Table Of Contents Page, PNAS Volume 121, Number 36
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Brief Report
Complex visual stimuli evoke diverse patterns of gaze, but previous research suggests
that their neural representations are shared across brains. Here, we used hyperalignment
to compare visual responses between observers viewing identical stimuli. We find ...
Physical Sciences
Applied Physical Sciences
Multidimensional solitons are prevalent in numerous research fields. In orientationally
ordered soft matter system, three-dimensional director solitons exemplify the localized
distortion of molecular orientation. However, their precise manipulation ...
Biophysics and Computational Biology
Synchronization of coupled oscillators is a universal phenomenon encountered across
different scales and contexts, e.g., chemical wave patterns, superconductors, and
the unison applause we witness in concert halls. The existence of common underlying
...
Inhibitors of heterotrimeric G proteins are being developed as therapeutic agents.
Epitomizing this approach are YM-254890 (YM) and FR900359 (FR), which are efficacious
in models of thrombosis, hypertension, obesity, asthma, uveal melanoma, and pain,
and ...
Genomic information must be faithfully transmitted into two daughter cells during
mitosis. To ensure the transmission process, interphase chromatin is further condensed
into mitotic chromosomes. Although protein factors like condensins and topoisomerase
...
Animals use a small number of morphogens to pattern tissues, but it is unclear how
evolution modulates morphogen signaling range to match tissues of varying sizes. Here,
we used single-molecule imaging in reconstituted morphogen gradients and in tissue
...
Chemistry
Eukaryotic cells are characterized by multiple chemically distinct compartments, one
of the most notable being the nucleus. Within these compartments, there is a continuous
exchange of information, chemicals, and signaling molecules, essential for ...
Nonadiabatic molecular dynamics (NA-MD) is a powerful tool to model far-from-equilibrium
processes, such as photochemical reactions and charge transport. NA-MD application
to condensed phase has drawn tremendous attention recently for development of next-...
Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences
The late Paleocene and early Eocene (LPEE) are characterized by long-term (million
years, Myr) global warming and by transient, abrupt (kiloyears, kyr) warming events,
termed hyperthermals. Although both have been attributed to greenhouse (CO2) forcing, ...
The oxygen isotope ratio 18O/16O (expressed as a δ18OVSMOW value) in marine sedimentary rocks has increased by ~8‰ from the early Paleozoic
to modern times. Interpretation of this trend is hindered by ambiguities in the temperature
of formation of the ...
Physics
Gauge theories are powerful theoretical physics tools that allow complex phenomena
to be reduced to simple principles and are used in both high-energy and condensed
matter physics. In the latter context, gauge theories are becoming increasingly popular
...
The representation of complex systems as networks has become a critical tool across
many fields of science. In the context of physical networks, such as biological neural
networks, vascular networks, or network liquids where the nodes and edges occupy ...
We study the 1D quantum Heisenberg chain with randomly ferromagnetic or antiferromagnetic
couplings [a model previously studied by approximate strong-disorder renormalization
group (RG)]. We find that, at least for sufficiently large spin S, the ground ...
Statistics
The paper is concerned with inference for a parameter of interest in models that share
a common interpretation for that parameter but that may differ appreciably in other
respects. We study the general structure of models under which the maximum ...
Sustainability Science
Achieving more sustainable adaptation to social–environmental change demands the transformation
of the narratives that provide the rationale for risk governance. These narratives
often reflect long-standing beliefs about social and political relationships,...
Social Sciences
Anthropology
Elites played a pivotal role in the formation of post-Roman Europe on both macro-
and microlevels during the Early Medieval period. History and archaeology have long
focused on their description and identification based on written sources or through
their ...
Sustainability Science
Achieving more sustainable adaptation to social–environmental change demands the transformation
of the narratives that provide the rationale for risk governance. These narratives
often reflect long-standing beliefs about social and political relationships,...
Biological Sciences
Agricultural Sciences
As climate change shifts crop exposure to dry and wet extremes, a better understanding
of factors governing crop response is needed. Recent studies identified shallow groundwater—groundwater
within or near the crop rooting zone—as influential, yet ...
Endosymbionts provide essential nutrients for hosts, promoting growth, development,
and reproduction. However, the molecular regulation of nutrient transport from endosymbiont
to host is not well understood. Here, we used bioinformatic analysis, RNA-...
Non-CG DNA methylation, a plant-specific epigenetic mark mainly regulated by chromomethylase
(CMT), is known to play important roles in Arabidopsis thaliana. However, whether and to what extent non-CG DNA methylation modulates agronomic traits
in crops ...
To counter the rising incidence of diabetes and to meet the daily protein needs, we
created low glycemic index (GI) rice varieties with protein content (PC) surpassing
14%. In the development of recombinant inbred lines using Samba Mahsuri and IR36 ...
Applied Biological Sciences
Type I interferon signaling pathway enhances immune-checkpoint inhibition in KRAS mutant lung tumors
Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. KRAS oncogenes are
responsible for at least a quarter of lung adenocarcinomas, the main subtype of lung
cancer. After four decades of intense research, selective inhibitors of KRAS ...
