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Independent neural circuits encode the dynamics of social interaction in rats. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-30 Natália Madeira,Cristina Márquez
A study in PLOS Biology by Rojek-Sito and colleagues demonstrates a key role of the central amygdala and specific circuits projecting to and from this brain area in the initiation versus maintenance of positive social interactions.
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Optogenetic and chemogenetic approaches reveal differences in neuronal circuits that mediate initiation and maintenance of social interaction. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-29 Karolina Rojek-Sito,Ksenia Meyza,Karolina Ziegart-Sadowska,Kinga Nazaruk,Alicja Puścian,Adam Hamed,Michał Kiełbiński,Wojciech Solecki,Ewelina Knapska
For social interaction to be successful, two conditions must be met: the motivation to initiate it and the ability to maintain it. This study uses both optogenetic and chemogenetic approaches to reveal the specific neural pathways that selectively influence those two social interaction components.
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Resurrection of 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS1) from the ancestor of modern horseshoe bats blocks SARS-CoV-2 replication. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Spyros Lytras,Arthur Wickenhagen,Elena Sugrue,Douglas G Stewart,Simon Swingler,Anna Sims,Hollie Jackson Ireland,Emma L Davies,Eliza M Ludlam,Zhuonan Li,Joseph Hughes,Sam J Wilson
The prenylated form of the human 2'-5'-oligoadenylate synthetase 1 (OAS1) protein has been shown to potently inhibit the replication of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the OAS1 orthologue in the horseshoe bats (superfamily Rhinolophoidea), the reservoir host of SARS-related coronaviruses
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Cardiac activity impacts cortical motor excitability. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-28 Esra Al,Tilman Stephani,Melina Engelhardt,Saskia Haegens,Arno Villringer,Vadim V Nikulin
Human cognition and action can be influenced by internal bodily processes such as heartbeats. For instance, somatosensory perception is impaired both during the systolic phase of the cardiac cycle and when heartbeats evoke stronger cortical responses. Here, we test whether these cardiac effects originate from overall changes in cortical excitability. Cortical and corticospinal excitability were assessed
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Circadian clocks: It's time for chronobiology. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-27 Martha Merrow
Circadian clocks are everywhere, yet we still have not translated the vast knowledge gained in the past 20 years on the properties of circadian clocks into practical applications. We are missing opportunities for improving quality of life, health, and sustainability.
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A tale of 2 gasses, 1 regulator, and cholesterol homeostasis. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Nicole M Fenton,Andrew J Brown
There is a burgeoning appreciation for the wide-ranging effects of carbon dioxide on transcriptional regulation and metabolism. Here, Bolshette and colleagues provide the first link between carbon dioxide and the master transcriptional regulator of cholesterol homeostasis.
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Specimen collection is essential for modern science. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Michael W Nachman,Elizabeth J Beckman,Rauri Ck Bowie,Carla Cicero,Chris J Conroy,Robert Dudley,Tyrone B Hayes,Michelle S Koo,Eileen A Lacey,Christopher H Martin,Jimmy A McGuire,James L Patton,Carol L Spencer,Rebecca D Tarvin,Marvalee H Wake,Ian J Wang,Anang Achmadi,Sergio Ticul Álvarez-Castañeda,Michael J Andersen,Jairo Arroyave,Christopher C Austin,F Keith Barker,Lisa N Barrow,George F Barrowclough
Natural history museums are vital repositories of specimens, samples and data that inform about the natural world; this Formal Comment revisits a Perspective that advocated for the adoption of compassionate collection practices, querying whether it will ever be possible to completely do away with whole animal specimen collection.
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Response to "Specimen collection is essential for modern science". PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-22 Allison Q Byrne
Natural history museums are vital repositories of specimens, samples and data that inform about the natural world; this Reply responds to a Formal Comment that queried whether it will ever be possible to completely do away with whole animal specimen collection, inviting open conversations about the ethical implications of specimen collection.
