How Light at Night Sets the Circalunar Clock in the Marine Midge .

Many organisms inhabiting the interface between land and sea have evolved biological clocks corresponding to the period of the semilunar (14.77 days) or the lunar (29.53 days) cycle.

Biodegradation kinetics of organic micropollutants in biofilters for advanced wastewater treatment - Impact of operational conditions and biomass origin on removal.

Biofiltration processes are often part of advanced wastewater treatment (aWWT) technologies for the removal of organic micropollutants (OMP) from conventional wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents. Although biological effects are not always the main focus of these technologies (e.g.

Transgenic Targeting of Creates a Highly Efficient Constitutively Active Microglia Cre Line with Differentiated Specificity.

Microglia carry out important functions as the resident macrophages of the brain. To study their role in health and disease, the research community needs tools to genetically modify them with maximum completeness in a manner that distinguishes them from closely related cell types, such as monocytes. While currently available tamoxifen-inducible CreERT2 lines can achieve the differentiation from other cells, the field needs improved and publicly available constitutively active Cre lines, especially ones with favorable efficiency and specificity profiles for studies where high recombination efficiency is imperative and where tamoxifen administration is contraindicated.

The Free-Running Circasemilunar Period Is Determined by Counting Circadian Clock Cycles in the Marine Midge .

Semilunar rhythms are found in numerous marine organisms, but the molecular mechanism and functional principles of endogenous circasemilunar clocks remain elusive. Here, we explore the connection between the free-running circasemilunar clock and the circadian clock in the marine midge with three different chronobiological assays. First, we found that the free-running circasemilunar period of the adult emergence rhythm in changes linearly with diel T-cycle length, supporting a day-counting mechanism.

Genetic analysis of a phenotypic loss in the mechanosensory entrainment of a circalunar clock.

Genetic variants underlying traits that become either non-adaptive or selectively neutral are expected to have altered evolutionary trajectories. Uncovering genetic signatures associated with phenotypic loss presents the opportunity to discover the molecular basis for the phenotype in populations where it persists. Here we study circalunar clocks in populations of the marine midge Clunio marinus.

Polygenic adaptation from standing genetic variation allows rapid ecotype formation.

Adaptive ecotype formation can be the first step to speciation, but the genetic underpinnings of this process are poorly understood. Marine midges of the genus (Diptera) have recolonized Northern European shore areas after the last glaciation. In response to local tide conditions they have formed different ecotypes with respect to timing of adult emergence, oviposition behavior and larval habitat.

An oligogenic architecture underlying ecological and reproductive divergence in sympatric populations.

The evolutionary trajectories and genetic architectures underlying ecological divergence with gene flow are poorly understood. Sympatric timing types of the intertidal insect (Diptera) from Roscoff (France) differ in lunar reproductive timing. One type reproduces at full moon, the other at new moon, controlled by a circalunar clock of yet unknown molecular nature.

341 Repeats Is Not Enough for Methylation in a New Fragile X Mouse Model.

Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is a leading monogenic cause of intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorders, spurring decades of intense research and a multitude of mouse models. So far, these models do not recapitulate the genetic underpinning of classical FXS-CGG repeat-induced methylation of the locus-and their findings have failed to translate into the clinic. We sought to answer whether this disparity was because of low repeat length and generated a novel mouse line with 341 repeats, , which is the largest allele in mice reported to date.

MyelTracer: A Semi-Automated Software for Myelin -Ratio Quantification.

In the central and peripheral nervous systems, the myelin sheath promotes neuronal signal transduction. The thickness of the myelin sheath changes during development and in disease conditions like multiple sclerosis. Such changes are routinely detected using electron microscopy through -ratio quantification.

Circalunar clocks-Old experiments for a new era.

Circalunar clocks, which allow organisms to time reproduction to lunar phase, have been experimentally proven but are still not understood at the molecular level. Currently, a new generation of researchers with new tools is setting out to fill this gap. Our essay provides an overview of classic experiments on circalunar clocks.

Efficient embryonic homozygous gene conversion via RAD51-enhanced interhomolog repair.

Searching for factors to improve knockin efficiency for therapeutic applications, biotechnology, and generation of non-human primate models of disease, we found that the strand exchange protein RAD51 can significantly increase Cas9-mediated homozygous knockin in mouse embryos through an interhomolog repair (IHR) mechanism. IHR is a hallmark of meiosis but only occurs at low frequencies in somatic cells, and its occurrence in zygotes is controversial. Using multiple approaches, we provide evidence for an endogenous IHR mechanism in the early embryo that can be enhanced by RAD51.

A multi-component model for granular activated carbon filters combining biofilm and adsorption kinetics.

Along with the rise of biological active granular activated carbon (bGAC) filtration as advanced treatment technology for wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluents, the mathematical representation of such systems is gaining increasing importance. This work introduces a model that describes the performance of bGAC-filters for Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) removal from a WWTP effluent. The DOC removal within bGAC-filters is accomplished by two mechanisms: adsorptive removal and biological transformation.

