Current Biology最新文献

{"title":"Reward-driven cerebellar climbing fiber activity influences both neural and behavioral learning.","authors":"Shuyang Jin, Court Hull","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.064","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.064","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The cerebellum plays a key role in motor coordination and learning. In contrast to classical supervised learning models, recent work has revealed that climbing fibers (CFs) can signal reward-predictive information in some behaviors. This raises the question of whether CFs may also operate according to the principles of reinforcement learning. To test how CFs operate during reward-guided behavior and evaluate the role of reward-related CF activity in learning, we measured CF responses in Purkinje cells of the lateral cerebellum during a Pavlovian task using two-photon calcium imaging. Specifically, we have performed multi-stimulus experiments to determine whether CF activity meets the requirements of a reward prediction error (rPE) signal for transfer from an unexpected reward to a reward-predictive cue. We find that once CF activity is transferred to a conditioned stimulus, and there is no longer a response to reward, CFs cannot generate learned responses to a second conditioned stimulus that carries the same reward prediction. In addition, by expressing the inhibitory opsin GtACR2 in neurons of the inferior olive and optically inhibiting these neurons during behavioral training at the time of unexpected reward, we find that the transfer of CF signals to the conditioned stimulus is impaired. Moreover, this optogenetic inhibition also impairs learning, resulting in a deficit in anticipatory lick timing. Together, these results indicate that CF signals can exhibit several characteristics in common with the rPEs that have been observed during reinforcement learning and that the cerebellum can harness these reward-related learning signals to generate accurately timed motor behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":"4383-4393.e4"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12380153/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144946695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Orbitofrontal cortex spontaneously recovers latent information about outcomes upon devaluation.","authors":"Evan E Hart, Lisette Bahena, Geoffrey Schoenbaum","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.083","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.083","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) is critical when the relevance of known information changes. For example, we choose a different road when the primary route is blocked. Yet, most single-unit recording studies focus on information after extensive training-the \"daily drive.\" Under these conditions, the OFC encodes task-relevant information, generalizing across task-irrelevant features, like signs along the way. How does this transformation happen and what happens to irrelevant information that might be necessary later? We explored these questions by recording single-unit activity in rats learning an odor discrimination task in which odors predicted different responses and flavored rewards. Activity evolved to represent task-relevant information; however, irrelevant taste information remained latent in the activity and was recovered spontaneously upon selective satiation. The results provide insight into how the OFC organizes information and suggests that this area is often necessary for adaptive behavior because of an ability to maintain irrelevant information for later use.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":"4467-4478.e4"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144946697","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 sTDIF signaling peptide modulates the root stele diameter and primary metabolism to accommodate symbiotic nodulation.","authors":"Juliette Teyssendier de la Serve, Pierre Gautrat, Carole Laffont, Zelie Lesterps, Emeline Huault, Florence Guerard, Hélène San Clemente, Marielle Aguilar, Sandra Bensmihen, Bertrand Gakière, Nicolas Frei-Dit-Frey, Florian Frugier","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.056","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.056","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Legume plants form specific organs on their root system, the nitrogen-fixing nodules, thanks to a symbiotic interaction with soil bacteria collectively named rhizobia. Rhizobia, however, do not only induce the formation of these nodule organs but also modulate root system architecture. We identified in Medicago truncatula a previously unnoticed increase in the root stele diameter occurring upon rhizobium inoculation. This symbiotic root response, similarly observed in another crop legume, pea, occurs rapidly and locally after rhizobium inoculation, leading to an increased number of vascular cells. Interestingly, this root stele diameter symbiotic response requires tracheary element differentiation inhibitory factor (TDIF) signaling peptides and, notably, the MtCLE37 TDIF-encoding gene whose expression is increased during nodulation, thus being referred to as symbiotic nodulation TDIF (sTDIF). Indeed, a cle37/stdif mutant is not responsive to rhizobium regarding its root stele diameter increase and has a reduced nodule number. Combined transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses revealed that stdif has a defective primary metabolism, notably affecting carbohydrate/sugar accumulation in both roots and nodules. Remarkably, a sucrose or a malate exogenous treatment is able to rescue the rhizobium-induced stele diameter symbiotic response in stdif. This metabolic deregulation is thus instrumental in explaining the altered symbiotic response of the mutant. Overall, this study highlights a novel function of TDIF signaling peptides in legumes plants, which, beyond regulating stele development, also modulates the root primary metabolism adaptations required for symbiotic nodule development.