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Sensing sugar in the brain

September 21, 2023

Sensing sugar in the brain

Hyperglycemia increases glucose concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), activating glucose sensing and feeding behavior in the hypothalamus. Francisco Nualart, Manuel Cifuentes, Katterine Salazar and colleagues show that raised CSF glucose levels induce release of SCO-spondin and Wnt5a, controlling ciliary beating in the ependymal cells. Read the related Primer by Luke Liu and Ryann Fame.

Image credit: Francisco Nualart & Paul San Martin

PLOS Biologue

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

PLOS BIOLOGUE

09/21/2023

Methods and Resources

An optogenetic system for plants

Emerging high-resolution analytic technologies like single-cell sequencing and FRET biosensors for metabolites are revolutionizing the scale of biological hypotheses. Bo Larsen, Alexander Jones and co-workers describe Highlighter, an optogenetic tool for fine-scale eukaryotic gene expression control, and deploy it in plants to enable cell-level hypothesis testing.

Image credit: pbio.3002303

An optogenetic system for plants

Recently Published Articles

Current Issue

Current Issue August 2023

09/21/2023

Short Reports

Artificial glycolysis

The canonical glycolysis pathway converts glucose into two molecules of acetyl-CoA via a cascade of eleven biochemical reactions. Yiqun Yang, Yuwan Liu, Haodong Zhao, Dingyu Liu, Huifeng Jiang, Yanhe Ma and co-workers repurpose phosphoketolase to construct an artificial pathway which comprises only three reactions and could theoretically achieve a 100% carbon yield of acetyl-CoA from any sugar.

Image credit: pbio.3002285

Artificial glycolysis

09/19/2023

Research Article

Vaccination against effects of dietary emulsifiers

Bacterial flagellin is a key mediator of detrimental impacts on intestinal health caused by dietary emulsifier. Melissa Kordahi, Benoit Chassaing and colleagues show that immunizing mice against flagellin can prevent emulsifier-induced changes in microbiota pro-inflammatory potential, microbiota encroachment, as well as deleterious consequences such as intestinal inflammation and metabolic deregulation.

Image credit: pbio.3002289

Vaccination against effects of dietary emulsifiers

09/19/2023

Methods and Resources

The "skin brain" of the acorn worm

Hemichordates are crucial for understanding vertebrate nervous system origins. A study of the acorn worm Saccoglossus kowalevskii by José Andrade López, Christopher Lowe and co-workers reveals a complex and regionalized neural plexus at the proboscis base that most likely acts as an integrative center. Also read the related Primer by Alexandra Kerbl and Gáspár Jékely.

The "skin brain" of the acorn worm

Image credit: pbio.3002242

09/18/2023

Research Article

Asymmetric inheritance of damaged mitochondria

Decline of mitochondrial function is a hallmark of cellular aging, so some cells counteract this by transmitting mitochondria asymmetrically to rejuvenate daughter cells. This study in yeast, by Xenia Chelius, Till Klecker, Benedikt Westermann and co-authors, reveals how oxidatively damaged mitochondria are selectively retained in the mother cell to prevent their inheritance by the next generation.

Asymmetric inheritance of damaged mitochondria

Image credit: pbio.3002310

09/18/2023

Research Article

Phase transitions regulate root growth

The mechanisms that drive protein phase transitions are unclear. This study in plants, by Chen Liu, Panagiotis Moschou and colleagues, shows that an intracellular liquid condensate formed by the lipid transferase SFH8 associates with membranes; when SFH8 is cleaved by the caspase-like protease ESP, it transforms into a solid filament that can modulate root development.

Phase transitions regulate root growth

Image credit: pbio.3002305

09/21/2023

Perspective

The senescence-associated secretory phenotype

This Perspective looks back at a 2008 PLOS Biology article that reported a senescence-associated secretory phenotype that could promote inflammation and cancer.

The senescence-associated secretory phenotype

Image credit: pbio.3002326

09/21/2023

Perspective

Tech and cultural change are key for sustainability

Can technology solve our sustainability problems, or do we just need to reduce our consumption? In this Perspective, Navin Ramankutty argues that the answer is both.

Tech and cultural change are key for sustainability

Image credit: Unsplash user Chris Leboutillier

09/14/2023

Perspective

Supporting nonlinear careers

Those who follow non-linear career trajectories often face disadvantages in academia. This Perspective looks at why individuals might choose non-linear careers and how these benefit diversity in science.

Supporting nonlinear careers

Image credit: pbio.3002291

09/11/2023

Essay

Using evolutionary mismatch to explore disease

This Essay advocates combining genomic tools with partnerships with subsistence-level groups experiencing rapid lifestyle change to identify genetic loci associated with disease risk.

Using evolutionary mismatch to explore disease

Image credit: pbio.3002311

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PLOS Biology | ISSN: 1545-7885 (online)