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April 2018

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Evolutionary novelty in gravity sensing through horizontal gene transfer and high-order protein assembly
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This study by Nguyen et al. identifies the octahedral crystal matrix protein (OCTIN) as the structural protein that makes up sedimenting vacuolar crystals involved in gravitropism in the fungal order Mucorales (pin molds). OCTIN appears to have originated by horizontal gene transfer from bacteria, retaining elements of the original bacterial assembly mechanism, while acquiring new mutations that increase assembly size to generate crystals vastly larger than the bacterial cells from which the gene was presumably acquired. The image shows fruiting bodies of Phycomyces blakesleeanus, the focus of this study. Each stalk is a single cell that elongates to form a structure 1-3 cm tall, with a spore-containing sphere at its tip. The spores accumulate melanin as they mature, explaining the black color.

Image Credit: Tu Anh Nguyen

Perspectives

What exactly is ‘N’ in cell culture and animal experiments?

Stanley E. Lazic, Charlie J. Clarke-Williams, Marcus R. Munafò

PLOS Biology: published April 4, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005282

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Do non-native species contribute to biodiversity?

Martin A. Schlaepfer

PLOS Biology: published April 17, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005568

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Ups and downs in early electron cryo-microscopy

Jacques Dubochet, Erwin Knapek

PLOS Biology: published April 19, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005550

The paradoxical extinction of the most charismatic animals

Franck Courchamp, Ivan Jaric, Céline Albert, Yves Meinard, William J. Ripple, Guillaume Chapron

PLOS Biology: published April 12, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003997

Biocuration: Distilling data into knowledge

International Society for Biocuration

PLOS Biology: published April 16, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002846

How measurement science can improve confidence in research results

Anne L. Plant, Chandler A. Becker, Robert J. Hanisch, Ronald F. Boisvert, Antonio M. Possolo, John T. Elliott

PLOS Biology: published April 23, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004299

Primers

The metabolic theory of ecology and the cost of parasitism

Mary I. O’Connor, Joanna R. Bernhardt

PLOS Biology: published April 2, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005628

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Full disclosure: Genome assembly is still hard

Stephen Richards

PLOS Biology: published April 24, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005894

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On ways to overcome the magical capacity limit of working memory

Zsolt Turi, Ivan Alekseichuk, Walter Paulus

PLOS Biology: published April 19, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005867

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Human white matter and knowledge representation

Franco Pestilli

PLOS Biology: published April 26, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005758

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Research Articles

The ecology of immune state in a wild mammal, Mus musculus domesticus

Stephen Abolins, Luke Lazarou, Laura Weldon, Louise Hughes, Elizabeth C. King, Paul Drescher, Michael J. O. Pocock, Julius C. R. Hafalla, Eleanor M. Riley, Mark Viney

PLOS Biology: published April 13, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003538

Comparative genomics of bdelloid rotifers: Insights from desiccating and nondesiccating species

Reuben W. Nowell, Pedro Almeida, Christopher G. Wilson, Thomas P. Smith, Diego Fontaneto, Alastair Crisp, Gos Micklem, Alan Tunnacliffe, Chiara Boschetti, Timothy G. Barraclough

PLOS Biology: published April 24, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004830

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Agent-specific learning signals for self–other distinction during mentalising

Sam Ereira, Raymond J. Dolan, Zeb Kurth-Nelson

PLOS Biology: published April 24, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004752

The neural system of metacognition accompanying decision-making in the prefrontal cortex

Lirong Qiu, Jie Su, Yinmei Ni, Yang Bai, Xuesong Zhang, Xiaoli Li, Xiaohong Wan

PLOS Biology: published April 23, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004037

Semantic representation in the white matter pathway

Yuxing Fang, Xiaosha Wang, Suyu Zhong, Luping Song, Zaizhu Han, Gaolang Gong, Yanchao Bi

PLOS Biology: published April 6, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003993

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The rostromedial tegmental nucleus is essential for non-rapid eye movement sleep

Su-Rong Yang, Zhen-Zhen Hu, Yan-Jia Luo, Ya-Nan Zhao, Huan-Xin Sun, Dou Yin, Chen-Yao Wang, Yu-Dong Yan, Dian-Ru Wang, Xiang-Shan Yuan, Chen-Bo Ye, Wei Guo, Wei-Min Qu, Yoan Cherasse, Michael Lazarus, Yu-Qiang Ding, Zhi-Li Huang

PLOS Biology: published April 13, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002909

Degenerate time-dependent network dynamics anticipate seizures in human epileptic brain

