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Evolution of butterfly mate preference

March 11, 2025

Evolution of butterfly mate preference

A study of the architecture of mate choice behavior in Heliconius cydno butterflies, by Nicholas VanKuren, Nathan Buerkle, Stephanie Palmer, Marcus Kronforst and colleagues, suggests how alterations to the peripheral nervous system, driven by genetic and gene expression differences, can alter essential behaviors. See the Primer by Richard Merrill.

Image credit: Wei Lu

PLOS Biologue

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

PLOS BIOLOGUE

03/12/2025

Primer

Is beauty beyond the eye of the butterfly?

The diversity of bright colors observed across the animal world are often used during mate choice. Richard Merrill explores a new study in PLOS Biology which reveals genetic and neural mechanisms contributing to the evolution of visual mating decisions in Heliconius butterflies.

Image credit: pbio.3003054

Is beauty beyond the eye of the butterfly?

Recently Published Articles

Current Issue

Current Issue February 2025

03/11/2025

Research Article

Signals from the niche...

Transcription is known to tightly regulate gene expression profiles in stem and differentiating cells, but what about translational control? Ruoxu Wang, Marc Amoyel anc co-workers reveal that signals from the stem cell niche induce changes in translational rates, regulated via eIF3d1 phosphorylation, to control stem cell fate in the Drosophila testis.

Image credit: pbio.3003049

Signals from the niche...

03/07/2025

Research Article

Dipeptide transport

Bacterial ABC peptide transporters are involved in important physiological processes, such as nutrient uptake. Panpan Li, Manfeng Zhang and Yihua Huang solve the cryo-EM structures of the E. coli dipeptide transporter DppABCDF in both its apo form and bound to nucleotide analogs, providing insights into its assembly and underlying peptide import mechanism.

Image credit: pbio.3003026

Dipeptide transport

03/03/2025

Research Article

Balancing cis and trans interactions during neural development

Intercellular interactions between DIP and Dpr adhesion proteins coordinate the assembly of neural networks in Drosophila, but what happens when they are expressed in the same cell? Nicholas Morano, Davys Lopez, Hagar Meltzer, Alina Sergeeva, and co-workers show that these proteins can interact in cis, and that the balance between cis and trans interactions plays a role in neural development.

Balancing cis and trans interactions during neural development

Image credit: pbio.3003030

02/28/2025

Short Reports

Dynamics of a supergene

Supergenes can evolve when recombination-suppressing mechanisms like inversions promote co-inheritance of alleles at two or more polymorphic loci that affect a complex trait. A study of the BC supergene in wing color morphs of the butterfly Danaus chrysippus, by Rishi De-Kayne, Simon Martin and colleagues, reveals dynamic evolution of supergene haplotypes, fueled by incomplete recombination suppression.

Dynamics of a supergene

Image credit: pbio.3003043

02/28/2025

Perspective

New solutions for antibiotic discovery

A major challenge in natural-product-based drug discovery is the identification of gene clusters most likely to specify new chemistry and bioactivities. This Perspective discusses the state of the art of antibiotic discovery.

New solutions for antibiotic discovery

Image credit: pbio.3001026

02/28/2025

Essay

Sensory stimulation to combat Alzheimer’s

Current treatments for Alzheimer's disease are hampered by limited efficacy, side effects and high costs. This Essay highlights non-invasive sensory stimulation as a promising emerging treatment.

Sensory stimulation to combat Alzheimer’s

Image credit: pbio.3003046

02/21/2025

BLOG POST

PLOS statement on recent US Executive Orders

We at PLOS believe that for science to maximally benefit society and inform policy, its core principles—integrity, transparency, inclusivity, and collaboration—must be upheld.

PLOS statement on recent US Executive Orders

Image credit: PLOS

02/14/2025

Community Page

GitHub for wet lab research

GitHub, widely used in software development, offers a robust framework for documenting laboratory research projects. This Community Page article explores how to incorporate the GitHub ecosystem into ‘wet’ lab workflows.

GitHub for wet lab research

Image credit: pbio.3003029

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