@article{12166,
  abstract     = {Kerstin Johannesson is a marine ecologist and evolutionary biologist based at the Tjärnö Marine Laboratory of the University of Gothenburg, which is situated in the beautiful Kosterhavet National Park on the Swedish west coast. Her work, using marine periwinkles (especially Littorina saxatilis and L. fabalis) as main model systems, has made a remarkable contribution to marine evolutionary biology and our understanding of local adaptation and its genetic underpinnings.},
  author       = {Westram, Anja M and Butlin, Roger},
  issn         = {1365-294X},
  journal      = {Molecular Ecology},
  keywords     = {Genetics, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics},
  number       = {1},
  pages        = {26--29},
  publisher    = {Wiley},
  title        = {{Professor Kerstin Johannesson–winner of the 2022 Molecular Ecology Prize}},
  doi          = {10.1111/mec.16779},
  volume       = {32},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12208,
  abstract     = {The inadequate understanding of the mechanisms that reversibly convert molecular sulfur (S) into lithium sulfide (Li<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>S) via soluble polysulfides (PSs) formation impedes the development of high-performance lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries with non-aqueous electrolyte solutions. Here, we use operando small and wide angle X-ray scattering and operando small angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements to track the nucleation, growth and dissolution of solid deposits from atomic to sub-micron scales during real-time Li-S cell operation. In particular, stochastic modelling based on the SANS data allows quantifying the nanoscale phase evolution during battery cycling. We show that next to nano-crystalline Li<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>S the deposit comprises solid short-chain PSs particles. The analysis of the experimental data suggests that initially, Li<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>S<jats:sub>2</jats:sub> precipitates from the solution and then is partially converted via solid-state electroreduction to Li<jats:sub>2</jats:sub>S. We further demonstrate that mass transport, rather than electron transport through a thin passivating film, limits the discharge capacity and rate performance in Li-S cells.},
  author       = {Prehal, Christian and von Mentlen, Jean-Marc and Drvarič Talian, Sara and Vizintin, Alen and Dominko, Robert and Amenitsch, Heinz and Porcar, Lionel and Freunberger, Stefan Alexander and Wood, Vanessa},
  issn         = {2041-1723},
  journal      = {Nature Communications},
  keywords     = {General Physics and Astronomy, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, General Chemistry, Multidisciplinary},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{On the nanoscale structural evolution of solid discharge products in lithium-sulfur batteries using operando scattering}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41467-022-33931-4},
  volume       = {13},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12217,
  abstract     = {The development dynamics and self-organization of glandular branched epithelia is of utmost importance for our understanding of diverse processes ranging from normal tissue growth to the growth of cancerous tissues. Using single primary murine pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) cells embedded in a collagen matrix and adapted media supplementation, we generate organoids that self-organize into highly branched structures displaying a seamless lumen connecting terminal end buds, replicating in vivo PDAC architecture. We identify distinct morphogenesis phases, each characterized by a unique pattern of cell invasion, matrix deformation, protein expression, and respective molecular dependencies. We propose a minimal theoretical model of a branching and proliferating tissue, capturing the dynamics of the first phases. Observing the interaction of morphogenesis, mechanical environment and gene expression in vitro sets a benchmark for the understanding of self-organization processes governing complex organoid structure formation processes and branching morphogenesis.},
  author       = {Randriamanantsoa, S. and Papargyriou, A. and Maurer, H. C. and Peschke, K. and Schuster, M. and Zecchin, G. and Steiger, K. and Öllinger, R. and Saur, D. and Scheel, C. and Rad, R. and Hannezo, Edouard B and Reichert, M. and Bausch, A. R.},
  issn         = {2041-1723},
  journal      = {Nature Communications},
  keywords     = {General Physics and Astronomy, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, General Chemistry, Multidisciplinary},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Spatiotemporal dynamics of self-organized branching in pancreas-derived organoids}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41467-022-32806-y},
