Current Biology最新文献

{"title":"Teneurin-3 and latrophilin-2 are required for somatotopic map development and somatosensory topognosis.","authors":"Kevin T Sangster, Xinying Zhang, Daniel Del Toro, Christina Sarantopoulos, Ashley M Moses, Shreya Mahasenan, Daniel T Pederick, Sophie Perreault, Catherine Fallet-Bianco, R Brian Roome, Elena Seiradake, Liqun Luo, Artur Kania","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.040","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.040","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Somatotopy is a recurring organizational feature of the somatosensory system where adjacent neurons and their connections represent adjacent regions of the body. The molecular mechanisms governing the formation of such \"body maps\" remain largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that the cell surface proteins teneurin-3 and latrophilin-2 are expressed in opposing gradients aligning with the somatotopic map in the dorsal horn of the mouse spinal cord. Genetic manipulation of these proteins in the spinal dorsal horn or sensory neurons distorts the somatotopy of neuronal connections and impairs the accurate localization of a noxious stimulus on the surface of the body. Our work provides the foundation for a molecular model of somatotopic map formation and insights into the role of somatotopic maps in the ability to accurately locate somatosensory stimuli, also known as topognosis.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tachykinin 1 neurons in the lateral habenula signal negative reward prediction error.","authors":"Kana E Suzuki, Tharusha A Seagoe, Blake Holcomb, Jacqulyn R Kuyat, Emily L Sylwestrak","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.032","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.032","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Evaluating outcomes to accurately predict which actions lead to reward is essential for survival. Discrepancies between expected and realized outcomes, termed reward prediction errors (RPEs), serve as teaching signals to update subsequent predictions and promote adaptive behavior.¹^,²^,³^,⁴^,⁵ Neural correlates of RPEs have been identified in several brain regions,⁶^,⁷^,⁸^,⁹^,¹⁰^,¹¹^,¹² including the lateral habenula (LHb), which contains a subpopulation of neurons encoding negative RPE (nRPE): they are excited by worse-than-expected outcomes and inhibited by better-than-expected outcomes.¹³^,¹⁴^,¹⁵^,¹⁶^,¹⁷^,¹⁸ LHb activity shapes firing in dopaminergic neurons and plays a well-established role in reward learning and decision-making.¹⁴^,¹⁹^,²⁰^,²¹ However, the LHb engages in many behaviors,²²^,²³^,²⁴ and it remains unclear whether specific cell types mediate its diverse functions. Little is known about the transcriptomic identity of nRPE-encoding neurons, which limits the use of genetically-targeted tools to understand how these signals contribute to outcome valuation. Using cell-type-specific recording in mice performing reward-guided tasks, we demonstrate that LHb neurons expressing tachykinin 1 (Tac1) are selectively tuned to nRPE. LHb^Tac1 activity is sensitive to changes in both the expected and realized value of rewards, and scales with the magnitude of the difference. LHb^Tac1 neurons show little modulation to other task-related events and are only weakly driven by aversive stimuli. Together, these data demonstrate that Tac1 marks a subpopulation of LHb neurons that encodes valence-biased prediction errors, preferentially responding to worse-than-expected outcomes in appetitive contexts. Our results provide insight into cell-type-specific contributions of habenular neurons in nRPE signaling and enable more targeted manipulations to understand their role in reward-guided behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863667","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Collections in global botanical gardens reveal charismatic species bias in conservation.","authors":"Fei-Fei Li, Wen-Hui Liu, Chao Song, Xia Cui, Ting-Ting Zhao, Jin-Shuang Ma, Yu Wei","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.033","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.033","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Biodiversity conservation efforts are often concentrated on a narrow subset of charismatic species, which attract disproportionate attention and funding.¹ While this bias is usually reported in animal conservation,²^,³^,⁴ whether botanical gardens exhibit similar patterns remains poorly understood. Recent studies have revealed geographic and taxonomic imbalances in botanical garden collections,⁵^,⁶^,⁷ but which species drive these patterns and the underlying mechanisms remain unexplored. China is recognized as the \"mother of gardens\" for its contribution to global horticultural diversity.