BioEssays最新文献

{"title":"Calmly coasting towards complete collapse","authors":"Dave Speijer","doi":"10.1002/bies.202400223","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.202400223","url":null,"abstract":"<p>I have been brooding on the title for this editorial. Discarded ideas included: “The sleep of reason breeds monsters,” “Will shifting baseline syndrome kill us all?,” “Path to perdition,” and “Lessons from biology: limitless growth ends in extinction.” Quite apocalyptic titles, I know, but alas, there is no exaggeration here. The various titles share an (implicit) urgent “call to action” character because we really are <i>on the brink of ecological, climate, and societal disaster</i>. That qualifier “really” is the linguistic canary in the coalmine because as I write down this ominous message, it is hard for me, and others as well probably, to believe it is true. How can this be? I focussed on specific biological (“neoteny”) and social (“shifting baseline syndrome”) explanations for our irrational behavior before.<sup>[</sup><span><sup>1</sup></span><sup>]</sup> Now I want to highlight some psychological aspects, point out the powerful forces we are up against and end with an urgent plea.</p><p>Coming out of high school, I started studying philosophy and psychology. In the last decades of the 20th century, a lot of thought went into explaining why people witnessing ongoing emergencies could often remain aloof, even if action would involve no personal risks. In psychological experiments, there was one constant finding: the effect correlated directly with the number of onlookers. To explain such inaction and the correlation, theories resolved around two major concepts: “diffusion of responsibility” (related to the pernicious “tragedy of the commons” in economic theory, which indeed contributed to, and has negative consequences for, our present-day state of emergency) and the “bystander effect.” An important aspect of the latter also contributes to our current dangerous inertia: <i>we interpret the severity of a situation based on the behavior of others</i>. If most of us, and even more importantly our governments, hardly do anything and in the main, it is “business as usual,” then what I said about being close to disaster must be an exaggeration or even completely false. This was pointed out in a recent article of the indefatigable George Montbiot (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/28/dear-ministers-i-am-a-climate-crisis-campaigner-nationalise-me-right-now; assessed August 28, 2024). Thus, we are watching the collapse of our life support system, and do nothing. I was reminded of cultivating flasks of microbes, which after exponential growth, if left unattended, all die. The earth is our flask, and we are indeed leaving it unattended. If we persist in this behavior, our species is going to have a hard time surviving.</p><p>So, what are these forces (and ideas) that we are up against? What I might colloquially refer to as the “tech bros” and media moguls, a group of powerful, extremely rich, and influential individuals, representing the current winners of the unbridled economic growth game. They can be described as advocat","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"47 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-10-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.202400223","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142370969","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Issue Information: BioEssays 10/2024","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/bies.202470017","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.202470017","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"46 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.202470017","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142324695","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"2024: A “nucleoid space” odyssey featuring H-NS","authors":"Fatema-Zahra M. Rashid,&nbsp;Remus T. Dame","doi":"10.1002/bies.202400098","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.202400098","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The three-dimensional architecture of the bacterial chromosome is intertwined with genome processes such as transcription and replication. Conspicuously so, that the structure of the chromosome permits accurate prediction of active genome processes. Although appreciation of this interplay has developed rapidly in the past two decades, our understanding of this subject is still in its infancy, with research primarily focusing on how the process of transcription regulates and is regulated by chromosome structure. Here, we summarize the latest developments in the field with a focus on the interplay between chromosome structure and transcription in <i>Escherichia coli</i> (<i>E. coli</i>) as mediated by H-NS—a model nucleoid structuring protein. We describe how the organization of chromosomes at the global and local scales is dependent on transcription, and how transcription is regulated by chromosome structure. Finally, we take note of studies that highlight our limited knowledge of structure-function relationships in the chromosome, and we point out research tracks that will improve our insight in the topic.