Current Biology最新文献

{"title":"Polyploid cyanobacterial genomes provide a reservoir of mutations, allowing rapid evolution of herbicide resistance.","authors":"Alberto Scarampi, Joshua M Lawrence, Paolo Bombelli, Darius Kosmützky, Jenny Z Zhang, Christopher J Howe","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.044","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Adaptive mechanisms in bacteria, which are widely assumed to be haploid or partially diploid, are thought to rely on the emergence of spontaneous mutations or lateral gene transfer from a reservoir of pre-existing variants within the surrounding environment. These variants then become fixed in the population upon exposure to selective pressures. Here, we show that multiple distinct wild-type (WT) substrains of the highly polyploid cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 can adapt rapidly to the potent herbicide methyl viologen (MV). Genome sequencing revealed that the mutations responsible for adaptation to MV were already present prior to selection in the genomes of the unadapted parental strains at low allelic frequencies. This indicates that chromosomal polyploidy in bacteria can provide cells with a reservoir of conditionally beneficial mutations that can become rapidly enriched and fixed upon selection. MV-resistant strains performed oxygenic photosynthesis less efficiently than WTs when MV was absent, suggesting trade-offs in cellular fitness associated with the evolution of MV resistance and a possible role for balancing selection in the maintenance of these alleles under ecologically relevant growth conditions. Resistance was associated with reduced intracellular accumulation of MV. Our results indicate that genome polyploidy plays a role in the rapid adaptation of some bacteria to stressful conditions, which may include xenobiotics, nutrient limitation, environmental stresses, and seasonal changes.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143691562","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":"A neural computational framework for face processing in the human temporal lobe.","authors":"Runnan Cao, Jie Zhang, Jie Zheng, Yue Wang, Peter Brunner, Jon T Willie, Shuo Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.063","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.063","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A key question in cognitive neuroscience is how unified identity representations emerge from visual inputs. Here, we recorded intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) from the human ventral temporal cortex (VTC) and medial temporal lobe (MTL), as well as single-neuron activity in the MTL, to demonstrate how dense feature-based representations in the VTC are translated into sparse identity-based representations in the MTL. First, we characterized the spatiotemporal neural dynamics of face coding in the VTC and MTL. The VTC, particularly the fusiform gyrus, exhibits robust axis-based feature coding. Remarkably, MTL neurons encode a receptive field within the VTC neural feature space, constructed using VTC neural axes, thereby bridging dense feature and sparse identity representations. We further validated our findings using recordings from a macaque. Lastly, inter-areal interactions between the VTC and MTL provide the physiological basis of this computational framework. Together, we reveal the neurophysiological underpinnings of a computational framework that explains how perceptual information is translated into face identities.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143673597","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":"Passive responses in mouse hind leg locomotion.","authors":"Scott L Hooper, Christoph Guschlbauer, Frederique Wieters, Markus Aswendt, Ansgar Büschges","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2024.12.048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2024.12.048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mice are of a size at which passive joint and muscle forces should be important in leg movements. To investigate this issue, we measured, in anesthetized mice, hind leg passive movements in response to changes in animal orientation relative to gravity and to manual deflections of the leg. Changing gravity orientation did not rotate leg joints to their physiological extremes, indicating that passive responses limit joint rotation range. The manual leg deflections were sufficient to achieve joint angles overlapping those present in published descriptions of mouse locomotion. Upon release from these deflections, the legs returned to intermediate postures. These results show that passive responses are (1) present at locomotory joint angles and (2) sufficiently large, at these angles, to move the leg. Return amplitude depended linearly on deflection amplitude. The slope of this dependence was the same across leg joints, suggesting it is evolutionarily or developmentally selected for. Combining the extremes of our passive response data and published descriptions of joint angles during mouse locomotion (e.g., most-flexed passive response mouse with most-extended published locomotion pattern) allowed determining when in a locomotory cycle passive responses could be definitely extending or flexing. In three of these four combinations, only extending passive responses could be definitely present in the locomotory patterns. In the fourth, alternatively, both extending and flexing passive responses could be definitely present. Passive responses thus likely act during mouse hind leg locomotion, but their amplitude and even sign may vary across individual mice.