02/25/2021
Research Article
Ruyuan Zhou, Qirou Wu, Mengqiu Wang, Pinglong Xu and colleagues identify PPM1A as a phosphatase which dephosphorylates Yap, a key effector of Hippo signaling. This dephosphorylation event governs the regeneration of intestine and liver upon injury, and therefore represents a candidate therapeutic target for the treatment of Hippo signaling-related diseases such as colitis
Image credit: pbio.3001122
Current Issue January 2021
02/25/2021
Methods and Resources
To help meet the ensuing demand for COVID-19 reagents, Suzannah Rihn, Andres Merits, Siddharth Bakshi, Matthew Turnbull, Arvind Patel, Ali Zaid, Sam Wilson, Suresh Mahalingam and co-authors present an openly available ‘coronavirus toolkit’ and describe the generation and validation of these tools, including a simple SARS-CoV-2 reverse genetics system and a near-comprehensive panel of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies.
Image credit: pbio.3001091
02/24/2021
Research Article
TGF-β signaling is critical for promoting cancer metastasis, primarily via Smad-dependent regulation of the epithelial-mesenchymal transition; Mengmeng Niu, Yajun He, Zhi-Xiong Jim Xiao and colleagues reveal that non-canonical TGF-β signaling stabilizes the E3 ubiquitin ligase FBXO3 to target ΔNp63α for degradation, resulting in downregulation of adhesion molecules and promotion of breast cancer metastasis.
Image credit: pbio.3001113
02/24/2021
Community Page
Tracey Weissgerber describes a participant-guided "learn by doing" initiative, in which a multidisciplinary, global team of early career researchers learned meta-research skills by working together to design, conduct and publish a meta-research (science of science) study. Participants can now apply these skills to solve problems in their own fields.
Image credit: Wikimedia Commons Nessma Elaassar
02/23/2021
Research Article
Using data from The Cancer Genome Atlas, Sarah Head, Martin Schaefer, Luis Serrano and co-workers show that the splicing factor SRRM4 and its program of differentiation-promoting microexons are downregulated across tumor types with remarkable consistency, providing tumors with a proliferative advantage.
Image credit: pbio.3001138
02/19/2021
Research Article
Humans and many other hosts establish a diverse community of beneficial microbes anew each generation, but what determines the success of the assembly process remains poorly understood. Katharine Coyte, Kevin Foster and colleagues develop ecological theory that reveals the rules underlying the assembly of such host-associated microbiota.
Image credit: pbio.3001116
02/18/2021
Research Article
An important agricultural pest, the western corn rootworm, integrates nutrients (sugars) and plant defense compounds (benzoxazinoids) to navigate the maize rhizosphere and feed on the most nutritious roots.
Image credit: pbio.3001114
02/17/2021
Research Article
Why is SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with an increased thrombotic risk? Disease severity is associated with higher platelet volume and lower platelet:neutrophil ratio; all COVID-19 patients possess hyperactive circulating platelets.
Image credit: David Goodsell
02/17/2021
Research Article
The nonsense-mediated decay pathway suppresses reactivation of the human oncogenic herpesviruses EBV and KSHV by regulating the abundance of viral polycistronic transactivator transcripts.
Image credit: pbio.3001097
02/16/2021
Short Reports
Sweating is a basic skin function in body temperature control, and salt excretion and reabsorption in sweat glands are essential for salt-water balance. Corin, a protease that activates atrial natriuretic peptide, is a key enzyme in regulating salt excretion in the skin.
Image credit: pbio.3001090
Raquel Lieberman discusses her work on the protein myocilin, implicated in glaucoma, but whose normal function remains unclear after over 20 years.
Susanna Bidgood explores the future of using poxviruses as versatile tools for cell biology research.
Rachel Harding proposes that open notebooks present an opportunity for researchers to showcase their work and rapidly advance science in their field
On the eve of the UN General Assembly meeting on TB, Christoph Grundner urged the need to consider basic research as an essential component of any future anti-TB strategy.
Norman Pace remembers the early days of what became known as "metagenomics," as experienced by the author during his development as a scientist.
Normal service will resume after Covid-19 crisis ends.
Normal service will resume after Covid-19 crisis ends.
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