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":"4337-4348.e4"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144946807","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":"Ecology and evolution of virulence.","authors":"Luís M Silva, Kayla C King","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.08.029","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.08.029","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Parasites - from microscopic viruses and bacteria to eukaryotic organisms like helminths - depend on their hosts to survive and reproduce. However, by exploiting their hosts, parasites cause a degree of harm. This harm or 'virulence' can be measured as host death, a reduction in host reproductive output, or other changes in host traits reflecting disease severity (for example, reduced host red blood cell counts during malaria). Why would parasites harm their home, and why are some more virulent than others? In this Primer, we explore how virulence arises, why it changes across environments and evolutionary timescales, and what these patterns reveal about the biology of infectious diseases. Virulence is more than a measure of harm - it's a window into the rules of life. Understanding the ecological and evolutionary factors that underlie virulence helps explain how hosts and parasites coexist, how virulence traits emerge and persist, and how ecosystems are shaped by the push and pull of conflict and cooperation.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":"35 18","pages":"R871-R875"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145130251","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":"Neural sequences: Hippocampal representation of spatial trajectories in flying bats.","authors":"Daniel Bush, Neil Burgess","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.079","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>By recording large populations of neurons in flying bats, two recent studies have observed sequential activities in the hippocampus that represent ongoing spatial trajectories during movement and recently experienced trajectories during rest, analogous to 'theta sweeps' and 'replay' previously described in rodents.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":"35 18","pages":"R888-R890"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145130254","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":"Linear covariation between germline and somatic mutation rates across ciliates and mammals.","authors":"Guangying Wang, Lu Fu, Wei Miao, Jianzhi Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.045","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.045","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Somatic mutations have received increased attention due to their roles in disease (e.g., cancer) and possibly aging.¹ In mammals, the somatic mutation rate per site per year (μ_S) is at least 10 times higher than the corresponding germline rate (μ_G).²^,³^,⁴^,⁵^,⁶ Because the DNA replication and repair machinery is largely shared between the germline and soma, their substantial disparity in mutation rate is commonly hypothesized to be owing to their different cell division rates and/or differential mutagen exposures.⁶^,⁷^,⁸ To test the above hypothesis, we take advantage of ciliates-unicellular eukaryotes that contain in the same cell 2 nuclei dividing at the same rate but respectively harboring the germline and somatic genome.⁹ Performing mutation accumulation experiments in the model ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, we estimate that its base-substitution somatic mutation rate is 1.32 × 10^-10 per site per generation, 17.3 times the germline rate.¹⁰ Strikingly, we find μ_S and μ_G to covary linearly across T. thermophila and 6 mammals, despite the independent origins of the germ-soma separation in ciliates and animals. The overall pattern of somatic mutations in T. thermophila also resembles that in mammals. These observations call for the investigation of a possible linear coupling between μ_S and μ_G across diverse organisms and argue against a primary role of different cell division rates or differential mutagen exposures in determining the relationship between μ_S and μ_G. They also suggest that whatever the evolutionary forces shaping μ_S and μ_G, these 2 traits are simultaneously impacted, likely because mutations influencing one of them also influence the other.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":"4553-4560.e3"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144859051","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":"Nautilus sex determination is unique among cephalopods.","authors":"Héctor Torrado, Carlos Leiva, Ana Riesgo, Sarah Lemer, Arthur Perez, Jose M Lorente-Sorolla, Bruce Carlson, Marjorie Awai, Gonzalo Giribet, David J Combosch","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.047","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.047","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mechanisms for sex determination are highly diverse among animals and can evolve rapidly across taxonomic groups. This fundamental process dictates an animal's sexual fate and ultimately its development. Recent research has suggested that cephalopods follow a ZZ/Z0 sex determination (where males are homozygous and females are hemizygous) that originated at least 480 million years ago, making it one of the oldest conserved sex determination systems known for animals.¹ By combining phenotypic sex data with three genomic datasets from the highly divergent cephalopod clade Nautiloidea (including the raw data from 2 published genomes, 28 low-coverage whole genomes, and 63 restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (RAD-seq) datasets from 6 species across 9 populations), we suggest that nautiloids follow an XX/XY sex determination system, where females are homogametic and males are heterogametic. We also identified chromosome #4 as the X chromosome rather than the Z chromosome, as previously suggested.¹ Lastly, we identified five scaffolds representing a putative Y chromosome, based on combined evidence from Bayesian analyses, differences in genome coverage across sexes, and extremely low levels of heterozygosity. Our study identified 36 genes on the putative Y scaffolds, 30 of which are known to be linked to male reproductive functions and include sexual markers conserved across bilaterians. Our findings thus add to previous assumptions about sex determination in cephalopods and their common ancestor and illuminate the diversity of sexual systems and their remarkable turnover in animals.