Primary angle-closure glaucoma (PACG) has traditionally been regarded as an ocular disorder, but accumulating evidence suggests broader central nervous system involvement. Although previous neuroimaging studies have identified static functional abnormalities, the dynamic properties of large-scale brain networks and their associated molecular signatures in PACG remain insufficiently understood. We applied Leading Eigenvector Dynamics Analysis to resting-state functional MRI data from 44 patients with PACG and 57 healthy controls to characterize recurrent whole-brain dynamic states. State-specific temporal metrics and spatial patterns were further evaluated using multiple machine learning models. To explore potential biological correlates, imaging-derived spatial patterns were linked to cortical gene expression profiles from the Allen Human Brain Atlas using partial least squares regression, followed by pathway enrichment, cell-type enrichment, and neurotransmitter receptor/transporter mapping analyses. Compared with healthy controls, PACG patients showed prolonged dwell time in one recurrent dynamic state, suggesting reduced flexibility of large-scale brain dynamics. Machine learning models showed promising classification performance within the current dataset, with the most informative features primarily located in default mode network regions. Transcriptomic decoding revealed enrichment of genes related to synaptic signaling, ion channel activity, neurotransmitter transport, and neuronal communication. Cell-type enrichment analyses further implicated excitatory neurons, inhibitory neurons, and astrocytes. In addition, a significant spatial association with VMAT2 suggested that monoaminergic systems may be relevant to the observed imaging phenotype. PACG is associated with altered large-scale brain dynamics, particularly involving default mode network-related state instability. These imaging abnormalities show spatial associations with molecular, cellular, and neurotransmitter-related signatures.

The entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium robertsii are natural pathogens of the Colorado potato beetle (CPB) and hold promise for biocontrol. However, the insect's immune responses to fungal infections remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed transcriptomic analyses of haemocytes and fat body tissue from CPB larvae topically infected with B. bassiana and M. robertsii at the stage of pathogen encapsulation. Quantitative PCR validation of gene expression, along with complementary physiological and biochemical assays, was also conducted. Reference gene annotations were expanded using both the classical bioinformatic tool InterProScan and the AI-based tool ProteInfer. For the first time, pathogen-specific differences in CPB tissue responses to fungal infections were revealed. Gene Ontology enrichment and expression profiles of immune-related genes indicated a stronger antifungal response to M. robertsii, whereas infection with B. bassiana was associated with enhanced protection against self-damage. Pathogen-specific responses were linked to the expression of genes encoding certain receptors, serine proteases, serpins, Toll signalling components, antimicrobial peptides, chitin deacetylases, chitin synthases, laccases, as well as to the production of phenoloxidases and reactive oxygen species. The most diverse and pathogen-specific gene expression changes occurred in haemocytes rather than in the fat body. We propose that the observed differences in immune responses are mainly driven by the fungal enzymatic machinery, secondary metabolites and pigments. The differentially expressed genes identified in this study provide novel insights into insect-pathogen interactions and represent promising molecular targets for advancing both fundamental research on insect immunity and the applied development of innovative biocontrol strategies.

• No effect of prenatal methadone or buprenorphine on weaning or adult weights • Prenatal methadone increased motivated responding for sucrose in males and females • Methadone-induced, female-specific increase in nucleus accumbens gene expression • Differential effects of methadone and buprenorphine in arcuate nucleus The opioid crisis has resulted in escalating rates of opioid use disorder in women of reproductive age and increased prevalence of fetal drug exposure. While medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) – e.g., buprenorphine or methadone – improves maternal health outcomes, infants exposed to MOUD show a variety of physical and behavioral consequences. There are, however, few clinical or preclinical studies investigating long-term effects of MOUD exposure. The current work investigates the long-term effects of prenatal MOUD exposure on effort-based responding to a palatable food reward and gene expression in regions of the brain related to reward and feeding, including the nucleus accumbens and hypothalamus. Female Sprague Dawley rats were implanted with osmotic minipumps filled with methadone (10 mg/kg/day) or buprenorphine (1 mg/kg/day) or saline control (2.5 μL/hour for 28 days) and mated four days later. In adulthood, male and female offspring began sucrose pellet self-administration to assess the motivational strength of a food reward in MOUD-exposed animals compared to saline controls, followed by analysis of gene expression via RNAscope in situ hybridization. We observed long-term changes in reward motivation, where adults gestationally exposed to methadone – but not buprenorphine – demonstrated increased motivated responding for sucrose. We observed modest sex-dependent effects of MOUD on gene expression in the nucleus accumbens and arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus following sucrose self-administration. These data suggest differential effects of methadone and buprenorphine on the brain and behavior, providing insight into the potential neuromolecular underpinnings of MOUD-induced changes in neural modulation of reward-motivated behavior.