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"46 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.202400098","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142342056","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Can stable introns and noncoding RNAs be harnessed to improve health through activation of mitohormesis?","authors":"Seow Neng Chan,&nbsp;Jun Wei Pek","doi":"10.1002/bies.202400143","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.202400143","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Ever since their introduction a decade ago, stable introns, a type of noncoding (nc)RNAs, are found to be key players in different important cellular processes acting through regulation of gene expression and feedback loops to maintain cellular homeostasis. Despite being commonly regarded as useless byproducts, recent studies in yeast suggested that stable introns are essential for cell survivability under starvation. In <i>Drosophila</i>, we found that a stable intron, sisR-1, has a direct effect in regulating mitochondrial dynamics during short-term fasting and subsequently improved overall oocyte quality. We speculated that the beneficial effects implicated by sisR-1 is through the activation of mitohormesis, an interesting phenomenon in mitochondrial biology. Mitohormesis is suggested to improve health span and lifespan of cells and organisms, but the involvement of ncRNAs is not well-documented. Here, we discuss the potential role of sisR-1 and other ncRNAs in activating mitohormesis and the possible applications in improving cellular and organismal health.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"46 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142268017","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Linking secretion and cytoskeleton in immunity– a case for Arabidopsis TGNap1","authors":"Deepak D. Bhandari,&nbsp;Federica Brandizzi","doi":"10.1002/bies.202400150","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.202400150","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In plants, robust defense depends on the efficient and resilient trafficking supply chains to the site of pathogen attack. Though the importance of intracellular trafficking in plant immunity has been well established, a lack of clarity remains regarding the contribution of the various trafficking pathways in transporting immune-related proteins. We have recently identified a trans-Golgi network protein, TGN-ASSOCIATED PROTEIN 1 (TGNap1), which functionally links post-Golgi vesicles with the cytoskeleton to transport immunity-related proteins in the model plant species <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>. We propose new hypotheses on the various functional implications of TGNap1 and then elaborate on the surprising heterogeneity of TGN vesicles during immunity revealed by the discovery of TGNap1 and other TGN-associated proteins in recent years.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"46 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.202400150","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142268019","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cytoskeletal mechanisms regulating attaching/effacing bacteria interactions with host cells: It takes a village to build the pedestal","authors":"Nayden G. Naydenov,&nbsp;Armando Marino-Melendez,&nbsp;Kenneth G. Campellone,&nbsp;Andrei I. Ivanov","doi":"10.1002/bies.202400160","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.202400160","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The actin cytoskeleton is a key cellular structure subverted by pathogens to infect and survive in or on host cells. Several pathogenic strains of <i>Escherichia coli</i>, such as enteropathogenic <i>E. coli</i> (EPEC) and enterohemorrhagic <i>E. coli</i> (EHEC), developed a unique mechanism to remodel the actin cytoskeleton that involves the assembly of actin filament-rich pedestals beneath the bacterial attachment sites. Actin pedestal assembly is driven by bacterial effectors injected into the host cells, and this structure is important for EPEC and EHEC colonization. While the interplay between bacterial effectors and the actin polymerization machinery of host cells is well-understood, how other mechanisms of actin filament remodelling regulate pedestal assembly and bacterial attachment are poorly investigated. This review discusses the gaps in our understanding of the complexity of the actin cytoskeletal remodelling during EPEC and EHEC infection. We describe possible roles of actin depolymerizing, crosslinking and motor proteins in pedestal dynamics, and bacterial interactions with the host cells. We also discuss the biological significance of pedestal assembly for bacterial infection.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"46 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.202400160","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142268018","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Compartmentalized signaling in the soma: Coordination of electrical and protein kinase A signaling at neuronal ER-plasma membrane junctions","authors":"Nicholas C. Vierra","doi":"10.1002/bies.202400126","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.202400126","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Neuronal information processing depends on converting membrane depolarizations into compartmentalized biochemical signals that can modify neuronal activity and structure. However, our understanding of how neurons translate electrical signals into specific biochemical responses remains limited, especially in the soma where gene expression and ion channel function are crucial for neuronal activity. Here, I emphasize the importance of physically compartmentalizing action potential-triggered biochemical reactions within the soma. Emerging evidence suggests that somatic endoplasmic reticulum–plasma membrane (ER-PM) junctions are specialized organelles that coordinate electrical and biochemical signaling. The juxtaposition of ion channels and signaling proteins at a prominent subset of these sites enables compartmentalized calcium and cAMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) signaling. I explore the hypothesis that these PKA-containing ER-PM junctions serve as critical sites for translating membrane depolarizations into PKA signals and identify key gaps in knowledge of the assembly, regulation, and neurobiological functions of this somatic signaling system.