⁸^,⁹ The long introduction history of Chinese endemic plants provides an opportunity to examine the historical factors shaping current ex situ conservation patterns. We analyzed 5,158 Chinese endemic plants across 636 botanical gardens, revealing that 43 species (0.83%) appeared in 100 or more gardens. Ginkgo biloba and Metasequoia glyptostroboides appeared in more than 300 gardens, whereas 45% existed in only a single garden. The factors that promoted the widespread collection of certain Chinese endemic plants in botanical gardens include not only ornamental or conservation value but also relict \"living fossil,\" centuries-long introduction histories, and cultural symbolism. Species co-occurrence network analysis revealed that Rhododendron co-occurrence across gardens is far from random. These Rhododendron hub combinations are held almost exclusively by gardens outside China (94.7% of holding gardens), reflecting Rhododendron-focused collecting by Western plant hunters during the late 19th and early 20th centuries in China. Our findings demonstrate that botanical garden collections must shift from charismatic species bias toward conservation-driven strategies that prioritize underrepresented endemics based on extinction risk rather than horticultural fame.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863615","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ten3-Lphn2-mediated target selection across the extended hippocampal network demonstrates a repeated strategy for circuit assembly.","authors":"Ellen C Gingrich, Daniel T Pederick, Yanbo Zhang, Liqun Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.038","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.038","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>How do thousands of cell-surface proteins specify billions of neuronal connections in developing brains? We previously found that inverse expression of a ligand-receptor pair, teneurin-3 (Ten3) and latrophilin-2 (Lphn2), in CA1 and subiculum, instructs CA1→subiculum target selection through Ten3-Ten3 homophilic attraction and Ten3-Lphn2 heterophilic reciprocal repulsions. Here, we leveraged conditional knockouts to demonstrate that these mechanisms generalize to several nodes of the extended hippocampal networks, including entorhinal cortex and hypothalamus. Cooperation between attraction and repulsion may differ depending on the order in which developing axons encounter the attractant and repellent subfields. Ten3 and Lphn2 can serve as both ligands for incoming axons and as receptors for their own target selection within the same neuron; Ten3 can be repulsive or attractive as a ligand or receptor. Thus, multifunctionality and repeated use, together with recurrent circuit motifs prevalent in the brain, enable one ligand-receptor pair to instruct target selection of many neurons.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863649","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Type VI and type IX secretion systems and gliding motility contribute to facultative predation by Flavobacterium johnsoniae.","authors":"Maelle Paillat, Linghan Coralie Meng, Laure Journet, Eric Cascales, Thierry Doan","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.042","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.042","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Flavobacterium johnsoniae is a soil-dwelling bacterium that colonizes surfaces using gliding motility. Here, we show that niche colonization is promoted by a killing strategy involving the type VI (T6SS) and type IX (T9SS) secretion systems, in addition to gliding, revealing a functional coupling between these mechanisms and antagonistic activity. We report that T6SS-dependent killing is not essential for competing colony invasion and spatial colonization. Instead, it enables F. johnsoniae to access nutrients released from lysed prey. Collectively, our results highlight the pivotal role of secretion machineries and gliding motility in bacterial antagonism and facultative predation by Flavobacteria. This work further supports the idea that this behavior, through T6SS- and T9SS-mediated killing and nutrient acquisition, may be a widespread ecological strategy among bacteria.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863616","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inverse expression of Ten3 and Lphn2 across the developing mouse brain suggests a global strategy for circuit assembly.","authors":"URee Chon, Daniel T Pederick, Jun Ho Song, Yanbo Zhang, Isabella Rana, Liqun Luo","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.037","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.037","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Precise wiring of neural circuits requires molecular strategies that ensure accurate target selection across diverse brain regions. Here, we identify inverse expression between a ligand-receptor pair, teneurin-3 (Ten3) and latrophilin-2 (Lphn2), across the developing mouse brain. Ten3 and Lphn2 exhibit inverse expression gradients along a retinotopic axis orthogonal to the ephrinA and EphA gradients, along the tonotopic axis across multiple brainstem auditory nuclei, and along the dorsomedial-ventrolateral axis in striatum and pallidum. Their inverse expression also creates discrete domains of cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) and cerebellar nuclei (CN). Using conditional-tag mice, we show that inverse Ten3 and Lphn2 expression patterns predict connectivity, following a \"Ten3→Ten3, Lphn2→Lphn2\" rule in all above circuits, and that Lphn2 is required in executing this rule in PCs→CN projection. Our findings suggest a global strategy of coordinating gene expression of key wiring molecules with circuit connectivity across the developing brain.