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143673601","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":"Highly accurate Batesian mimicry of wasps dates back to the Early Oligocene and was driven by non-passerine birds.","authors":"Klára Daňková, Jiří Hadrava, Jakub Straka, Michael Mikát, Alice Exnerová, Pavel Hulva, Valentin Nidergas, Martina Pecharová, André Nel, Jakub Prokop","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.069","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.069","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Batesian mimicry is a widespread strategy that reduces the risk of predation of a harmless mimic by imitating a harmful model.¹ Batesian mimics often vary greatly in how accurately they resemble their models.² However, disentangling the causes of evolutionary changes in mimetic accuracy, or lack of them, is challenging. The fossil record provides a powerful tool, although it is constrained by the quality of preservation. In particular, fossil records of accurate mimics are exceptionally rare. Here, we describe the first evidence of highly accurate wasp mimicry, in a fossil belonging to diverse group of Batesian mimics: hoverflies (Diptera, Syrphidae). The hoverfly Spilomyia kvaceki sp. nov., from the Early Oligocene (33 mya) deposits in Děčín-Bechlejovice, Czech Republic, exhibits well-preserved color pattern that closely resembles extant wasp mimics. Whether modern wasp genera could have served as its model remains uncertain. However, there is an abundant fossil record of stem-group social wasps (Palaeovespa spp.)³^,⁴^,⁵^,⁶^,⁷ that we propose as suitable models. Notably, two Palaeovespa specimens were found in the same locality as S. kvaceki,⁸ supporting their co-occurrence. Currently, passerine birds (Passeriformes) are considered the main selecting agent of mimicry of wasps.⁹ However, passerines were rare in Europe during the Early Oligocene.¹⁰ Thus, the agents selecting the earliest known highly accurate mimics of wasps were most likely non-passerines of Coraciimorphae and Apodiformes clades.¹⁰^,¹¹^,¹²^,¹³ In conclusion, the highly accurate mimicry of wasps originated during or at least persisted through the era of non-passerine dominance in the guild of diurnal flying insectivorous predators in the Northern Hemisphere.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143673600","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":"Deficient synaptic neurotransmission results in a persistent sleep-like cortical activity across vigilance states in mice.","authors":"Mathilde C C Guillaumin, Christian D Harding, Lukas B Krone, Tomoko Yamagata, Martin C Kahn, Cristina Blanco-Duque, Gareth T Banks, Peter Achermann, Cecilia Diniz Behn, Patrick M Nolan, Stuart N Peirson, Vladyslav V Vyazovskiy","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.053","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.053","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Growing evidence suggests that brain activity during sleep, as well as sleep regulation, are tightly linked with synaptic function and network excitability at the local and global levels. We previously reported that a mutation in synaptobrevin 2 (Vamp2) in restless (rlss) mice results in a marked increase of wakefulness and suppression of sleep, in particular REM sleep (REMS), as well as increased consolidation of sleep and wakefulness. In this study, using finer-scale in vivo electrophysiology recordings, we report that spontaneous cortical activity in rlss mice during NREM sleep (NREMS) is characterized by an occurrence of abnormally prolonged periods of complete neuronal silence (OFF-periods), often lasting several seconds, similar to the burst suppression pattern typically seen under deep anesthesia. Increased incidence of prolonged network OFF-periods was not specific to NREMS but also present in REMS and wake in rlss mice. Slow-wave activity (SWA) was generally increased in rlss mice relative to controls, while higher frequencies, including theta-frequency activity, were decreased, further resulting in diminished differences between vigilance states. The relative increase in SWA after sleep deprivation was attenuated in rlss mice, suggesting either that rlss mice experience persistently elevated sleep pressure or, alternatively, that the intrusion of sleep-like patterns of activity into the wake state attenuates the accumulation of sleep drive. We propose that a deficit in global synaptic neurotransmitter release leads to \"state inertia,\" reflected in an abnormal propensity of brain networks to enter and remain in a persistent \"default state\" resembling coma or deep anesthesia.