Giant polyketide synthase enzymes in the biosynthesis of giant marine polyether toxins.

are harmful haptophyte algae that cause massive environmental fish kills. Their polyketide polyether toxins, the prymnesins, are among the largest nonpolymeric compounds in nature and have biosynthetic origins that have remained enigmatic for more than 40 years. In this work, we report the "PKZILLAs," massive polyketide synthase (PKS) genes that have evaded previous detection.

RISE-EM: Resident Instruction in Social Emergency Medicine, a Cohort Study of a Novel Curriculum.

There is recognition in the field of emergency medicine (EM) that social determinants of health (SDoH) are key drivers of patient care outcomes. Leaders in EM are calling for curricula integrating SDoH assessment and intervention, public health, and multidisciplinary approaches to EM care throughout medical school and residency. This intersection of SDoH and the emergency care system is known as social emergency medicine (SEM).

Giant polyketide synthase enzymes biosynthesize a giant marine polyether biotoxin.

are harmful haptophyte algae that cause massive environmental fish-kills. Their polyketide polyether toxins, the , are amongst the largest nonpolymeric compounds in nature, alongside structurally-related health-impacting "red-tide" polyether toxins whose biosynthetic origins have been an enigma for over 40 years. Here we report the 'PKZILLAs', massive polyketide synthase (PKS) genes, whose existence and challenging genomic structure evaded prior detection.

Extreme genome diversity and cryptic speciation in a harmful algal-bloom-forming eukaryote.

Harmful algal blooms of the toxic haptophyte Prymnesium parvum are a recurrent problem in many inland and estuarine waters around the world. Strains of P. parvum vary in the toxins they produce and in other physiological traits associated with harmful algal blooms, but the genetic basis for this variation is unknown.

transXpress: a Snakemake pipeline for streamlined de novo transcriptome assembly and annotation.

Background: RNA-seq followed by de novo transcriptome assembly has been a transformative technique in biological research of non-model organisms, but the computational processing of RNA-seq data entails many different software tools. The complexity of these de novo transcriptomics workflows therefore presents a major barrier for researchers to adopt best-practice methods and up-to-date versions of software.

Results: Here we present a streamlined and universal de novo transcriptome assembly and annotation pipeline, transXpress, implemented in Snakemake.

The research escape hunt: An escape room-scavenger hunt for resident education.

Objectives: Research and evidence-based medicine (EBM) education are important elements of emergency medicine (EM) residency training; however, curricular time is limited and integrating novel strategies to engage learners and improve understanding of complex concepts is challenging. We sought to develop a unique research escape hunt educational experience to teach EM residents basic research and EBM skills using an active-learning, team-based strategy.

Methods: A nine-station escape room-scavenger hunt was designed around educational content including (1) predictive statistics and diagnostic test characteristics, (2) interpretation of data and statistical analysis, (3) study design, (4) informed consent for research, and (5) the ethical principles guiding research.

Biosynthesis of Guanitoxin Enables Global Environmental Detection in Freshwater Cyanobacteria.

Harmful cyanobacterial blooms (cyanoHABs) cause recurrent toxic events in global watersheds. Although public health agencies monitor the causal toxins of most cyanoHABs and scientists in the field continue developing precise detection and prediction tools, the potent anticholinesterase neurotoxin, guanitoxin, is not presently environmentally monitored. This is largely due to its incompatibility with widely employed analytical methods and instability in the environment, despite guanitoxin being among the most lethal cyanotoxins.

Gene-Guided Discovery and Ribosomal Biosynthesis of Moroidin Peptides.

Moroidin is a bicyclic plant octapeptide with tryptophan side-chain cross-links, originally isolated as a pain-causing agent from the Australian stinging tree . Moroidin and its analog celogentin C, derived from , are inhibitors of tubulin polymerization and, thus, lead structures for cancer therapy. However, low isolation yields from source plants and challenging organic synthesis hinder moroidin-based drug development.

Biosynthesis of marine toxins.

Throughout history, humans have encountered natural toxic chemicals from the ocean environment, often through contaminated seafood. Although marine toxins can be harmful to human health and devastate local environments when they are produced during algal bloom events, they are also important biochemical research reagents and drug leads in medicine. In spite of their long history, the biosynthetic origin of many well-known marine toxins has remained elusive.

Laboratory culture of the California Sea Firefly Vargula tsujii (Ostracoda: Cypridinidae): Developing a model system for the evolution of marine bioluminescence.

