Cryo-EM structures of mouse bestrophin 1 channel in closed and partially open conformations.

Bestrophin-1 (BEST1) channels are calcium-activated Cl channels involved in diverse physiological processes, including gliotransmitter release in astrocytes. Although human and chicken BEST1 orthologs have been extensively studied, the structural and functional properties of mouse BEST1 (mBEST1) remain poorly understood. In this study, we characterized the structure-function of mBEST1-BF, a C-terminally tagged variant, using whole-cell patch-clamp recordings, surface biotinylation assays, and single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).

Encapsulation, vacuolation, and phagocytosis of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Cryptococcus in the liver of an immunocompetent host.

The cellular characteristics of the opportunistic fungal pathogen Cryptococcus species were investigated in the infected liver of an immunocompetent host using transmission electron microscopy (TEM). With no records of immunodeficiency, the 3-year-old female patient displayed a high-grade fever, lethargy, and increasing jaundice. TEM analysis revealed the presence of round yeast cells in the patient's liver.

A normative framework dissociates need and motivation in hypothalamic neurons.

Physiological needs evoke motivational drives that produce natural behaviors for survival. In previous studies, the temporally intertwined dynamics of need and motivation have made it challenging to differentiate these two components. On the basis of classic homeostatic theories, we established a normative framework to derive computational models for need-encoding and motivation-encoding neurons.

Subunit-Specific Developmental Roles of PI3K in SF1-Expressing Cells.

Backgruound: Phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) regulates cellular development and energy homeostasis. However, the roles of its subunits in organ development remain largely unknown.

Methods: We explored the roles of PI3K catalytic subunits in steroidogenic factor 1 (SF1)-expressing cells through knockout (KO) of the p110α and p110β subunits.

Clearing techniques for deeper imaging of plants and plant-microbe interactions.

Plant cells are uniquely characterized by exhibiting cell walls, pigments, and phenolic compounds, which can impede microscopic observations by absorbing and scattering light. The concept of clearing was first proposed in the late nineteenth century to address this issue, aiming to render plant specimens transparent using chloral hydrate. Clearing techniques involve chemical procedures that render biological specimens transparent, enabling deep imaging without physical sectioning.

Erratum: Assessment Methods for Problematic Eating Behaviors in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

[This corrects the article on p. 57 in vol. 35, PMID: 38204745.

Assessment Methods for Problematic Eating Behaviors in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be associated with eating problems. However, currently, there is a lack of established guidelines for assessing and addressing eating behaviors in individuals with ASD. This gap in research exists due to the challenges associated with using traditional assessment methods, which may lead to discrepancies in responses and unintentional potential biases from caregivers.

Astrocytic FoxO1 in the hypothalamus regulates metabolic homeostasis by coordinating neuropeptide Y neuron activity.

The forkhead box transcription factor O1 (FoxO1) is expressed ubiquitously throughout the central nervous system, including in astrocytes, the most prevalent glial cell type in the brain. While the role of FoxO1 in hypothalamic neurons in controlling food intake and energy balance is well-established, the contribution of astrocytic FoxO1 in regulating energy homeostasis has not yet been determined. In the current study, we demonstrate the essential role of hypothalamic astrocytic FoxO1 in maintaining normal neuronal activity in the hypothalamus and whole-body glucose metabolism.

Morphological remodeling of during its biphasic developmental cycle revealed by cryo-electron tomography.

is an obligate zoonotic bacterium that targets macrophages causing a disease called Q fever. It has a biphasic developmental life cycle where the extracellular and metabolically inactive small cell variant (SCV) transforms inside the host into the vegetative large cell variant (LCV). However, details about the morphological and structural changes of this transition are still lacking.

Light and scanning electron microscopy of aecia and aeciospores of Cronartium ribicola on Pinus koraiensis branch tissues.

Morphological characteristics of aecia and aeciospores of Cronartium ribicola on Pinus koraiensis branch tissues were investigated using light and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Mature P. koraiensis trees in Jeongseon, Korea, showed yellowish aecia on stems and branches.

Blockade of Activin Receptor IIB Protects Arthritis Pathogenesis by Non-Amplification of Activin A-ACVR2B-NOX4 Axis Pathway.

Although activin receptor IIB (ACVR2B) is emerging as a novel pathogenic receptor, its ligand and assembled components (or assembly) are totally unknown in the context of osteoarthritis (OA) pathogenesis. The present results suggest that upregulation of ACVR2B and its assembly could affect osteoarthritic cartilage destruction. It is shown that the ACVR2B ligand, activin A, regulates catabolic factor expression through ACVR2B in OA development.

Protective effect of TPP-Niacin on microgravity-induced oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction of retinal epithelial cells.