Adrià Tauste Campo, Alessandro Principe, Miguel Ley, Rodrigo Rocamora, Gustavo Deco

PLOS Biology: published April 5, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002580

Activation of temperature-sensitive TRPV1-like receptors in ARC POMC neurons reduces food intake

Jae Hoon Jeong, Dong Kun Lee, Shun-Mei Liu, Streamson C. Chua Jr., Gary J. Schwartz, Young-Hwan Jo

PLOS Biology: published April 24, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004399

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In vivo clonal analysis reveals spatiotemporal regulation of thalamic nucleogenesis

Samuel Z. H. Wong, Earl Parker Scott, Wenhui Mu, Xize Guo, Ella Borgenheimer, Madeline Freeman, Guo-li Ming, Qing-Feng Wu, Hongjun Song, Yasushi Nakagawa

PLOS Biology: published April 23, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005211

Elasticity-based boosting of neuroepithelial nucleokinesis via indirect energy transfer from mother to daughter

Tomoyasu Shinoda, Arata Nagasaka, Yasuhiro Inoue, Ryo Higuchi, Yoshiaki Minami, Kagayaki Kato, Makoto Suzuki, Takefumi Kondo, Takumi Kawaue, Kanako Saito, Naoto Ueno, Yugo Fukazawa, Masaharu Nagayama, Takashi Miura, Taiji Adachi, Takaki Miyata

PLOS Biology: published April 20, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004426

Age is not just a number: Naive T cells increase their ability to persist in the circulation over time

Sanket Rane, Thea Hogan, Benedict Seddon, Andrew J. Yates

PLOS Biology: published April 11, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003949

Unconventional function of an Achaete-Scute homolog as a terminal selector of nociceptive neuron identity

Neda Masoudi, Saeed Tavazoie, Lori Glenwinkel, Leesun Ryu, Kyuhyung Kim, Oliver Hobert

PLOS Biology: published April 19, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004979

Organic cation transporter 1 (OCT1) modulates multiple cardiometabolic traits through effects on hepatic thiamine content

Xiaomin Liang, Sook Wah Yee, Huan-Chieh Chien, Eugene C. Chen, Qi Luo, Ling Zou, Meiling Piao, Arias Mifune, Ligong Chen, Meredith E. Calvert, Sarah King, Frode Norheim, Janna Abad, Ronald M. Krauss, Kathleen M. Giacomini

PLOS Biology: published April 16, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002907

Dectin-1/2–induced autocrine PGE2 signaling licenses dendritic cells to prime Th2 responses

Maria M. M. Kaisar, Manuel Ritter, Carlos del Fresno, Hulda S. Jónasdóttir, Alwin J. van der Ham, Leonard R. Pelgrom, Gabriele Schramm, Laura E. Layland, David Sancho, Clarissa Prazeres da Costa, Martin Giera, Maria Yazdanbakhsh, Bart Everts

PLOS Biology: published April 18, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005504

Amino acid starvation sensing dampens IL-1β production by activating riboclustering and autophagy

Srikanth Battu, Sumbul Afroz, Jeevan Giddaluru, Saima Naz, Weishan Huang, Saratchandra Singh Khumukcham, Rafiq Ahmad Khan, Saleem Yousuf Bhat, Insaf Ahmed Qureshi, Bramanandam Manavathi, Aleem Ahmed Khan, Avery August, Seyed Ehtesham Hasnain, Nooruddin Khan

PLOS Biology: published April 5, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005317

Nitric oxide-mediated posttranslational modifications control neurotransmitter release by modulating complexin farnesylation and enhancing its clamping ability

Susan W. Robinson, Julie-Myrtille Bourgognon, Jereme G. Spiers, Carlo Breda, Susanna Campesan, Adrian Butcher, Giovanna R. Mallucci, David Dinsdale, Nobuhiro Morone, Raj Mistry, Tim M. Smith, Maria Guerra-Martin, R. A. John Challiss, Flaviano Giorgini, Joern R. Steinert

PLOS Biology: published April 9, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003611

Stable centrosomal roots disentangle to allow interphase centriole independence

Robert Mahen

PLOS Biology: published April 12, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2003998

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A noncanonical role for dynamin-1 in regulating early stages of clathrin-mediated endocytosis in non-neuronal cells

Saipraveen Srinivasan, Christoph J. Burckhardt, Madhura Bhave, Zhiming Chen, Ping-Hung Chen, Xinxin Wang, Gaudenz Danuser, Sandra L. Schmid

