J. Peng

I2Bot: an open-source tool for multi-modal and embodied simulation of insect navigation

I2Bot simulates insect navigation by integrating morphology, sensory capabilities, and environment, revealing navigation principles for robotics.

Early-life Microbiome-Derived HCA Enhances Type 3 Immunity via FXR-dependent m6A RNA methylation

High-plex spatial RNA imaging in one round with conventional microscopes using color-intensity barcodes

This paper introduces PRISM, a method for high-plex spatial RNA imaging using color intensity barcodes, validated across multiple tissues and showing the role of CAFs in tumor microenvironments.

Cold seeps are hotspots of deep-sea nitrogen-loss driven by microorganisms across 21 phyla

This study identifies cold seeps as significant nitrogen-loss hotspots, revealing diverse microbial communities and active nitrogen-loss genes across multiple phyla.

An early, novel arginine methylation of KCa3.1 attenuates subsequent T cell exhaustion.

The paper shows that early arginine methylation of KCa3.1 limits Ca2+-mediated NFAT1 activation, preventing T cell exhaustion during activation.

Linear ubiquitin chains remodel the proteome and influence the levels of hundreds of regulators in Drosophila

The paper investigates how linear ubiquitin chains affect the proteome in Drosophila by analyzing proteomic changes in flies expressing chains of different lengths.

HKDC1 Promotes Liver Cancer Stemness Under Hypoxia via Stabilizing β-Catenin

This study identifies HKDC1 as a prometastatic enzyme in liver cancer that stabilizes β-catenin under hypoxia, enhancing cancer stemness.

Sex differences in immune function and disease risk are not easily explained by an evolutionary mismatch

This study examines sex differences in immune function and disease risk across populations, finding no consistent support for the evolutionary mismatch hypothesis.

Reductive dehalogenation by diverse microbes is central to biogeochemical cycles in deep-sea cold seeps

The paper investigates reductive dehalogenation in deep-sea cold seeps, identifying diverse RDases and their ecological role in biogeochemical cycles.

Early evolution of the ecdysozoan body plan

The paper describes a new Cambrian ecdysozoan species, Beretella spinosa, and suggests that ancestral ecdysozoans may have been non-vermiform.

The ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme UBE2D/eff maintains a youthful proteome and ensures protein quality control during aging

This study identifies UBE2D/eff as critical for maintaining proteostasis and a youthful proteome during aging by regulating protein degradation and preventing aggregate accumulation.

The Origin and Evolution of Sex Peptide and Sex Peptide Receptor Interactions

This study investigates the evolutionary origin of sex peptide (SP) and sex peptide receptor (SPR) interactions using ancestral sequence reconstruction, AlphaFold2, and molecular dynamics simulations.

Platelet-specific TGFβ1 deficiency aggravates atherosclerosis, vascular inflammation, and hypercholesterolemia in mice

Molecular de-extinction of antibiotics enabled by deep learning

This paper introduces a deep learning method to discover antibiotic peptides from extinct organisms, identifying novel sequences with antimicrobial activity not found in modern species.

Pervasive mislocalization of pathogenic coding variants underlying human disorders

The paper develops a high-throughput imaging platform to assess the functional impact of missense variants on protein localization, finding that mislocalization is common in pathogenic variants.

The balance between shear flow and extracellular matrix in ovarian cancer-on-chip

This study uses an ovarian tumor-on-chip to investigate how extracellular matrix and shear stress influence tumor cell migration and phenotype, showing ECM's dominant role in migration modes and EMT transition.

12R-HETE acts as an endogenous ligand of Nur77 in intestine and regulates ILC3s plasticity

This study identifies 12R-HETE as an endogenous ligand of Nur77 that regulates ILC3s plasticity and gut immunity.

Metabolic reprogramming of cancer cells by JMJD6-mediated pre-mRNA splicing is associated with therapeutic response to splicing inhibitor

This study shows JMJD6 links pre-mRNA splicing and metabolism in MYC-driven cancers, and its inhibition enhances therapeutic response to splicing inhibitors.

A Likelihood Ratio Test for Hybridization Under the Multispecies Coalescent

This paper introduces a likelihood ratio test for detecting hybridization using genomic data under the multispecies coalescent, showing improved power over existing methods.

The origin and structural evolution of de novo genes in Drosophila

This study investigates the origin, evolution, and structural properties of de novo genes in Drosophila, finding that many produce well-folded proteins and show functional shifts over time.

Predatory fireflies and their toxic firefly prey have evolved distinct toxin resistancestrategies.

This study shows that predatory fireflies and their toxic prey have evolved distinct toxin resistance strategies through gene duplication and neofunctionalization.

Avirulent ME49Δgra5 Protecting Hosts Against Toxoplasma gondii Infection and Breast Tumors

This paper shows that the gra5 knockout T. gondii strain ME49Δgra5 is avirulent, prevents cyst formation, and protects against T. gondii infection and breast tumor growth in mice.

Ribonucleotide Reductase Subunit Switching in Hepatoblastoma Drug Response and Relapse

This study identifies RRM2 and RRM2B as key players in hepatoblastoma progression and drug response, showing their dynamic switching and impact on relapse.

Mutual antagonism between glucocorticoid and canonical Wnt signaling pathways in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The paper identifies mutual antagonism between glucocorticoid and canonical Wnt signaling pathways in B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia, linking TLE1 cis-regulatory disruptions to GC resistance.

Adaptations to water stress and pastoralism in the Turkana of northwest Kenya

The paper identifies genetic regions associated with adaptation to water stress and pastoralism in the Turkana people using genome sequencing.

QCR7 affects the virulence of Candida albicans and the uptake of multiple carbon sources present in different host niches

A molecular mechanism for membrane chaperoning by a late embryogenesis abundant protein

This paper identifies HeLEA1, a tardigrade LEA protein that acts as a mitochondrial membrane chaperone, improving stress tolerance in yeast by stabilizing lipid packing and reducing surface tension.

Dissecting the genetic basis of the heterosis of Y900, an elite super-hybrid rice

The paper identifies genetic and regulatory mechanisms underlying heterosis in the rice hybrid Y900 by analyzing genome and transcriptome data from its parental lines.

Estimation of Speciation Times Under the Multispecies Coalescent

The paper introduces a method to estimate speciation times under the multispecies coalescent model using a maximum a posteriori estimator and evaluates its performance through simulations and an empirical dataset.

PPIX-binding Proteins Reveal Porphyrin Synthesis and Ferroptosis Link

The paper identifies PPIX-binding proteins and shows that increased heme/porphyrin synthesis promotes ferroptosis distinct from canonical ferroptosis, with PRDX3 modulating this process.