IP3R1 regulates AMPK-mTOR-mediated mitochondrial function to influence the oocyte-to-embryo transition of porcine.

Statistical distributions of gene expression levels in the non-model ciliate Colpoda across strains and genes using transcriptome sequencing.

Oscillatory gene expression in cell differentiation and tissue patterning.

The association of perturbed skeletal muscle metabolism with intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired weakness (ICUAW) is not clear. The objective of the present study was to characterize temporal changes in skeletal muscle mitochondrial function, ATP concentration, and substrate utilization during and up to 6 mo post-ICU admission in critically ill patients, and to delineate mechanisms underpinning ICUAW by comparing the expression of genes involved in skeletal muscle mitochondrial function and substrate utilization in the critically ill patients to control groups that had either undergone elective surgery or leg immobilization (i.e., muscle disuse). The study design was a randomized controlled trial of functional electrical stimulation-assisted cycle ergometry (FESCE) versus standard care, with skeletal muscle mitochondrial respirometry defined a priori in a nested subgroup of patients as the primary outcome. Mitochondrial respirometry did not change 7 days or 6 mo after ICU admission and was not impacted by FESCE. However, a 20% reduction in muscle ATP content by day 7 of ICU stay persisted after 6 mo and tended to associate with ICUAW (P = 0.078, R2 = 0.582). Moreover, a 40% lower muscle glycogen and 2.5-fold greater muscle lactate were observed earlier at day 1 compared with elective surgery patients. These changes reflected expression of genes related to glycogen metabolism when disuse was accounted for, and a greater expression of the gene encoding glycogen phosphorylase (PYGM) was predictive of mortality. We conclude that muscle glycogen metabolism is rapidly dysregulated in critical illness, which may have implications for muscle ATP resynthesis and ICUAW.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The association of skeletal muscle metabolism with intensive care unit (ICU)-acquired weakness (ICUAW) is not clear. We report for the first time that reduced muscle ATP content by day 7 of ICU stay persisted after 6 mo and tended to be associated with ICUAW. Moreover, lower muscle glycogen and greater muscle lactate were observed earlier at day 1 compared with elective surgery patients. These changes reflected the expression of genes related to glycogen metabolism, which were predictive of mortality.

Adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) is a complex spinal deformity characterized by three-dimensional curvature of the spine with an unknown etiology. Previous genome-wide association studies have identified a single-nucleotide polymorphism (rs6137473) located downstream of PAX1, which is significantly associated with female AIS risk. To investigate the role of this region in spinal development and AIS pathogenesis, we generated a mouse model with deletion of a nearby conserved sex-associated region (Pax1-SARΔ). Spines were examined by both micro-CT and histology. Gene expression analysis (by RNA-sequencing and quantitative PCR) was carried out on E12.5 and E18.5 developing spines. Glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content was also measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Micro-CT analysis revealed increased vertebral rotation at T4 in female Pax1-SARΔ mice at 4 months and at T9 in male Pax1-SARΔ mice at 6 months, along with kyphotic and lordotic sagittal curvatures. Histological examination revealed significant intervertebral disc degeneration, with the most severe changes observed in the female Pax1-SARΔ mice. GAG analysis found decreased chondroitin sulfate and dermatan sulfate content in male and female Pax1-SARΔ mice. Gene expression analysis at E12.5 showed upregulation of Pax1, Stat3, Ar, Foxa2, and Nkx2.2, while RNA-sequencing at E18.5 revealed sex-dependent changes in gene expression related to extracellular matrix components, immune and inflammatory responses, and scoliosis. These findings highlight the pivotal role of the Pax1 sex-associated genomic region in the development and maintenance of functional cartilage, extracellular matrix integrity, and intervertebral disc health, offering insights into the mechanisms underlying spinal degeneration and instability in AIS.

Hexavalent chromium inhibits testosterone synthesis in bovine testicular leydig cells through mitochondrial damage via BNIP3.

Salmonella enterica biofilm is capable of VBNC state formation and virulence gene expression during low temperature food storage.

Protective effects of polydatin on cyclophosphamide-induced ovarian and uterine damage in rats via modulation of hormonal, oxidative, inflammatory, and histopathological alterations.

Peer victimization, pro-inflammatory, and antiviral gene expression pathways in adolescents.

