M. Stevens

Lymphostatin: Structure of a large multi-functional virulence factor

This paper determines the structure of lymphostatin, a multifunctional virulence factor in E. coli, revealing its domains and mechanism of action.

Disentangling the Innate Immune Responses of Intestinal Epithelial Cells and Lamina Propria Cells to Salmonella Typhimurium Infection in Chickens

This study compares innate immune responses in 2D and 3D chicken enteroids infected with Salmonella Typhimurium, showing that 3D models better mimic in vivo responses due to the presence of lamina propria cells.

Overcoming the speed limit of four-way DNA branch migration with bulges in toeholds

This paper introduces a method to enhance four-way DNA exchange reaction kinetics by adding bulges to toeholds, making it faster and more efficient, closer to three-way reactions.

Single particle profiler for measuring content and properties of nano-sized bioparticles

The paper introduces a high-throughput method called single particle profiler (SPP) to analyze content and biophysical properties of nanoscale bioparticles, demonstrating its application on mRNA encapsulation, viral binding, and biophysical heterogeneity.

Inhibition of autophagy as a novel therapy for the treatment of neurofibromatosis type 1 tumors

This study identifies autophagy inhibitors as potential therapies for NF1 tumors by showing their effectiveness in Drosophila and human models.

Antarctic biodiversity predictions through substrate qualities and environmental DNA

The paper predicts Antarctic biodiversity using substrate properties and environmental DNA data to inform conservation strategies.

Analysis of wild plant pathogen populations reveals a signal of adaptation in genes evolving for survival in agriculture in the beet rust pathogen (Uromyces beticola)

The paper compares genetic diversity in wild and agricultural populations of the beet rust pathogen to identify genes adapting to agriculture, finding greater divergence in fungal effector genes.

The development of ovine gastric and intestinal organoids for studying ruminant host-pathogen interactions

This paper develops ovine gastric and intestinal organoids to study host-pathogen interactions in ruminants, showing they maintain tissue-like transcriptomes and can be infected by pathogens.

Global ubiquitylation analysis of mitochondria in primary neurons identifies physiological Parkin targets following activation of PINK1

The paper identifies 49 PINK1-dependent ubiquitylated proteins in mouse neurons and develops a resource to visualize mitochondrial ubiquitin sites.

The conspicuousness of the toxic Heliconius butterflies across time and habitat

This study examines how Heliconius butterfly warning colors vary in contrast across habitats and times of day, finding greater variation in butterfly vision than avian vision.

Ecological niche adaptation of a bacterial pathogen associated with reduced zoonotic potential

This paper identifies a bacterial pathogen variant, S. Typhimurium U288, that has adapted to pigs, resulting in reduced zoonotic potential compared to ST34.

A rapid urban biodiversity blitz using aquatic environmental DNA

This study tests using environmental DNA and metabarcoding for rapid urban biodiversity surveys, detecting 501 taxa across 15 sites with minimal effort.

Using camouflage for conservation: colour change in juvenile European lobster

This study shows juvenile European lobsters can change coloration to match their background, suggesting potential for improving conservation efforts through better camouflage in hatchery-reared individuals.

The chemistry and pharmacology of putative synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonist (SCRA) new psychoactive substances (NPS) 5F-PY-PICA, 5F-PY-PINACA, and their analogues

This study synthesizes and characterizes new psychoactive substances (NPS) and evaluates their pharmacology at cannabinoid receptors.

Evolution of correlated complexity in the radically different courtship signals of birds-of-paradise

The paper analyzes courtship signal complexity in birds-of-paradise to show positive correlations between visual and acoustic traits, suggesting integrated evolution of a composite courtship phenotype.