  volume       = {13},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12224,
  abstract     = {Muskelin (Mkln1) is implicated in neuronal function, regulating plasma membrane receptor trafficking. However, its influence on intrinsic brain activity and corresponding behavioral processes remains unclear. Here we show that murine <jats:italic>Mkln1</jats:italic> knockout causes non-habituating locomotor activity, increased exploratory drive, and decreased locomotor response to amphetamine. Muskelin deficiency impairs social novelty detection while promoting the retention of spatial reference memory and fear extinction recall. This is strongly mirrored in either weaker or stronger resting-state functional connectivity between critical circuits mediating locomotor exploration and cognition. We show that <jats:italic>Mkln1</jats:italic> deletion alters dendrite branching and spine structure, coinciding with enhanced AMPAR-mediated synaptic transmission but selective impairment in synaptic potentiation maintenance. We identify muskelin at excitatory synapses and highlight its role in regulating dendritic spine actin stability. Our findings point to aberrant spine actin modulation and changes in glutamatergic synaptic function as critical mechanisms that contribute to the neurobehavioral phenotype arising from <jats:italic>Mkln1</jats:italic> ablation.},
  author       = {Muhia, Mary W and YuanXiang, PingAn and Sedlacik, Jan and Schwarz, Jürgen R. and Heisler, Frank F. and Gromova, Kira V. and Thies, Edda and Breiden, Petra and Pechmann, Yvonne and Kreutz, Michael R. and Kneussel, Matthias},
  issn         = {2399-3642},
  journal      = {Communications Biology},
  keywords     = {General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Medicine (miscellaneous)},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Muskelin regulates actin-dependent synaptic changes and intrinsic brain activity relevant to behavioral and cognitive processes}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s42003-022-03446-1},
  volume       = {5},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12234,
  abstract     = {Hybrid speciation—the origin of new species resulting from the hybridization of genetically divergent lineages—was once considered rare, but genomic data suggest that it may occur more often than once thought. In this study, Noguerales and Ortego found genomic evidence supporting the hybrid origin of a grasshopper that is able to exploit a broader range of host plants than either of its putative parents.},
  author       = {Stankowski, Sean},
  issn         = {1558-5646},
  journal      = {Evolution},
  keywords     = {General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Genetics, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics},
  number       = {11},
  pages        = {2784--2785},
  publisher    = {Wiley},
  title        = {{Digest: On the origin of a possible hybrid species}},
  doi          = {10.1111/evo.14632},
  volume       = {76},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12238,
  abstract     = {Upon the initiation of collective cell migration, the cells at the free edge are specified as leader cells; however, the mechanism underlying the leader cell specification remains elusive. Here, we show that lamellipodial extension after the release from mechanical confinement causes sustained extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) activation and underlies the leader cell specification. Live-imaging of Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cells and mouse epidermis through the use of Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based biosensors showed that leader cells exhibit sustained ERK activation in a hepatocyte growth factor (HGF)-dependent manner. Meanwhile, follower cells exhibit oscillatory ERK activation waves in an epidermal growth factor (EGF) signaling-dependent manner. Lamellipodial extension at the free edge increases the cellular sensitivity to HGF. The HGF-dependent ERK activation, in turn, promotes lamellipodial extension, thereby forming a positive feedback loop between cell extension and ERK activation and specifying the cells at the free edge as the leader cells. Our findings show that the integration of physical and biochemical cues underlies the leader cell specification during collective cell migration.},
  author       = {Hino, Naoya and Matsuda, Kimiya and Jikko, Yuya and Maryu, Gembu and Sakai, Katsuya and Imamura, Ryu and Tsukiji, Shinya and Aoki, Kazuhiro and Terai, Kenta and Hirashima, Tsuyoshi and Trepat, Xavier and Matsuda, Michiyuki},
  issn         = {1534-5807},
