Targeted disruption of the gene in impairs membrane integrity and host symbiont dynamics.

The obligate symbiosis between pea aphids () and represents metabolic interdependence between the host insect and its bacterial symbiont. has a highly reduced genome that has lost nearly all phospholipid synthesis genes except , encoding a cardiolipin synthase homologue. We employed antisense, cell-penetrating peptide (CPP)-conjugated synthetic peptide nucleic acids (PNAs) to knock down in .

Refined CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing in the pea aphid uncovers the essential roles of Laccase2 in overwintering egg adaptation.

The production of overwintering eggs is a critical adaptation for winter survival among many insects. Melanization contributes to eggshell pigmentation and hardening, consequently enhancing resistance to environmental stress. The complex life cycle of the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum), a model hemipteran insect with remarkable reproductive capacity, involves cyclical parthenogenesis.

Electroporation-mediated functional analysis method of genes in the giant insect Trypoxylus dichotomus.

The Japanese rhinoceros beetle, Trypoxylus dichotomus, possesses large horns on its head and thorax, features whose biological significance has been explored across various fields, including evolutionary developmental biology, behavioral ecology, and materials science. To investigate the molecular basis of these characteristics, systemic larval RNA interference (RNAi) has been employed as a primary loss-of-function genetic tool. However, gain-of-function analyses and region-specific gene function assessments remain underdeveloped, thereby limiting the comprehensive understanding of the molecular mechanisms involved.

Draft genome sequences of from three aphid species (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Eriosomatinae) associated with gall formation on elm trees.

The genomes from eriosomatine gall-forming aphids , , and were sequenced, with genome sizes of 533,871, 530,863, and 627,315 bp, respectively. These genomes shed light on 's role in aphid symbiosis and adaptation.

Insights into convergent evolution of cosexuality in liverworts from the Marchantia quadrata genome.

Sex chromosomes are expected to coevolve with their respective sex, potentially disfavoring their co-occurrence as cosexuality evolves. This effect is expected to be stronger where sex chromosomes are restricted to one sex, such as in plants expressing sex in their haploid stage. We assess this hypothesis in liverworts with U/V sex chromosomes, ancestral dioicy, and several independent transitions to monoicy (cosexuality).

Loss-of-functional mutation in ANGUSTIFOLIA3 causes leucine hypersensitivity and hypoxia response during Arabidopsis thaliana seedling growth.

Introduction: The ANGUSTIFOLIA3 (AN3) gene encodes a transcriptional co-activator for cell proliferation in Arabidopsis thaliana leaves. We previously showed that Physcomitrium patens AN3 orthologs promote gametophore shoot formation through arginine metabolism.

Objectives: We analyzed the role of AN3 in Arabidopsis thaliana to understand how seedling growth is regulated by metabolic and physiological modulations.

Mouse-Geneformer: A deep learning model for mouse single-cell transcriptome and its cross-species utility.

Deep learning techniques are increasingly utilized to analyze large-scale single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data, offering valuable insights from complex transcriptome datasets. Geneformer, a pre-trained model using a Transformer Encoder architecture and human scRNA-seq datasets, has demonstrated remarkable success in human transcriptome analysis. However, given the prominence of the mouse, Mus musculus, as a primary mammalian model in biological and medical research, there is an acute need for a mouse-specific version of Geneformer.

Genome assembly of the temporary socially parasitic spiny ant Polyrhachis lamellidens and its host Camponotus japonicus.

Polyrhachis lamellidens is a temporary socially parasitic ant. The newly mated P. lamellidens queen takes over a colony of several Camponotus ant species and uses the labour of the host workers in the early stages of social parasitism.

LIPID RICH 1 modulates allocation of carbon between starch and triacylglycerol in Arabidopsis leaves.

Plants accumulate starch and triacylglycerols (TAGs) as carbon sources. Leaves primarily store starch in chloroplasts, with some TAGs stored in lipid droplets, but how carbon resource allocation is regulated in leaves during cellular metabolism is largely unknown. Using a forward genetics approach, we isolated an Arabidopsis thaliana mutant with more lipid droplets in its leaves than the wild type, named lipid rich 1 (liri1).

Comprehensive genome annotation of Trilocha varians, a new model species of Lepidopteran insects.

Trilocha varians is a member of the bombycid moths. Since T. varians has a considerably shorter generation period than the prevailing model species, Bombyx mori, this species would be a novel model insect in Lepidoptera.

Co-profiling of single-cell gene expression and chromatin landscapes in stickleback pituitary.

The pituitary gland is a key endocrine gland with various physiological functions including metabolism, growth, and reproduction. It comprises several distinct cell populations that release multiple polypeptide hormones. Although the major endocrine cell types are conserved across taxa, the regulatory mechanisms of gene expression and chromatin organization in specific cell types remain poorly understood.

Urodele amphibian newt bridges the missing link in evo-devo of the pancreas.

Background: The pancreas exhibits diverse structures and roles across vertebrates. The pancreas has evolved to include both endocrine and exocrine cells, a change that occurred during the transition from fish to amphibian. This event emphasizes the evolutionary significance of amphibians.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of wild silkmoth, Bombyx mandarina.

