to estimate shifts in functional redundancy after recent anthropogenic land-use change at 1,281 sites worldwide. We then use extinction simulations to assess the sensitivity of these altered assemblages to future species loss. Although the proportion of disturbance-tolerant species increases after land-use change, we show that this does not increase stability because functional redundancy is reduced. This decline in redundancy destabilizes ecosystem function because relatively few additional extinctions lead to accelerated losses of functional diversity, particularly in trophic groups that deliver important ecological services such as seed dispersal and insect predation. Our analyses indicate that land-use change may have major undetected impacts on the resilience of key ecological functions, hindering the capacity of natural ecosystems to absorb further reductions in functionality caused by ongoing perturbations.
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Journal articleFountain LL, Gilliham M, Amitrano C, et al., 2025,
Expanding frontiers: harnessing plant biology for space exploration and planetary sustainability
, New Phytologist, ISSN: 0028-646XPlants are critical for sustaining human life and planetary health. However, their potential to enable humans to survive and thrive beyond Earth remains unrealized. This Viewpoint presents a collective vision outlining priorities associated with plant science to support a new frontier of human existence. These priorities are drawn from the International Space Life Sciences Working Group (ISLSWG) Plants for Space Exploration and Earth Applications workshop, held at the European Low Gravity Research Association (ELGRA) conference in September 2024. First, we highlight transformative advances gained from using the ‘laboratory of space’ in understanding how plants respond to gravity and other stressors. Second, we introduce a new crop Bioregenerative Life Support System (BLSS) readiness level (BRL) framework – extending the existing Crop Readiness Level (CRL) – to assist in overcoming challenges to establish resilient, sustainable crop production. Materializing the vision of plants as enablers of space exploration will require innovative approaches, including predictive modeling, synthetic biology, robust Earth-based analogue systems, and reliable space-based instruments to monitor biological processes. Success relies upon a unified international community to promote sharing of resources, facilities, expertise, and data to accelerate progress. Ultimately, this work will both advance human space exploration and provide solutions to enhance sustainable plant production on Earth.
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Journal articleSalis A, Martin K, Girard-Buttoz C, 2025,
Challenges and new opportunities in deciphering the meaning of corvid call sequences.
, Anim Cogn, Vol: 28Due to their complex social systems and remarkable cognitive abilities, corvids are interesting candidates for large scale comparative research on the meaning of animal calls. However, research on corvid communication has primarily focused on individual signatures or mimicry capabilities, and investigations into the meaning of their calls have yielded comparatively fewer results. This discrepancy can be attributed to several challenges faced by researchers, including difficulties in identifying the units that convey meaning, accurately determining the specific context associated with a call, and the limitations of traditional playback methods when applied to species with extensive repertoires and considerable flexibility in call sequences. In this review, we outline a series of emerging research avenues—recently explored in other songbirds and mammals—that may prove valuable for researchers seeking to understand the meaning behind corvid call sequences. We specifically address the various approaches to identify meaning-bearing units; the strategies for refining the definition of ‘context’ in the assessment of corvids’ repertoires; and the novel protocols and methods that offer alternative perspectives on meaning, beyond the classical playback experimental approaches that were historically used to assess the meaning of calls or call sequences.
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Journal articleWyer CAS, Amaro IA, Pitcher S, et al., 2025,
Pickpocket315 affects male mating behavior in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti
, G3: Genes, Genomes, Genetics, ISSN: 2160-1836The molecular basis of mating behavior in the important disease vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti, remains poorly characterized. We investigated the functional role of a pickpocket gene, ppk315, in male mating behavior using both RNAi-mediated knockdown and CRISPR/Cas9 approaches. Behavioral assays revealed that RNAi-treated males (dsPPK315) made fewer mating attempts, were less responsive to female acoustic cues, and were less likely to achieve copulation, though their latency to initiate contact when attempts were made was comparable to controls. Males with a CRISPR/Cas9-induced disruption to ppk315 exhibited reduced success in inseminating multiple females, consistent with previous reports from RNAi knockdown males, ruling out off-target effects as the source of behavioral changes. In contrast to the results of behavioral assays with RNAi, ppk315 mutant males (ppk315⁻/⁻) attempted copulation as frequently as wild-type males (ppk315+/+) but were slower to contact females. Despite these impairments in one-on-one interactions, both dsPPK315 and ppk315⁻/⁻males displayed normal mating success under competitive swarm-like conditions, potentially due to the socially-facilitated activation of mating behavior. Collectively, our findings support a role for ppk315 in the initiation of mating behaviors via sensory detection, with context-dependent consequences for reproductive success.