  journal      = {Developmental Cell},
  keywords     = {Developmental Biology, Cell Biology, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Molecular Biology},
  number       = {19},
  pages        = {2290--2304.e7},
  publisher    = {Elsevier},
  title        = {{A feedback loop between lamellipodial extension and HGF-ERK signaling specifies leader cells during collective cell migration}},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.devcel.2022.09.003},
  volume       = {57},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12247,
  abstract     = {Chromosomal inversions have been shown to play a major role in a local adaptation by suppressing recombination between alternative arrangements and maintaining beneficial allele combinations. However, so far, their importance relative to the remaining genome remains largely unknown. Understanding the genetic architecture of adaptation requires better estimates of how loci of different effect sizes contribute to phenotypic variation. Here, we used three Swedish islands where the marine snail Littorina saxatilis has repeatedly evolved into two distinct ecotypes along a habitat transition. We estimated the contribution of inversion polymorphisms to phenotypic divergence while controlling for polygenic effects in the remaining genome using a quantitative genetics framework. We confirmed the importance of inversions but showed that contributions of loci outside inversions are of similar magnitude, with variable proportions dependent on the trait and the population. Some inversions showed consistent effects across all sites, whereas others exhibited site-specific effects, indicating that the genomic basis for replicated phenotypic divergence is only partly shared. The contributions of sexual dimorphism as well as environmental factors to phenotypic variation were significant but minor compared to inversions and polygenic background. Overall, this integrated approach provides insight into the multiple mechanisms contributing to parallel phenotypic divergence.},
  author       = {Koch, Eva L. and Ravinet, Mark and Westram, Anja M and Johannesson, Kerstin and Butlin, Roger K.},
  issn         = {1558-5646},
  journal      = {Evolution},
  keywords     = {General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Genetics, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics},
  number       = {10},
  pages        = {2332--2346},
  publisher    = {Wiley},
  title        = {{Genetic architecture of repeated phenotypic divergence in Littorina saxatilis evolution}},
  doi          = {10.1111/evo.14602},
  volume       = {76},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12248,
  abstract     = {Eurasian brine shrimp (genus Artemia) have closely related sexual and asexual lineages of parthenogenetic females, which produce rare males at low frequencies. Although they are known to have ZW chromosomes, these are not well characterized, and it is unclear whether they are shared across the clade. Furthermore, the underlying genetic architecture of the transmission of asexuality, which can occur when rare males mate with closely related sexual females, is not well understood. We produced a chromosome-level assembly for the sexual Eurasian species Artemia sinica and characterized in detail the pair of sex chromosomes of this species. We combined this new assembly with short-read genomic data for the sexual species Artemia sp. Kazakhstan and several asexual lineages of Artemia parthenogenetica, allowing us to perform an in-depth characterization of sex-chromosome evolution across the genus. We identified a small differentiated region of the ZW pair that is shared by all sexual and asexual lineages, supporting the shared ancestry of the sex chromosomes. We also inferred that recombination suppression has spread to larger sections of the chromosome independently in the American and Eurasian lineages. Finally, we took advantage of a rare male, which we backcrossed to sexual females, to explore the genetic basis of asexuality. Our results suggest that parthenogenesis is likely partly controlled by a locus on the Z chromosome, highlighting the interplay between sex determination and asexuality.},
  author       = {Elkrewi, Marwan N and Khauratovich, Uladzislava and Toups, Melissa A and Bett, Vincent K and Mrnjavac, Andrea and Macon, Ariana and Fraisse, Christelle and Sax, Luca and Huylmans, Ann K and Hontoria, Francisco and Vicoso, Beatriz},
  issn         = {1943-2631},
  journal      = {Genetics},
  keywords     = {Genetics},
  number       = {2},
  publisher    = {Oxford University Press},
  title        = {{ZW sex-chromosome evolution and contagious parthenogenesis in Artemia brine shrimp}},
  doi          = {10.1093/genetics/iyac123},
  volume       = {222},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12261,
