microPublication biologyPub Date : 2026-03-31eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001947
Ashtyn Stock, Sarah Pritchard, Shelby Stone, Kinley Shelton, Emme Clowdus, Emily Doughtery, Sallie Hicks, Annabelle McDaniel, Kelsey Towle, Hannah Joseph, Kati Pourfarzib, Michael Baker, William Myers, Jadin Allen, Sydney Kruger, Kevin Perez, Jessie Holsombeck, Lori West, Dana Perry, Joseph Daft
{"title":"Genome Analysis of <i>Microbacterium foliorum</i> Bacteriophage Annapurna.","authors":"Ashtyn Stock, Sarah Pritchard, Shelby Stone, Kinley Shelton, Emme Clowdus, Emily Doughtery, Sallie Hicks, Annabelle McDaniel, Kelsey Towle, Hannah Joseph, Kati Pourfarzib, Michael Baker, William Myers, Jadin Allen, Sydney Kruger, Kevin Perez, Jessie Holsombeck, Lori West, Dana Perry, Joseph Daft","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001947","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.001947","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bacteriophage Annapurna is a siphovirus discovered within a soil sample collected in North Georgia. Annapurna was isolated and amplified using the host <i>Microbacterium foliorum</i> prior to genome sequencing. Annapurna contains 84 predicted protein-coding genes encoded across a genome 56,247 base pairs in length. Based on gene content, Annapurna is assigned to actinobacteriophage cluster EF. Like other phages in the EF cluster, Annapurna appears to lack both integrase and repressor genes and is therefore predicted to be a virulent phage.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2026 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13080520/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147700910","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Effect of Amino Acid Substitutions at Site F397 on the Kinetic and Thermostability Properties of <i>Paenibacillus polymyxa</i> β-Glucosidase B.","authors":"Alyssa Yanes, Marianne Gutierrez Santos, Isabella Chiang, Jaime Mayoral","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.002061","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.002061","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>β-Glucosidase B (BglB) hydrolyzes β‑glycosidic bonds in complex carbohydrates, playing an important role in global carbon cycling, and diverse biofuel and biotechnological applications. This study systematically evaluated the functional and structural role of residue F397 by generating and characterizing all 19 possible amino acid substitutions. Hydrophobic and neutral substitutions expressed efficiently and retained catalytic efficiency and substrate affinity comparable to wild-type, whereas charged or polar substitutions reduced BglB expression and structural stability. Kinetic analyses showed minimal effects on K <sub>M</sub> , while thermal stability was generally decreased. These results indicate that F397 primarily contributes to local structural stability rather than catalysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2026 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13080521/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147700868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
microPublication biologyPub Date : 2026-03-31eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001950
Moriah A Adamson, Hailey M Matsueda, Ava S G Shepp, Duy Linh Nguyen Tran, Noellani Shantel C Aperocho, Trinity S Baek-Kim, Ashley S Dizon, Makala A Gibson, Kalia M Hendrickson, Yen Nhu K Lu, Keira Mcnulty, Mia S Molina, Elijah K Neighbarger, Amber Redwine, Denise K Takenaka, Kyli N Taketa, Taylor A Walker, Cherise Spotkaeff, Rin Wallace, Stuart Donachie, Alexander Culley, Megan L Porter
{"title":"Genome Sequence of <i>Arthrobacter</i> Phage StuartMinion.","authors":"Moriah A Adamson, Hailey M Matsueda, Ava S G Shepp, Duy Linh Nguyen Tran, Noellani Shantel C Aperocho, Trinity S Baek-Kim, Ashley S Dizon, Makala A Gibson, Kalia M Hendrickson, Yen Nhu K Lu, Keira Mcnulty, Mia S Molina, Elijah K Neighbarger, Amber Redwine, Denise K Takenaka, Kyli N Taketa, Taylor A Walker, Cherise Spotkaeff, Rin Wallace, Stuart Donachie, Alexander Culley, Megan L Porter","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001950","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.001950","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bacteriophage StuartMinion, isolated from an environmental sample collected in Kunia, Hawai'i, has a siphovirus morphology and is capable of infecting <i>Arthrobacter globiformis</i> B-2979. The genome is 35,207 bps, with 61 predicted genes and a GC content of 66.40%. Assigned to the AS3 subcluster of actinobacteriophages based on gene content, its genome is notably shorter than the average genome (38,373 bps) of other AS3 bacteriophages.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2026 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13080519/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147700906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
microPublication biologyPub Date : 2026-03-31eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001987
Jyothi Shilpa Akella, Brian D Onken, Christine A Sedore, Yuhua Song, Vijaya Madhuri Achanta, Monique Walker, Jian Xue, Suzhen Guo, Anna Coleman-Hulbert, Patrick C Phillips, Gordon J Lithgow, Monica Driscoll
