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Making female gametophytes

March 26, 2021

Making female gametophytes

Live-cell imaging and transcriptomics of single female gametophyte cells, by Daichi Susaki, Tetsuya Higashiyama, Daisuke Kurihara and colleagues, reveals novel insights into the dynamics and mechanisms of cell fate specification in the model plant Arabidopsis.

Image credit: Daisuke Kurihara

PLOS Biologue

Community blog for PLOS Biology, PLOS Genetics and PLOS Computational Biology.

PLOS BIOLOGUE

03/26/2021

Essay

Building bridges between data types across the life sciences

Data integration is key to the reintegration of biology and the pursuit of global issues such as climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainable ecosystem management. Anne Thessen, Melissa Haendel and co-authors define the primary challenges in data integration and present a vision for a "Data as a Service" (DaaS) oriented architecture that enables frictionless data reuse, hypothesis testing, and discovery.

Image credit: pbio.3001129

Building bridges between data types across the life sciences

Recently Published Articles

Current Issue

Current Issue March 2021

03/24/2021

Research Article

SARS-CoV-2 variants reveal viral replication features

SARS-CoV-2 variants have appeared throughout the emergence of the current COVID-19 pandemic. characterization of a panel of infectious SARS-CoV-2 isolates in primary human respiratory cells allows Marie Pohl, Idoia Busnadiego, Michael Huber, Silke Stertz, Benjamin Hale and co-workers to identify important sequence features that contribute to virus replication.

Image credit: pbio.3001006

SARS-CoV-2 variants reveal viral replication features

03/24/2021

Methods and Resources

Mapping exposed 3' ends

Neesha Kara, Jonathan Houseley and colleagues describe TrAEL-seq, which provides genome-wide base-pair resolution maps of exposed DNA 3' ends; this reveals replication fork stalling and normal replication profiles in asynchronous, unlabelled wildtype cell populations, along with the sites of resected DNA breaks.

Image credit: pbio.3000886

Mapping exposed 3' ends

03/22/2021

Research Article

Gene conversion in plants: meiosis vs mitosis

Gene conversion associated with meiosis has long been a focus of attention in population genomics, but mitotic conversion has been relatively ignored. Analysis in plants by Xianqing Jia, Qijun Zhang, Mengmeng Jiang, Laurence Hurst, Sihai Yang and co-authors suggests that this could be a mistake; long tract lengths and multiple mitoses in species lacking germline sequestration suggest that mitotic conversion, although rare per mitosis, should not be ignored.

Gene conversion in plants: meiosis vs mitosis

Image credit: Xianqing Jia

03/22/2021

Research Article

Modeling within-host dynamics of SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV

Using a combination of mathematical modeling and published viral load data, Kwang Su Kim, Keisuke Ejima, Alan Perelson, Shingo Iwami and co-workers compare within-host viral dynamics of SARS-CoV-2 with those of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, and predict efficacy of potential antiviral drugs that have different modes of action.

Modeling within-host dynamics of SARS-CoV-2, MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV

Image credit: pbio.3001128

03/19/2021

Research Article

Spinal microglia and chronic pain

Min-Hee Yi, Long-Jun Wu and co-workers show that optogenetic activation of spinal microglia in awake mice increases IL-1β production via inflammasome activation and calcium elevation, leading to neuronal hyperactivity and chronic pain.

Spinal microglia and chronic pain

Image credit: pbio.3001154

03/18/2021

Perspective

Is “bioinformatics” dead?

Why would Philip Bourne, a computational biologist with 40 years of research experience, say so? The short answer is, "in being the Founding Dean of a new School of Data Science, what we do suddenly looks different..."

Is “bioinformatics” dead?

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons user Bruce The Deus

03/17/2021

Research Article

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 on human airway cells

Single-cell analysis of human airway epithelial cells infected with SARS-CoV-2 provides novel insights into viral replication, cell tropism, and host-viral interactions.

Impact of SARS-CoV-2 on human airway cells

Image credit: pbio.3001143

03/15/2021

Research Article

Mitochondrial protein controls Candida biofilm growth

A forward genetic screen identifies the novel gene NDU1 as a regulator of Candida albicans biofilm dispersal and biofilm detachment, showing it to encode a conserved mitochondrial protein related to the squalene/phytoene synthase family.

Mitochondrial protein controls Candida biofilm growth

Image credit: pbio.3000957

03/12/2021

Research Article

Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in bats laid foundations for the pandemic

A study of the natural origins of SARS-CoV-2 reveals very little adaptive evolution occurring since it emerged in humans, but strong evolutionary signals in the bat virus lineage from which SARS-CoV-2 arose.

Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in bats laid foundations for the pandemic

Image credit: Spyros Lytras

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