  abstract     = {Dose–response relationships are a general concept for quantitatively describing biological systems across multiple scales, from the molecular to the whole-cell level. A clinically relevant example is the bacterial growth response to antibiotics, which is routinely characterized by dose–response curves. The shape of the dose–response curve varies drastically between antibiotics and plays a key role in treatment, drug interactions, and resistance evolution. However, the mechanisms shaping the dose–response curve remain largely unclear. Here, we show in Escherichia coli that the distinctively shallow dose–response curve of the antibiotic trimethoprim is caused by a negative growth-mediated feedback loop: Trimethoprim slows growth, which in turn weakens the effect of this antibiotic. At the molecular level, this feedback is caused by the upregulation of the drug target dihydrofolate reductase (FolA/DHFR). We show that this upregulation is not a specific response to trimethoprim but follows a universal trend line that depends primarily on the growth rate, irrespective of its cause. Rewiring the feedback loop alters the dose–response curve in a predictable manner, which we corroborate using a mathematical model of cellular resource allocation and growth. Our results indicate that growth-mediated feedback loops may shape drug responses more generally and could be exploited to design evolutionary traps that enable selection against drug resistance.},
  author       = {Angermayr, Andreas and Pang, Tin Yau and Chevereau, Guillaume and Mitosch, Karin and Lercher, Martin J and Bollenbach, Mark Tobias},
  issn         = {1744-4292},
  journal      = {Molecular Systems Biology},
  keywords     = {Applied Mathematics, Computational Theory and Mathematics, General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, General Immunology and Microbiology, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Information Systems},
  number       = {9},
  publisher    = {Embo Press},
  title        = {{Growth‐mediated negative feedback shapes quantitative antibiotic response}},
  doi          = {10.15252/msb.202110490},
  volume       = {18},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12275,
  abstract     = {N-glycans are molecularly diverse sugars borne by over 70% of proteins transiting the secretory pathway and have been implicated in protein folding, stability, and localization. Mutations in genes important for N-glycosylation result in congenital disorders of glycosylation that are often associated with intellectual disability. Here, we show that structurally distinct N-glycans regulate an extracellular protein complex involved in the patterning of somatosensory dendrites in Caenorhabditis elegans. Specifically, aman-2/Golgi alpha-mannosidase II, a conserved key enzyme in the biosynthesis of specific N-glycans, regulates the activity of the Menorin adhesion complex without obviously affecting the protein stability and localization of its components. AMAN-2 functions cell-autonomously to allow for decoration of the neuronal transmembrane receptor DMA-1/LRR-TM with the correct set of high-mannose/hybrid/paucimannose N-glycans. Moreover, distinct types of N-glycans on specific N-glycosylation sites regulate DMA-1/LRR-TM receptor function, which, together with three other extracellular proteins, forms the Menorin adhesion complex. In summary, specific N-glycan structures regulate dendrite patterning by coordinating the activity of an extracellular adhesion complex, suggesting that the molecular diversity of N-glycans can contribute to developmental specificity in the nervous system.},
  author       = {Rahman, Maisha and Ramirez, Nelson and Diaz‐Balzac, Carlos A and Bülow, Hannes E},
  issn         = {1469-3178},
  journal      = {EMBO Reports},
  keywords     = {Genetics, Molecular Biology, Biochemistry},
  number       = {7},
  publisher    = {Embo Press},
  title        = {{Specific N-glycans regulate an extracellular adhesion complex during somatosensory dendrite patterning}},
  doi          = {10.15252/embr.202154163},
  volume       = {23},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12280,