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Key processes required for the different stages of fungal carnivory by a nematode-trapping fungus. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-21 Hung-Che Lin,Guillermo Vidal-Diez de Ulzurrun,Sheng-An Chen,Ching-Ting Yang,Rebecca J Tay,Tomoyo Iizuka,Tsung-Yu Huang,Chih-Yen Kuo,A Pedro Gonçalves,Siou-Ying Lin,Yu-Chu Chang,Jason E Stajich,Erich M Schwarz,Yen-Ping Hsueh
Nutritional deprivation triggers a switch from a saprotrophic to predatory lifestyle in soil-dwelling nematode-trapping fungi (NTF). In particular, the NTF Arthrobotrys oligospora secretes food and sex cues to lure nematodes to its mycelium and is triggered to develop specialized trapping devices. Captured nematodes are then invaded and digested by the fungus, thus serving as a food source. In this
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Gender imbalances among top-cited scientists across scientific disciplines over time through the analysis of nearly 5.8 million authors. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-21 John P A Ioannidis,Kevin W Boyack,Thomas A Collins,Jeroen Baas
We evaluated how the gender composition of top-cited authors within different subfields of research has evolved over time. We considered 9,071,122 authors with at least 5 full papers in Scopus as of September 1, 2022. Using a previously validated composite citation indicator, we identified the 2% top-cited authors for each of 174 science subfields (Science-Metrix classification) in 4 separate publication
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Openly available illustrations as tools to describe eukaryotic microbial diversity. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-21 Patrick J Keeling,Yana Eglit
Microbial life maintains nearly all the support systems that keep the Earth habitable, yet the diversity of this vast microbial world is greatly understudied, misrepresented, and misunderstood. Even what we do know is difficult to communicate broadly because an intuitive grasp of what these tiny organisms are like is abstract, and we lack tools that would help to describe them. In this Essay, we present
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ATG9A regulates the dissociation of recycling endosomes from microtubules to form liquid influenza A virus inclusions. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-20 Sílvia Vale-Costa,Temitope Akhigbe Etibor,Daniela Brás,Ana Laura Sousa,Mariana Ferreira,Gabriel G Martins,Victor Hugo Mello,Maria João Amorim
It is now established that many viruses that threaten public health establish condensates via phase transitions to complete their lifecycles, and knowledge on such processes may offer new strategies for antiviral therapy. In the case of influenza A virus (IAV), liquid condensates known as viral inclusions, concentrate the 8 distinct viral ribonucleoproteins (vRNPs) that form IAV genome and are viewed
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Item-specific neural representations during human sleep support long-term memory. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-20 Jing Liu,Tao Xia,Danni Chen,Ziqing Yao,Minrui Zhu,James W Antony,Tatia M C Lee,Xiaoqing Hu
Understanding how individual memories are reactivated during sleep is essential in theorizing memory consolidation. Here, we employed the targeted memory reactivation (TMR) paradigm to unobtrusively replaying auditory memory cues during human participants' slow-wave sleep (SWS). Using representational similarity analysis (RSA) on cue-elicited electroencephalogram (EEG), we found temporally segregated
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The miR-221/222 cluster regulates hematopoietic stem cell quiescence and multipotency by suppressing both Fos/AP-1/IEG pathway activation and stress-like differentiation to granulocytes. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-20 Peter K Jani,Georg Petkau,Yohei Kawano,Uwe Klemm,Gabriela Maria Guerra,Gitta Anne Heinz,Frederik Heinrich,Pawel Durek,Mir-Farzin Mashreghi,Fritz Melchers
Throughout life, hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs), residing in bone marrow (BM), continuously regenerate erythroid/megakaryocytic, myeloid, and lymphoid cell lineages. This steady-state hematopoiesis from HSC and multipotent progenitors (MPPs) in BM can be perturbed by stress. The molecular controls of how stress can impact hematopoietic output remain poorly understood. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as posttranscriptional