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863681","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Indispensable roles of RBOH-mediated ROS production in development and morphogenesis of Marchantia polymorpha.","authors":"Yuto Yamashita, Yuki Hagiwara, Kenji Hashimoto, Mizuki Ogawa, Seigo Hoshino, Hidemasa Suzuki, Megumi Iwano, Toshiki Ishikawa, Ryuichi Nishihama, Kazuyuki Kuchitsu","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.016","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.016","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are now well established as essential signaling molecules in eukaryotes. In plants, NADPH oxidases, known as respiratory burst oxidase homologs (RBOHs), are the primary source of signaling ROS. Although ROS have been implicated in plant development, a causal demonstration of the essential role of RBOH-derived ROS in fundamental developmental processes has remained elusive. This gap largely reflects the extensive genetic redundancy of RBOH genes in angiosperm model systems, which often masks essential developmental functions. Here, we exploited the exceptionally low genetic redundancy of the bryophyte Marchantia polymorpha, which possesses only two RBOHs, MpRBOHA and MpRBOHB. By generating a complete null mutant, we uncovered a severe developmental phenotype forming a disorganized cell mass, which demonstrates that MpRBOHs are indispensable for normal morphogenesis. Phenotypic gradation among the single and double mutants, together with complementation analyses, revealed that the two MpRBOHs function partially redundantly in meristem-driven development. Convergent evidence from constitutive knockout, inducible knockdown, and pharmacological inhibition demonstrates that RBOH-derived ROS positively regulate growth by promoting cell proliferation. Conditional knockout analyses further revealed that MpRBOHs are required from early developmental stages to sustain morphogenesis by maintaining cuticle-cell-wall integrity, which is essential for controlling cellular shape, spatial arrangement, and organ differentiation. Transcriptomic analyses showed that the developmental arrest of the MprbohA rbohB mutant is associated with a failure to activate cell-differentiation programs. Together, our findings uncover a previously unrecognized and fundamental role of RBOH-derived ROS in coordinating physical integrity with cell differentiation during plant development.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863635","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Replicated repurposing of an ancestral transcriptional complex in land plants.","authors":"Thea E Kongsted, Facundo Romani, Chiara A Airoldi, Jim Haseloff, Beverley J Glover","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In flowering plants, transcriptional complexes with a common composition have been found to regulate multiple pathways in the epidermal cell layer, including the production of flavonoid pigments and the differentiation of trichomes and root hairs. These complexes are composed of transcription factors from the MYB and bHLH families along with a WDR scaffold protein (MBW complexes). The MYB member has been found to be the most pathway-specific component of the complex, and modifications to these MYB genes are overrepresented in studies investigating the genetic basis of differences in pigmentation phenotypes. Here, we investigated the origin of this complex and its independent functional diversification in the liverwort lineage. We found evidence that homologous transcriptional complexes form in Marchantia polymorpha, indicating that they are ancestral to land plants. The single orthologous bHLH gene, MpbHLH12, regulates both pathways controlled by the two orthologous MYB genes, MpMYB14 and MpMYB02. Moreover, MpbHLH12 interacts with two of the TTG1-like WDR proteins in M. polymorpha, although their functional role has yet to be determined. We propose that two transcriptional complexes with alternative MYB paralogs in M. polymorpha represent an ancestral function, regulation of the flavonoid pathway, and a derived function, maturation of liverwort-specific oil bodies. Notably, we find independently in the liverworts, as has been observed in angiosperms, that functional diversification is associated with duplication of the MYB member and co-option of its interaction partners.