  abstract     = {In repeated interactions, players can use strategies that respond to the outcome of previous rounds. Much of the existing literature on direct reciprocity assumes that all competing individuals use the same strategy space. Here, we study both learning and evolutionary dynamics of players that differ in the strategy space they explore. We focus on the infinitely repeated donation game and compare three natural strategy spaces: memory-1 strategies, which consider the last moves of both players, reactive strategies, which respond to the last move of the co-player, and unconditional strategies. These three strategy spaces differ in the memory capacity that is needed. We compute the long term average payoff that is achieved in a pairwise learning process. We find that smaller strategy spaces can dominate larger ones. For weak selection, unconditional players dominate both reactive and memory-1 players. For intermediate selection, reactive players dominate memory-1 players. Only for strong selection and low cost-to-benefit ratio, memory-1 players dominate the others. We observe that the supergame between strategy spaces can be a social dilemma: maximum payoff is achieved if both players explore a larger strategy space, but smaller strategy spaces dominate.},
  author       = {Schmid, Laura and Hilbe, Christian and Chatterjee, Krishnendu and Nowak, Martin},
  issn         = {1553-7358},
  journal      = {PLOS Computational Biology},
  keywords     = {Computational Theory and Mathematics, Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience, Genetics, Molecular Biology, Ecology, Modeling and Simulation, Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics},
  number       = {6},
  publisher    = {Public Library of Science},
  title        = {{Direct reciprocity between individuals that use different strategy spaces}},
  doi          = {10.1371/journal.pcbi.1010149},
  volume       = {18},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12288,
  abstract     = {To understand the function of neuronal circuits, it is crucial to disentangle the connectivity patterns within the network. However, most tools currently used to explore connectivity have low throughput, low selectivity, or limited accessibility. Here, we report the development of an improved packaging system for the production of the highly neurotropic RVdGenvA-CVS-N2c rabies viral vectors, yielding titers orders of magnitude higher with no background contamination, at a fraction of the production time, while preserving the efficiency of transsynaptic labeling. Along with the production pipeline, we developed suites of ‘starter’ AAV and bicistronic RVdG-CVS-N2c vectors, enabling retrograde labeling from a wide range of neuronal populations, tailored for diverse experimental requirements. We demonstrate the power and flexibility of the new system by uncovering hidden local and distal inhibitory connections in the mouse hippocampal formation and by imaging the functional properties of a cortical microcircuit across weeks. Our novel production pipeline provides a convenient approach to generate new rabies vectors, while our toolkit flexibly and efficiently expands the current capacity to label, manipulate and image the neuronal activity of interconnected neuronal circuits in vitro and in vivo.},
  author       = {Sumser, Anton L and Jösch, Maximilian A and Jonas, Peter M and Ben Simon, Yoav},
  issn         = {2050-084X},
  journal      = {eLife},
  keywords     = {General Immunology and Microbiology, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, General Medicine, General Neuroscience},
  publisher    = {eLife Sciences Publications},
  title        = {{Fast, high-throughput production of improved rabies viral vectors for specific, efficient and versatile transsynaptic retrograde labeling}},
  doi          = {10.7554/elife.79848},
  volume       = {11},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{12670,
  abstract     = {DNA methylation plays essential homeostatic functions in eukaryotic genomes. In animals, DNA methylation is also developmentally regulated and, in turn, regulates development. In the past two decades, huge research effort has endorsed the understanding that DNA methylation plays a similar role in plant development, especially during sexual reproduction. The power of whole-genome sequencing and cell isolation techniques, as well as bioinformatics tools, have enabled recent studies to reveal dynamic changes in DNA methylation during germline development. Furthermore, the combination of these technological advances with genetics, developmental biology and cell biology tools has revealed functional methylation reprogramming events that control gene and transposon activities in flowering plant germlines. In this review, we discuss the major advances in our knowledge of DNA methylation dynamics during male and female germline development in flowering plants.},
  author       = {He, Shengbo and Feng, Xiaoqi},
  issn         = {1744-7909},
  journal      = {Journal of Integrative Plant Biology},
  keywords     = {Plant Science, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, Biochemistry},
  number       = {12},
  pages        = {2240--2251},
  publisher    = {Wiley},
  title        = {{DNA methylation dynamics during germline development}},
  doi          = {10.1111/jipb.13422},
