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Lindsay Zanno et al. report the discovery of a new tyrannosaur that helps to fill in a 70 million year gap in the fossil record. This new species reveals that the earliest North American tyrannosaurs relied on speed and small body size to survive and that apex predator status and large body sizes were not reached until much later in their evolutionary history.
Heather Chandler, Tao Tan, Chunlin Yang et al. find that the cell membrane repair protein MG53 plays a key role in repairing cornea injury. Using mouse and rat models, they show that recombinant human MG53 protects the cornea against injury and enhances healing.
Nai-Chi Chen et al. solved the structures of two shrimp nodaviruses, focusing on the major domains to improve understanding of capsid organization. By combining cryo-EM and x-ray crystallography, the authors were able to observe the structures at a high resolution.
Melanie Das et al. demonstrate that transplantation of young bone marrow preserves the cognitive function of old recipient mice. This study suggests that microglial rejuvenation via peripheral manipulation of the hematopoietic system may be sufficient to delay a cognitive decline during aging.
Dimitre Simeonov, Alexander Brandt et al. report a pathogenic bystander mutation caused by unintended repair of a CRISPR-Cas9-mediated deletion in mice. They generate mice lacking an IL2RA intronic enhancer previously associated with human disease risk and find that one line of edited mice show unexpected disease features due to a bystander mutation.
Kathleen Prudic et al. examine the persistence of mimicry in viceroy butterflies in locations with low model abundance. They show that when queen butterflies are less abundant, viceroy butterflies become more abundant, but also increase their chemical defenses to gain protection from predation.
Zielinski et al. show that quantitative label-free cathodoluminescence-scanning electron microscopy differentiates spectral signatures of two extracellular matrices. This method can monitor the progress of a smooth muscle cell-mediated remodeling process without using antibodies to enhance the optical signal.
Adree Khondker et al. identify new mechanisms by which the membrane surface and lipid packing in the bacterial membrane control the penetration of antibiotics such as of polymyxin B. These findings indicate that biophysical factors might influence the resistance strength of bacteria to antibiotics.
Eriel Martínez et al. report that the bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa can convert oleic acids into oxylipins for use in cell-cell communication. This quorum sensing system is regulated by the bacterial protein called oxylipin-dependent diol synthase regulator OdsR.
Tancredi Caruso et al. analyze biodiversity survey data from the McMurdo Dry Valleys, an extreme desert ecosystem in Antarctica in which abiotic factors are thought to determine species distributions. Focusing on three nematode species, they find that abiotic factors alone cannot explain the data and interaction between species have been historically underestimated.
Hidefumi Shinohara and colleagues used the CLE9-BAM1 ligand-receptor pair as a model system for screening peptide hormone receptor-binding small molecules in plants. They identified the small molecule NPD12704 as an antagonist for BAM1 and demonstrated the specific regulatory activity of NPD12704 in shoot apical meristem.
Yu Liu, Zhiwei Xie et al. show that nucleoid-associated protein NapM enhances the survival of M. tuberculosis in macrophages under stress by inhibiting DNA synthesis as a DnaA antagonist. This study suggests NapM as a potential drug target for tuberculosis control.
Charles Lee, Daniel Laughlin et al. use structural equation modeling to analyze ecological data from more than 500 sites in the Antarctic Dry Valleys. They find that although abiotic factors are the primary drivers of biodiversity variation, biotic interactions are needed to explain the data fully and may play previously underestimated roles.
Dennis Eickelbeck et al. engineered light-activated constructs, CaMello and CaMello-5HT2A, which are targeted to the 5HT2A-R domains and enable visualization of calcium signals and receptor trafficking in response to activation. The reported CaMello tool could be applied to other GPCRs coupled to the Gq/11 signaling pathways which may shed light on mechanisms of GPCR localization and plasticity.
Guo et al. identify the role of acidic glycosphingolipids as the mechanism of action of the pore-forming protein complex βγ-CAT from the frog. This study suggests that βγ-CAT binds to both gangliosides and sulfatides, initiating its endocytosis and ultimately exerting its antimicrobial effects.
Weilin Lin et al. report a new assay for measuring the activity of peptidyl prolyl cis/trans isomerase (PPIase) at the cell surface using ultra performance liquid chromatography. They find that PPIase activity correlates with development and functional properties of the extracellular matrix in primary healthy and leukemic cells.
Ryuichi Ono et al. show that a large number of unintentional trans-species gene transfers can occur when double-strand breaks are introduced by CRISPR-Cas9 in mouse eggs and cell lines. They propose a mechanism of trans-species horizontal gene transfer via double-strand break repair.
Aleksia Vaattovaara et al. investigate the evolutionary history of a representative protein family, the DUF26-containing proteins, which is specific to land plants. They suggest that domain duplications and rearrangement led to the protein family’s two main subclasses.
Dr. Andrea Henle is an Assistant Professor of biology at Carthage College in Wisconsin. Her research focuses on uveal melanoma, using zebrafish as a model system, and spans molecular and cellular mechanisms of cancer progression, immunology, and even space biology. As part of our series on early-career researchers, we asked Dr. Henle to talk to us about her research and her passion for teaching undergraduate students. Dr. Henle also has some advice for young scientists pursuing an academic career, which we think is equally valuable for anyone starting out on their unique career path.