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Journal articleHarasha N, Gava C, Lynch N, et al., 2025,
Modeling feasible locomotion of nanobots for cancer detection and treatment
, PNAS Nexus, ISSN: 2752-6542Deploying motile nanosized particles, also known as “nanobots”, in the human body promises to improve selectivity in drug delivery and reduce side effects. We consider a swarm of nanobots locating a single cancerous region and treating it by releasing an onboard payload of drugs at the site. At nanoscale, the computation, communication, sensing, and locomotioncapabilities of individual agents are extremely limited, noisy, and/or nonexistent.We present a general model to formally describe the individual and collective behavior of agents in a colloidal environment, such as the bloodstream, for cancer detection and treatment by nanobots. This includes a feasible and precise model of agent locomotion, inspired by actual nanoparticles that, in the presence of an external chemical gradient, move towards areas of higher concentration by means of self-propulsion. We present two variants of our general model: The first variant assumes an endogenous chemical gradient that is fixed over time and centered at the targeted cancer site; the second is a more speculative and dynamicvariant in which agents themselves create and amplify a chemical gradient centered at the cancer site. In both settings, agents can sense the gradient and ascend it noisily, locating the cancer site more quickly than via simple Brownian motion.For the first variant of the model, we present simulation results to show the behavior of agents under our locomotion model, as well as analytical results to bound the time it takes for the agents to reach the cancer site. We show that the agent’s locomotion follows threedistinct phases, determined by its distance from the cancer site. For the second variant, simulation results highlight the collective benefit in having agents issue their own chemical signal. The second variant of the model, while arguably more speculative in its agent capability assumptions, shows a significant improvement in runtime performance over the first variant, resulting f
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Journal articleFadini A, Apostolopoulou V, Lane T, et al., 2025,
Denoising and iterative phase recovery reveal low-occupancy populations in protein crystals
, Communications Biology, ISSN: 2399-3642Advances in structural biology increasingly focus on uncovering protein dynamics and transient macromolecular complexes. Such studies require modeling of low-occupancy species like time-evolving intermediates and bound ligands. In protein crystallography, difference maps that compare paired perturbed and reference datasets are a powerful wayto identify and aid modeling of low-occupancy species. Current methods to generate difference maps, however, rely on manually tuned parameters and, when signals are weak due to low occupancy, can fail to extract clear, chemically interpretable signals. We address these issues, first by showing that negentropy – a measure of how different a signal looks from anticipated Gaussian noise – is an effective metric to assess difference map quality and can therefore be used to automatically determine difference map calculation parameters.Leveraging this, we apply total variation denoising, an image restoration technique that requires a choice of regularization parameter, to crystallographic difference maps. We show that total variation denoising improves map signal-to-noise and enables us to estimate thelatent phase contribution of low-occupancy states. We implement this technology in an open-source Python package, METEOR. METEOR opens new possibilities, for time-resolved and ligand-screening crystallography especially, allowing detection of low-occupancy statesthat could not previously be resolved.
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Journal articleWardynska Z, Bennett H, Mahele XJM, et al., 2025,
Phenotypic variance in an acoustic signal: a potentially sexually selected behaviour in Cape Clapper Larks <i>Corypha apiata</i>
, Ostrich, Pages: 1-9, ISSN: 0030-6525 -
Journal articleChen H, Xu Y, Xiong Z, et al., 2025,
Cinnamic-Hydroxamic-Acid Derivatives Exhibit Antibiotic, Anti-Biofilm, and Supercoiling Relaxation Properties by Targeting Bacterial Nucleoid-Associated Protein HU.
, Adv Sci (Weinh)Finding novel compounds and drug targets is crucial for antibiotic development. The nucleoid-associated protein HU plays a significant role in bacterial DNA metabolism, supercoiling, and biofilm formation, making it a promising new target. In this work, structure-based screening and identified cinnamic-hydroxamic-acid derivatives (CHADs) are conducted as HU inhibitors, with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of as low as 12 µg mL-1 against a range of pathogenic bacteria. CHADs induce nucleoid deformation, preventing bacterial division and inhibiting growth. They exhibit low toxicity in mice and effectively treat infections in mouse models. Additionally, CHADs possess anti-biofilm activity and supercoiling relaxation properties, countering bacterial stress responses to antibiotics. They suppress changes in gene expression required for optimal stress responses, resulting in synergistic effects with other antibiotics. Thus, CHADs represent a new class of antibiotics that inhibit bacterial stress responses by co-targeting biofilm formation and DNA supercoiling.
