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Mutational scanning of H5 flu hemagglutinin

November 12, 2024

Mutational scanning of H5 flu hemagglutinin

H5 influenza is considered a potential pandemic threat. Using deep mutational scanning, Bernadeta Dadonaite, Jesse Bloom and colleagues reveal how the >10,000 different possible amino-acid mutations in hemagglutinin affect cell entry, receptor preference, protein stability and neutralization by antibodies.

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PLOS Biologue

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

PLOS BIOLOGUE

11/14/2024

Short Reports

Social learning by new-comers

Theory predicts that strategic flexibility in using social information can help individuals make adaptive decisions. A large-scale cultural diffusion experiment by Michael Chimento, Gustavo Alarcón-Nieto and Lucy Aplin reveals that great tits (Parus major) use a payoff-biased social learning strategy when immigrating into an environment with different environmental cues and rewards. Don't miss the related Primer by Rachel Harrison.

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Social learning by new-comers

Recently Published Articles

Current Issue

Current Issue October 2024

11/12/2024

Short Reports

Which way is up?

What are the neural circuits that transform gravity signals into neuronal signals for navigation? Yunlu Zhu, David Schoppik and co-workers describe a sensorimotor circuit that transforms gravitational signals into persistent heading for vertical navigation, showing how vestibular inputs allow animals to move effectively through their environment.

Image credit: Yunlu Zhu

Which way is up?

11/12/2024

Research Article

Early role for β-catenin in sea urchin embryogenesis

Beta-catenin plays essential roles during the early embryogenesis of many animals, but these roles have been established mainly at the time of fertilization. Guy Lhomond, Michael Schubert and Jenifer Croce use an inducible knockdown system to determine the spatiotemporal roles played by nuclear b-catenin during early embryogenesis of sea urchin.

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Early role for β-catenin in sea urchin embryogenesis

11/12/2024

Research Article

How coral larvae keep symbionts sweet under stress

Rising sea surface temperatures threaten coral-algal symbiosis, impacting reef ecosystems. Ariana Huffmyer, Hollie Putnam and co-authors show that coral larvae alter nutrient metabolism by increasing nitrogen assimilation to maintain symbiotic relationships and survive thermal stress. Also see the Primer by Christian Voolstra.

How coral larvae keep symbionts sweet under stress

Image credit: pbio.3002875

11/11/2024

Research Article

Mitochondrial Ca2+ and pigmentation

Jyoti Tanwar, Rajender Motiani and colleagues explore the potential role of mitochondrial calcium signaling in vertebrate pigmentation. They show that mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) regulates melanogenesis via the activation of NFAT2 and Keratin 5, and that targeting this signaling axis could be used to treat pigmentary disorders.


Mitochondrial Ca2+ and pigmentation

Image credit: pbio.3002895

11/11/2024

Research Article

What happens next?

Surprising sensory input triggers stronger neural activity than expected input, but at which level of the cortical hierarchy are these predictions made? David Richter Tim Kietzmann and Floris de Lange show that prediction errors are computed at higher cortical levels and the resulting surprise signal is broadcast to earlier areas.

What happens next?

Image credit: pbio.3002829

11/05/2024

Perspective

Harnessing plant biosynthesis

Genomics-based predictions indicate that plants are able to make a vast array of undiscovered chemistry. This Perspective argues that we now have the potential to harness this capability at unprecedented scale for the discovery of new drugs.

Harnessing plant biosynthesis

Image credit: pbio.3002886

10/30/2024

Editorial

The promises and challenges of neurotechnology

Simon Hanslmayr introduces a Collection which explores the present and possible futures of neurotechnology, as well as the scientific, technological and ethical challenges they face.


The promises and challenges of neurotechnology

Image credit: Pixabay user Gerd Altmann

10/29/2024

Essay

The future of transcranial ultrasound

TUS is a promising non-invasive solution to interface with specific brain regions with high precision. This Essay explores the challenges and proposes a roadmap for the evolution of TUS from a research tool to a clinically validated therapeutic.

The future of transcranial ultrasound

Image credit: pbio.3002884

10/29/2024

Perspective

Closing the sensory feedback loop

This Perspective discusses how closing the sensory feedback loop in brain implants and nerve electrodes for stimulation may improve rehabilitation and assistive systems for patients.

Closing the sensory feedback loop

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PLOS Biology | ISSN: 1545-7885 (online)
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