{"title":"<i>Caenorhabditis</i> Intervention Testing Program: the anticonvulsant levetiracetam does not extend lifespan in nematodes.","authors":"Jyothi Shilpa Akella, Brian D Onken, Christine A Sedore, Yuhua Song, Vijaya Madhuri Achanta, Monique Walker, Jian Xue, Suzhen Guo, Anna Coleman-Hulbert, Patrick C Phillips, Gordon J Lithgow, Monica Driscoll","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001987","DOIUrl":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001987","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The <i>Caenorhabditis</i> Intervention Testing Program aims to identify lifespan-extending interventions that are effective across diverse genetic backgrounds. Previous studies identified a role for anticonvulsants in lifespan extension in the nematode <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> . The FDA-approved anticonvulsant levetiracetam acts in <i>C. elegans</i> and modulates neurotransmission. However, levetiracetam effects on nematode lifespan are unknown. Here, we examine the effect of levetiracetam on the lifespan of strain representatives from three species of the <i>Caenorhabditis</i> genus. Our results do not reveal an effect of levetiracetam on nematode lifespan, indicating that anticonvulsants can differ in their ability to extend lifespan.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2026 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13080522/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147700891","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
microPublication biologyPub Date : 2026-03-30eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.002051
Madhu G Tapadia, Saurabh Chand Sagar
{"title":"Quantitative evaluation of Kalayanak Ghrita and Sarasvat Ghrita dosage using a <i>Drosophila</i> life-history framework.","authors":"Madhu G Tapadia, Saurabh Chand Sagar","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.002051","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.002051","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ayurveda, an ancient Indian system of medicine, is recognized for its holistic therapeutic approach; however, many supplementations lack experimental, dose-defined validation. Here, we examine the biological impact and optimal dosage of Ayurvedic Rasayana, Kalyanaka Ghrita and Sarasvata Ghrita, using <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> as model organism. By analysing key life-history traits-development, fecundity, and longevity-we show that neither supplementation affects development, while higher concentrations negatively influence survival and reproductive output. Lower doses are largely well tolerated, defining a safe physiological window. This study provides quantitative insight into Ayurvedic dosage effects and demonstrates the utility of <i>Drosophila</i> for physiological evaluation of traditional medicines.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2026 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13077473/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147694121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
microPublication biologyPub Date : 2026-03-30eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.002077
Natacha S Zayas-Feliciano, Dinah L Ramos-Ortolaza
{"title":"Swimming exercise during early-life starvation enhances adult stress resistance in <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i>.","authors":"Natacha S Zayas-Feliciano, Dinah L Ramos-Ortolaza","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.002077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.002077","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Early-life exposure to adverse conditions, like starvation, can lead to long-term vulnerability to stress. In this study, we used <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> to evaluate whether swimming exercise during early-life starvation could counteract this detrimental effect. Larvae subjected to swimming while starving showed enhanced resistance to osmotic and heat stress in adulthood. These findings suggest that this type of physical activity during early life stress can promote long-term resistance to environmental challenges. Given that many cellular stress response pathways are conserved across species, this study provides an insight into how early behavioral interventions might enhance stress resilience later in life.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2026 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13077472/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147694203","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
microPublication biologyPub Date : 2026-03-27eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001990
Heather A Baker, Claire Grall-Johnson, Paulina M Budzyńska, John Kim, Thibault Mayor
