06/04/2021
Discovery Report
Cryo-EM structures of the G protein-coupled receptor CCK1R bound to the CCK peptide agonist CCK-8 and two distinct transducer proteins (its primary transducer Gq, and the more weakly coupled Gs), by Jesse Mobbs, Matthew Belousoff, Denise Wootten, David Thal, Laurence Miller, Patrick Sexton and co-workers, reveal unexpected modes of G protein interaction.
Image credit: pbio.3001295
Current Issue May 2021
06/03/2021
Research Article
Is nutrient-sparing agriculture a viable alternative to the current U.S. food system? Using a model of nitrogen-sparing agriculture (NSA), Gidon Eshel finds that exclusive reliance on NSA could markedly improve the nutritional quality of the national diet, enhance protein availability, permit some beef consumption, and reduce eutrophication. It will require, however, substantially elevated reliance on plants as the backbone of the diet.
Image credit: pbio.3001264
06/02/2021
Research Article
Jung Mi Park, Malia Potts and co-authors identify a nutrient-sensitive signaling pathway that drives growth and inhibits autophagy in mammalian cells. This pathway, which involves the non-receptor tyrosine kinase SRMS and the PHLPP scaffold protein FKBP51, promotes tumor growth and is amenable to pharmacological inhibition.
Image credit: pbio.3001281
06/02/2021
Research Article
Episodic memory depends on interactions between the hippocampus and interconnected neocortical regions. Alexander Barnett, Charan Ranganath and colleagues use network analyses of intrinsic brain networks at rest to identify and characterize brain networks that interact with the hippocampus and have distinct functions during memory-guided decision making.
Image credit: pbio.3001275
06/01/2021
Discovery Report
Monica Sueiro-Olivares, Jorge Amich and co-workers reveal that the post-translational modification persulfidation is important for both fungal virulence and the host antifungal response. The level of persulfidation in the host, which correlates with its antifungal potency, impacts the level required in the fungus to counteract host attack, reflecting a functional correlation. Modulating persulfidation may be a promising therapeutic strategy.
Image credit: pbio.3001247
06/01/2021
Short Reports
Feng Han, Xiao Liu, and colleagues, including the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative, reveal strong coupling between the global fMRI signal and cerebrospinal fluid influx, finding that this is correlated with Alzheimer’s disease-related pathology, disease severity, and cognitive decline.
Image credit: pbio.3001233
06/01/2021
Research Article
This study distinguishes genetic, epigenetic, and stochastic sources of heterogeneity in an in vitro tumor model, using whole-exome sequencing, single-cell RNA sequencing, drug-response profiling, and stochastic simulations.
Image credit: pbio.3000797
05/26/2021
Research Article
Hyperactivation of the mTOR pathway can cause cortical malformations and epilepsy. These effects can be uncoupled; mTOR hyperactivity in a limited set of neurons induces hyperexcitability in non-targeted, healthy neurons.
Image credit: pbio.3001279
05/26/2021
Research Article
Phosphatidylserine-binding chemokines endow extracellular apoptotic bodies with “find-me” signals that trigger phagocyte migration for potential apoptotic cell clearance.
Image credit: pbio.3001259
05/26/2021
Research Article
The formaldehyde sensor efgA plays an important role in the endogenous formaldehyde stress response in Methylorubrum extorquens, halting cell growth in response to elevated levels of this toxic intermediate, and is found almost exclusively in methylotrophic taxa.
Image credit: pbio.3001208
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.
June 7-9
Meet senior editor Gabriel Gasque
June 7-8
Meet editor-in-chief Nonia Pariente
June 1-10
Meet editor-in-chief Nonia Pariente
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