  volume       = {64},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{10604,
  abstract     = {Maternally inherited Wolbachia transinfections are being introduced into natural mosquito populations to reduce the transmission of dengue, Zika, and other arboviruses. Wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility provides a frequency-dependent reproductive advantage to infected females that can spread transinfections within and among populations. However, because transinfections generally reduce host fitness, they tend to spread within populations only after their frequency exceeds a critical threshold. This produces bistability with stable equilibrium frequencies at both 0 and 1, analogous to the bistability produced by underdominance between alleles or karyotypes and by population dynamics under Allee effects. Here, we analyze how stochastic frequency variation produced by finite population size can facilitate the local spread of variants with bistable dynamics into areas where invasion is unexpected from deterministic models. Our exemplar is the establishment of wMel Wolbachia in the Aedes aegypti population of Pyramid Estates (PE), a small community in far north Queensland, Australia. In 2011, wMel was stably introduced into Gordonvale, separated from PE by barriers to A. aegypti dispersal. After nearly 6 years during which wMel was observed only at low frequencies in PE, corresponding to an apparent equilibrium between immigration and selection, wMel rose to fixation by 2018. Using analytic approximations and statistical analyses, we demonstrate that the observed fixation of wMel at PE is consistent with both stochastic transition past an unstable threshold frequency and deterministic transformation produced by steady immigration at a rate just above the threshold required for deterministic invasion. The indeterminacy results from a delicate balance of parameters needed to produce the delayed transition observed. Our analyses suggest that once Wolbachia transinfections are established locally through systematic introductions, stochastic “threshold crossing” is likely to only minimally enhance spatial spread, providing a local ratchet that slightly—but systematically—aids area-wide transformation of disease-vector populations in heterogeneous landscapes.},
  author       = {Turelli, Michael and Barton, Nicholas H},
  issn         = {2056-3744},
  journal      = {Evolution Letters},
  keywords     = {genetics, ecology, evolution, behavior and systematics},
  number       = {1},
  pages        = {92--105},
  publisher    = {Wiley},
  title        = {{Why did the Wolbachia transinfection cross the road? Drift, deterministic dynamics, and disease control}},
  doi          = {10.1002/evl3.270},
  volume       = {6},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{10787,
  abstract     = {A species distributed across diverse environments may adapt to local conditions. We ask how quickly such a species changes its range in response to changed conditions. Szép et al. (Szép E, Sachdeva H, Barton NH. 2021 Polygenic local adaptation in metapopulations: a stochastic eco-evolutionary model. Evolution75, 1030–1045 (doi:10.1111/evo.14210)) used the infinite island model to find the stationary distribution of allele frequencies and deme sizes. We extend this to find how a metapopulation responds to changes in carrying capacity, selection strength, or migration rate when deme sizes are fixed. We further develop a ‘fixed-state’ approximation. Under this approximation, polymorphism is only possible for a narrow range of habitat proportions when selection is weak compared to drift, but for a much wider range otherwise. When rates of selection or migration relative to drift change in a single deme of the metapopulation, the population takes a time of order m−1 to reach the new equilibrium. However, even with many loci, there can be substantial fluctuations in net adaptation, because at each locus, alleles randomly get lost or fixed. Thus, in a finite metapopulation, variation may gradually be lost by chance, even if it would persist in an infinite metapopulation. When conditions change across the whole metapopulation, there can be rapid change, which is predicted well by the fixed-state approximation. This work helps towards an understanding of how metapopulations extend their range across diverse environments.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Species’ ranges in the face of changing environments (Part II)’.},
  author       = {Barton, Nicholas H and Olusanya, Oluwafunmilola O},
  issn         = {1471-2970},
  journal      = {Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences},
  keywords     = {General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology},
  number       = {1848},
