Human Papillomavirus 42 Drives Digital Papillary Adenocarcinoma and Elicits a Germ Cell-like Program Conserved in HPV-Positive Cancers.

Unlabelled: The skin is exposed to viral pathogens, but whether they contribute to the oncogenesis of skin cancers has not been systematically explored. Here we investigated 19 skin tumor types by analyzing off-target reads from commonly available next-generation sequencing data for viral pathogens. We identified human papillomavirus 42 (HPV42) in 96% (n = 45/47) of digital papillary adenocarcinoma (DPA), an aggressive cancer occurring on the fingers and toes.

Conditional GWAS of non-CG transposon methylation in Arabidopsis thaliana reveals major polymorphisms in five genes.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have revealed that the striking natural variation for DNA CHH-methylation (mCHH; H is A, T, or C) of transposons has oligogenic architecture involving major alleles at a handful of known methylation regulators. Here we use a conditional GWAS approach to show that CHG-methylation (mCHG) has a similar genetic architecture-once mCHH is statistically controlled for. We identify five key trans-regulators that appear to modulate mCHG levels, and show that they interact with a previously identified modifier of mCHH in regulating natural transposon mobilization.

Deep Single-Shot NanoLC-MS Proteome Profiling with a 1500 Bar UHPLC System, Long Fully Porous Columns, and HRAM MS.

This study demonstrates how the latest ultrahigh-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC) technology can be combined with high-resolution accurate-mass (HRAM) mass spectrometry (MS) and long columns packed with fully porous particles to improve bottom-up proteomics analysis with nanoflow liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (nanoLC-MS) methods. The increased back pressures from the UHPLC system enabled the use of 75 μm I.D.

Be aware of the allele-specific bias and compositional effects in multi-template PCR.

High-throughput sequencing of amplicon libraries is the most widespread and one of the most effective ways to study the taxonomic structure of microbial communities, even despite growing accessibility of whole metagenome sequencing. Due to the targeted amplification, the method provides unparalleled resolution of communities, but at the same time perturbs initial community structure thereby reducing data robustness and compromising downstream analyses. Experimental research of the perturbations is largely limited to comparative studies on different PCR protocols without considering other sources of experimental variation related to characteristics of the initial microbial composition itself.

Chromatin during plant regeneration: Opening towards root identity?

Plants show exceptional developmental plasticity and the ability to reprogram cell identities during regeneration. Although regeneration has been used in plant propagation for decades, we only recently gained detailed cellular and molecular insights into this process. Evidently, not all cell types have the same regeneration potential, and only a subset of regeneration-competent cells reach pluripotency.

Epigenetic regulation in the shoot apical meristem.

Epigenetic mechanisms form the basis of cellular memory, developmental decisions, and the cellular immune system that defends against transposons and viruses. Organs develop from the shoot apical meristem (SAM) to shape the plant's areal phenotype, and stem cells in the SAM serve as a functional germline. While many details on the regulation of stem cell pool size, organ initiation, and patterning at the meristem periphery are known, we know surprisingly little about the molecular characteristics of SAM cells, including their epigenome and how it changes during development.

Transcriptional response of a target plant to benzoxazinoid and diterpene allelochemicals highlights commonalities in detoxification.

Background: Plants growing in proximity to other plants are exposed to a variety of metabolites that these neighbors release into the environment. Some species produce allelochemicals to inhibit growth of neighboring plants, which in turn have evolved ways to detoxify these compounds.

Results: In order to understand how the allelochemical-receiving target plants respond to chemically diverse compounds, we performed whole-genome transcriptome analysis of Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to either the benzoxazinoid derivative 2-amino- 3H-phenoxazin-3-one (APO) or momilactone B.

Locally adaptive temperature response of vegetative growth in .

We investigated early vegetative growth of natural accessions in cold, nonfreezing temperatures, similar to temperatures these plants naturally encounter in fall at northern latitudes. We found that accessions from northern latitudes produced larger seedlings than accessions from southern latitudes, partly as a result of larger seed size. However, their subsequent vegetative growth when exposed to colder temperatures was slower.

Understorey light quality affects leaf pigments and leaf phenology in different plant functional types.

Forest understorey plants receive most sunlight in springtime before canopy closure, and in autumn following leaf-fall. We hypothesised that plant species must adjust their phenological and photoprotective strategies in response to large changes in the spectral composition of the sunlight they receive. Here, we identified how plant species growing in northern deciduous and evergreen forest understoreys differ in their response to blue light and ultraviolet (UV) radiation according to their functional strategy.

Bacterial-type ferroxidase tunes iron-dependent phosphate sensing during Arabidopsis root development.

Access to inorganic phosphate (Pi), a principal intermediate of energy and nucleotide metabolism, profoundly affects cellular activities and plant performance. In most soils, antagonistic Pi-metal interactions restrict Pi bioavailability, which guides local root development to maximize Pi interception. Growing root tips scout the essential but immobile mineral nutrient; however, the mechanisms monitoring external Pi status are unknown.

Mendelian and non-Mendelian genetics in model plants.

The "Mendelian Rules" of inheritance are cornerstones of genetics, described in Mendel's seminal publication from 1866. The experimental results and their interpretation have been discussed in numerous ways. This perspective emphasizes the contribution of Mendel's preparations prior to his crossing experiments to the discovery of Mendelian genetics.