Biochemistry
Inhibitors of heterotrimeric G proteins are being developed as therapeutic agents.
Epitomizing this approach are YM-254890 (YM) and FR900359 (FR), which are efficacious
in models of thrombosis, hypertension, obesity, asthma, uveal melanoma, and pain,
and ...
Synonymous codons were originally viewed as interchangeable, with no phenotypic consequences.
However, substantial evidence has now demonstrated that synonymous substitutions can
perturb a variety of gene expression and protein homeostasis mechanisms, ...
Protein phosphatase-1 catalytic subunit (PP1) joins diverse targeting subunits to
form holophosphatases that regulate many cellular processes. Newly synthesized PP1
is known to be transiently sequestered in an inhibitory complex with Suppressor-of-Dis2-...
Biophysics and Computational Biology
Catalysis and translocation of multisubunit DNA-directed RNA polymerases underlie
all cellular mRNA synthesis. RNA polymerase II (Pol II) synthesizes eukaryotic pre-mRNAs
from a DNA template strand buried in its active site. Structural details of ...
Deprotonation or suppression of the pKa of the amino group of a lysine sidechain is a widely recognized phenomenon whereby
the sidechain amino group transiently can act as a nucleophile at the active site
of enzymatic reactions. However, a deprotonated ...
Cell Biology
Genomic information must be faithfully transmitted into two daughter cells during
mitosis. To ensure the transmission process, interphase chromatin is further condensed
into mitotic chromosomes. Although protein factors like condensins and topoisomerase
...
Higher levels of aneuploidy, characterized by imbalanced chromosome numbers, are associated
with lethal progression in prostate cancer. However, how aneuploidy contributes to
prostate cancer aggressiveness remains poorly understood. In this study, we ...
Hematopoietic stem cells surrender organelles during differentiation, leaving mature
red blood cells (RBC) devoid of transcriptional machinery and mitochondria. The resultant
absence of cellular repair capacity limits RBC circulatory longevity, and old ...
Medium chain fatty acids are commonly consumed as part of diets for endurance sports
and as medical treatment in ketogenic diets where these diets regulate energy metabolism
and increase adenosine levels. However, the role of the equilibrative nucleoside ...
Developmental Biology
Synchronization of coupled oscillators is a universal phenomenon encountered across
different scales and contexts, e.g., chemical wave patterns, superconductors, and
the unison applause we witness in concert halls. The existence of common underlying
...
Animals use a small number of morphogens to pattern tissues, but it is unclear how
evolution modulates morphogen signaling range to match tissues of varying sizes. Here,
we used single-molecule imaging in reconstituted morphogen gradients and in tissue
...
Ecology
Conservationists have long argued that inadequate funding for managing protected areas
(PAs) jeopardizes their ability to achieve conservation goals. However, this claim
has rarely been substantiated by quantitative evaluations. To address this, we ...
Winter diapause in insects is commonly terminated through cold exposure, which, like
vernalization in plants, prevents development before spring arrives. Currently, quantitative
understanding of the temperature dependence of diapause termination is ...
Environmental Sciences
Facing complex and variable emerging antibiotic pollutants, the traditional development
of functional materials is a “trial-and-error” process based on physicochemical principles,
where laborious steps and long timescales make it difficult to accelerate ...
Evolution
Evolution can occur over ecological timescales, suggesting a potentially important
role for rapid evolution in shaping community trait distributions. However, evidence
of concordant eco-evolutionary dynamics often comes from in vitro studies of highly
...
Evolutionary variation in the wing pigmentation of butterflies and moths offers striking
examples of adaptation by crypsis and mimicry. The cortex locus has been independently mapped as the locus controlling color polymorphisms
in 15 lepidopteran species, ...
Genetics
Elites played a pivotal role in the formation of post-Roman Europe on both macro-
and microlevels during the Early Medieval period. History and archaeology have long
focused on their description and identification based on written sources or through
their ...
X chromosome inactivation (XCI) is an epigenetic process that results in the transcriptional
silencing of one X chromosome in the somatic cells of females. This phenomenon is
common to both eutherian and marsupial mammals, but there are fundamental ...
The extinction risk of the giant panda has been demoted from “endangered” to “vulnerable”
on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, but its habitat is
more fragmented than ever before, resulting in 33 isolated giant panda populations
...
Epigenetic mechanisms can generate bacterial lineages capable of spontaneously switching
between distinct phenotypes. Currently, mathematical models and simulations propose
epigenetic switches as a mechanism of adaptation to deal with fluctuating ...
Meiosis is a form of cell division that is essential to sexually reproducing organisms
and is therefore highly regulated. Each event of meiosis must occur at the correct
developmental stage to ensure that chromosomes are segregated properly during both
...
Immunology and Inflammation
Many chronic inflammatory diseases are attributed to disturbances in host–microbe
interactions, which drive immune-mediated tissue damage. Depending on the anatomic
setting, a chronic inflammatory disease can exert unique local and systemic influences,
...