Timing strains of the marine insect Clunio marinus diverged and persist with gene flow.

Genetic divergence of populations in the presence of gene flow is a central theme in speciation research. Theory predicts that divergence can happen with full range overlap - in sympatry - driven by ecological factors, but there are few empirical examples of how ecologically divergent selection can overcome gene flow and lead to reproductive isolation. In the marine midge Clunio marinus (Diptera: Chironomidae) reproduction is ecologically restricted to the time of the lowest tides, which is ensured through accurate control of development and adult emergence by circalunar and circadian clocks.

The importance of DNA barcode choice in biogeographic analyses - a case study on marine midges of the genus .

DNA barcodes are widely used for species identification and biogeographic studies. Here, we compare the use of full mitochondrial genomes versus DNA barcodes and other mitochondrial DNA fragments for biogeographic and ecological analyses. Our dataset comprised 120 mitochondrial genomes from the genus (Diptera: Chironomidae), comprising five populations from two closely related species ( and ) and three ecotypes.

An Ultra-Sensitive Step-Function Opsin for Minimally Invasive Optogenetic Stimulation in Mice and Macaques.

Optogenetics is among the most widely employed techniques to manipulate neuronal activity. However, a major drawback is the need for invasive implantation of optical fibers. To develop a minimally invasive optogenetic method that overcomes this challenge, we engineered a new step-function opsin with ultra-high light sensitivity (SOUL).

Developmental and sexual divergence in the olfactory system of the marine insect Clunio marinus.

An animal's fitness strongly depends on successful feeding, avoidance of predators and reproduction. All of these behaviours commonly involve chemosensation. As a consequence, when species' ecological niches and life histories differ, their chemosensory abilities need to be adapted accordingly.

Tmem119-EGFP and Tmem119-CreERT2 Transgenic Mice for Labeling and Manipulating Microglia.

Microglia are specialized brain-resident macrophages with important functions in health and disease. To improve our understanding of these cells, the research community needs genetic tools to identify and control them in a manner that distinguishes them from closely related cell types. We have targeted the recently discovered microglia-specific gene to generate knock-in mice expressing EGFP (JAX#031823) or CreERT2 (JAX#031820) for the identification and manipulation of microglia, respectively.

In mammalian skeletal muscle, phosphorylation of TOMM22 by protein kinase CSNK2/CK2 controls mitophagy.

In yeast, Tom22, the central component of the TOMM (translocase of outer mitochondrial membrane) receptor complex, is responsible for the recognition and translocation of synthesized mitochondrial precursor proteins, and its protein kinase CK2-dependent phosphorylation is mandatory for TOMM complex biogenesis and proper mitochondrial protein import. In mammals, the biological function of protein kinase CSNK2/CK2 remains vastly elusive and it is unknown whether CSNK2-dependent phosphorylation of TOMM protein subunits has a similar role as that in yeast. To address this issue, we used a skeletal muscle-specific Csnk2b/Ck2β-conditional knockout (cKO) mouse model.

Animal models for neuropsychiatric disorders: prospects for circuit intervention.

Monogenic animal models for psychiatric diseases have enabled researchers to dissect the relationship between certain candidate genes, neural circuit abnormalities, and behavioral phenotypes along development. Early reports of phenotypic reversal after genetic restoration in mouse models sparked hope that genetic defects do not damage circuits irreversibly in early-onset disorders. However, further studies have suggested that only some circuits exhibit this plasticity, while many others require proper gene function during development.

The genomic basis of circadian and circalunar timing adaptations in a midge.

Organisms use endogenous clocks to anticipate regular environmental cycles, such as days and tides. Natural variants resulting in differently timed behaviour or physiology, known as chronotypes in humans, have not been well characterized at the molecular level. We sequenced the genome of Clunio marinus, a marine midge whose reproduction is timed by circadian and circalunar clocks.

Mice with Shank3 Mutations Associated with ASD and Schizophrenia Display Both Shared and Distinct Defects.

Genetic studies have revealed significant overlaps of risk genes among psychiatric disorders. However, it is not clear how different mutations of the same gene contribute to different disorders. We characterized two lines of mutant mice with Shank3 mutations linked to ASD and schizophrenia.

Modeling psychiatric disorders for developing effective treatments.

Recent advances in identifying risk-associated genes have provided unprecedented opportunities for developing animal models for psychiatric disease research with the goal of attaining translational utility to ultimately develop novel treatments. However, at this early stage, successful translation has yet to be achieved. Here we review recent advances in modeling psychiatric disease, discuss the utility and limitations of animal models, and emphasize the importance of shifting from behavioral analysis to identifying neurophysiological abnormalities, which are likely to be more conserved across species and thus may increase translatability.

The first myriapod genome sequence reveals conservative arthropod gene content and genome organisation in the centipede Strigamia maritima.

Myriapods (e.g., centipedes and millipedes) display a simple homonomous body plan relative to other arthropods.