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Network science has revealed universal brain connectivity principles across species. However, several macroscopic network features established in human neuroimaging studies remain underexplored at cellular scales in small animal models. Here, we use whole-brain calcium imaging in larval zebrafish to investigate the structural and genetic basis of functional brain networks. Mesoscopic functional connectivity (FC) robustly captures the individuality of larvae and reflects structural connectivity (SC) derived from single-neuron reconstructions. Several connectome properties, including diffusion mechanisms and indirect pathways, predict interregional correlations. SC and FC share a hierarchical modular architecture, with structural modules shaping spontaneous and stimulus-driven activity patterns. Visual stimuli and tail monitoring reveal a functional gradient that coincides with sensorimotor functions. Last, regional expression levels of specific genes predict interregional FC. Our findings reproduce key mammalian brain network features, demonstrating larval zebrafish as a powerful model for studying large-scale network phenomena in a small and optically accessible vertebrate brain.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adv7576 | DOI Listing |
Genome Biol
September 2025
Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 100101, Beijing, China.
Background: Centromeres are crucial for precise chromosome segregation and maintaining genome stability during cell division. However, their evolutionary dynamics, particularly in polyploid organisms with complex genomic architectures, remain largely enigmatic. Allopolyploid wheat, with its well-defined hierarchical ploidy series and recent polyploidization history, serves as an excellent model to explore centromere evolution.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Rev Mol Cell Biol
September 2025
Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA.
The defining property of eukaryotic cells is the storage of heritable genetic material in a nuclear compartment. For eukaryotic cells to carry out the myriad biochemical processes necessary for their function, macromolecules must be efficiently exchanged between the nucleus and cytoplasm. The nuclear pore complex (NPC) - which is a massive assembly of ~35 different proteins present in multiple copies totalling ~1,000 protein subunits and architecturally conserved across eukaryotes - establishes a size-selective channel for regulated bidirectional transport of folded macromolecules and macromolecular assemblies across the nuclear envelope.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Genet
September 2025
Institute of Medical Genetics and Applied Genomics, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
Despite advances in genomic diagnostics, the majority of individuals with rare diseases remain without a confirmed genetic diagnosis. The rapid emergence of advanced omics technologies, such as long-read genome sequencing, optical genome mapping and multiomic profiling, has improved diagnostic yield but also substantially increased analytical and interpretational complexity. Addressing this complexity requires systematic multidisciplinary collaboration, as recently demonstrated by targeted diagnostic workshops.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProtoplasma
September 2025
Vavilov Institute of General Genetics RAS, Moscow, Russia.
Large interstitial telomeric regions are considered remnants and markers of chromosomal rearrangements or a result of several suggested molecular mechanisms of telomere repeats accumulation. More rare are cases when large interstitial repeats are found not close to, but at a distance from the centromere. However, synapsis, recombination, and effects on chromatin near these regions during meiotic prophase I have not been sufficiently studied.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEMBO Mol Med
September 2025
State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity, Academy of Military Medical Sciences, 100071, Beijing, China.
Traditional live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) are typically developed through serial passaging or genetic engineering to introduce specific mutations or deletions. While viral RNA secondary or tertiary structures have been well-documented for their multiple functions, including binding with specific host proteins, their potential for LAV design remains largely unexplored. Herein, using Zika virus (ZIKV) as a model, we demonstrate that targeted disruption of the primary sequence or tertiary structure of a specific viral RNA element responsible for Musashi-1 (MSI1) binding leads to a tissue-specific attenuation phenotype in multiple animal models.
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