BioEssaysPub Date : 2025-05-16DOI: 10.1002/bies.70009
{"title":"BioEssays 3/2025","authors":"","doi":"10.1002/bies.70009","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/bies.70009","url":null,"abstract":"<p>In article 2400196, Michael Levin discusses the concept of collective intelligence as a tractable interface for next-generation biomedicine. This review explores how bioelectric networks and the collective behavior of cells can be harnessed to achieve large-scale anatomical goals, offering new avenues for regenerative repair and cancer suppression. By focusing on the competencies of living material from molecular to organismal scales, Levin provides insights into the potential of top-down approaches in biomedicine and bioengineering. This study highlights the importance of understanding the software of life to develop innovative therapeutic strategies.\u0000\u0000 <figure>\u0000 <div><picture>\u0000 <source></source></picture><p></p>\u0000 </div>\u0000 </figure>\u0000 </p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"47 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.70009","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144074568","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":"Exposure to Extreme Heat Increases Preterm Birth Risk: Hypothetical Pathophysiological Mechanisms","authors":"Isidore Mushimiyimana, Lauren Richardison, Ananth Kumar Kammala, Ramkumar Menon","doi":"10.1002/bies.70020","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70020","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Preterm birth (PTB), delivery before 37 weeks of gestation, is the leading cause of neonatal mortality globally, accounting for nearly half of all neonatal deaths. While numerous established risk factors for PTB have been identified, ongoing research continues to elucidate additional contributing factors. Epidemiological studies increasingly demonstrate that elevated ambient temperature is an environmental risk factor for PTB, with odds increasing 16% during heat waves and 5% per 1°C temperature rise. This is particularly concerning given escalating global warming trends. While maternal heat susceptibility during pregnancy may be linked to compromised thermoregulation from gestational adaptations, the exact pathophysiological mechanisms leading to heat-associated PTB remain unclear, hindering therapeutic development. This review proposes multitudes potential pathophysiologic mechanisms leading to PTB that can be induced by heat. They include but are not limited to metabolic derangement, mitochondria dysfunction, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and change in cell fate. These mechanisms are derived from integrated knowledge of pregnancy physiology, parturition processes, and temperature effects on physiological pathways. We also outline future experimental approaches to test these hypotheses.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"47 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143953212","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}
BioEssaysPub Date : 2025-05-12DOI: 10.1002/bies.70019
Anni Vedeler, Gian Gaetano Tartaglia, Annalisa Pastore
{"title":"Annexin, a Protein for All Seasons: From Calcium Dependent Membrane Metabolism to RNA Recognition","authors":"Anni Vedeler, Gian Gaetano Tartaglia, Annalisa Pastore","doi":"10.1002/bies.70019","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70019","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Annexins are a protein family well known to bind to phospholipids in a calcium-dependent way. They are involved in several different crucial cellular processes such as cell division, calcium signaling, membrane repair, vesicle trafficking, and apoptosis. Although RNA binding for some members of the family was reported long ago, it was only recently that it was shown that a common feature of the family is also the ability to bind RNA, a discovery that has added significantly to our perception of the cellular role of these proteins. In the present review, we discuss the properties of annexins under an updated light and the current knowledge on the RNA binding properties of annexins. We then focus specifically on annexin A11, because this is a less characterized member of the family but, at the same time, a potentially important component of the mRNA transport machinery in neurons. We hope to offer to the reader a more complete picture of the annexins’ binding properties and new tools to evaluate the multifaceted functions of this important protein family.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"47 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.70019","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143966900","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}
BioEssaysPub Date : 2025-05-04DOI: 10.1002/bies.70016
Seiji Watanabe, Koji Yamanaka
{"title":"Mitochondria and Endoplasmic Reticulum Contact Site as a Regulator of Proteostatic Stress Responses in Neurodegenerative Diseases","authors":"Seiji Watanabe, Koji Yamanaka","doi":"10.1002/bies.70016","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70016","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Recent evidence indicates that the mitochondria–endoplasmic reticulum (ER) contact site is a novel microdomain essential for cellular homeostasis. Various proteins are accumulated at the mitochondria-associated membrane (MAM), an ER subcomponent closely associated with the mitochondria, contributing to Ca<sup>2+</sup> transfer to the mitochondria, lipid synthesis, mitochondrial fission/fusion, and autophagy. These functions are disrupted in the diseases, particularly in neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Alzheimer's disease. In this review, we summarize the disruption of protein homeostasis in various neurodegenerative diseases, present recent works on the mechanisms of MAM aberration, including ours mainly focused on ALS, and then discuss challenges and prospects for future MAM-targeted therapies in neurodegenerative diseases.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"47 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.70016","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143966244","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}
BioEssaysPub Date : 2025-05-02DOI: 10.1002/bies.70003
Bhavya Sree Vadlamudi, Duur K. Aanen