PLOS Biology: published April 18, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005377

Assessing the stability of polio eradication after the withdrawal of oral polio vaccine

Michael Famulare, Christian Selinger, Kevin A. McCarthy, Philip A. Eckhoff, Guillaume Chabot-Couture

PLOS Biology: published April 27, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2002468

Antibiotic combination efficacy (ACE) networks for a Pseudomonas aeruginosa model

Camilo Barbosa, Robert Beardmore, Hinrich Schulenburg, Gunther Jansen

PLOS Biology: published April 30, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004356

Mib1 prevents Notch Cis-inhibition to defer differentiation and preserve neuroepithelial integrity during neural delamination

Chooyoung Baek, Lucy Freem, Rosette Goïame, Helen Sang, Xavier Morin, Samuel Tozer

PLOS Biology: published April 30, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004162

Polarization-resolved microscopy reveals a muscle myosin motor-independent mechanism of molecular actin ordering during sarcomere maturation

Olivier Loison, Manuela Weitkunat, Aynur Kaya-Çopur, Camila Nascimento Alves, Till Matzat, Maria L. Spletter, Stefan Luschnig, Sophie Brasselet, Pierre-François Lenne, Frank Schnorrer

PLOS Biology: published April 27, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004718

Short Reports

Dissecting the null model for biological invasions: A meta-analysis of the propagule pressure effect

Phillip Cassey, Steven Delean, Julie L. Lockwood, Jason S. Sadowski, Tim M. Blackburn

PLOS Biology: published April 23, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005987

Evolutionary novelty in gravity sensing through horizontal gene transfer and high-order protein assembly

Tu Anh Nguyen, Jamie Greig, Asif Khan, Cara Goh, Gregory Jedd

PLOS Biology: published April 24, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004920

Mitochondrial nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide reduced (NADH) oxidation links the tricarboxylic acid (TCA) cycle with methionine metabolism and nuclear DNA methylation

Oswaldo A. Lozoya, Inmaculada Martinez-Reyes, Tianyuan Wang, Dagoberto Grenet, Pierre Bushel, Jianying Li, Navdeep Chandel, Richard P. Woychik, Janine H. Santos

PLOS Biology: published April 18, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005707

Dependence of innate lymphoid cell 1 development on NKp46

Yufeng Wang, Wenjuan Dong, Yibo Zhang, Michael A. Caligiuri, Jianhua Yu

PLOS Biology: published April 27, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004867

Methods and Resources

In vivo insertion pool sequencing identifies virulence factors in a complex fungal–host interaction

Simon Uhse, Florian G. Pflug, Alexandra Stirnberg, Klaus Ehrlinger, Arndt von Haeseler, Armin Djamei

PLOS Biology: published April 23, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005129

Ultrastructural localisation of protein interactions using conditionally stable nanobodies

Nicholas Ariotti, James Rae, Nichole Giles, Nick Martel, Emma Sierecki, Yann Gambin, Thomas E. Hall, Robert G. Parton

PLOS Biology: published April 5, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005473

Meta-Research Articles

Laboratory mouse housing conditions can be improved using common environmental enrichment without compromising data

Viola André, Christine Gau, Angelika Scheideler, Juan A. Aguilar-Pimentel, Oana V. Amarie, Lore Becker, Lillian Garrett, Wolfgang Hans, Sabine M. Hölter, Dirk Janik, Kristin Moreth, Frauke Neff, Manuela Östereicher, Ildiko Racz, Birgit Rathkolb, Jan Rozman, Raffi Bekeredjian, Jochen Graw, Martin Klingenspor, Thomas Klopstock, Markus Ollert, Carsten Schmidt-Weber, Eckhard Wolf, Wolfgang Wurst, Valérie Gailus-Durner, Markus Brielmeier, Helmut Fuchs, Martin Hrabé de Angelis

PLOS Biology: published April 16, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005019

The gender gap in science: How long until women are equally represented?

Luke Holman, Devi Stuart-Fox, Cindy E. Hauser

PLOS Biology: published April 19, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004956

Preclinical efficacy studies in investigator brochures: Do they enable risk–benefit assessment?

Susanne Wieschowski, William Wei Lim Chin, Carole Federico, Sören Sievers, Jonathan Kimmelman, Daniel Strech

PLOS Biology: published April 5, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2004879

Research Matters

Meta-research matters: Meta-spin cycles, the blindness of bias, and rebuilding trust

Lisa Bero

PLOS Biology: published April 2, 2018 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pbio.2005972