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A simple Turing reaction-diffusion model explains how PLK4 breaks symmetry during centriole duplication and assembly. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-20 Zachary M Wilmott,Alain Goriely,Jordan W Raff
Centrioles duplicate when a mother centriole gives birth to a daughter that grows from its side. Polo-like-kinase 4 (PLK4), the master regulator of centriole duplication, is recruited symmetrically around the mother centriole, but it then concentrates at a single focus that defines the daughter centriole assembly site. How PLK4 breaks symmetry is unclear. Here, we propose that phosphorylated and unphosphorylated
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Brn3b regulates the formation of fear-related midbrain circuits and defensive responses to visual threat. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-20 Hyoseo Lee,Hannah Weinberg-Wolf,Hae-Lim Lee,Tracy Lee,Joseph Conte,Carlos Godoy-Parejo,Jonathan B Demb,Andrii Rudenko,In-Jung Kim
Defensive responses to visually threatening stimuli represent an essential fear-related survival instinct, widely detected across species. The neural circuitry mediating visually triggered defensive responses has been delineated in the midbrain. However, the molecular mechanisms regulating the development and function of these circuits remain unresolved. Here, we show that midbrain-specific deletion
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How many species are there on Earth? Progress and problems. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-20 John J Wiens
How many species exist on Earth? Projections range from millions to trillions. A 2011 paper in PLOS Biology provided a comprehensive estimate of 9 million.
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No assembly required: Time for stronger, simpler publishing standards for DNA sequences. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-16 B W Thuronyi,Erika A DeBenedictis,Jeffrey E Barrick
Uniformly accessible DNA sequences are needed to improve experimental reproducibility and automation. Rather than descriptions of how engineered DNA is assembled, publishers should require complete and empirically validated sequences.
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Carbon dioxide regulates cholesterol levels through SREBP2. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-15 Nityanand Bolshette,Saar Ezagouri,Vaishnavi Dandavate,Iuliia Karavaeva,Marina Golik,Hu Wang,Peter J Espenshade,Timothy F Osborne,Xianlin Han,Gad Asher
In mammals, O2 and CO2 levels are tightly regulated and are altered under various pathological conditions. While the molecular mechanisms that participate in O2 sensing are well characterized, little is known regarding the signaling pathways that participate in CO2 signaling and adaptation. Here, we show that CO2 levels control a distinct cellular transcriptional response that differs from mere pH
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Global terrestrial invasions: Where naturalised birds, mammals, and plants might spread next and what affects this process. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-14 Henry Häkkinen,Dave Hodgson,Regan Early
More species live outside their native range than at any point in human history. Yet, there is little understanding of the geographic regions that will be threatened if these species continue to spread, nor of whether they will spread. We predict the world's terrestrial regions to which 833 naturalised plants, birds, and mammals are most imminently likely to spread, and investigate what factors have
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scapGNN: A graph neural network-based framework for active pathway and gene module inference from single-cell multi-omics data. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-13 Xudong Han,Bing Wang,Chenghao Situ,Yaling Qi,Hui Zhu,Yan Li,Xuejiang Guo
Although advances in single-cell technologies have enabled the characterization of multiple omics profiles in individual cells, extracting functional and mechanistic insights from such information remains a major challenge. Here, we present scapGNN, a graph neural network (GNN)-based framework that creatively transforms sparse single-cell profile data into the stable gene-cell association network for
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How can we reduce biomedical research's carbon footprint? PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-13 Frank J Kelly
Biomedical research is a significant contributor to the global carbon footprint. Practices are available that could make a difference; however, there are significant obstacles ahead, including a lack of specialist expertise in sustainable research practices.