Adverse effects of spaceflight on the human body are attritubuted to microgravity and space radiation. One of the most sensitive organs affected by them is the eye, particularly the retina. The conditions that astronauts suffer, such as visual acuity, is collectively called a spaceflight-associated neuro-ocular syndrome (SANS); however, the underlying molecular mechanism of the microgravity-induced ocular pathogenesis is not clearly understood.

Primary cilia regulate adaptive responses to fasting.

Objective: Neuronal primary cilia are known to be a required organelle for energy balance and leptin action. However, whether primary cilia directly mediate adaptive responses during starvation is yet unknown. Therefore, we investigated the counterregulatory roles of primary cilia, and their related leptin action in energy-depleted condition.

Appressed, directed and silicified trichomes of the kudzu climbing vine.

Kudzu (Pueraria montana var. lobata) is becoming one of the most prevalent climbing vines in urban forests. Here, surface characteristics of kudzu leaves and stems are investigated using field-emission scanning electron microscopy and X-ray microanalysis.

Biological applications of the NanoSuit for electron imaging and X-microanalysis of insulating specimens.

Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) is an essential tool for observing surface details of specimens in a high vacuum. A series of specimen procedures precludes the observations of living organisms, resulting in artifacts. To overcome these problems, Takahiko Hariyama and his colleagues proposed the concept of the "nanosuit" later referred to as "NanoSuit", describing a thin polymer layer placed on organisms to protect them in a high vacuum in 2013.

Fine-tuning of epithelial taste bud organoid to promote functional recapitulation of taste reactivity.

Taste stem/progenitor cells from posterior mouse tongues have been used to generate taste bud organoids. However, the inaccessible location of taste receptor cells is observed in conventional organoids. In this study, we established a suspension-culture method to fine-tune taste bud organoids by apicobasal polarity alteration to form the accessible localization of taste receptor cells.

Hypothalamic control of energy expenditure and thermogenesis.

Energy expenditure and energy intake need to be balanced to maintain proper energy homeostasis. Energy homeostasis is tightly regulated by the central nervous system, and the hypothalamus is the primary center for the regulation of energy balance. The hypothalamus exerts its effect through both humoral and neuronal mechanisms, and each hypothalamic area has a distinct role in the regulation of energy expenditure.

X-ray computed tomography, electron microscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy of severed Zelkova serrata roots (Japanese elm tree).

X-ray computed tomography (XCT), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) were evaluated for imaging and element identification of woody plant roots. Lateral roots of Japanese zelkova (Zelkova serrata) were severed in spring and maintained in soil for six months. The lateral roots were observed using XCT without maceration and sectioning.

Some living eukaryotes during and after scanning electron microscopy.

Electron microscopy (EM) is an essential imaging method in biological sciences. Since biological specimens are exposed to radiation and vacuum conditions during EM observations, they die due to chemical bond breakage and desiccation. However, some organisms belonging to the taxa of bacteria, fungi, plants, and animals (including beetles, ticks, and tardigrades) have been reported to survive hostile scanning EM (SEM) conditions since the onset of EM.

Teliospore mucilage of Puccinia miscanthi revealed through the axial imaging of secondary electrons.

Puccinia miscanthi teliospores were observed on the leaf surface of Miscanthus sinensis using a field emission scanning electron microscope. Details of teliospore mucilage could be visualized through the axial imaging of secondary electrons for a better understanding of pathogen behavior in rust diseases.

Evaluation of electroporated area using 2,3,5-triphenyltetrazolium chloride in a potato model.

Irreversible electroporation (IRE) is a tissue ablation method, uses short high electric pulses and results in cell death in target tissue by irreversibly permeabilizing the cell membrane. Potato is commonly used as a tissue model for electroporation experiments. The blackened area that forms 12 h after electric pulsing is regarded as an IRE-ablated area caused by melanin accumulation.

Ultrastructure of phytoplasma-infected jujube leaves with witches' broom disease.

The subcellular characteristics of phytoplasma-infected jujube (Ziziphus jujuba) leaves were investigated using transmission electron microscopy. Midrib fragments of witches' broom-diseased jujube leaves were collected from abnormally small leaves at an early stage of branch clustering. The diseased jujube leaves showed multivesicular bodies (MVBs) with vesicles and tubules in the phloem parenchyma cells and sieve elements.

Hypothalamic primary cilium: A hub for metabolic homeostasis.

Obesity is a global health problem that is associated with adverse consequences such as the development of metabolic disorders, including cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative disorders, and type 2 diabetes. A major cause of obesity is metabolic imbalance, which results from insufficient physical activity and excess energy intake. Understanding the pathogenesis of obesity, as well as other metabolic disorders, is important in the development of methods for prevention and therapy.