Varroa destructor is the most significant pest of honey bees worldwide, and oxalic acid (OA) is widely used for its control. However, its effects on brood physiology remain unclear. We examined the impact of oxalic acid-glycerine (OA-G) strips and chalkbrood (Ascosphaera apis) infection on gene expression in Apis mellifera prepupae. Twelve colonies were assigned to control, OA-G, A. apis, and combined OA-G + A. apis groups. Gene expression of antimicrobial peptides (AmPs), vitellogenin (Vg), and Vg-like B was analyzed seven days post-treatment using RT-qPCR. OA-G treatment significantly upregulated defensin1 and hymenoptaecin in both healthy and infected brood, indicating strong immune activation. In contrast, abaecin was downregulated, while apidaecin increased only under infection. Vitellogenin was consistently suppressed across all treatments, whereas Vg-like B remained unchanged. These results demonstrate differential immune and nutritional trade-offs in brood following OA exposure and infection, underscoring the complex physiological consequences of varroosis management.

This study aimed to characterize the physicochemical properties, protein quality, and metabolic and intestinal parameters associated with the consumption of cowpea protein isolate (CPI). CPI was obtained by alkaline extraction, followed by isoelectric precipitation and freeze-drying. Its proximate composition, bioactive compounds content, and thermal, morphological, optical, and color properties were evaluated, along with amino acid profile, chemical score, and true digestibility. Male Wistar rats were fed with experimental diets containing 9% protein for 30days. CPI showed high protein content (86.46%), total phenolics (1.79mg GAE·g-1), and 0.36IU·mg-1 of trypsin inhibition. Electrophoresis revealed predominant bands between 50 and 75kDa and an endothermic peak at 83°C. Tryptophan, methionine, and cysteine were identified as limiting amino acids, supplying approximately 70% of nutritional requirements. In vivo analyses showed that CPI presented protein efficiency ratio higher than 2.75, net protein ratio of 3.55, True Digestibility of 89%, decreased LDL-c, triglycerides, and Castelli Index II. Regarding intestinal health, CPI preserved acetic and propionic acid production and reduced butyric acid, aminopeptidase, sodium-glucose cotransporter 1, and sucrase-isomaltase gene expression while maintaining Peptide transporter 1 levels. Further, CPI decreased superoxide dismutase activity and malondialdehyde content, increased claudin and zonulin gene expression, and decreased occludin gene expression. Overall, CPI demonstrated good nutritional properties, supported efficient protein utilization, and improved lipid and oxidative parameters. However, some intestinal effects suggest potential limitations related to bioavailability and epithelial function under the conditions tested.

STING activation promotes intestinal mucin secretion in IBD.

Integrated quantum chemical and in vitro investigation of Capsanthin antioxidant activity: Mechanism (HAT), cultivar variability, enhanced bioavailability, and key gene expression in peppers.

Isolation of primary hepatocytes and non-parenchymal cells from mouse fatty liver.

Integrated transcriptomic and Metabolomic insights into the dynamic changes in gene expression and secondary metabolites in gibberellin-treated grape berries.

Spatial transcriptomics technologies such as Xenium, MERFISH, and Visium HD enable high-resolution profiling of gene expression while preserving tissue architecture. However, most computational methods for spatial analysis do not explicitly model local tissue context, such as boundaries, neighborhoods, or gradients. Here, we present SpNeigh (https://github.com/jinming-cheng/SpNeigh/), an R package for spatial neighborhood analysis and spatially aware differential expression modeling. SpNeigh includes tools for boundary detection, spatial neighborhood extraction, distance-based weighting, and gradient-based statistical testing. It supports both region-based differential expression and smooth spatial modeling using spline-based regression, along with a spatial enrichment index that identifies genes enriched near defined spatial features. We demonstrate the utility of SpNeigh across multiple platforms and tissues, including mouse brain, human breast cancer, and human liver, revealing intermediate populations at tissue interfaces, immune microenvironment differences, and spatially zonated gene expression patterns. SpNeigh offers a flexible and interpretable framework for dissecting spatial gene expression dynamics in complex tissues.

Messenger RNA (mRNA) decay is a central determinant of gene expression in eukaryotes, functioning both as a quality control mechanism and as a regulatory layer that shapes transcript abundance. In trypanosomes, including Trypanosoma brucei, gene expression relies almost entirely on post-transcriptional mechanisms due to polycistronic transcription and the near absence of promoter-specific transcriptional regulation. As a result, mRNA stability plays a dominant role in controlling protein output and developmental gene expression programs. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the major nuclear and cytoplasmic mRNA decay pathways and surveillance mechanisms operating in T. brucei, highlighting both conserved and parasite-specific features of the RNA degradation machinery. We discuss the roles of the principal exonucleases, as well as deadenylation and decapping processes, and outline proposed strategies for mRNA stabilization and destabilization. Despite significant progress, direct mechanistic links between cis-regulatory elements, RNA-binding proteins, and specific decay pathways remain poorly understood. We conclude by outlining key open questions and emerging experimental approaches that promise to advance our understanding of mRNA decay as a central regulatory axis in trypanosome biology.