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Nonsense mutation suppression is enhanced by targeting different stages of the protein synthesis process. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-09 Amnon Wittenstein,Michal Caspi,Ido Rippin,Orna Elroy-Stein,Hagit Eldar-Finkelman,Sven Thoms,Rina Rosin-Arbesfeld
The introduction of premature termination codons (PTCs), as a result of splicing defects, insertions, deletions, or point mutations (also termed nonsense mutations), lead to numerous genetic diseases, ranging from rare neuro-metabolic disorders to relatively common inheritable cancer syndromes and muscular dystrophies. Over the years, a large number of studies have demonstrated that certain antibiotics
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Defining the minimal components of the influenza A virus replication machinery via an in vitro reconstitution system. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-09 Zihan Zhu,Haitian Fan,Ervin Fodor
During influenza A virus infection, the viral RNA polymerase transcribes the viral negative-sense segmented RNA genome and replicates it in a two-step process via complementary RNA within viral ribonucleoprotein (vRNP) complexes. While numerous viral and host factors involved in vRNP functions have been identified, dissecting the roles of individual factors remains challenging due to the complex cellular
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Differential adhesion during development establishes individual neural stem cell niches and shapes adult behaviour in Drosophila. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-09 Agata Banach-Latapy,Vincent Rincheval,David Briand,Isabelle Guénal,Pauline Spéder
Neural stem cells (NSCs) reside in a defined cellular microenvironment, the niche, which supports the generation and integration of newborn neurons. The mechanisms building a sophisticated niche structure around NSCs and their functional relevance for neurogenesis are yet to be understood. In the Drosophila larval brain, the cortex glia (CG) encase individual NSC lineages in membranous chambers, organising
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Targeted inhibition of Wnt signaling with a Clostridioides difficile toxin B fragment suppresses breast cancer tumor growth. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-09 Aina He,Songhai Tian,Oded Kopper,Daniel J Horan,Peng Chen,Roderick T Bronson,Ren Sheng,Hao Wu,Lufei Sui,Kun Zhou,Liang Tao,Quan Wu,Yujing Huang,Zan Shen,Sen Han,Xueqing Chen,Hong Chen,Xi He,Alexander G Robling,Rongsheng Jin,Hans Clevers,Dongxi Xiang,Zhe Li,Min Dong
Wnt signaling pathways are transmitted via 10 homologous frizzled receptors (FZD1-10) in humans. Reagents broadly inhibiting Wnt signaling pathways reduce growth and metastasis of many tumors, but their therapeutic development has been hampered by the side effect. Inhibitors targeting specific Wnt-FZD pair(s) enriched in cancer cells may reduce side effect, but the therapeutic effect of narrow-spectrum
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The regional variation of laminar thickness in the human isocortex is related to cortical hierarchy and interregional connectivity. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-09 Amin Saberi,Casey Paquola,Konrad Wagstyl,Meike D Hettwer,Boris C Bernhardt,Simon B Eickhoff,Sofie L Valk
The human isocortex consists of tangentially organized layers with unique cytoarchitectural properties. These layers show spatial variations in thickness and cytoarchitecture across the neocortex, which is thought to support function through enabling targeted corticocortical connections. Here, leveraging maps of the 6 cortical layers based on 3D human brain histology, we aimed to quantitatively characterize
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Intrinsically disordered regions are not sufficient to direct the compartmental localization of nucleolar proteins in the nucleus. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-09 Emily D Lavering,Maunika Gandhamaneni,Daniel L Weeks
The nucleolus is a non-membrane bound organelle central to ribosome biogenesis. The nucleolus contains a mix of proteins and RNA and has 3 known nucleolar compartments: the fibrillar center (FC), the dense fibrillar component (DFC), and the granular component (GC). The spatial organization of the nucleolus is influenced by the phase separation properties of nucleolar proteins, the presence of RNA,
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Accurate classification of major brain cell types using in vivo imaging and neural network processing. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-09 Amrita Das Gupta,Livia Asan,Jennifer John,Carlo Beretta,Thomas Kuner,Johannes Knabbe
Comprehensive analysis of tissue cell type composition using microscopic techniques has primarily been confined to ex vivo approaches. Here, we introduce NuCLear (Nucleus-instructed tissue composition using deep learning), an approach combining in vivo two-photon imaging of histone 2B-eGFP-labeled cell nuclei with subsequent deep learning-based identification of cell types from structural features