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":"4561-4569.e3"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144859052","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":"Competition for microtubule lattice spacing between a microtubule expander and compactor.","authors":"Alexandra L Paquette, Sofía Cruz Tetlalmatzi, Justin A G Haineault, Yining Li, Nadja Finkel, Adam G Hendricks, Gary J Brouhard, Muriel Sébastien","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.080","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.080","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microtubules exist in expanded and compacted states, as defined by the lattice spacing of αβ-tubulin dimers. Changes in lattice spacing have been linked to factors such as GTP-hydrolysis, the binding of microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs), the tubulin code, and microtubule bending. These diverse factors exert opposing molecular driving forces on the microtubule lattice that push lattice spacing toward expanded or compacted states. To better understand how these opposing forces are reconciled, we developed in vitro and cell-based model systems for the competition between a microtubule expander (paclitaxel) and a microtubule compactor (doublecortin or DCX). Using an in vitro reconstitution approach, we show that paclitaxel expands microtubules cooperatively. In cells, high concentrations of paclitaxel cause DCX to relocalize to compacted lattices found at concave bends. When the concentration of DCX is increased, however, we find that DCX re-compacts the previously expanded microtubules in vitro. Consistently, high expression levels of DCX prevent its relocalization in paclitaxel-treated cells. When the competition between paclitaxel and DCX is \"balanced,\" we observe a complex phenotype: DCX simultaneously localizes to both long, straight clusters and concave bends, whereas other regions on the microtubule network remain DCX free. We conclude that multiple lattice spacings can coexist in cells. Our results indicate that competition for microtubule lattice spacing is a critical aspect of microtubule physiology.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":"4442-4452.e4"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144946614","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":"Auditory object representation in the bat hippocampus.","authors":"Aditya Krishna, Xiaoyan Yin, Chao Yu, Dimitri A Skandalis, Heekyung Lee, Cynthia F Moss","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.044","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.044","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Cognitive maps enable the flexible selection of navigation paths. Acoustic cognitive maps, constructed from the spatial layout of sonar auditory objects, support bat navigation in natural settings; however, the neural building blocks of acoustic maps remain unknown. Here, we demonstrate auditory object representation in the hippocampus of echolocating bats and test the hypothesis that active tracking drives hippocampal auditory object representation. We discovered two distinct populations of hippocampal CA1 neurons, one encoding allocentric object location and another, egocentric object distance. During trials when the bat ceased object tracking, the spatial code degraded. These findings reveal that auditory information alone can drive the construction of cognitive maps of space, with hippocampal auditory object representations activated by the animal's sonar tracking.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":"4311-4320.e4"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12355007/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144854853","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stream noise induces song plasticity and a shift to visual signals in a riverine songbird.","authors":"Léna de Framond, Stuart P Sharp, Kevin Duclos, Thejasvi Beleyur, Henrik Brumm","doi":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.049","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cub.2025.07.049","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Environmental noise can severely impair acoustic communication, thereby affecting key behaviors such as predator avoidance,¹^,² territory defense,³^,⁴ and reproduction.⁵^,⁶^,⁷ Persistent noise in some habitats is thought to have favored the emergence of multimodal communication systems.⁸^,⁹^,¹⁰ Multimodal signals, which integrate information across several sensory channels, can enhance signal detection and improve message clarity in challenging environments.¹¹ The capacity to flexibly adjust signaling strategies in response to noise is considered critical to the resilience and evolutionary success of communication systems.¹²^,¹³ However, direct evidence for noise-induced shifts between sensory modalities-termed \"multimodal shift\"-remains scarce.¹¹ Although river noise has been linked to the evolution of multimodal displays¹⁴^,¹⁵ and shifts¹⁶ in torrent frogs, examples from other taxa are lacking. Here, we investigate how the white-throated dipper (Cinclus cinclus), a riverine songbird, modulates both acoustic and visual signaling along noisy rivers. We find that the dippers adjust their songs to the ambient noise level. In addition, they use conspicuous blinking with white-feathered eyelids to compensate for acoustic masking in high-noise environments. Blinking rate was linked to local river noise, aggressive behavior, and conspecific presence. Calibrated field measurements revealed a negative correlation between song amplitude and blinking rate, consistent with a noise-driven multimodal shift. This indicates that song plasticity operates in tandem with visual signaling, showing that animals can dynamically reallocate investment across modalities in response to fluctuating environmental pressures. The fine-tuning of both signal performance and modality underscores the critical role of noise interference and signal flexibility in the evolution of complex communication systems.</p>","PeriodicalId":11359,"journal":{"name":"Current Biology","volume":" ","pages":"4570-4576.e6"},"PeriodicalIF":7.5,"publicationDate":"2025-09-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144862213","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}