  publisher    = {The Royal Society},
  title        = {{The response of a metapopulation to a changing environment}},
  doi          = {10.1098/rstb.2021.0009},
  volume       = {377},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{11160,
  abstract     = {Mutations in the chromodomain helicase DNA-binding 8 (CHD8) gene are a frequent cause of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While its phenotypic spectrum often encompasses macrocephaly, implicating cortical abnormalities, how CHD8 haploinsufficiency affects neurodevelopmental is unclear. Here, employing human cerebral organoids, we find that CHD8 haploinsufficiency disrupted neurodevelopmental trajectories with an accelerated and delayed generation of, respectively, inhibitory and excitatory neurons that yields, at days 60 and 120, symmetrically opposite expansions in their proportions. This imbalance is consistent with an enlargement of cerebral organoids as an in vitro correlate of patients’ macrocephaly. Through an isogenic design of patient-specific mutations and mosaic organoids, we define genotype-phenotype relationships and uncover their cell-autonomous nature. Our results define cell-type-specific CHD8-dependent molecular defects related to an abnormal program of proliferation and alternative splicing. By identifying cell-type-specific effects of CHD8 mutations, our study uncovers reproducible developmental alterations that may be employed for neurodevelopmental disease modeling.},
  author       = {Villa, Carlo Emanuele and Cheroni, Cristina and Dotter, Christoph and López-Tóbon, Alejandro and Oliveira, Bárbara and Sacco, Roberto and Yahya, Aysan Çerağ and Morandell, Jasmin and Gabriele, Michele and Tavakoli, Mojtaba and Lyudchik, Julia and Sommer, Christoph M and Gabitto, Mariano and Danzl, Johann G and Testa, Giuseppe and Novarino, Gaia},
  issn         = {2211-1247},
  journal      = {Cell Reports},
  keywords     = {General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology},
  number       = {1},
  publisher    = {Elsevier},
  title        = {{CHD8 haploinsufficiency links autism to transient alterations in excitatory and inhibitory trajectories}},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.celrep.2022.110615},
  volume       = {39},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{11351,
  abstract     = {One hallmark of plant cells is their cell wall. They protect cells against the environment and high turgor and mediate morphogenesis through the dynamics of their mechanical and chemical properties. The walls are a complex polysaccharidic structure. Although their biochemical composition is well known, how the different components organize in the volume of the cell wall and interact with each other is not well understood and yet is key to the wall’s mechanical properties. To investigate the ultrastructure of the plant cell wall, we imaged the walls of onion (Allium cepa) bulbs in a near-native state via cryo-focused ion beam milling (cryo-FIB milling) and cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET). This allowed the high-resolution visualization of cellulose fibers in situ. We reveal the coexistence of dense fiber fields bathed in a reticulated matrix we termed “meshing,” which is more abundant at the inner surface of the cell wall. The fibers adopted a regular bimodal angular distribution at all depths in the cell wall and bundled according to their orientation, creating layers within the cell wall. Concomitantly, employing homogalacturonan (HG)-specific enzymatic digestion, we observed changes in the meshing, suggesting that it is—at least in part—composed of HG pectins. We propose the following model for the construction of the abaxial epidermal primary cell wall: the cell deposits successive layers of cellulose fibers at −45° and +45° relative to the cell’s long axis and secretes the surrounding HG-rich meshing proximal to the plasma membrane, which then migrates to more distal regions of the cell wall.},
  author       = {Nicolas, William J. and Fäßler, Florian and Dutka, Przemysław and Schur, Florian KM and Jensen, Grant and Meyerowitz, Elliot},
  issn         = {0960-9822},
  journal      = {Current Biology},
  keywords     = {General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology},
  number       = {11},
  pages        = {P2375--2389},
  publisher    = {Elsevier},
  title        = {{Cryo-electron tomography of the onion cell wall shows bimodally oriented cellulose fibers and reticulated homogalacturonan networks}},
  doi          = {10.1016/j.cub.2022.04.024},
  volume       = {32},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{11373,