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Mothers in a cooperatively breeding bird increase investment per offspring at the pre-natal stage when they will have more help with post-natal care. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-09 Pablo Capilla-Lasheras,Alastair J Wilson,Andrew J Young
In many cooperative societies, including our own, helpers assist with the post-natal care of breeders' young and may thereby benefit the post-natal development of offspring. Here, we present evidence of a novel mechanism by which such post-natal helping could also have beneficial effects on pre-natal development: By lightening post-natal maternal workloads, helpers may allow mothers to increase their
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Ploidy evolution in a wild yeast is linked to an interaction between cell type and metabolism. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-09 Johnathan G Crandall,Kaitlin J Fisher,Trey K Sato,Chris Todd Hittinger
Ploidy is an evolutionarily labile trait, and its variation across the tree of life has profound impacts on evolutionary trajectories and life histories. The immediate consequences and molecular causes of ploidy variation on organismal fitness are frequently less clear, although extreme mating type skews in some fungi hint at links between cell type and adaptive traits. Here, we report an unusual recurrent
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Corrective feedback guides human perceptual decision-making by informing about the world state rather than rewarding its choice. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-08 Hyang-Jung Lee,Heeseung Lee,Chae Young Lim,Issac Rhim,Sang-Hun Lee
Corrective feedback received on perceptual decisions is crucial for adjusting decision-making strategies to improve future choices. However, its complex interaction with other decision components, such as previous stimuli and choices, challenges a principled account of how it shapes subsequent decisions. One popular approach, based on animal behavior and extended to human perceptual decision-making
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Components of iron-Sulfur cluster assembly machineries are robust phylogenetic markers to trace the origin of mitochondria and plastids. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-08 Pierre Simon Garcia,Frédéric Barras,Simonetta Gribaldo
Establishing the origin of mitochondria and plastids is key to understand 2 founding events in the origin and early evolution of eukaryotes. Recent advances in the exploration of microbial diversity and in phylogenomics approaches have indicated a deep origin of mitochondria and plastids during the diversification of Alphaproteobacteria and Cyanobacteria, respectively. Here, we strongly support these
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Minding the "T"s beyond the "B"s: Shaping vaccines for future pandemics. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-07 Shirin Kalimuddin,Eng Eong Ooi
The COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated the development of vaccines for viral infections. However, a failure to integrate T cell immunity as a determinant of vaccine efficacy could curtail advancement of newer vaccines for pandemic preparedness.
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Five families of diverse DNA viruses comprehensively restructure the nucleus. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-06 Quincy Rosemarie,Bill Sugden
Many viruses have evolved ways to restructure their host cell's nucleus profoundly and unexpectedly upon infection. In particular, DNA viruses that need to commandeer their host's cellular synthetic functions to produce their progeny can induce the condensation and margination of host chromatin during productive infection, a phenomenon known as virus-induced reorganization of cellular chromatin (ROCC)
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Chimpanzees make tactical use of high elevation in territorial contexts. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-02 Sylvain R T Lemoine,Liran Samuni,Catherine Crockford,Roman M Wittig
Tactical warfare is considered a driver of the evolution of human cognition. One such tactic, considered unique to humans, is collective use of high elevation in territorial conflicts. This enables early detection of rivals and low-risk maneuvers, based on information gathered. Whether other animals use such tactics is unknown. With a unique dataset of 3 years of simultaneous behavioral and ranging
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Postdoctoral scientists are mentors, and it is time to recognize their work. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-02 Gracielle Higino,Ceres Barros,Ellen Bledsoe,Dominique G Roche,Sandra Ann Binning,Timothée Poisot
Academia often fails to recognize the important work that supports its functioning, such as mentoring and teaching performed by postdoctoral researchers. This is a particular problem for early-career researchers, but opportunities exist to improve the status quo.
