PLOS Biology
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PLOS Biology publishes significant advances across the biological sciences. And we push boundaries. Designed to advance science and the communities who depend upon it, we're transforming research communication to fit the research process.
PLOS Biology
2d ago
by Xiaowen Jiang, Kun Zhao, Yi Sun, Xinyue Song, Chao Yi, Tianlong Xiong, Sen Wang, Yi Yu, Xiduo Chen, Run Liu, Xin Yan, Christopher L. Antos
K+ channels regulate morphogens to scale adult fins, but little is known about what regulates the channels and how they control morphogen expression. Using the zebrafish pectoral fin bud as a model for early vertebrate fin/limb development, we found that K+ channels also scale this anatomical structure, and we determined how one K+-leak channel, Kcnk5b, integrates into its developmental program. From FLIM measurements of a FRET-based K+ sensor, we observ ..read more
PLOS Biology
5d ago
by Claudio Bussi, Maximiliano G. Gutierrez
Single-organelle resolution approaches have the potential to advance our knowledge of the heterogeneity of lysosome function. Challenging population-based models, we propose a “lysosome states” concept that links single lysosomes to function. Single-organelle resolution approaches have the potential to advance our knowledge of the heterogeneity of lysosome function. In this Perspective article, the authors propose a ’lysosome states’ concept that links single lysosomes to function ..read more
PLOS Biology
5d ago
by Jiani Chen, Chaoqun Li, Yifeng Sheng, Junwei Zhang, Lan Pang, Zhi Dong, Zhiwei Wu, Yueqi Lu, Zhiguo Liu, Qichao Zhang, Xueying Guan, Xuexin Chen, Jianhua Huang
The signaling environment, or niche, often governs the initial difference in behavior of an adult stem cell and a derivative that initiates a path towards differentiation. The transition between an instructive stem cell niche and differentiation niche must generally have single-cell resolution, suggesting that multiple mechanisms might be necessary to sharpen the transition. Here, we examined the Drosophila ovary and found that Cap c ..read more
PLOS Biology
1w ago
by Jun Ni, Jiaxin Yang, Yina Ma
Social groups in various social species are organized with hierarchical structures that shape group dynamics and the nature of within-group interactions. In-group social bonding, exemplified by grooming behaviors among animals and collective rituals and team-building activities in human societies, is recognized as a practical adaptive strategy to foster group harmony and stabilize hierarchical structures in both human and nonhuman animal groups. However, the neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the effects of social bonding on hierarchical groups remain largely ..read more
PLOS Biology
1w ago
by Uğurcan Sakizli, Tomomi Takano, Sa Kan Yoo
Sugar metabolism plays a pivotal role in sustaining life. Its dynamics within organisms is less understood compared to its intracellular metabolism. Galactose, a hexose stereoisomer of glucose, is a monosaccharide transported via the same transporters with glucose. Galactose feeds into glycolysis and regulates protein glycosylation. Defects in galactose metabolism are lethal for animals. Here, by transgenically implementing the yeast galactose sensing system into Drosophila, we developed a genetically encoded sensor, GALDAR, which detects galactose ..read more
PLOS Biology
1w ago
by Maïlyn Yates, Isabelle Marois, Edlie St-Hilaire, Daryl A. Ronato, Billel Djerir, Chloé Brochu, Théo Morin, Ian Hammond-Martel, Sari Gezzar-Dandashi, Lisa Casimir, Elliot Drobetsky, Laurent Cappadocia, Jean-Yves Masson, Hugo Wurtele, Alexandre Maréchal
Impediments in replication fork progression cause genomic instability, mutagenesis, and severe pathologies. At stalled forks, RPA-coated single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) activates the ATR kinase and directs fork remodeling, 2 key early events of the replication stress response. RFWD3, a recently described Fanconi anemia (FA) ubiquitin ligase, assoc ..read more
PLOS Biology
1w ago
by Moisès Bernabeu, Saioa Manzano-Morales, Toni Gabaldón
A recent study questioned the use of branch length methods to assess the relative timing of horizontal gene transfers because of the effects of so-called “ghost” lineages. This Formal Comment discusses key considerations regarding the potential effect of missing lineages when assessing relative timing of evolutionary events ..read more
PLOS Biology
1w ago
by Gabriela Lobinska, Vyacheslav Tretyachenko, Orna Dahan, Martin A. Nowak, Yitzhak Pilpel
Some drugs increase the mutation rate of their target pathogen, a potentially concerning mechanism as the pathogen might evolve faster toward an undesired phenotype. We suggest a four-step assessment of evolutionary safety for the approval of such treatments. Some drugs increase the mutation rate of their target pathogen, raising the concern that they might thereby increase the pathogen’s rate of adaptation. This Perspective article proposes a four-step process to evaluate the evolutionary safety of new ..read more
PLOS Biology
1w ago
by Peng Chen, Jin Zhou, Huan Liu, Erchi Zhou, Boxiao He, Yankang Wu, Hongjian Wang, Zaiqiao Sun, Chonil Paek, Jun Lei, Yongshun Chen, Xinghua Zhang, Lei Yin
The clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat (CRISPR)-Cas12a system is a powerful tool in gene editing; however, crRNA-DNA mismatches might induce unwanted cleavage events, especially at the distal end of the PAM. To minimize this limitation, we engineered a hyper fidelity AsCas12a variant carrying the mutations S186A/R301A/T315A/Q1014A/K414A (termed HyperFi-As) by modifying amino acid residues interacting with the target D ..read more