Individual-specific levels of CTG•CAG somatic instability are shared across multiple tissues in myotonic dystrophy type 1.

Myotonic dystrophy type 1 is a complex disease caused by a genetically unstable CTG repeat expansion in the 3'-untranslated region of the DMPK gene. Age-dependent, tissue-specific somatic instability has confounded genotype-phenotype associations, but growing evidence suggests that it also contributes directly toward disease progression. Using a well-characterized clinical cohort of DM1 patients from Costa Rica, we quantified somatic instability in blood, buccal cells, skin and skeletal muscle.

Ecological significance of dorsal polymorphism in a Batesian mimic snake.

Batesian mimicry is the process in which harmless species adopt the appearance of a dangerous, aposematic species. In some prey species, both Batesian mimetic and non-Batesian morphs coexist, presupposing that both morphs have to be evolutionarily advantageous. The viperine snake, , exhibits a zigzag dorsal pattern and antipredatory behavior that mimics European vipers.