The long non-coding RNA MALAT1 regulates intestine host-microbe interactions and polyposis.

The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) Metastasis-associated lung adenocarcinoma transcript 1 (MALAT1) maintains the integrity of the intestinal epithelial barrier and regulates local inflammation. However, its influences on intestinal microbial communities and tissue susceptibility to cancer development remain unexplored. Here, we report that MALAT1 regulates host anti-microbial response gene expression and the composition of mucosal-associated microbial communities in a region-specific manner.

Decoding hereditary spastic paraplegia pathogenicity through transcriptomic profiling.

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a group of genetic motor neuron diseases resulting from length-dependent axonal degeneration of the corticospinal upper motor neurons. Due to the advancement of next-generation sequencing, more than 70 novel HSP disease-causing genes have been identified in the past decade. Despite this, our understanding of HSP physiopathology and the development of efficient management and treatment strategies remain poor.

Modification of maternally defined H3K4me3 regulates the inviability of interspecific hybrids.

Increasing evidence suggests that interspecific hybridization is crucial to speciation. However, chromatin incompatibility during interspecific hybridization often renders this process. Genomic imbalances such as chromosomal DNA loss and rearrangements leading to infertility have been commonly noted in hybrids.

ApoE4 associated with severe COVID-19 outcomes via downregulation of ACE2 and imbalanced RAS pathway.

Background: Recent numerous epidemiology and clinical association studies reported that ApoE polymorphism might be associated with the risk and severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and yielded inconsistent results. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection relies on its spike protein binding to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor expressed on host cell membranes.

Methods: A meta-analysis was conducted to clarify the association between ApoE polymorphism and the risk and severity of COVID-19.

Inhibition of PI3 kinase isoform p110α suppresses neuroblastoma growth and induces the reduction of Anaplastic Lymphoma Kinase.

Background: In neuroblastoma, hyperactivation of the PI3K signaling pathway has been correlated with aggressive neuroblastomas, suggesting PI3Ks as promising targets for the treatment of neuroblastoma. However, the oncogenic roles of individual PI3K isoforms in neuroblastoma remain elusive.

Results: We found that PI3K isoform p110α was expressed at higher levels in neuroblastoma tissues compared with normal tissues, and its high expression was correlated with an unfavorable prognosis of neuroblastoma.

A robust pipeline for ranking carrier frequencies of autosomal recessive and X-linked Mendelian disorders.

Single gene disorders are individually rare but collectively common leading causes of neonatal and pediatric morbidity and mortality. Both parents or the mothers of affected individuals with autosomal recessive or X-linked recessive diseases, respectively, are carrier(s). Carrier frequencies of recessive diseases can vary drastically among different ethnicities.

[Regulatory Effect of Vitamin D on Renin Expression at Maternal-Fetal Interface].

Objective: To investigate the regulatory effect and mechanism of vitamin D on the local renin-angiotensin system at maternal-fetal interface in the pathological process of preeclampsia (PE).

Methods: The mRNA and protein expression of renin in decidua of normal pregnancy and PE placentas was determined by RT-PCR and Western blot. Normal decidual tissues were treated with active and inactive vitamin D for 48 h and the expressions of renin and vitamin D deactivating enzyme CYP24A1 were determined by RT-PCR and Western blot.

The COVID-19 pandemic and Alzheimer's disease: mutual risks and mechanisms.

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a life-threatening disease, especially in elderly individuals and those with comorbidities. The predominant clinical manifestation of COVID-19 is respiratory dysfunction, while neurological presentations are increasingly being recognized. SARS-CoV-2 invades host cells primarily via attachment of the spike protein to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor expressed on cell membranes.

Himalayan musk deer () behavior at latrine sites and their implications in conservation.

Elusive species often use latrines which also serves as communication and information hubs. Thus, studying behavior at latrines may provide critical insights into the species' ecology and behavior. While it is established that musk deer use latrines for defecating, very little is known about the endangered Himalayan musk deer () and their latrines.

Host and geographic barriers shape the competition, coexistence, and extinction patterns of influenza A (H1N1) viruses.

The influenza virus mutates and spreads rapidly, making it suitable for studying evolutionary and ecological processes. The ecological factors and processes by which different lineages of influenza compete or coexist within hosts through time and across geographical space are poorly known. We hypothesized that competition would be stronger for influenza viruses infecting the same host compared to different hosts (the Host Barrier Hypothesis), and for those with a higher cross-region transmission intensity (the Geographic Barrier Hypothesis).

Demographic history and genetic diversity of wild African harlequin quail () populations of Kenya.

Hunting wild African harlequin quails () using traditional methods in Western Kenya has been ongoing for generations, yet their genetic diversity and evolutionary history are largely unknown. In this study, the genetic variation and demographic history of wild African harlequin quails were assessed using a 347bp mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region fragment and 119,339 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) data. Genetic diversity analyses revealed that the genetic variation in wild African harlequin quails was predominantly among individuals than populations.

How do Snow Partridge () and Tibetan Snowcock () coexist in sympatry under high-elevation conditions on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau?

The Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) has the highest elevations of all biodiversity hotspots. Difficulties involved in fieldwork at high elevations cause challenges in researching mechanisms facilitating species coexistence. Herein, we investigated Snow Partridge () and Tibetan Snowcock (), the only two endemic Galliformes on the QTP, to understand species coexistence patterns and determine how they live in sympatry for the first time.

Gut Microbiota Linked with Reduced Fear of Humans in Red Junglefowl Has Implications for Early Domestication.

Domestication of animals can lead to profound phenotypic modifications within short evolutionary time periods, and for many species behavioral selection is likely at the forefront of this process. Animal studies have strongly implicated that the gut microbiome plays a major role in host behavior and cognition through the microbiome-gut-brain axis. Consequently, herein, it is hypothesized that host gut microbiota may be one of the earliest phenotypes to change as wild animals were domesticated.

Geographic distributions shape the functional traits in a large mammalian family.

Traits of organisms are shaped by their living environments and also determined in part by their phylogenetic relationships. For example, phylogenetic relationships often affect the geographic distributions of animals and cause variation in their living environments, which usually play key roles in the life history and determine the functional traits of species. As an ancient family of mammals, bears widely distribute and have evolved some specific strategies for survival and reproduction during their long-term evolutionary histories.

Nestedness theory suggests wetland fragments with large areas and macrophyte diversity benefit waterbirds.

Many artificial wetland constructions are currently underway worldwide to compensate for the degradation of natural wetland systems. Researchers face the responsibility of proposing wetland management and species protection strategies to ensure that constructed wetlands positively impact waterbird diversity. Nestedness is a commonly occurring pattern for biotas in fragmented habitats with important implications for conservation; however, only a few studies have focused on seasonal waterbird communities in current artificial wetlands.

Cloning capacity helps seeds of counter animal predation.

Seed predators have the potential to act as agents of natural selection that influence seed traits and seed fates, which in turn affect the whole plant population dynamic. Accordingly, plants deploy a variety of mechanisms (e.g.

Shennongjia-Wushan Mountains-One cryptic glacial refugium introduced by the phylogeographical study of the Geometridae moth Wehrli.

The origin and evolution of biodiversity in the Shennongjia and Wushan Mountains, located in central China, are little known. In this study, we used , which is widely distributed in China and northern Nepal, to explore whether these mountains acted as glacial refugia during climate oscillations of the Quaternary. In total, 192 samples of were collected throughout much of the distribution range.

Tree diversity and functional leaf traits drive herbivore-associated microbiomes in subtropical China.

Herbivorous insects acquire microorganisms from host plants or soil, but it remains unclear how the diversity and functional composition of host plants contribute to structuring herbivore microbiomes. Within a controlled tree diversity setting, we used DNA metabarcoding of 16S rRNA to assess the contribution of Lepidoptera species and their local environment (particularly, tree diversity, host tree species, and leaf traits) to the composition of associated bacterial communities. In total, we obtained 7,909 bacterial OTUs from 634 caterpillar individuals comprising 146 species.

Collecting eco-evolutionary data in the dark: Impediments to subterranean research and how to overcome them.

Caves and other subterranean habitats fulfill the requirements of experimental model systems to address general questions in ecology and evolution. Yet, the harsh working conditions of these environments and the uniqueness of the subterranean organisms have challenged most attempts to pursuit standardized research.Two main obstacles have synergistically hampered previous attempts.

Cropland connectivity affects genetic divergence of Colorado potato beetle along an invasion front.

The population genetic structure of invasive species can be strongly affected by environmental and landscape barriers to dispersal. Disentangling the relative contributions of these factors to genetic divergence among invading populations is a fundamental goal of landscape genetics with important implications for invasion management. Here, we relate patterns of genetic divergence in a global invasive agricultural pest, Colorado potato beetle (CPB; ), to environmental and landscape factors along an invasion front in Northwestern China.

Comparative transcriptomics of ice-crawlers demonstrates cold specialization constrains niche evolution in a relict lineage.

Key changes in ecological niche space are often critical to understanding how lineages diversify during adaptive radiations. However, the converse, or understanding why some lineages are depauperate and relictual, is more challenging, as many factors may constrain niche evolution. In the case of the insect order Grylloblattodea, highly conserved thermal breadth is assumed to be closely tied to their relictual status, but has not been formerly tested.

Niche-neutral theoretic approach to mechanisms underlying the biodiversity and biogeography of human microbiomes.

The human microbiome consists of five major regional biomes distributed in or on our five body sites including skin, oral, lung, gut, and reproductive tract. Its biogeography (the spatial and temporal distribution of its biodiversity) has far-reaching implications to our health and diseases. Nevertheless, we currently have very limited understanding on the shaping the biogeography, since it is often rather difficult to determine the relative importance of drift, dispersal, speciation, and selection, the four processes (mechanisms) determining the patterns of microbial biogeography and community dynamics according to a recent synthesis in community ecology and biogeography.

Deficiency of STING Signaling in Embryonic Cerebral Cortex Leads to Neurogenic Abnormalities and Autistic-Like Behaviors.

STING is known as a central adaptor for sensing cytosolic DNA sensing. Recent studies have provided evidence that STING response is divergent among different cell types. Here, this work demonstrates that STING controls neural progenitor cells (NPCs) by sensing DNA damage in NPCs.