  abstract     = {The actin-homologue FtsA is essential for E. coli cell division, as it links FtsZ filaments in the Z-ring to transmembrane proteins. FtsA is thought to initiate cell constriction by switching from an inactive polymeric to an active monomeric conformation, which recruits downstream proteins and stabilizes the Z-ring. However, direct biochemical evidence for this mechanism is missing. Here, we use reconstitution experiments and quantitative fluorescence microscopy to study divisome activation in vitro. By comparing wild-type FtsA with FtsA R286W, we find that this hyperactive mutant outperforms FtsA WT in replicating FtsZ treadmilling dynamics, FtsZ filament stabilization and recruitment of FtsN. We could attribute these differences to a faster exchange and denser packing of FtsA R286W below FtsZ filaments. Using FRET microscopy, we also find that FtsN binding promotes FtsA self-interaction. We propose that in the active divisome FtsA and FtsN exist as a dynamic copolymer that follows treadmilling filaments of FtsZ.},
  author       = {Radler, Philipp and Baranova, Natalia S. and Dos Santos Caldas, Paulo R and Sommer, Christoph M and Lopez Pelegrin, Maria D and Michalik, David and Loose, Martin},
  issn         = {2041-1723},
  journal      = {Nature Communications},
  keywords     = {General Physics and Astronomy, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, General Chemistry},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{In vitro reconstitution of Escherichia coli divisome activation}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s41467-022-30301-y},
  volume       = {13},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{11447,
  abstract     = {Empirical essays of fitness landscapes suggest that they may be rugged, that is having multiple fitness peaks. Such fitness landscapes, those that have multiple peaks, necessarily have special local structures, called reciprocal sign epistasis (Poelwijk et al. in J Theor Biol 272:141–144, 2011). Here, we investigate the quantitative relationship between the number of fitness peaks and the number of reciprocal sign epistatic interactions. Previously, it has been shown (Poelwijk et al. in J Theor Biol 272:141–144, 2011) that pairwise reciprocal sign epistasis is a necessary but not sufficient condition for the existence of multiple peaks. Applying discrete Morse theory, which to our knowledge has never been used in this context, we extend this result by giving the minimal number of reciprocal sign epistatic interactions required to create a given number of peaks.},
  author       = {Saona Urmeneta, Raimundo J and Kondrashov, Fyodor and Khudiakova, Kseniia},
  issn         = {1522-9602},
  journal      = {Bulletin of Mathematical Biology},
  keywords     = {Computational Theory and Mathematics, General Agricultural and Biological Sciences, Pharmacology, General Environmental Science, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, General Mathematics, Immunology, General Neuroscience},
  number       = {8},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{Relation between the number of peaks and the number of reciprocal sign epistatic interactions}},
  doi          = {10.1007/s11538-022-01029-z},
  volume       = {84},
  year         = {2022},
}

@article{11448,
  abstract     = {Studies of protein fitness landscapes reveal biophysical constraints guiding protein evolution and empower prediction of functional proteins. However, generalisation of these findings is limited due to scarceness of systematic data on fitness landscapes of proteins with a defined evolutionary relationship. We characterized the fitness peaks of four orthologous fluorescent proteins with a broad range of sequence divergence. While two of the four studied fitness peaks were sharp, the other two were considerably flatter, being almost entirely free of epistatic interactions. Mutationally robust proteins, characterized by a flat fitness peak, were not optimal templates for machine-learning-driven protein design – instead, predictions were more accurate for fragile proteins with epistatic landscapes. Our work paves insights for practical application of fitness landscape heterogeneity in protein engineering.},
  author       = {Gonzalez Somermeyer, Louisa and Fleiss, Aubin and Mishin, Alexander S and Bozhanova, Nina G and Igolkina, Anna A and Meiler, Jens and Alaball Pujol, Maria-Elisenda and Putintseva, Ekaterina V and Sarkisyan, Karen S and Kondrashov, Fyodor},
  issn         = {2050-084X},
  journal      = {eLife},
  keywords     = {General Immunology and Microbiology, General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology, General Medicine, General Neuroscience},
  publisher    = {eLife Sciences Publications},
  title        = {{Heterogeneity of the GFP fitness landscape and data-driven protein design}},
  doi          = {10.7554/elife.75842},
  volume       = {11},
  year         = {2022},
}