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143673599","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":"Burrowing facilitated the survival of mammals in harsh and fluctuating climates.","authors":"Stefan Pinkert, Victoria Reuber, Lena-Marie Krug, Lea Heidrich, Finn Rehling, Roland Brandl, Nina Farwig","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.064","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.064","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Species' ability to cope with climatic instability varies greatly, influenced by factors such as dispersal, physiological adaptations, and phylogenetic conservatism. Here, we investigate how burrowing behavior, a key component of species' endurance strategies and ecosystem functioning, shaped the contemporary patterns of species richness and range size as well as the diversification of mammalian lineages. Analyzing 4,407 terrestrial mammal species, excluding bats, combined with novel trait data on 3,096 species, we reveal contrasting responses to climatic factors between burrowing and non-burrowing species. Burrowing lineages are disproportionately species-rich at lower temperatures and productivity. Both range size and species richness steeply increase with climate seasonality in burrowing species as opposed to non-burrowing species. The proportion of burrowing species increases with latitude, with regions above 20°, especially those exhibiting greater Pleistocene temperature changes, being almost exclusively composed of burrowing species. Trait conservatism, higher net diversification rates, and Eocene peak diversification provide the evolutionary context for these contemporary patterns, underscoring the role of burrowing for mammalian radiations into temperate climates. Moreover, the lower extinction rate of burrowing species and peak diversification at the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary support the longstanding hypothesis that burrowing behavior promoted survival during the \"impact winter\" that marks the replacement of non-avian dinosaurs by mammals. Our study highlights the potential of readily available trait information for understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes that shape species distributions through space and time. The careful integration of divergent environmental constraints bears vast improvements for forecasts of species' responses to climatic changes and global models of biodiversity patterns.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143691467","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":"The activation of INF2 by Piezo1/Ca²⁺ is required for mesenchymal-to-amoeboid transition in confined environments.","authors":"Neelakshi Kar, Alexa P Caruso, Nicos Prokopiou, Alleah Abrenica, Jeremy S Logue","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.066","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.066","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>To invade tissues, cells may undergo a mesenchymal-to-amoeboid transition (MAT). However, the mechanisms regulating this transition are poorly defined. In melanoma cells, we demonstrate that intracellular [Ca²⁺] increases with the degree of confinement in a Piezo1-dependent fashion. Moreover, Piezo1/Ca²⁺ is found to drive amoeboid and not mesenchymal migration in confined environments. Consistent with a model in which Piezo1 senses tension at the plasma membrane, the percentage of cells using amoeboid migration is further increased in undulating microchannels. Surprisingly, amoeboid migration was not promoted by myosin light-chain kinase (MLCK), which is sensitive to intracellular [Ca²⁺]. Instead, we report that Piezo1/Ca²⁺ activates inverted formin-2 (INF2) to induce widespread actin cytoskeletal remodeling. Strikingly, the activation of INF2 promotes de-adhesion, which in turn facilitates migration across micropatterned surfaces. Thus, we reveal a novel Piezo1/Ca²⁺/INF2 signaling cascade that regulates MAT, enabling cancer cells to adapt their migration mode in response to varying mechanochemical environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143691563","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":"Elevational constraints on flight efficiency shape global gradients in avian wing morphology.","authors":"Jingyi Yang, Chenyue Yang, Hung-Wei Lin, Alexander C Lees, Joseph A Tobias","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.068","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.068","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Wings with an elongated shape or larger surface area are associated with increased flight efficiency in a wide range of animals from insects to birds.¹^,²^,³^,⁴ Inter- and intra-specific variation in these attributes of wing shape is determined by a range of factors-including foraging ecology, migration, and climatic seasonality⁵^,⁶^,⁷^,⁸-all of which may drive latitudinal gradients in wing morphology.⁹^,¹⁰ A separate hypothesis predicts that wing shape should also follow an elevational gradient⁵^,¹¹ because air density declines with altitude,¹² altering the aerodynamics of flight and driving the evolution of more efficient wings in high-elevation species to compensate for reduced lift.