Polymorphism in the aggressive mimicry lure of the parasitic freshwater mussel .

Unionoid freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) are free-living apart from a brief, obligately parasitic, larval stage that infects fish hosts, and gravid female mussels have evolved a spectrum of strategies to infect fish hosts with their larvae. In many North American species, this involves displaying a mantle lure: a pigmented fleshy extension that acts as an aggressive mimic of a host fish prey, thereby eliciting a feeding response that results in host infection. The mantle lure of is of particular interest because it is apparently polymorphic, with two distinct primary lure phenotypes.

Genetic contribution to microglial activation in schizophrenia.

Several lines of evidence indicate the involvement of neuroinflammatory processes in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia (SCZ). Microglia are brain resident immune cells responding toward invading pathogens and injury-related products, and additionally, have a critical role in improving neurogenesis and synaptic functions. Aberrant activation of microglia in SCZ is one of the leading hypotheses for disease pathogenesis, but due to the lack of proper human cell models, the role of microglia in SCZ is not well studied.

A cluster of leptospirosis cases associated with crocodile workers in the Northern Territory, Australia, 2022.

Leptospirosis is a worldwide zoonotic waterborne disease endemic in tropical and subtropical climates. Outbreaks have been observed in the Northern Territory (NT) of Australia. We briefly described the epidemiology of leptospirosis in the NT between 2012 and 2022, and undertook an investigation of a cluster of three leptospirosis cases observed in crocodile workers between January and December 2022 in the Top End of the NT.

Single amino acid change alters specificity of the multi-allelic wheat stem rust resistance locus SR9.

Most rust resistance genes thus far isolated from wheat have a very limited number of functional alleles. Here, we report the isolation of most of the alleles at wheat stem rust resistance gene locus SR9. The seven previously reported resistance alleles (Sr9a, Sr9b, Sr9d, Sr9e, Sr9f, Sr9g, and Sr9h) are characterised using a synergistic strategy.