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Is N-Hacking Ever OK? The consequences of collecting more data in pursuit of statistical significance. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-11-01 Pamela Reinagel
Upon completion of an experiment, if a trend is observed that is "not quite significant," it can be tempting to collect more data in an effort to achieve statistical significance. Such sample augmentation or "N-hacking" is condemned because it can lead to an excess of false positives, which can reduce the reproducibility of results. However, the scenarios used to prove this rule tend to be unrealistic
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Effects of stochastic coding on olfactory discrimination in flies and mice. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-31 Shyam Srinivasan,Simon Daste,Mehrab N Modi,Glenn C Turner,Alexander Fleischmann,Saket Navlakha
Sparse coding can improve discrimination of sensory stimuli by reducing overlap between their representations. Two factors, however, can offset sparse coding's benefits: similar sensory stimuli have significant overlap and responses vary across trials. To elucidate the effects of these 2 factors, we analyzed odor responses in the fly and mouse olfactory regions implicated in learning and discrimination-the
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Multiple light signaling pathways control solar tracking in sunflowers. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-31 Christopher J Brooks,Hagop S Atamian,Stacey L Harmer
Sunflowers are famous for their ability to track the sun throughout the day and then reorient at night to face east the following morning. This occurs by differential growth patterns, with the east sides of stems growing more during the day and the west sides of stems growing more at night. This process, termed heliotropism, is generally believed to be a specialized form of phototropism; however, the
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Metabolic sinkholes: Histones as methyl repositories. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-27 Ansar Karimian,Maria Vogelauer,Siavash K Kurdistani
Perez and Sarkies uncover histones as methyl group repositories in normal and cancer human cells, shedding light on an intriguing function of histone methylation in optimizing the cellular methylation potential independently of gene regulation.
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Histone methyltransferase activity affects metabolism in human cells independently of transcriptional regulation. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-26 Marcos Francisco Perez,Peter Sarkies
The N-terminal tails of eukaryotic histones are frequently posttranslationally modified. The role of these modifications in transcriptional regulation is well-documented. However, the extent to which the enzymatic processes of histone posttranslational modification might affect metabolic regulation is less clear. Here, we investigated how histone methylation might affect metabolism using metabolomics
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Diverse microtubule-targeted anticancer agents kill cells by inducing chromosome missegregation on multipolar spindles. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-26 Amber S Zhou,John B Tucker,Christina M Scribano,Andrew R Lynch,Caleb L Carlsen,Sophia T Pop-Vicas,Srishrika M Pattaswamy,Mark E Burkard,Beth A Weaver
Microtubule-targeted agents are commonly used for cancer treatment, though many patients do not benefit. Microtubule-targeted drugs were assumed to elicit anticancer activity via mitotic arrest because they cause cell death following mitotic arrest in cell culture. However, we recently demonstrated that intratumoral paclitaxel concentrations are insufficient to induce mitotic arrest and rather induce
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Eggs of the mosquito Aedes aegypti survive desiccation by rewiring their polyamine and lipid metabolism. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-24 Anjana Prasad,Sreesa Sreedharan,Baskar Bakthavachalu,Sunil Laxman
Upon water loss, some organisms pause their life cycles and escape death. While widespread in microbes, this is less common in animals. Aedes mosquitoes are vectors for viral diseases. Aedes eggs can survive dry environments, but molecular and cellular principles enabling egg survival through desiccation remain unknown. In this report, we find that Aedes aegypti eggs, in contrast to Anopheles stephensi
