microPublication biologyPub Date : 2025-04-28eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001595
Sarah M Hanna, Alaina H Willet, Kathleen L Gould
{"title":"Characterization of temperature-sensitive alleles of the septation initiation network protein Mob1 in <i>Schizosaccharomyces pombe</i>.","authors":"Sarah M Hanna, Alaina H Willet, Kathleen L Gould","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001595","DOIUrl":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001595","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Schizosaccharomyces pombe</i> Mob1 is the regulatory subunit of the protein kinase Sid2 . The Sid2- Mob1 complex is the most downstream acting component of the septation initiation network (SIN). In the absence of functional Mob1 , cells fail cytokinesis and become multinucleate. Here we characterize a set of temperature-sensitive <i>mob1</i> alleles by identifying the mutations within each allele, characterizing the extent of their growth defects, and visualizing the cell defects. Based on structural modeling, we hypothesize that the Mob1 mutations interfere with Mob1 stability and its ability to bind the N-terminal regulatory region of Sid2 .</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12082341/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144095866","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 : 2025-04-28eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001617
{"title":"Erratum: Corrigendum: The Complete Genome Sequences of Bacteriophages ASegato, DejaVu, Judebell, and RicoCaldo isolated using <i>Microbacterium foliorum</i>.","authors":"","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001617","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.001617","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>[This corrects the article DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001443.].</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12038436/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144055065","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 : 2025-04-28eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001577
Julia R Torvi, Jonathan Wong, David G Drubin, Georjana Barnes
{"title":"Stu2 is required for plus-end directed chromosome transport along microtubules during metaphase in <i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>.","authors":"Julia R Torvi, Jonathan Wong, David G Drubin, Georjana Barnes","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001577","DOIUrl":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001577","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Chromosome alignment on the mitotic spindle, also referred to as congression, is facilitated by translocation of side-bound chromosomes along the microtubule surface, which allows the establishment of end-on attachment of kinetochores to microtubule plus ends. We use a reconstitution assay in lysates prepared from metaphase-arrested budding yeast to show that kinetochore translocation along the lateral surface of microtubules is dependent on Stu2, a homolog of vertebrate XMAP215. Stu2 tracks both growing and shrinking microtubule ends but also colocalizes with moving lattice-bound kinetochores. In cells, we observed that Stu2 depletion impairs chromosome biorientation during metaphase.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12082346/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144096072","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 : 2025-04-25eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001529
Lizbeth Perez-Castro, Busola Alabi, Afshan Nawas, M Carmen Lafita-Navarro, Jerry Shay, Maralice Conacci-Sorrell
{"title":"Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor (AHR) is required for repopulation of decellularized intestinal colon scaffolds.","authors":"Lizbeth Perez-Castro, Busola Alabi, Afshan Nawas, M Carmen Lafita-Navarro, Jerry Shay, Maralice Conacci-Sorrell","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001529","DOIUrl":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001529","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study investigates the role of the ligand-activated transcription factor AHR in repopulating the intestinal lining. Using organoid-derived cells and decellularized mouse intestinal scaffolds to investigate the importance of AHR in regulating intestinal regeneration, we found that silencing AHR expression hinders the capacity of colonic cells to repopulate decellularized colons. We therefore propose that AHR may play an important role in regulating intestinal regeneration. The ligand-dependent nature of AHR activity may provide an opportunity to interfere with disorders such as cancer and inflammatory bowel diseases which are caused by dysregulation in intestinal tissue renewal.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12062895/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144037954","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 : 2025-04-25eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001520
Tatiana M Moreno, Michelle E Brown, Caroline Kumsta
{"title":"Hyperactivation of mTORC1 by an endogenous <i>raga-1</i> gain-of-function mutation does not reduce lifespan in <i>C. elegans</i>.","authors":"Tatiana M Moreno, Michelle E Brown, Caroline Kumsta","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001520","DOIUrl":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001520","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Inhibition of mTORC1, a conserved nutrient-sensing complex, extends lifespan across model organisms, but the effects of mTORC1 hyperactivation are less understood. RagA, a GTPase essential for mTORC1 activation, can be locked in its active GTP-bound state through gain-of-function mutations, such as Q63L in <i>C.</i> <i>elegans</i> RAGA-1. We found that transgenic expression of <i>raga-1[Q63L]</i> mutation ( <i>egIs12</i> ) decreases lifespan without hyperactivating mTORC1, suggesting mTORC1-independent effects or transgene toxicity. In contrast, we show that a CRISPR-generated Q63L mutation at the endogenous <i>raga-1</i> locus ( <i>viz128)</i> hyperactivates mTORC1 without affecting lifespan, challenging the paradigm that mTORC1 hyperactivation accelerates aging. Thus, genetic context and potential compensatory mechanisms may contribute to mTORC1-mediated lifespan regulation, at least in metazoans.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12082345/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144096070","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 : 2025-04-24eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001562
Elizabeth Kitto, John Dean, Scott Leiser