{"title":"Can Unicellular Organisms Sequester a Germline? The Yeast-Germline Hypothesis","authors":"Bhavya Sree Vadlamudi, Duur K. Aanen","doi":"10.1002/bies.70003","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70003","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Germline mutations can affect future generations, while somatic mutations cannot. This germline-soma distinction does not seem to make sense for unicellular organisms. We challenge this view, arguing that baker's yeast (<i>Saccharomyces cerevisiae</i>) has a germline. Under aerobic conditions yeast cells use mainly fermentation of glucose to produce ethanol. Only when glucose is exhausted, cells switch to full respiration of the produced ethanol. We hypothesize that only a subset of the cells continue dividing and switch to respiration. A change from exponential to linear growth is consistent with asymmetrical cell division, where a senescing mother cell produces quiescent daughter cells. We thus propose that most cells produced during fermentation are “somatic,” that is, they rapidly lose reproductive capacity, while the cells continuing to divide constitute the germline, as they exclusively produce rejuvenated quiescent cells. We discuss biased DNA-template strand inheritance by the mother cell as a potential adaptive explanation for germline sequestration to reduce the mutation rate.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"47 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.70003","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143984025","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}
BioEssaysPub Date : 2025-04-28DOI: 10.1002/bies.70013
Moises Mallo
{"title":"The Link Between TGF-β Signaling and Chromatin Dynamics Takes an Unexpected Path","authors":"Moises Mallo","doi":"10.1002/bies.70013","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70013","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The TGF-β/BMP signaling superfamily plays critical roles in regulating a wide range of physiological and pathological processes. A recent study on Tgfbr1 function during mouse embryonic development found that, in the absence of this gene, the primordium of the external genitalia changes its fate, forming an additional set of hindlimbs and resulting in the so-called “six-legged” mice. Analysis of these embryos demonstrated that Tgfbr1 induces global remodeling of chromatin accessibility, establishing distinct regulatory elements that other morphogenetic factors use to drive either hindlimb or genital development. While global changes in chromatin structure have been previously associated with TGF-β signaling, the alterations seen in six-legged embryos differ significantly from previously described mechanisms. In this review, I discuss these distinctions and underscore the importance of studying biological processes within their natural tissue context, where essential tissue interactions are preserved.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"47 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.70013","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144060995","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}
BioEssaysPub Date : 2025-04-26DOI: 10.1002/bies.70007
Erin E. Chille, Timothy G. Stephens, Shrinivas Nandi, Haoyu Jiang, Michael J. Gerdes, Olivia M. Williamson, Alexander Neufeld, Phanor Montoya-Maya, Debashish Bhattacharya
{"title":"Coral Restoration in the Omics Era: Development of Point-of-Care Tools for Monitoring Disease, Reproduction, and Thermal Stress","authors":"Erin E. Chille, Timothy G. Stephens, Shrinivas Nandi, Haoyu Jiang, Michael J. Gerdes, Olivia M. Williamson, Alexander Neufeld, Phanor Montoya-Maya, Debashish Bhattacharya","doi":"10.1002/bies.70007","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70007","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Coral reef degradation has captured global attention from governments, conservationists, and researchers, who are making concerted efforts to develop sustainable solutions to support reef resilience in the face of environmental degradation. The goal is to empower local community efforts for effective marine resource management. However, one of the major barriers to coral conservation is the lack of timely and affordable population-level health data, which can delay effective management responses. Although progress has been made in understanding the molecular basis of coral health outcomes, more translational work is needed to develop cost-effective, point-of-care (POC) diagnostic tools for real-time monitoring. This review assesses the current state of translational omics-based research for coral health monitoring, focusing on highlighting key gaps and actionable next steps to guide the implementation of effective, field-ready tools for monitoring coral disease, reproduction, and thermal stress. These advancements can be used to advance urgent conservation needs and promote reef management by local communities.</p>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"47 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/bies.70007","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143953946","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}
BioEssaysPub Date : 2025-04-25DOI: 10.1002/bies.70015
Christina E. Wang, Stacey K. Ogden
{"title":"G Protein-Coupled Receptor Signal Intersection at the Primary Cilium","authors":"Christina E. Wang, Stacey K. Ogden","doi":"10.1002/bies.70015","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70015","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Primary cilia are singular projections that extend from the surface of most vertebrate cell types. The surface area of the primary cilium (PC) is estimated to represent only 1/100<sup>th</sup> of the total membrane surface of an average cell. Despite this, the PC provides essential contributions to inter- and intracellular communication by housing receptors and downstream effectors for myriad cell-signaling cascades. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) commonly enrich along ciliary membranes to control a diverse range of cellular behaviors by signaling through a shared pool of downstream effectors. This suggests the hypothesis that the PC provides an environment that is conducive to complementary or competitive GPCR Signal Crosstalk. In this Hypothesis Bio Essay, we use the Sonic Hedgehog (SHH) pathway as a case study to inform models of how GPCR signals could intersect in primary cilia and suggest general strategies to test each model.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"47 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143966661","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}
BioEssaysPub Date : 2025-04-17DOI: 10.1002/bies.70012
Renata Zadrag-Tecza
{"title":"The Germline and Soma: A Characteristic of Multicellular Organisms or a Feature of all Organisms?","authors":"Renata Zadrag-Tecza","doi":"10.1002/bies.70012","DOIUrl":"10.1002/bies.70012","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":9264,"journal":{"name":"BioEssays","volume":"47 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.2,"publicationDate":"2025-04-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143978650","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}