S. Walker

Skeletal Muscle Specific PolG Dysfunction Activates the Integrated Stress Response and Promotes a Cachexia like Phenotype

This study shows that muscle-specific PolG dysfunction causes mitochondrial dysfunction and cachexia by activating the mtISR and altering the mitochondrial folate cycle.

First endangered black-footed ferrets, Mustela nigripes, cloned for genetic rescue

Researchers cloned an endangered black-footed ferret using cross-species somatic cell nuclear transfer, producing three healthy kits to aid genetic rescue.

Endangered Przewalski's horse, Equus przewalskii, cloned from historically cryopreserved cells

The paper reports the cloning of two endangered Przewalski's horse stallions from cryopreserved fibroblast cells, marking the first successful production of multiple healthy clones for an endangered species.

A cyclic peptide toolkit reveals mechanistic principles of peptidylarginine deiminase IV (PADI4) regulation

The paper develops cyclic peptide modulators of PADI4 and reveals their mechanism of action and cellular activity.

Histidine and its uptake are essential for the growth of Staphylococcus aureus at low pH

This study identifies genes essential for Staphylococcus aureus growth at low pH, highlighting histidine transport's role in maintaining intracellular pH.

WhACC: Whisker Automatic Contact Classifier with Expert Human-Level Performance

WhACC is a tool that automatically classifies whisker contacts in rodent videos with human-level accuracy, significantly reducing manual curation time.

PLEKHS1 drives PI3Ks and remodels pathway homeostasis in PTEN-null prostate

The paper identifies PLEKHS1 as a driver of PI3K activity in PTEN-null prostate tissue, showing it bypasses feedback mechanisms to promote tumour progression.

Identification of FacZ as a division site placement factor in Staphylococcus aureus

The paper identifies FacZ as a novel factor involved in controlling division site placement in Staphylococcus aureus and other Firmicutes by interacting with GpsB.

Universal recording of cell-cell contacts in vivo for interaction-based transcriptomics

The paper introduces uLIPSTIC, a universal method to record cell-cell interactions in vivo, and combines it with single-cell transcriptomics to study immune cell interactions with intestinal epithelial cells.

Allosteric activation of cell wall synthesis during bacterial growth

This study identifies a dynamic structural mechanism in a bacterial cell wall synthase that couples polymerization and crosslinking during cell elongation.

Development of a Novel Air-Liquid Interface Airway Tissue Equivalent Model for In Vitro Respiratory Modeling Studies

This study develops a 3D airway tissue equivalent model with native fibroblasts, solubilized ECM, and tunable hydrogel to better mimic human airway biology and assess its impact on epithelial differentiation.

Dynamic states of eIF6 and SDS variants modulate interactions with uL14 of the 60S ribosomal subunit.

This study identifies key residues in eIF6 and RPL23 that mediate their interaction and shows how mutations in SDS disrupt this interaction, offering a therapeutic target for cancer and SDS.

Metal cofactor stabilization by a partner protein is a widespread strategy employed for amidase activation

The paper shows that ActH stabilizes metals in the LytH active site to activate amidase activity, revealing a general strategy for amidase activation.

Domestic pigs experimentally infected with Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis exhibit different disease outcomes

This study compares disease outcomes in domestic pigs infected with Mycobacterium bovis and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, showing differences in pathology and virulence.

SOD2 in Skeletal Muscle: New Insights from an Inducible Deletion Model

This study deletes SOD2 in skeletal muscle of adult mice and finds no major metabolic impairment but altered lipid metabolism and mitochondrial abundance.

Nucleic acid delivery of immune-focused SARS-CoV-2 nanoparticles drive rapid and potent immunogenicity capable of single-dose protection

This study develops glycan-modified SARS-CoV-2 nanoparticle vaccines that induce potent neutralizing antibodies and single-dose protection against SARS-CoV-2 in multiple animal models.

Biochemical reconstitution defines new functions for membrane-bound glycosidases in assembly of the bacterial cell wall

This study identifies MpgA and MpgB as muramidases in Streptococcus pneumoniae and shows they cleave peptidoglycan at different positions, with MpgA's activity regulated by a LysM-like domain.

Protein substrates engage the lumen of O-GlcNAc transferase's tetratricopeptide repeat domain in different ways

The paper shows that OGT's TPR domain lumen uses asparagine and aspartate ladders to control substrate glycosylation, with C-terminal sites bypassing lumenal binding.

Simple fence modification increases floodplain land movement prospects for freshwater turtles

This study shows that installing turtle gates every 1-4 meters on fences allows nearly 100% passage for large freshwater turtles, reducing the need for large-scale fence clipping.

Uncovering an allosteric mode of action for a selective inhibitor of human Bloom syndrome protein

The paper identifies an allosteric inhibitor of BLM's ATPase-coupled DNA helicase activity and characterizes its mechanism through crystallographic analysis.

Mammalian Cell Proliferation Requires Noncatalytic Functions of O-GlcNAc Transferase

This paper shows that OGT's noncatalytic functions are essential for cell proliferation, while its glycosyltransferase activity is sufficient for viability.

SARS-CoV-2 assays to detect functional antibody responses that block ACE2 recognition in vaccinated animals and infected patients

The paper describes a rapid serological assay to detect functional antibodies blocking ACE2 recognition in vaccinated animals and infected patients.

Structure and reconstitution of a hydrolase complex that releases peptidoglycan from the membrane after polymerization

This paper identifies a hydrolase complex in Staphylococcus aureus that releases peptidoglycan from the membrane by cleaving nascent polymers, enabling their integration into the cell wall matrix.

O-GlcNAc regulates gene expression by controlling detained intron splicing

This study shows O-GlcNAc modification regulates detained intron splicing, affecting gene expression and linking nutrient conditions to transcriptional regulation.

The length of lipoteichoic acid polymers controls Staphylococcus aureus cell size and envelope integrity

This study shows that controlling the length of lipoteichoic acid (LTA) polymers in Staphylococcus aureus is critical for cell size, envelope integrity, and antibiotic resistance.

Targeting CXCR1 and CXCR2 to overcome radiotherapy resistance in PTEN-deficient prostate carcinoma

This study identifies PTEN-deficiency-associated CXC-chemokine signaling as a driver of radiotherapy resistance in prostate cancer and shows that targeting CXCR1/2 improves radiotherapy outcomes.

Biofilm Formation by Staphylococcus aureus is Triggered by a Drop in the Levels of the Second Messenger cyclic-di-AMP

This study identifies a drop in cyclic-di-AMP levels as the trigger for biofilm formation in Staphylococcus aureus, mediated through reduced agr expression.

High-throughput transposon sequencing highlights the cell wall as an important barrier for osmotic stress in methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus and underlines a tailored response to different osmotic stressors

This study uses TN-seq to analyze osmotic stress responses in S. aureus, identifying gene 957 as essential under salt stress and highlighting the role of cell wall crosslinking in osmotic resistance.

Comparative Tn-Seq reveals common daptomycin resistance determinants in Staphylococcus aureus despite strain-dependent differences in essentiality of shared cell envelope genes

This paper uses Tn-Seq to compare gene essentiality across multiple S. aureus strains, identifying common resistance determinants and strain-dependent differences under daptomycin exposure.

The cell cycle in Staphylococcus aureus is regulated by an amidase that controls peptidoglycan synthesis

This study identifies an amidase complex that spatially regulates peptidoglycan synthesis in S. aureus, controlling cell growth and division by modulating synthase activity and movement.