Synthetic receptors are powerful tools for cellular engineering, yet their utility is often constrained by constitutive activity and the absence of natural feedback mechanisms that maintain cellular homeostasis. To address this, we engineered an autonomous regulatory circuit for synthetic Notch (synNotch) receptor activation using an orthogonal microRNA (miRNA)-mediated negative feedback mechanism in mammalian cells. Specifically, […]
Quantitative Imaging and Characterization of Ganglioside Diversity in Mouse and Human Brain Tissues
Our understanding of how ganglioside species are spatially and quantitatively distributed within regions in mammalian remains limited. Studies are typically translated from rodents, assuming that gangliosides species contents within brain regions reflect the human condition. Herein, we provide a rich spatial ganglioside brain atlas describing the content, compositional differences, and concentrations of 48 ganglioside species […]
Early Spatiotemporal Deficits Become Competitive Advantages During Collective Expansion
Rapid expansion into new territory is fundamental to population persistence, ecological dominance, and evolutionary success. Every race for space is initiated by founding populations, yet how their initial spatiotemporal conditions shape the outcome remains unclear. Here, by combining nonlinear theory with quantitative microbial experiments, we show that collective motility can overturn the classical logic of […]
Transcriptomic profiling reveals multiple mechanisms of insecticide resistance in Aedes aegypti from Angola
Control of arboviruses remains heavily reliant on insecticide-based vector control targeting adult Aedes aegypti, especially during outbreaks, but the effectiveness of these tools can be compromised by insecticide resistance. While the mechanisms underlying resistance have been widely studied in Latin American and South East Asian Ae. aegypti, knowledge from African populations is limited, particularly regarding […]
SAD-dependent thylakoid lipid desaturation and FDX5-associated electron transfer during copper deficiency in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
Photosynthetic membranes undergo structural remodeling in response to environmental stress by altering fatty acid composition and desaturation levels. These changes, mediated by fatty acid desaturases (FADs), are essential for maintaining photosynthetic performance and adaptation. In this study, we demonstrate that copper-deficient Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells upregulate the expression of the gene encoding stearoyl-ACP desaturase (SAD/FAB2). We […]
One-pot enzymatic synthesis of the sugar nucleotide CDP-ribitol
CDP-ribitol serves as an essential donor for D-ribitol-5-phosphate incorporation into bacterial and mammalian glycoconjugates. Here, we demonstrate the one-pot enzymatic synthesis of CDP-ribitol from the readily available precursor ribitol. We also explore the synthesis of bioorthogonally tagged derivatives and other CDP conjugates, thereby providing valuable new tools for glycoscience research.
Genomic Architecture, Differentiation, and Adaptation in Three Large Falcons
Recent chromosomal rearrangements and divergence in large falcon species make them excellent foci for studies on evolution and genomic architecture. Here, we use high-coverage (44-74X) whole genome resequencing with 10X Genomics Linked-Reads to assess patterns of genomic divergence in peregrine, saker, and gyrfalcons and we link these to chromosomal type and chromosomal rearrangements. We first […]
Comprehensive analysis of de novo variants across 2,497 orofacial cleft trios reveals novel genetic drivers of disease
Background Orofacial clefts (OFCs) and other palate abnormalities (PAs) are among the most common birth defects worldwide and are characterized by the abnormal formation of the lip and/or palate. Genetic studies have traditionally classified OFC cases as either syndromic, involving OFCs alongside other congenital anomalies, or nonsyndromic, which represent the majority of cases and occur […]
Efficient and accurate near telomere-to-telomere haplotype reconstruction of diploid genomes
Telomere-to-telomere (T2T) and haplotype-resolved assembly are crucial for understanding eukaryotic genomes. For diploid species, this resolution is critical to uncover allelic variations, inheritance patterns, and functional genomic traits. Current scaffolding methods typically employ either sequence-based or graph-based strategies.Sequence-based approaches rely on proximity signals to yield high contiguity, but underutilize assembly graph information, resulting in more […]
Predicting Influenza Virus Host Tropism and Zoonotic Spillover Risk from Protein Sequences
Novel infectious diseases, predominantly originating from non-human animals, pose a significant threat to global public health and economic stability. Avian influenza virus presents an especially significant challenge due to its high mortality rates and spillover capability into new host species. Recent H5N1 spillover events into poultry and cattle resulted in massive economic burden and increased […]
Engineered microRNA feedback circuits enable tunable and autonomous control of synthetic receptor activity
Synthetic receptors are powerful tools for cellular engineering, yet their utility is often constrained by constitutive activity and the absence of natural feedback mechanisms that maintain cellular homeostasis. To address this, we engineered an autonomous regulatory circuit for synthetic Notch (synNotch) receptor activation using an orthogonal microRNA (miRNA)-mediated negative feedback mechanism in mammalian cells. Specifically, […]
Beyond student outcomes: How creating Open Educational Resources benefits authors in a research coordination network
Open educational resources (OERs) contain authentic materials that benefit students, but few studies have focused on the benefits to authors of OERs. This gap needs attention considering the challenges that OER authors face, given their commitments to multiple professional activities while also being motivated to take part in OER development. It is critical to understand […]