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Journal articleKeskin Erdogan Z, Desai K, Baldwin GS, et al., 2025,
Coexistence and collaboration: engineering encapsulation for whole-cell biosensors.
, Trends BiotechnolThe emerging field of biosensors exploits the abilities of cells to identify specific molecules, presenting improved sensitivity, specificity, and limit of detection. Whole-cell biosensors (WCB) are organisms specifically engineered to detect a target analyte and express a reporter in response. In biomanufacturing, they can be used for monitoring of key substrate and metabolite concentrations or strain engineering, while in medicine, they can be used to diagnose disease or report on human-microbe interactions. Many applications require WCB to coexist with mammalian cells where a key challenge is to keep separate cell populations viable while still allowing them to interact. In this review, we highlight key considerations when encapsulating WCB to engineer controlled microenvironments that enable collaboration and coexistence of different populations.
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Journal articleStrampelli A, Willis K, Gulliford HR, et al., 2025,
Author Correction: A male-drive female-sterile system for the self-limited control of the malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae.
, Nat Commun, Vol: 16 -
Journal articleCoxshall C, Nesbit M, Hodge J, et al., 2025,
Ecological and social pressures drive same-sex sexual behaviour in non-human primates
, Nature Ecology and Evolution, ISSN: 2397-334XSame-sex sexual behaviour (SSB) is widespread across animal species; however, its evolutionary origins and ecological underpinnings remain poorly understood. In social animals, SSB is likely shaped by both genetic and environmental factors. For instance, a recent study in rhesus macaques indicate that while SSB is partially heritable and genetically based, it is also strongly influenced by environmental and social conditions. Here, we compiled species-level data on 491 non-human primate species, documenting SSB occurrence and prevalence in 59 species, and examined its associations with 15 environmental, life history, and social traits using phylogenetic regression and structural equation modelling. SSB occurrence was more likely in species inhabiting drier environments with increased food scarcity and predation pressure, in species with greater size dimorphism and longer lifespans, and in those with more complex social structures and hierarchies. Structural equation modelling further indicated that environmental and life history traits influence SSB mainly indirectly, whereas social complexity directly promotes its occurrence. Together, these findings highlight SSB as a context-dependent behaviour shaped by interactions among ecological, life history, and social factors, offering insights into the sexual diversity and social evolution of primates.
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Journal articleModiba MP, Bell T, Babalola OO, 2025,
Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria and Bacterial Biocontrol Agents in Tomato Disease Management: Mechanisms, Applications, and Omics Perspectives
, GLOBAL CHALLENGES -
Journal articleBrook TS, Hutton IJ, Papadopulos AST, et al., 2025,
Two new species of Currant Bush Coprosma (Rubiaceae) from an endemic radiation on Lord Howe Island
, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, ISSN: 0024-4074Molecular and morphological evidence provide support for the description of two new species of Coprosma (Rubiaceae) from Lord Howe Island, a remote oceanic island in the Tasman Sea. The first species, C. savolainenii sp. nov., was discovered during a plant survey, whereas the second species, C. ptotopetra sp. nov. was identified using DNA fingerprinting. Confirmation of both has recently been reconfirmed through high-throughput sequencing. We provide detailed descriptions of each new species, alongside an updated description of C. putida, a species with similar morphology to C. ptotopetra sp. nov.. We also provide phenological, distribution, and conservation data for each species. This description goes beyond a traditional species account, as it represents a unique endemic radiation occurring in sympatry on an isolated island of global conservation significance. It may also represent a rare botanical example of the syngameon hypothesis, where hybrid speciation accelerates evolutionary radiation.
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Journal articleAbuhamdah R, Moore G, Djama D, et al., 2025,
Longitudinal Testing of Exploratory Behaviour in Mice Reveals Stable Cognitive Traits Across the Adult Lifespan
, AGING CELL, ISSN: 1474-9718
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