July 2016

Notch signaling is a form of cell-to-cell communication, in which extracellular receptor-ligand interactions ultimately result in changes in gene expression. The Notch pathway is highly conserved from the model organism Drosophila melanogaster to humans, and mutations that affect Notch pathway components can lead to human disease, such as certain types of cancers and birth defects. The transcription factor CSL regulates gene expression in response to Notch pathway signaling. Yuan et al. now present the X-ray structure of the complex between the fruit fly version of CSL (Suppressor of Hairless), and its antagonist, Hairless, revealing a novel binding mode and unanticipated structural plasticity. In this image, CSL is represented as a gray surface with the residues that contact Hairless colored orange; Hairless is colored yellow, and the DNA of the target gene is colored purple and pink.

Image Credit: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002509.g002

Editorials

Introducing Open Highlights: Highlighting Open Access Research from PLOS and Beyond

The PLOS Biology Editors

PLOS Biology: published July 11, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002514

Introducing PLOS Biology's "Research Matters"

The PLOS Biology Editors

PLOS Biology: published July 18, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002518

Open Highlights

Understanding Disease Tolerance and Resilience

Lauren A. Richardson

PLOS Biology: published July 11, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002513

Essays

Fecal Transplants: What Is Being Transferred?

Diana P. Bojanova, Seth R. Bordenstein

PLOS Biology: published July 12, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002503

Caging and Uncaging Genetics

Tom J. Little, Nick Colegrave

PLOS Biology: published July 26, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002525

Perspectives

Preventing Zika Virus Infection during Pregnancy Using a Seasonal Window of Opportunity for Conception

Micaela Elvira Martinez

PLOS Biology: published July 28, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002520

Domesticated Animal Biobanking: Land of Opportunity

Linn F. Groeneveld, Sigbjørn Gregusson, Bernt Guldbrandtsen, Sipke J. Hiemstra, Kristian Hveem, Juha Kantanen, Hannes Lohi, Lina Stroemstedt, Peer Berg

PLOS Biology: published July 28, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002523

Primers

Setting the Stage for Notch: The Drosophila Su(H)-Hairless Repressor Complex

Tilman Borggrefe, Franz Oswald

PLOS Biology: published July 26, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002524

Two for the Price of One: A Neuroprotective Chaperone Kit within NAD Synthase Protein NMNAT2

Angela Lavado-Roldán, Rafael Fernández-Chacón

PLOS Biology: published July 25, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002522

Community Page

A Practical Guide for Improving Transparency and Reproducibility in Neuroimaging Research

Krzysztof J. Gorgolewski, Russell A. Poldrack

PLOS Biology: published July 7, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002506

Research Articles

Host Gut Motility Promotes Competitive Exclusion within a Model Intestinal Microbiota

Travis J Wiles, Matthew Jemielita, Ryan P Baker, Brandon H Schlomann, Savannah L Logan, Julia Ganz, Ellie Melancon, Judith S Eisen, Karen Guillemin, Raghuveer Parthasarathy

PLOS Biology: published July 26, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002517

Spatial Embedding and Wiring Cost Constrain the Functional Layout of the Cortical Network of Rodents and Primates

Szabolcs Horvát, Răzvan Gămănuț, Mária Ercsey-Ravasz, Loïc Magrou, Bianca Gămănuț, David C. Van Essen, Andreas Burkhalter, Kenneth Knoblauch, Zoltán Toroczkai, Henry Kennedy

PLOS Biology: published July 21, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002512

Topological Small-World Organization of the Fibroblastic Reticular Cell Network Determines Lymph Node Functionality

Mario Novkovic, Lucas Onder, Jovana Cupovic, Jun Abe, David Bomze, Viviana Cremasco, Elke Scandella, Jens V. Stein, Gennady Bocharov, Shannon J. Turley, Burkhard Ludewig

PLOS Biology: published July 14, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002515

Structure and Function of the Su(H)-Hairless Repressor Complex, the Major Antagonist of Notch Signaling in Drosophila melanogaster

Zhenyu Yuan, Heiko Praxenthaler, Nassif Tabaja, Rubben Torella, Anette Preiss, Dieter Maier, Rhett A. Kovall

PLOS Biology: published July 12, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002509

LKB1 Regulates Mitochondria-Dependent Presynaptic Calcium Clearance and Neurotransmitter Release Properties at Excitatory Synapses along Cortical Axons

Seok-Kyu Kwon, Richard Sando III, Tommy L. Lewis, Yusuke Hirabayashi, Anton Maximov, Franck Polleux

PLOS Biology: published July 18, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002516

Role of Mitochondrial Dynamics in Neuronal Development: Mechanism for Wolfram Syndrome

Michal Cagalinec, Mailis Liiv, Zuzana Hodurova, Miriam Ann Hickey, Annika Vaarmann, Merle Mandel, Akbar Zeb, Vinay Choubey, Malle Kuum, Dzhamilja Safiulina, Eero Vasar, Vladimir Veksler, Allen Kaasik

PLOS Biology: published July 19, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002511

Sex Chromosome-wide Transcriptional Suppression and Compensatory Cis-Regulatory Evolution Mediate Gene Expression in the Drosophila Male Germline

Emily L. Landeen, Christina A. Muirhead, Lori Wright, Colin D. Meiklejohn, Daven C. Presgraves

PLOS Biology: published July 12, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002499

Allele-Specific Transcriptome and Methylome Analysis Reveals Stable Inheritance and Cis-Regulation of DNA Methylation in Nasonia

Xu Wang, John H. Werren, Andrew G. Clark

PLOS Biology: published July 5, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002500

The Mitochondrial Unfoldase-Peptidase Complex ClpXP Controls Bioenergetics Stress and Metastasis

Jae Ho Seo, Dayana B. Rivadeneira, M. Cecilia Caino, Young Chan Chae, David W. Speicher, Hsin-Yao Tang, Valentina Vaira, Silvano Bosari, Alessandro Palleschi, Paolo Rampini, Andrew V. Kossenkov, Lucia R. Languino, Dario C. Altieri

PLOS Biology: published July 7, 2016 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.1002507