A. Koch

Acute exposure to caffeine improves navigation in an invasive ant

This study shows that moderate caffeine exposure improves learning in Argentine ants during foraging tasks, but not homing behavior, with dose-dependent effects.

Solid tumor-on-chip model for efficacy and safety assessment of CAR-T cell therapy

This paper presents a solid tumor-on-chip model to assess CAR-T cell therapy efficacy and safety, showing CAR-T cells exhibit enhanced tumor infiltration and cytokine release, with potential for patient stratification.

NEMO reshapes the protein aggregate interface and promotes aggrephagy by co-condensation with p62

This study identifies a NF-κB-independent role of NEMO in proteostasis by promoting aggrephagy through co-condensation with p62.

Optimistic ants: Positive cognitive judgement bias but no emotional contagion in the ant Lasius niger

This study assesses cognitive bias and emotional contagion in ants using a judgment bias task, finding optimism but no emotional contagion.

IFNA pathway drives the more aggressive phenotype of KRASG12D-mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas via IFNAR1/STAT3 activation

The paper shows that the IFNA pathway promotes aggressive KRASG12D-mutant pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas through IFNAR1/STAT3 activation and identifies IFNAR1 inhibition as a potential therapeutic strategy.

Protein profiling of breast carcinomas reveals expression of immune-suppressive factors and signatures relevant to patient outcome

The paper profiles proteins in breast carcinomas to identify immune-suppressive factors and signatures linked to patient outcomes.

A platform of patient-derived microtumors identifies therapeutic vulnerabilities in ovarian cancer.

This paper develops a 3D patient-derived microtumor platform to identify therapeutic vulnerabilities in ovarian cancer by testing drug responses and immune cell interactions.

A SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody selected from COVID-19 patients by phage display is binding to the ACE2-RBD interface and is tolerant to most known recently emerging RBD mutations

The paper describes the selection of a SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody from COVID-19 patients using phage display, showing it binds the ACE2-RBD interface and remains effective against emerging RBD mutations.

Fusarium graminearum DICER-like-dependent sRNAs are required for the suppression of host immune genes and full virulence

This study shows that Fusarium graminearum uses DCL-dependent sRNAs to suppress host immune genes, enhancing its virulence.

Flow cytometry method for absolute counting and single-cell phenotyping of mycobacteria

This paper develops a flow cytometry method for absolute counting and single-cell phenotyping of mycobacteria, showing it can detect cell aggregates and reveal subpopulation dynamics not captured by traditional CFU counting.

Isolation and characterization of barley (Hordeum vulgare) extracellular vesicles and their role in RNAi-based crop protection

This study isolates and characterizes barley extracellular vesicles and shows they contain siRNAs but play a minor role in spray-induced gene silencing compared to HIGS.

Structures of active melanocortin-4 receptor--Gs-protein complexes with NDP-α-MSH and setmelanotide

The paper presents cryo-EM structures of MC4R-Gs complexes with NDP-α-MSH and setmelanotide, revealing ligand-specific interactions and activation mechanisms.

The potential of dynamic physiological traits in young tomato plants to predict field-yield performance

The paper identifies physiological traits in young tomato plants that strongly correlate with field yield performance and resilience to drought.

Reprogramming of stromal fibroblasts by chemotherapy-induced secretion of IFNβ1 drives re-growth of breast cancer cells after treatment.

This study shows chemotherapy-induced IFNβ1 secretion by cancer cells reprograms stromal fibroblasts, promoting breast cancer recurrence through an anti-viral state and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression.

Host-induced gene silencing involves Arabidopsis ESCRT-III pathway for the transfer of dsRNA-derived siRNA

This study identifies the Arabidopsis ESCRT-III pathway as essential for transferring dsRNA-derived siRNAs between host and fungal cells during host-induced gene silencing.

Phloem-mediated spreading of SIGS-derived non-coding RNAs in Hordeum vulgare

This study investigates the phloem-mediated spread of SIGS-derived non-coding RNAs in barley, showing their systemic translocation and uptake by pathogens/pests.

Study on the efficacy of dsRNAs with increasing length in RNAi-based silencing of the Fusarium CYP51 genes

This study tests the effect of dsRNA length on RNAi-based silencing of Fusarium CYP51 genes in HIGS and SIGS approaches, finding no correlation in HIGS but a significant correlation in SIGS.

RNA-spray-mediated silencing of Fusarium graminearum AGO and DCL genes improve barley disease resistance

This study compares dsRNA design methods for silencing fungal genes in barley, finding manual design outperforms computational tools and suggests cross-kingdom RNA silencing.

Call for participation: Collaborative benchmarking of functional-structural root architecture models. The case of root water uptake.

The paper calls for collaborative benchmarking of functional-structural root architecture models to improve their accuracy and reliability in simulating root water uptake.

Phenotypic plasticity as a mechanism of cave colonization and adaptation

This study shows that cave-related traits in Astyanax mexicanus can appear within one generation through phenotypic plasticity, not just genetic adaptation.

Different components of the RNAi machinery are required for conidiation, ascosporogenesis, virulence, DON production and fungal inhibition by exogenous dsRNA in the Head Blight pathogen Fusarium graminearum

This study identifies key RNAi components required for fungal development and pathogenicity in Fusarium graminearum, showing their differential roles in conidiation, ascosporogenesis, and toxin production.

Oxygen Restriction Generates Difficult-To-Culture Pathogens

This study shows that oxygen restriction induces a difficult-to-culture state in bacteria, complicating diagnostic culturing, especially in chronic infections.

Spontaneous intake and long-term effects of essential oils after a negative postnatal experience in chicks

This study tests if broiler chicks can spontaneously drink essential oils to mitigate the effects of a delayed postnatal placement, finding partial mitigation of growth reduction but not overall performance.

Small differences in learning speed for different food qualities can drive efficient collective foraging in ant colonies

The paper shows that small differences in learning speed based on food quality and foraging motivation can drive efficient collective foraging in ant colonies, with implications for understanding group behavior without social interaction.

Understanding inhibitor resistance in Mps1 kinase through novel biophysical assays and structures

The paper characterizes inhibitor resistance in Mps1 mutants using biophysical assays and crystal structures, showing that Cpd-5 is better tolerated than NMS-P715 in resistant mutants.