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Wolbachia endosymbionts manipulate the self-renewal and differentiation of germline stem cells to reinforce fertility of their fruit fly host. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-24 Shelbi L Russell,Jennie Ruelas Castillo,William T Sullivan
The alphaproteobacterium Wolbachia pipientis infects arthropod and nematode species worldwide, making it a key target for host biological control. Wolbachia-driven host reproductive manipulations, such as cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI), are credited for catapulting these intracellular bacteria to high frequencies in host populations. Positive, perhaps mutualistic, reproductive manipulations also
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Evolutionary innovation through transcription factor rewiring in microbes is shaped by levels of transcription factor activity, expression, and existing connectivity. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-23 Matthew J Shepherd,Aidan P Pierce,Tiffany B Taylor
The survival of a population during environmental shifts depends on whether the rate of phenotypic adaptation keeps up with the rate of changing conditions. A common way to achieve this is via change to gene regulatory network (GRN) connections-known as rewiring-that facilitate novel interactions and innovation of transcription factors. To understand the success of rapidly adapting organisms, we therefore
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Spatacsin regulates directionality of lysosome trafficking by promoting the degradation of its partner AP5Z1. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-23 Alexandre Pierga,Raphaël Matusiak,Margaux Cauhapé,Julien Branchu,Lydia Danglot,Maxime Boutry,Frédéric Darios
The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) forms contacts with the lysosomal compartment, regulating lysosome positioning and motility. The movements of lysosomes are controlled by the attachment of molecular motors to their surface. However, the molecular mechanisms by which ER controls lysosome dynamics are still elusive. Here, using mouse brain extracts and mouse embryonic fibroblasts, we demonstrate that spatacsin
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Adiponectin in the mammalian host influences ticks' acquisition of the Lyme disease pathogen Borrelia. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-20 Xiaotian Tang,Yongguo Cao,Carmen J Booth,Gunjan Arora,Yingjun Cui,Jaqueline Matias,Erol Fikrig
Arthropod-borne pathogens cause some of the most important human and animal infectious diseases. Many vectors acquire or transmit pathogens through the process of blood feeding. Here, we report adiponectin, the most abundant adipocyte-derived hormone circulating in human blood, directly or indirectly inhibits acquisition of the Lyme disease agent, Borrelia burgdorferi, by Ixodes scapularis ticks. Rather
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Microbial thermogenesis is dependent on ATP concentrations and the protein kinases ArcB, GlnL, and YccC. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-20 Puneet Singh Dhatt,Stephen Chiu,Tae Seok Moon
Organisms necessarily release heat energy in their pursuit of survival. This process is known as cellular thermogenesis and is implicated in many processes from cancer metabolism to spontaneous farm fires. However, the molecular basis for this fundamental phenomenon is yet to be elucidated. Here, we show that the major players involved in the cellular thermogenesis of Escherichia coli are the protein
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Open Science 2.0: Towards a truly collaborative research ecosystem. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-19 Robert T Thibault,Olavo B Amaral,Felipe Argolo,Anita E Bandrowski,Alexandra R Davidson,Natascha I Drude
Conversations about open science have reached the mainstream, yet many open science practices such as data sharing remain uncommon. Our efforts towards openness therefore need to increase in scale and aim for a more ambitious target. We need an ecosystem not only where research outputs are openly shared but also in which transparency permeates the research process from the start and lends itself to
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PLOS Biology at 20: Exploring possible futures. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-19 Nonia Pariente,
Twenty years ago this month, PLOS Biology was launched, helping to catalyze a movement that has transformed publishing in the life sciences. In this issue, we explore how the community can continue innovating for positive change in the next decades.