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"46 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.202400126","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142268021","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Health-promoting worms? Prospects and pitfalls of helminth therapy","authors":"Ingrid Lamminpää,&nbsp;Federico Boem,&nbsp;Amedeo Amedei","doi":"10.1002/bies.202400080","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.202400080","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In this manuscript, we explore the potential therapeutic use of helminths. After analyzing helminths’ role in connection with human health from the perspective of their symbiotic and evolutionary relationship, we critically examine some studies on their therapeutic applications. In doing so, we focus on some prominent mechanisms of action and potential benefits, but also on the exaggerations and theoretical and methodological difficulties of such proposals. We conclude that further studies are needed to fully explore the potential benefits of this perspective, and we encourage the scientific community in doing so.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"46 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.202400080","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142208408","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The researcher's guide to selecting biomarkers in mental health studies","authors":"Josine E. Verhoeven,&nbsp;Owen M. Wolkowitz,&nbsp;Isaac Barr Satz,&nbsp;Quinn Conklin,&nbsp;Femke Lamers,&nbsp;Catharina Lavebratt,&nbsp;Jue Lin,&nbsp;Daniel Lindqvist,&nbsp;Stefanie E. Mayer,&nbsp;Philippe A. Melas,&nbsp;Yuri Milaneschi,&nbsp;Martin Picard,&nbsp;Ryan Rampersaud,&nbsp;Natalie Rasgon,&nbsp;Kathryn Ridout,&nbsp;Gustav Söderberg Veibäck,&nbsp;Caroline Trumpff,&nbsp;Audrey R. Tyrka,&nbsp;Kathleen Watson,&nbsp;Gwyneth Winnie Y. Wu,&nbsp;Ruoting Yang,&nbsp;Anthony S. Zannas,&nbsp;Laura K. M. Han,&nbsp;Kristoffer N. T. Månsson","doi":"10.1002/bies.202300246","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.202300246","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Clinical mental health researchers may understandably struggle with how to incorporate biological assessments in clinical research. The options are numerous and are described in a vast and complex body of literature. Here we provide guidelines to assist mental health researchers seeking to include biological measures in their studies. Apart from a focus on behavioral outcomes as measured via interviews or questionnaires, we advocate for a focus on biological pathways in clinical trials and epidemiological studies that may help clarify pathophysiology and mechanisms of action, delineate biological subgroups of participants, mediate treatment effects, and inform personalized treatment strategies. With this paper we aim to bridge the gap between clinical and biological mental health research by (1) discussing the clinical relevance, measurement reliability, and feasibility of relevant peripheral biomarkers; (2) addressing five types of biological tissues, namely blood, saliva, urine, stool and hair; and (3) providing information on how to control sources of measurement variability.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"46 10","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.202300246","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142208411","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Tissue-resident memory T cells: Harnessing their properties against infection for cancer treatment","authors":"João Fernandes,&nbsp;Marc Veldhoen,&nbsp;Cristina Ferreira","doi":"10.1002/bies.202400119","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.202400119","url":null,"abstract":"<p>We have rapidly gained insights into the presence and function of T lymphocytes in non-lymphoid tissues, the tissue-resident memory T (T_RM) cells. The central pillar of adaptive immunity has been expanded from classic central memory T cells giving rise to progeny upon reinfection and effector memory cells circulating through the blood and patrolling the tissues to include T_RM cells that reside and migrate inside solid organs and tissues. Their development and maintenance have been studied in detail, providing exciting clues on how their unique properties used to fight infections may benefit therapies against solid tumors. We provide an overview of CD8 T_RM cells and the properties that make them of interest for vaccination and cancer therapies.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"46 11","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2024-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142208410","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}