Adult zebrafish regenerate their kidneys after injury by activating quiescent renal stem cells, however the injury signals that activate kidney stem cells are not known. We show here that an innate immune, cytokine response after tubule injury is required and sufficient to induce adult zebrafish kidney regeneration. An injury reporter zebrafish transgenic, Tg(kim1:mScarlet3), revealed that […]

Purpose: Clinical translation of CAR T cell therapies has accelerated, yet preclinical evidence still often originates from single-center studies lacking sufficient robustness. Preclinical confirmatory multicenter studies have been proposed to improve the translational success, but their feasibility in cellular therapies remains unexplored. Methods: We performed a confirmatory multicenter study validating C-C-motive-receptor-8 (CCR8) overexpression in CAR […]

Determining spatial and temporal gene expression is crucial for understanding animal development and physiology. Promoter reporters are powerful tools used to dissect how cis-regulatory elements and trans-acting factors control gene expression. Many fluorescent proteins used in promoter reporters, however, have long half-lives (>24 hr) which limit the study of dynamic expression. Destabilizing sequences like PEST […]

Palytoxin, first isolated from Palythoa toxica, is among the most potent marine toxins known. Despite decades of biochemical investigation, genetic bases underlying its potential biosynthesis in Palythoa remain unresolved. Here we present four high-quality genome assemblies of Palythoa species, including Palythoa cf. toxica, and integrate these with a chromosome-scale genome assembly of P. caribaeorum. Performing […]

Glucose homeostasis is governed by peptidases across the kingdom of life. Host overconsumption of glucose transforms gut microbial compositions and activities. Here, we identify an IDE-like M16 peptidase in human gut commensal Bacteroides that controls glucose-dependent inhibition of the transcriptional regulator, Cur, which is important for intestinal colonization and host-microbial interactions. This regulatory paradigm is […]

The increasing prevalence of antifungal resistance among clinically relevant pathogens such as Candida albicans and Aspergillus fumigatus necessitates the exploration of novel bioactive compounds from sustainable sources. Mushrooms represent promising reservoirs of bioactive metabolites; however, the influence of cultivation substrates on their antifungal potential remains underexplored, particularly in tropical systems. This study investigated the antifungal […]

Understanding how warming alters estuarine plankton communities is essential for predicting future changes in biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. We conducted a four-week indoor mesocosm experiment using natural summer plankton from the Elbe River to examine the effects of warming (+2 C and +4 C) on abiotic conditions and responses of the plankton community. In this […]

Bacterial chemotaxis is a key process in host colonization and virulence, mediated by large repertoires of chemoreceptors. Despite their physiological and ecological importance, mapping these chemoreceptors to their cognate metabolic ligands remains a major challenge due to the vast number of potential interactions. To address this, we developed a pooled screening assay that enriches functional […]

Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance (TEI) allows organisms to express heritable responses to environmental stresses, and can potentially contribute to adaptive evolution. The microbivorous model organism *Caenorhabditis* elegans is perhaps the best example, as it can learn to avoid pathogenic *Pseudomonas* bacteria and transmit this learned avoidance to its offspring. However, the extent to which TEI is […]

Leaf litter ecosystems and their fauna are largely understudied, despite their critical ecological roles. Here, we investigate challenges associated with estimating biodiversity in terrestrial leaf litter. Current methodologies for biodiversity assessment are fraught with limitations, amongst the most significant is a decline in taxonomic expertise, complicating the process of species identification and the significant costs […]

Carbapenem-resistant Gram-negative bacteria pose a critical public health threat. The role of mobile genetic elements in driving their transmission and persistence remains poorly defined. In 2022, we investigated a suspected outbreak of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAB) in a Nigerian adult intensive care unit (ICU), using short-read whole genome sequencing (WGS) of carbapenem-resistant clinical and environmental […]

The antigenic evolution of human seasonal influenza viruses is primarily driven by single amino acid substitutions immediately adjacent to the receptor binding site in the hemagglutinin (HA) protein. The ability to predict these substitutions would allow vaccine strains to be selected with an understanding of likely future antigenic variation. Here, we estimate the effect of […]