Chromosome-level Thlaspi arvense genome provides new tools for translational research and for a newly domesticated cash cover crop of the cooler climates.

Thlaspi arvense (field pennycress) is being domesticated as a winter annual oilseed crop capable of improving ecosystems and intensifying agricultural productivity without increasing land use. It is a selfing diploid with a short life cycle and is amenable to genetic manipulations, making it an accessible field-based model species for genetics and epigenetics. The availability of a high-quality reference genome is vital for understanding pennycress physiology and for clarifying its evolutionary history within the Brassicaceae.

Quantitative Accuracy and Precision in Multiplexed Single-Cell Proteomics.

Single-cell proteomics workflows have considerably improved in sensitivity and reproducibility to characterize as-yet unknown biological phenomena. With the emergence of multiplexed single-cell proteomics, studies increasingly present single-cell measurements in conjunction with an abundant congruent carrier to improve the precursor selection and enhance identifications. While these extreme carrier spikes are often >100× more abundant than the investigated samples, the total ion current undoubtably increases but the quantitative accuracy possibly is affected.

Innate, translation-dependent silencing of an invasive transposon in Arabidopsis.

Co-evolution between hosts' and parasites' genomes shapes diverse pathways of acquired immunity based on silencing small (s)RNAs. In plants, sRNAs cause heterochromatinization, sequence degeneration, and, ultimately, loss of autonomy of most transposable elements (TEs). Recognition of newly invasive plant TEs, by contrast, involves an innate antiviral-like silencing response.

Comparative Proteome Signatures of Trace Samples by Multiplexed Data-Independent Acquisition.

Single-cell transcriptomics has revolutionized our understanding of basic biology and disease. Since transcript levels often do not correlate with protein expression, it is crucial to complement transcriptomics approaches with proteome analyses at single-cell resolution. Despite continuous technological improvements in sensitivity, mass-spectrometry-based single-cell proteomics ultimately faces the challenge of reproducibly comparing the protein expression profiles of thousands of individual cells.

Functional diversification gave rise to allelic specialization in a rice NLR immune receptor pair.

Cooperation between receptors from the nucleotide-binding, leucine-rich repeats (NLR) superfamily is important for intracellular activation of immune responses. NLRs can function in pairs that, upon pathogen recognition, trigger hypersensitive cell death and stop pathogen invasion. Natural selection drives specialization of host immune receptors towards an optimal response, whilst keeping a tight regulation of immunity in the absence of pathogens.

Fifteen compelling open questions in plant cell biology.

As scientists, we are at least as excited about the open questions-the things we do not know-as the discoveries. Here, we asked 15 experts to describe the most compelling open questions in plant cell biology. These are their questions: How are organelle identity, domains, and boundaries maintained under the continuous flux of vesicle trafficking and membrane remodeling? Is the plant cortical microtubule cytoskeleton a mechanosensory apparatus? How are the cellular pathways of cell wall synthesis, assembly, modification, and integrity sensing linked in plants? Why do plasmodesmata open and close? Is there retrograde signaling from vacuoles to the nucleus? How do root cells accommodate fungal endosymbionts? What is the role of cell edges in plant morphogenesis? How is the cell division site determined? What are the emergent effects of polyploidy on the biology of the cell, and how are any such "rules" conditioned by cell type? Can mechanical forces trigger new cell fates in plants? How does a single differentiated somatic cell reprogram and gain pluripotency? How does polarity develop de-novo in isolated plant cells? What is the spectrum of cellular functions for membraneless organelles and intrinsically disordered proteins? How do plants deal with internal noise? How does order emerge in cells and propagate to organs and organisms from complex dynamical processes? We hope you find the discussions of these questions thought provoking and inspiring.

GSNOR Contributes to Demethylation and Expression of Transposable Elements and Stress-Responsive Genes.

In the past, reactive nitrogen species (RNS) were supposed to be stress-induced by-products of disturbed metabolism that cause oxidative damage to biomolecules. However, emerging evidence demonstrates a substantial role of RNS as endogenous signals in eukaryotes. In plants, S-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO) is the dominant RNS and serves as the NO donor for S-nitrosation of diverse effector proteins.

Revisiting a GWAS peak in Arabidopsis thaliana reveals possible confounding by genetic heterogeneity.

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become a standard approach for exploring the genetic basis of phenotypic variation. However, correlation is not causation, and only a tiny fraction of all associations have been experimentally confirmed. One practical problem is that a peak of association does not always pinpoint a causal gene, but may instead be tagging multiple causal variants.

QUAREP-LiMi: A community-driven initiative to establish guidelines for quality assessment and reproducibility for instruments and images in light microscopy.

A modern day light microscope has evolved from a tool devoted to making primarily empirical observations to what is now a sophisticated , quantitative device that is an integral part of both physical and life science research. Nowadays, microscopes are found in nearly every experimental laboratory. However, despite their prevalent use in capturing and quantifying scientific phenomena, neither a thorough understanding of the principles underlying quantitative imaging techniques nor appropriate knowledge of how to calibrate, operate and maintain microscopes can be taken for granted.