¹³^,¹⁴^,¹⁵ Although previous analyses have shown a tendency for longer or larger wings at higher elevations, at least locally,¹⁶^,¹⁷^,¹⁸^,¹⁹^,²⁰ it is difficult to rule out a range of alternative explanations since we currently lack a global synthesis of elevational gradients in wing shape for any taxonomic group. In this study, we use phylogenetic models to explore elevational effects on metrics of wing morphology linked to aerodynamic function in 9,982 bird species while simultaneously controlling for multiple climatic factors and ecological attributes of species. We found that relative wing elongation (hand-wing index) and wing area increase with elevation, even when accounting for latitude, temperature seasonality, body mass, habitat, aerial lifestyle, and altitudinal migration. These results confirm a pervasive elevational gradient in avian wing morphology and suggest that aerodynamic constraints linked to air density, perhaps coupled with oxygen deficiency, contribute to global patterns of trait evolution in flying animals.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143691561","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":"Island-wide removal of honeybees reveals exploitative trophic competition with strongly declining wild bee populations.","authors":"Lorenzo Pasquali, Claudia Bruschini, Fulvia Benetello, Marco Bonifacino, Francesca Giannini, Elisa Monterastelli, Marco Penco, Sabrina Pesarini, Vania Salvati, Giulia Simbula, Marta Skowron Volponi, Stefania Smargiassi, Elia van Tongeren, Giorgio Vicari, Alessandro Cini, Leonardo Dapporto","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.048","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>High densities of managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) can threaten wild bees through exploitative competition, thus leading to population declines of the latter. Although reviews have outlined key steps to demonstrate these impacts-measuring resource overlap, changes in wild bee behavior, and population trends-studies that comprehensively address these aspects are virtually absent. We were granted access to the entire protected island of Giannutri (2.6 km²) and to the apiary (18 hives) located there during the early phase of coexistence between honeybees and wild bees. Using the island as an open-air laboratory, we experimentally manipulated honeybee pressure by closing the hives on selected days during the peak of the wild bee foraging period. In the plants most visited by pollinators, even short-term honeybee removals (11 h per day) increased nectar volume (∼60%) and pollen availability (∼30%). In the absence of honeybees, target wild bees (Anthophora dispar and Bombus terrestris) became dominant in the insect-plant visitation network, and the potential apparent competition significantly decreased. Accordingly, both species intensified their foraging activity and increased nectar suction time, a recognized proxy for the quantity of probed nectar, and Bombus terrestris also shortened the time of pollen searching. Transect monitoring revealed an alarming ∼80% decline in both species over 4 years, consistent with honeybee monopolization of floral resources, thus reducing availability for wild pollinators and altering their foraging budget. These findings underscore the risks of introducing high densities of honeybees into protected areas and emphasize the need for rigorous preventive ecological assessments.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143669389","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":"Regulation of pre-dawn arousal in Drosophila by a pair of trissinergic descending neurons of the visual and circadian networks.","authors":"Ruihan Jiang, Yue Tian, Xin Yuan, Fang Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.056","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.02.056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Circadian neurons form a complex neural network that generates circadian oscillations. How the circadian neural network transmits circadian signals to other brain regions, thereby regulating the activity patterns in fruit flies, is not well known. Using the FlyWire database, we identified a cluster of descending neurons, DNp27, which is densely connected with key circadian neurons and the visual circuit, projecting extensively across the brain. DNp27 receives excitatory inputs from the circadian neurons DN3s at night and photo-inhibitory signals predominantly during the day, resulting in calcium oscillations that peak in the early morning and dip at dusk. Experimental manipulation of DNp27 revealed its role in activity regulation: artificial activation of DNp27 decreased flies' activity, while ablation or silencing led to an advance in the morning anticipatory peak. Similar alterations in the morning peak were observed following pan-neuronal knockdown of either Trissin or TrissinR, suggesting the involvement of this neuropeptide signaling pathway in DNp27 function. Moreover, neural circuitry and connectivity analyses indicate that DNp27 may regulate circadian neurons via extra-clock electrical oscillators (xCEOs). Lastly, we found that DNp27 modulates arousal thresholds by inhibiting light-responsive activity in the central brain, thereby promoting sleep stability, particularly in the pre-dawn period. Together, these findings suggest that DNp27 plays a crucial role in maintaining stable sleep patterns.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":8.1,"publicationDate":"2025-03-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143662462","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}