The wild silk moth, Bombyx mandarina, is the closest relative of the domesticated silk moth, Bombyx mori. National BioResource Project of Japan (NBRP) maintains a B. mandarina strain derived from individuals captured at Sakado (Saitama, Japan) in 1982.

Novel function of Hox13 in regulating outgrowth of the newt hindlimb bud through interaction with Fgf10 and Tbx4.

5'Hox genes regulate pattern formation along the axes of the limb. Previously, we showed that Hoxa13/Hoxd13 double-mutant newts lacked all digits of the forelimbs during development and regeneration, showing that newt Hox13 is necessary for digit formation in development and regeneration. In addition, we found another unique phenotype.

Genomic Introgression in the Hybrid zones at the Margins of the Species' Range Between Ecologically Distinct Species.

Populations in extreme environments at the margins of a species' range are often the most vulnerable to climate change, but they may also experience novel evolutionary processes, such as secondary contact and hybridization with their relatives. The range overlap resulting from secondary contact with related species that have adapted to different climatic zones may act as corridors for adaptive introgression. To test this hypothesis, we examined the hybrid zones along the altitude of two closely related species, one temperate and the other subtropical species, at their southern and northern limits on Yakushima Island, Japan.

A chromosome-level genome assembly of a model conifer plant, the Japanese cedar, Cryptomeria japonica D. Don.

Background: The Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) is one of the most important Japanese forest trees, occupying approximately 44% of artificial forests and planted in East Asia, the Azores Archipelago, and certain islands in the Indian Ocean. Although the huge genome of the species (ca.

Arabidopsis KNS3 and its two homologs mediate endoplasmic reticulum-to-plasma membrane traffic of boric acid channels.

Membrane proteins targeted to the plasma membrane are first transported from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) to the Golgi apparatus. This study explored the mechanisms controlling plasma membrane trafficking of the boric acid channel AtNIP5;1 from the ER. Imaging-based screening using transgenic Arabidopsis identified six mutants in which GFP-NIP5;1 was localized in the ER in addition to the plasma membrane.

Histological and gene-expression analyses of pyloric sphincter formation during stomach metamorphosis in Xenopus laevis.

During anuran metamorphosis from herbivorous tadpoles to carnivorous frogs, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract undergoes drastic remodeling, such as the formation of the stomach-intestine boundary and the development of the pyloric sphincter at the posterior end of the stomach. However, the morphogenetic process and molecular mechanisms of how the pyloric sphincter is formed during metamorphosis, instead of during embryogenesis as in amniotes, are largely uninvestigated. Using the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis, we histologically examined the development of the pylorus region from embryonic to froglet stages and performed spatiotemporal gene expression analyses.

Adaptive Evolution and Functional Differentiation of Testis-Expressed Genes in Theria.

Gene expression patterns differ in different tissues, and the expression pattern of genes in the mammalian testis is known to be extremely variable in different species. To clarify how the testis transcriptomic pattern has evolved in particular species, we examined the evolution of the adult testis transcriptome in Theria using 10 species: two marsupials (opossum and Tasmanian devil), six eutherian (placental) mammals (human, chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, rhesus macaque, and mouse), and two outgroup species (platypus and chicken). We show that 22 testis-expressed genes are marsupial-specific, suggesting their acquisition in the stem lineage of marsupials after the divergence from eutherians.

Colonization by orchid mycorrhizal fungi primes induced systemic resistance against necrotrophic pathogen.

Orchids and arbuscular mycorrhiza (AM) plants evolved independently and have different structures and fungal partners, but they both facilitate nutrient uptake. Orchid mycorrhiza (OM) supports orchid seed germination, but unlike AM, its role in disease resistance of mature plants is largely unknown. Here, we examined whether OM induces systemic disease resistance against a necrotrophic pathogen in a similar fashion to AM.

W chromosome sequences of two bombycid moths provide an insight into the origin of Fem.

Fem is a W-linked gene that encodes a piRNA precursor, and its product, Fem piRNA, is a master factor of female determination in Bombyx mori. Fem has low similarity to any known sequences, and the origin of Fem remains unclear. So far, two hypotheses have been proposed for the origin of Fem: The first hypothesis is that Fem is an allele of Masc, which assumes that the W chromosome was originally a homologous chromosome of the Z chromosome.

Slow decrease in temperature produces readthrough transcripts in mammalian hibernation.

Accumulating evidence suggests that various cellular stresses interfere with the end processing of mRNA synthesis and lead to the production of abnormally long transcripts, known as readthrough transcripts (RTTs), which extend beyond the termination sites. Small mammalian hibernators repeatedly enter a state referred to as deep torpor (DT), where the metabolic rate, respiration rate, and core body temperature become extremely low, which produces various types of cellular stresses and therefore induces RTTs. However, the types of stresses and processes around the DT that cause RTTs are unclear.

Detection of evolutionary conserved and accelerated genomic regions related to adaptation to thermal niches in lizards.

Understanding the genetic basis for adapting to thermal environments is important due to serious effects of global warming on ectothermic species. Various genes associated with thermal adaptation in lizards have been identified mainly focusing on changes in gene expression or the detection of positively selected genes using coding regions. Only a few comprehensive genome-wide analyses have included noncoding regions.