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Identification of the regulatory circuit governing corneal epithelial fate determination and disease. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-19 Jos G A Smits,Dulce Lima Cunha,Maryam Amini,Marina Bertolin,Camille Laberthonnière,Jieqiong Qu,Nicholas Owen,Lorenz Latta,Berthold Seitz,Lauriane N Roux,Tanja Stachon,Stefano Ferrari,Mariya Moosajee,Daniel Aberdam,Nora Szentmary,Simon J van Heeringen,Huiqing Zhou
The transparent corneal epithelium in the eye is maintained through the homeostasis regulated by limbal stem cells (LSCs), while the nontransparent epidermis relies on epidermal keratinocytes for renewal. Despite their cellular similarities, the precise cell fates of these two types of epithelial stem cells, which give rise to functionally distinct epithelia, remain unknown. We performed a multi-omics
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Developmental estrogen exposure in mice disrupts uterine epithelial cell differentiation and causes adenocarcinoma via Wnt/β-catenin and PI3K/AKT signaling. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-19 Elizabeth Padilla-Banks,Wendy N Jefferson,Brian N Papas,Alisa A Suen,Xin Xu,Diana V Carreon,Cynthia J Willson,Erin M Quist,Carmen J Williams
Tissue development entails genetically programmed differentiation of immature cell types to mature, fully differentiated cells. Exposure during development to non-mutagenic environmental factors can contribute to cancer risk, but the underlying mechanisms are not understood. We used a mouse model of endometrial adenocarcinoma that results from brief developmental exposure to an estrogenic chemical
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Multidrug-resistant E. coli encoding high genetic diversity in carbohydrate metabolism genes displace commensal E. coli from the intestinal tract. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-17 Christopher H Connor,Amanda Z Zucoloto,John T Munnoch,Ian-Ling Yu,Jukka Corander,Paul A Hoskisson,Braedon McDonald,Alan McNally
Extra-intestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) can cause a variety of infections outside of the intestine and are a major causative agent of urinary tract infections. Treatment of these infections is increasingly frustrated by antimicrobial resistance (AMR) diminishing the number of effective therapies available to clinicians. Incidence of multidrug resistance (MDR) is not uniform across the
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Independent insulin signaling modulators govern hot avoidance under different feeding states. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-17 Meng-Hsuan Chiang,Yu-Chun Lin,Sheng-Fu Chen,Peng-Shiuan Lee,Tsai-Feng Fu,Tony Wu,Chia-Lin Wu
Thermosensation is critical for the survival of animals. However, mechanisms through which nutritional status modulates thermosensation remain unclear. Herein, we showed that hungry Drosophila exhibit a strong hot avoidance behavior (HAB) compared to food-sated flies. We identified that hot stimulus increases the activity of α'β' mushroom body neurons (MBns), with weak activity in the sated state and
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Pleiotropic hubs drive bacterial surface competition through parallel changes in colony composition and expansion. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-16 Jordi van Gestel,Andreas Wagner,Martin Ackermann
Bacteria commonly adhere to surfaces where they compete for both space and resources. Despite the importance of surface growth, it remains largely elusive how bacteria evolve on surfaces. We previously performed an evolution experiment where we evolved distinct Bacilli populations under a selective regime that favored colony spreading. In just a few weeks, colonies of Bacillus subtilis showed strongly
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Authorship practices must evolve to support collaboration and open science. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-13 Veronique Kiermer
Journal authorship practices have not sufficiently evolved to reflect the way research is now done. Improvements to support teams, collaboration, and open science are urgently needed.
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Abstract perceptual choice signals during action-linked decisions in the human brain. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-10 Florian Sandhaeger,Nina Omejc,Anna-Antonia Pape,Markus Siegel
Humans can make abstract choices independent of motor actions. However, in laboratory tasks, choices are typically reported with an associated action. Consequentially, knowledge about the neural representation of abstract choices is sparse, and choices are often thought to evolve as motor intentions. Here, we show that in the human brain, perceptual choices are represented in an abstract, motor-independent
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Available upon all requests? How and why we should better incentivize the sharing of biomaterials. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-06 Suzannah J Rihn,Alexander Harms
Biomaterial sharing offers enormous benefits for research and for the scientific community. Individuals, funders, institutions, and journals can overcome the barriers to sharing and work together to promote a better sharing culture.
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A call to implement preclinical study registration in animal ethics review. PLOS Biol. (IF 9.8) Pub Date : 2023-10-05 Matthew S Jeffers,Aileen MacLellan,Marc T Avey,Julia Ml Menon,Janet Sunohara-Neilson,Dean A Fergusson,Manoj M Lalu
Protocol registration is required in clinical trials. Registration of animal studies could improve research transparency and reduce redundancy, yet uptake has been minimal. Integrating study registration into institutional approval of animal use protocols is a promising approach to increase uptake.