Bioluminescence, or the production of light by living organisms via chemical reaction, is widespread across Metazoa. Laboratory culture of bioluminescent organisms from diverse taxonomic groups is important for determining the biosynthetic pathways of bioluminescent substrates, which may lead to new tools for biotechnology and biomedicine. Some bioluminescent groups may be cultured, including some cnidarians, ctenophores, and brittle stars, but those use luminescent substrates (luciferins) obtained from their diets, and therefore are not informative for determination of the biosynthetic pathways of the luciferins.

The biosynthetic origin of psychoactive kavalactones in kava.

Kava (Piper methysticum) is an ethnomedicinal shrub native to the Polynesian islands with well-established anxiolytic and analgesic properties. Its main psychoactive principles, kavalactones, form a unique class of polyketides that interact with the human central nervous system through mechanisms distinct from those of conventional psychiatric drugs. However, an unknown biosynthetic machinery and difficulty in chemical synthesis hinder the therapeutic use of kavalactones.

Firefly genomes illuminate parallel origins of bioluminescence in beetles.

Fireflies and their luminous courtships have inspired centuries of scientific study. Today firefly luciferase is widely used in biotechnology, but the evolutionary origin of bioluminescence within beetles remains unclear. To shed light on this long-standing question, we sequenced the genomes of two firefly species that diverged over 100 million-years-ago: the North American and Japanese To compare bioluminescent origins, we also sequenced the genome of a related click beetle, the Caribbean , with bioluminescent biochemistry near-identical to fireflies, but anatomically unique light organs, suggesting the intriguing hypothesis of parallel gains of bioluminescence.

Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAM) Resources in a Team-Based Learning Educational Series.

Although Free Open Access Medical Education (FOAM) has become popular within emergency medicine, concerns exist regarding its role in resident education. We sought to develop an educational intervention whereby residents could review FOAM resources while maintaining faculty oversight. We created a novel curriculum pairing FOAM from the Academic Life in Emergence Medicine (ALiEM) Approved Instructional Resources (Air) series with a team-based learning (TBL) format.

Intern as Patient: A Patient Experience Simulation to Cultivate Empathy in Emergency Medicine Residents.

Introduction: Prior work links empathy and positive physician-patient relationships to improved healthcare outcomes. The objective of this study was to analyze a patient experience simulation for emergency medicine (EM) interns as a way to teach empathy and conscientious patient care.

Methods: We conducted a qualitative descriptive study on an in situ, patient experience simulation held during EM residency orientation.

Molecular characterization of firefly nuptial gifts: a multi-omics approach sheds light on postcopulatory sexual selection.

Postcopulatory sexual selection is recognized as a key driver of reproductive trait evolution, including the machinery required to produce endogenous nuptial gifts. Despite the importance of such gifts, the molecular composition of the non-gametic components of male ejaculates and their interactions with female reproductive tracts remain poorly understood. During mating, male Photinus fireflies transfer to females a spermatophore gift manufactured by multiple reproductive glands.

Sulfoluciferin is Biosynthesized by a Specialized Luciferin Sulfotransferase in Fireflies.

Firefly luciferin is a specialized metabolite restricted to fireflies (family Lampyridae) and other select families of beetles (order Coleoptera). Firefly luciferin undergoes luciferase-catalyzed oxidation to produce light, thereby enabling the luminous mating signals essential for reproductive success in most bioluminescent beetles. Although firefly luciferin and luciferase have become widely used biotechnological tools, questions remain regarding the physiology and biochemistry of firefly bioluminescence.

A molecular gauge for nitrogen economy in plants.

Understanding nitrogen metabolism in plants holds promise for future agricultural improvements. Chellamuthu et al. now identify a feedback regulation in plant nitrogen metabolism through glutamine sensing.

Yap tunes airway epithelial size and architecture by regulating the identity, maintenance, and self-renewal of stem cells.

Our understanding of how stem cells are regulated to maintain appropriate tissue size and architecture is incomplete. We show that Yap (Yes-associated protein 1) is required for the actual maintenance of an adult mammalian stem cell. Without Yap, adult airway basal stem cells are lost through their unrestrained differentiation, resulting in the simplification of a pseudostratified epithelium into a columnar one.

Prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus on the stethoscopes of emergency medical services providers.

Objective: The investigation seeks to determine the prevalence of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) on the stethoscopes of emergency medical services (EMS) providers. While stethoscopes are known fomites for MRSA, the prevalence of MRSA in the prehospital setting is not well documented in the literature.

Methods: This was a prospective, observational cohort study of 50 stethoscopes provided by consecutive, consenting EMS providers at our academic emergency department (ED).