{"title":"Turnover of missense mutant cytosolic proteins proceeds in the absence of major quality control E3 ligases.","authors":"Heather A Baker, Claire Grall-Johnson, Paulina M Budzyńska, John Kim, Thibault Mayor","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001990","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.001990","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Protein quality control (QC) safeguards cellular proteostasis by directing misfolded proteins for degradation via the ubiquitin-proteasome system. QC is compartmentalized within cells, and the key proteins involved in the turnover of cytosolic proteins with mutations in mammalian cells are not well defined. Using a fluorescent reporter assay that provides a readout for protein stability, we examined the contributions of known QC E3 ligases (STUB1, UBE2O, UBR4, UBR5, and HUWE1) on the turnover of disease-associated missense variants. Loss of individual ligases did not consistently stabilize substrates, indicating that none of these E3s appear to broadly recognize missense mutant proteins.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2026 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13069449/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147679060","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
microPublication biologyPub Date : 2026-03-27eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001876
Megan Allgood, Eva Githuku, Ryan Bonson, Isabella Edwin, Amanda Granander, Nate Kopp, Marcus Kunyu, Ashton Mathews, Precious Ngandu, Austin Pepin, K C Serve, Katelyn Widman, Emily Zelenka, Christopher Zuck, Anna Strimaitis Grinath, Treyton Harris, Jack Shurley, Michael Thomas
{"title":"Isolation and Genome Annotation of TicTac, an EK1 Cluster Bacteriophage with Podovirus Morphology.","authors":"Megan Allgood, Eva Githuku, Ryan Bonson, Isabella Edwin, Amanda Granander, Nate Kopp, Marcus Kunyu, Ashton Mathews, Precious Ngandu, Austin Pepin, K C Serve, Katelyn Widman, Emily Zelenka, Christopher Zuck, Anna Strimaitis Grinath, Treyton Harris, Jack Shurley, Michael Thomas","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001876","DOIUrl":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001876","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>TicTac was discovered in the soil underneath a mint bush in Pocatello, Idaho, USA. The bacteriophage has a podovirus morphology, infects <i>Microbacterium foliorum</i> NRRL B-24224 and is grouped with bacteriophages in cluster EK1 based on sequence similarity. The genome size is 53,876 bp with 59.0% GC content. Annotation of the genome provided evidence for 57 predicted protein-coding genes, of which 18 have predicted functions, including multiple minor tail proteins.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2026 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13069448/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147679157","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Near Infrared Laser-Induced Content Release from Magnetic Bead-Encapsulated Giant Unilamellar Vesicles.","authors":"Hiromasa Shiraiwa, Koichiro Akiyama, Tomoyuki Kaneko","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.002027","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.002027","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The spatiotemporal control of content release from liposomes is crucial for the development of drug delivery systems (DDS). In this study, we established a system to induce content release from giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) encapsulating magnetic beads by irradiating them with a 1480 nm near-infrared laser. This approach utilizes local photothermal conversion to destabilize the membrane physically. The resulting content release process was directly visualized using fluorescence microscopy, demonstrating the utility of this method for analyzing the dynamics of membrane deformation and fissure formation.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2026 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13062984/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147679139","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
microPublication biologyPub Date : 2026-03-25eCollection Date: 2026-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001933
Yuntian Gan, Sreekar Kutagulla, John Isaac Murray, Priya Sivaramakrishnan
{"title":"<i>LIVEtools</i> : an R Package for Visualizing <i>C. elegans</i> Embryo Cell Tracking Data.","authors":"Yuntian Gan, Sreekar Kutagulla, John Isaac Murray, Priya Sivaramakrishnan","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001933","DOIUrl":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001933","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Automated cell tracking in the <i>C. elegans</i> embryo using the StarryNite software pipeline has been a powerful tool to quantify the embryonic lineage, to define the spatiotemporal dynamics of gene expression, and to characterize developmental defects in mutants. The raw lineage traces are typically curated and visualized using the Java-based tool AceTree. However, these legacy visualization tools are often hard to deploy, are unstable on modern computer systems, and lack flexibility, especially for batch processing. <i>LIVEtools</i> is an R package that aims to simplify and automate <i>C. elegans</i> cell-tracking data visualization.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2026 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13062983/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147679114","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}