Developing an effective Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) vaccine has been a challenging endeavor, as demonstrated by numerous failed clinical
trials over the years. In this study, we formulated a vaccine containing a highly
conserved moonlighting protein,...
Identifying tumor-mediated mechanisms that impair immunity is instrumental for the
design of new cancer therapies. Regulatory T cells (Tregs) are a key component of
cancer-derived immune suppression; however, these lymphocytes are necessary to prevent
...
Vertebrate cell identity depends on the combined activity of scores of transcription
factors (TF). While TFs have often been studied in isolation, a systematic perspective
on their integration has been missing. Focusing on FoxP3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs)...
Medical Sciences
The nature of microRNA (miRNA) dysfunction in carcinogenesis remains controversial
because of the complex connection between miRNA structural diversity and biological
processes. Here, we found that oncofetal IGF2BP3 regulates the selective production
of a ...
Microbiology
Elevated bacterial sialidase activity in the female genital tract is strongly associated
with poor health outcomes including preterm birth and bacterial vaginosis (BV). These
negative effects may arise from sialidase-mediated degradation of the protective ...
The gut microbiome plays an important role in honeybee hormonal regulation and growth,
but the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we showed that the depletion
of gut bacteria resulted in reduced expression of insulin-like peptide gene (ilp)...
In the absence of antiretroviral therapy (ART), a subset of individuals, termed HIV
controllers, have levels of plasma viremia that are orders of magnitude lower than
non-controllers (NC) who are at higher risk for HIV disease progression. In addition
to ...
Neuroscience
Recent advancements in functional neuroimaging have demonstrated that some unresponsive
patients in the intensive care unit retain a level of consciousness that is inconsistent
with their behavioral diagnosis of awareness. Functional near-infrared ...
Religious fundamentalism, characterized by rigid adherence to a set of beliefs putatively
revealing inerrant truths, is ubiquitous across cultures and has a global impact on
society. Understanding the psychological and neurobiological processes producing ...
Optogenetic techniques provide genetically targeted, spatially and temporally precise
approaches to correlate cellular activities and physiological outcomes. In the nervous
system, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) have essential neuromodulatory ...
The perception of musical phrase boundaries is a critical aspect of human musical
experience: It allows us to organize, understand, derive pleasure from, and remember
music. Identifying boundaries is a prerequisite for segmenting music into meaningful
...
Characterized by progressive degeneration of retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) and vision
loss, glaucoma is the primary cause of irreversible blindness, incurable and affecting
over 78 million patients. However, pathogenic mechanisms leading to glaucoma-...
Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a critical neurological complication of
sepsis and represents a crucial factor contributing to high mortality and adverse
prognosis in septic patients. This study explored the contribution of NAT10-mediated
...
The course of normal development and response to pathology are strongly influenced
by biological sex. For instance, female childhood cancer survivors who have undergone
cranial radiation therapy (CRT) tend to display more pronounced cognitive deficits
...
The neural pathways that start human color vision begin in the complex synaptic network
of the foveal retina where signals originating in long (L), middle (M), and short
(S) wavelength-sensitive cone photoreceptor types are compared through antagonistic
...
Physiology
Constricting pythons, known for their ability to consume infrequent, massive meals,
exhibit rapid and reversible cardiac hypertrophy following feeding. Our primary goal
was to investigate how python hearts achieve this adaptive response after feeding.
...
Plant Biology
ELONGATED HYPOCOTOYL5 (HY5) and PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTORs (PIFs) are two types
of important light-related regulators of plant growth, however, their interplay remains
elusive. Here, we report that the activated tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) HY5 (...
Population Biology
Hatching failure affects up to 77% of eggs laid by threatened bird species, yet the
true prevalence and drivers of egg fertilization failure versus embryo mortality as
underlying mechanisms of hatching failure are unknown. Here, using ten years of data
...
The incidence of dengue virus disease has increased globally across the past half-century,
with highest number of cases ever reported in 2019 and again in 2023. We analyzed
climatological, epidemiological, and phylogenomic data to investigate drivers of ...
Sustainability Science
Conservationists have long argued that inadequate funding for managing protected areas
(PAs) jeopardizes their ability to achieve conservation goals. However, this claim
has rarely been substantiated by quantitative evaluations. To address this, we ...
Corrections
SI Correction
Cover image: Pictured is a composite image of the eyespots of a wild-type Painted Lady butterfly (Vanessa cardui) (bottom left) and an ivory CRISPR mutant (top right). Luca Livraghi et al. used CRISPR/Cas9 to explore the effects of ivory, a long noncoding RNA, on wing pigmentation patterns in five nymphalid butterfly species. The authors found that ivory plays a central role in regulating transitions between dark and light-colored scales during pupal butterfly wing development. The results could help provide insight into the evolution of adaptive variations in butterfly coloration, such as mimicry. See the article by Livraghi et al. e2403326121. Image credit: Luca Livraghi.
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