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147863689","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Chemodiverse cell system responses to UV in an algal sister of land plants.","authors":"Cäcilia F Kunz, Ilka N Abreu, Tatyana Darienko, Janine Fürst-Jansen, Kirstin Feussner, Ivo Feussner, Maike Lorenz, Jan de Vries","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.015","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.015","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant terrestrialization necessitated overcoming a barrage of stressors.¹ Embryophytes (land plants) use an integrated response network to adjust their molecular physiology in response to terrestrial stressors²-one of the important stressors is UV irradiance. The zygnematophytes are the closest streptophyte algal relatives of embryophytes,³^,⁴^,⁵^,⁶ renowned for their UV resilience⁷^,⁸^,⁹ and key for inferring the UV response toolkit of the earliest embryophytes.¹⁰^,¹¹ Throughout evolution, specialized metabolism radiated, yielding chemodiverse responses to environmental challenges¹²^,¹³^,¹⁴^,¹⁵ ranging from UV-shielding flavonoids and coumarins to the polymer lignin of tracheophytes¹⁶; homologs of the underpinning core pathway occur in streptophyte algae.¹⁷ Here, we exposed the zygnematophyte Mesotaenium to UV-B irradiation and profiled its physiological, morphological, transcriptomic, and metabolomic features. After UV-B exposure, the cells showed rapid photophysiological responses and progressively growing terminal vacuoles. Our transcriptome data capture dynamic changes in gene expression in (1) core downstream homologs of phenol metabolic enzymes, photophysiological homeostats, and DNA repair factors and (2) upstream components featuring key homologs of kinase-mediated signaling cascades, as well as light quality and abscisic acid-mediated signaling components. To scrutinize the acclimatory chassis, we created a metabolite feature database specifically for the Mesotaenium metabolome. The metabolome displayed pronounced temporal shifts, with several phenolic features that accumulate along the UV-stress-acclimation kinetics. Overall, we capture chemodiverse responses, including various phenolics such as methoxypsoralen-like derivatives and coumarins. We establish an integrated model for UV responses in the closest algal relatives of embryophytes, illuminating the toolkit that allowed the progenitors of embryophytes to move out of a protective water column.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147835013","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Aha moment precedes the strategic response to a visuomotor rotation.","authors":"Max Townsend, Matthew Warburton, Carlo Campagnoli, Mark Mon-Williams, Faisal Mushtaq, J Ryan Morehead","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.021","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2026.04.021","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Strategic behavior in sensorimotor adaptation tasks is typically described as either a gradual error-minimization process or as a process of learning through trial and error. The former predicts a gradual monotonic reduction in error, until some asymptote, while the latter predicts behavioral exploration to discover an efficacious solution. Another explanation is that a sufficiently rich understanding of the task culminates in an \"Aha!\" moment and that this richer understanding naturally entails a new strategy. This predicts some period of perseveration in baseline behavior, followed by an abrupt shift to a new strategic solution. To avoid obfuscation caused by the motor system, we first investigated these hypotheses in a strategy-only aiming game, where participants aim and fire a cannon at targets. Most participants exhibited a period of baseline perseveration followed by a single-trial shift to a distinct strategy. This strategy typically appears to produce the correct compensatory magnitude for a noisily estimated perturbation, as well as substantial variability in compensatory sign. We then applied the same analyses to reaching data from a visuomotor rotation task that inhibited implicit adaptation through delaying feedback presentation. Similarly, we found that participants typically perseverated in reaching toward the target before suddenly switching, in a single trial, to good performance in compensatory magnitude. We fit our generative \"Aha!\" model to 1,337 participants across several datasets and show that it faithfully captures these phenomena. Our findings highlight the need to update existing models to account for the abrupt, insight-driven shifts that characterize individual human responses to sensorimotor perturbations.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2026-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147834979","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}