Volume 14, Issue 5, May 2024

The cell-cell adhesion molecule Fasciclin II (Fas2) guides nervous system development and acts to preserve epithelial tissue architecture. Here, Finegan et al. solve the genetic mystery of why two different mutations in the fas2 gene in fruit flies cause dramatically different effects. They identify a modifier mutation carried by one of the chromosomes used to study fas2 that disrupts neuroglian (nrg)—a gene that encodes a cell-cell adhesion molecule in the same family as Fas2.

Here, Wilson and Postlethwait identify a unique region in zebrafish sex chromosomes that contains protein-coding genes silenced in ovaries but expressed in testes which are then transiently expressed in embryos as they begin to express their own genes. They report that the region also encodes maternal-specific spliceosome components and microRNAs that target maternally-stored RNA for degradation. The authors conclude that this region defines a distinct maternal-to-zygotic-transition block of genes.

The European Green Woodpecker, Picus viridis, is found in the Western Palearctic region. Here, Forest et al. assemble a highly contiguous genome assembly for this species using a combination of short- and long-read sequencing and scaffolded with chromatin conformation capture (Hi-C). The assembly and annotations produced in this study will help further research into the genomics of P. viridis and the comparative evolution of woodpeckers.

Whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis), a white pine of western North American subalpine regions, has become critically threatened throughout its range by white pine blister rust fungus (WPBR), mountain pine beetle, wildfire, and maladaptation from changing climate—vast acreages have suffered nearly complete mortality from WPBR. As genomic data can contribute to faster, cost-effective approaches for identifying disease-resistant, climate-adapted seed sources for restoration, Neale et al. present a high-quality reference sequence and annotation—a marked improvement in candidate WPBR-disease-resistance gene identification compared to previous assessments.