Biomathematical enzyme kinetics model of prebiotic autocatalytic RNA networks: degenerating parasite-specific hyperparasite catalysts confer parasite resistance and herald the birth of molecular immunity.

Catalysis and specifically autocatalysis are the quintessential building blocks of life. Yet, although autocatalytic networks are necessary, they are not sufficient for the emergence of life-like properties, such as replication and adaptation. The ultimate and potentially fatal threat faced by molecular replicators is parasitism; if the polymerase error rate exceeds a critical threshold, even the fittest molecular species will disappear.

Repairing a deleterious domestication variant in a floral regulator gene of tomato by base editing.

Crop genomes accumulate deleterious mutations-a phenomenon known as the cost of domestication. Precision genome editing has been proposed to eliminate such potentially harmful mutations; however, experimental demonstration is lacking. Here we identified a deleterious mutation in the tomato transcription factor SUPPRESSOR OF SP2 (SSP2), which became prevalent in the domesticated germplasm and diminished DNA binding to genome-wide targets.

Generation of induced pluripotent stem cells from ADHD patients who do or do not respond to Methylphenidate treatment.

As a neurodevelopmental multifactorial disorder whose prevalence has been increasing worldwide, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is considered a public health concern. Methylphenidate (MPH) is the drug of choice for ADHD; however, not all patients respond fully to this treatment. Therefore, exploring the underlying molecular mechanisms involved in ADHD and potential novel therapeutic targets is crucial.

DNA methylation by CcrM contributes to genome maintenance in the Agrobacterium tumefaciens plant pathogen.

The cell cycle-regulated DNA methyltransferase CcrM is conserved in most Alphaproteobacteria, but its role in bacteria with complex or multicentric genomes remains unexplored. Here, we compare the methylome, the transcriptome and the phenotypes of wild-type and CcrM-depleted Agrobacterium tumefaciens cells with a dicentric chromosome with two essential replication origins. We find that DNA methylation has a pleiotropic impact on motility, biofilm formation and viability.

tRNA-derived fragments in T lymphocyte-beta cell crosstalk and in type 1 diabetes pathogenesis in NOD mice.

Aims/hypothesis: tRNAs play a central role in protein synthesis. Besides this canonical function, they were recently found to generate non-coding RNA fragments (tRFs) regulating different cellular activities. The aim of this study was to assess the involvement of tRFs in the crosstalk between immune cells and beta cells and to investigate their contribution to the development of type 1 diabetes.