Advertisement
Fungal fingers for food

July 30, 2024

Fungal fingers for food

Fungi depend on their nutrient-seeking behavior for survival, but how they find nutrients is not well understood. Using a microfluidic device, Riho Yamamoto, Hinata Miki, Ayaka Itani and Norio Takeshita show that hyphae of the fungus Aspergillus nidulans exhibit chemotropism towards nutrients, adjusting growth direction towards carbon sources and away from certain nitrogen sources and acidic pH.

Image credit: pbio.3002726

PLOS Biologue

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

PLOS BIOLOGUE

07/31/2024

Update Article

Cholesterol and cholecystokinin receptors

A previous PLOS Biology study used the cryo-EM structure of the cholecystokinin type 1 receptor (CCK1R) to reveal insights into G protein selectivity. This Update Article by Kaleeckal Harikumar, Peishen Zhao, Brian Cary, Denise Wootten, Patrick Sexton, Laurence Miller and co-workers provides a structural and biophysical characterization of the effects of cholesterol on ligand binding and G protein coupling at the receptor.

Image credit: pbio.3002673

Cholesterol and cholecystokinin receptors

Recently Published Articles

See all articles
Current Issue

Current Issue June 2024

07/29/2024

Methods and Resources

FURNA: functional annotations of RNA structures

There is an increasing number of experimentally determined 3D RNA structures, but the majority lack functional annotation. To address this gap, Chengxin Zhang and Lydia Freddolino provide a database of 3D RNA structures with comprehensive, high-quality functional annotations to enable discovery of RNA functions from structural and sequence information

Image credit: pbio.3002476

FURNA: functional annotations of RNA structures

07/25/2024

Research Article

Alternative start sites in Cryptococcus

Alternative transcription start site (altTSS) usage is one of the major means of gene regulation in animals but is unknown in non-yeast fungi. Thi Tuong Vi Dang, Guilhem Janbon and co-workers reveal widespread altTSS in Cryptococcus that alters gene expression and protein targeting, regulated by a single transcription factor, Tur1, in response to environmental cues.

Image credit: pbio.3002724

Alternative start sites in Cryptococcus

07/24/2024

Research Article

Wnt signaling modulates the DNA damage response via EGFR

The Wnt pathway promotes resistance to DNA damage induced by ionizing radiation in several human cancers, but how? Ben Ewen-Campen and Norbert Perrimon show that Wnt signaling in the Drosophila wing imaginal disc modulates the DNA damage response through EGFR, protecting cells from apoptosis induced by DNA double-strand breaks..

Wnt signaling modulates the DNA damage response via EGFR

Image credit: pbio.3002547

07/23/2024

Research Article

Amyloid beta from oligodendrocytes

Neurons are thought to be the primary source of pathogenic amyloid beta (Aβ) in Alzheimer's disease. Rikesh Rajani, Marc Aurel Busche and co-authors identify oligodendrocytes as significant contributors to Aβ production and show that suppressing Aβ in oligodendrocytes rescues early neuronal dysfunction in a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease.

Amyloid beta from oligodendrocytes

Image credit: pbio.3002727

07/23/2024

Meta-Research Article

“Best Paper” awards: not great for Open Science?

Research awards are an integral part of the universal “prestige economy” in science. Malgorzata Lagisz, Shinichi Nakagawa and colleagues use cross-disciplinary data to explore the level of transparency of publicly available award descriptions and assessment criteria, asking whether such awards contribute to or propagate existing reproducibility crises and inequities in science.

“Best Paper” awards: not great for Open Science?

Image credit: Pixabay user Mimzy

07/15/2024

Essay

Ancestral immunity

Aude Bernheim, Jean Cury and Enzo Poirier introduce the concept of ancestral immunity; the set of immune modules conserved between prokaryotes and eukaryotes, discussing the topology of ancestral immunity and an evolutionary scenario for its existence.

Ancestral immunity

Image credit: pbio.3002717

07/08/2024

Essay

The new science of sleep

Omer Sharon, Eti Ben Simon, Matthew Walker and co-authors highlight eight of the most exciting new discoveries within sleep science, discussing how these have expanded our understanding of sleep's function at the cellular, organismal, and societal levels.

The new science of sleep

Image credit: pbio.3002684

07/01/2024

Unsolved Mystery

The mysteries of mitochondrial shape

Mitochondria come in many shapes and sizes. Noga Preminger and Maya Schuldiner explore the diverse processes that influence mitochondrial shape and network formation, highlighting gaps in our understanding of mitochondrial architecture.

The mysteries of mitochondrial shape

Image credit: pbio.3002671

06/11/2024

Editorial

Aligning data with decisions

The planetary outlook for biodiversity is dire. Leah Gerber and Gwenllian Iacona introduce a new Collection of articles that discuss the data we have and the data we need for more effective conservation policies.

Aligning data with decisions

Image credit: Leah Gerber

Get new content from PLOS Biology in your inbox

PLOS Biology | ISSN: 1545-7885 (online)