{"title":"findWormz is a user-friendly automated fluorescence quantification method for <i>C. elegans</i> research.","authors":"Elizabeth Kitto, John Dean, Scott Leiser","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001562","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.001562","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The nematode <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> is a powerful model organism for fluorescent imaging studies due to its simplicity, transparency, well-characterized anatomy, and ease of genetic manipulation. However, the scale and statistical power of <i>C. elegans</i> imaging experiments can be limited by the time and effort required to manually quantify fluorescence intensity in individual worms. Recent advances in automated image analysis have used artificial intelligence models and user-supplied training data sets to automate biological image quantification. While these tools have the potential to significantly expedite a variety of research applications in <i>C. elegans</i> and other model organisms, they can be difficult to implement and troubleshoot, particularly for researchers with little or no computational training. Here, we introduce a simple method to automate <i>C. elegans</i> fluorescence quantification that is accessible to users able to install the free program R and edit a single line of code described here.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12062897/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144032201","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 : 2025-04-24eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001525
Lauren Carey, Osnat Malka, Shai Morin, Charles Robin
{"title":"A linamarase transgene controlled by heatshock creates a pro-toxin activation system in <i>Drosophila melanogaster</i> .","authors":"Lauren Carey, Osnat Malka, Shai Morin, Charles Robin","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001525","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.001525","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Linamarase is a plant β-glucosidase enzyme involved in the activation of plant protoxins. It thereby plays a key role in plant defense mechanisms against herbivory. We have taken the linamarase gene sequence from cassava and placed it into the genome of Drosophila melanogaster under the control of non-leaky heat-shock promoter. We show that Drosophila larvae carrying the transgene become sensitive to the pro-toxin linamarin after heat-shock. Furthermore, the sensitivity is elevated in sealed containers and control-larvae sharing such containers with linamarase-larvae are also sensitive, suggesting that the larvae are dying from poisoning with gaseous hydrogen cyanide.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12062896/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144060196","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 : 2025-04-23eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001544
Stefan Zdraljevic, Laura Walter-McNeill, Alex Lee, Joshua Bloom, Leonid Kruglyak
{"title":"Faster genetic mapping of complex traits in <i>C. elegans</i>.","authors":"Stefan Zdraljevic, Laura Walter-McNeill, Alex Lee, Joshua Bloom, Leonid Kruglyak","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001544","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.001544","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> is a tractable model system that enables the identification of genetic determinants that underlie phenotypic variation. Over the years, new approaches have been developed to lower the cost of and expedite genetic mapping in this model system. The <i>ce</i> X-QTL approach uses the <i>fog-2 ( q71 )</i> allele to create obligate outcrossing recombinant populations for selection and sequencing experiments. Here, we tested whether the <i>fog-2 ( q71 )</i> allele is essential to the <i>ce</i> X-QTL approach by comparing crosses between the N2 and XZ1516 strains using either <i>fog-2 ( q71 )</i> or <i>fog-2</i> RNAi knockdown to facilitate outcrossing. The genome-wide allele frequencies of the bulk recombinant populations derived from these two methods were largely similar. These results demonstrate that <i>fog-2</i> RNAi is a viable alternative for rapidly generating recombinant populations, allowing greater flexibility in experimental design.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12059802/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143994071","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 : 2025-04-22eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001555
Kazi Hasan, Hany Dweck
{"title":"Behavioral responses of <i>Drosophila suzukii</i> to blends of its attractants.","authors":"Kazi Hasan, Hany Dweck","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001555","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.001555","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Drosophila suzukii</i> poses a significant threat to soft-skinned fruits worldwide. Effective trapping of this pest largely depends on commercially available lures, which often capture not only <i>D. suzukii</i> but also other species. Previously, we identified phenylacetaldehyde, spermidine, and pyridine as specific attractants for <i>D. suzukii</i> . Here we tested mixtures of these odorants and found that a blend of all three odorants did not produce any attraction. However, mixtures of phenylacetaldehyde with either spermidine or pyridine, but not spermidine with pyridine, triggered significant attraction. These findings can guide the formulation of more effective lures for <i>D. suzukii</i> .</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12059800/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144001577","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 : 2025-04-22eCollection Date: 2025-01-01DOI: 10.17912/micropub.biology.001442
Popy Devnath, Susan M Noh, Shelby M Jarvis, Kayla Earls, Kennan J Oyen
{"title":"The replication rate of <i>Anaplasma marginale</i> is temperature-mediated in ticks.","authors":"Popy Devnath, Susan M Noh, Shelby M Jarvis, Kayla Earls, Kennan J Oyen","doi":"10.17912/micropub.biology.001442","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.001442","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Anaplasma marginale</i> , the cause of bovine anaplasmosis, a serious production-limiting disease of cattle found worldwide, is biologically transmitted by adult male <i>Dermacentor</i> spp. ticks in the United States. We tested the impact of 9 temperatures on infected <i>D. andersoni</i> and found that the replication of <i>A. marginale</i> in tick midguts and salivary glands is temperature dependent. There were higher bacterial levels between 32°C and 37°C than between 4°C to 26°C. We observed 100% mortality in ticks at 42°C. Future research should explore the mechanisms of temperature-dependent replication in <i>A. marginale</i> and possible links to transmission rates under climate change.</p>","PeriodicalId":74192,"journal":{"name":"microPublication biology","volume":"2025 ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2025-04-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12059799/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144051781","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}