A Novel Lineage of Endosymbiotic Actinomycetales: Genome Reduction and Acquisition of New Functions in Bifidobacteriaceae Associated With Termite Gut Flagellates.

Cellulolytic flagellates are essential for the symbiotic digestion of lignocellulose in the gut of lower termites. Most species are associated with host-specific consortia of bacterial symbionts from various phyla. 16S rRNA-based diversity studies and taxon-specific fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed a termite-specific clade of Actinomycetales that colonise the cytoplasm of Trichonympha spp.

Designing Brain-Friendly Ultrasound Presentations: Applying Cognitive Load Theory for Enhanced Learning.

Effective presentations are crucial for disseminating knowledge and cultivating skilled learners. Cognitive load theory (CLT) offers a framework for optimizing instructional design by managing the mental effort required for learning. This article explores principles from CLT with practical suggestions to create brain-friendly presentations, focusing on intrinsic, extraneous, and germane cognitive loads.

Genome reduction in novel, obligately methyl-reducing Methanosarcinales isolated from arthropod guts (Methanolapillus gen. nov. and Methanimicrococcus).

Recent metagenomic studies have identified numerous lineages of hydrogen-dependent, obligately methyl-reducing methanogens. Yet, only a few representatives have been isolated in pure culture. Here, we describe six new species with this capability in the family Methanosarcinaceae (order Methanosarcinales), which makes up a substantial fraction of the methanogenic community in arthropod guts.

Mice Lacking Mrs2 Magnesium Transporter are Hypophagic and Thin When Maintained on a High-Fat Diet.

Genes regulating body fat are shared with high fidelity by mice and humans, indicating that mouse knockout (KO) phenotyping might identify valuable antiobesity drug targets. Male Mrs2 magnesium transporter (Mrs2) KO mice were recently reported as thin when fed a high-fat diet (HFD). They also exhibited increased energy expenditure (EE)/body weight and had beiged adipocytes that, along with isolated hepatocytes, demonstrated increased oxygen consumption, suggesting that increased EE drove the thin phenotype.

Genome reduction and horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of Endomicrobia-rise and fall of an intracellular symbiosis with termite gut flagellates.

Bacterial endosymbionts of eukaryotic hosts typically experience massive genome reduction, but the underlying evolutionary processes are often obscured by the lack of free-living relatives. Endomicrobia, a family-level lineage of host-associated bacteria in the phylum that comprises both free-living representatives and endosymbionts of termite gut flagellates, are an excellent model to study evolution of intracellular symbionts. We reconstructed 67 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) of among more than 1,700 MAGs from the gut microbiota of a wide range of termites.