BMC Biology

BMC Biology

@bmcbiol.springernature.com

The flagship biology journal of the BMC series, publishing research articles and reviews of broad interest and importance in all areas of biology. Part of SpringerNature. https://link.springer.com/journal/12915

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BMC Biology reposted

Marcela Uliano-Silva
@marcelauliano.bsky.social

High quality genomes for sloths and anteaters and great mammalian biology findings alert! 🦥🧬 @sangerinstitute.bsky.social @ebpgenome.bsky.social @vertebrategenomes.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.comElevated retrocopy burden and sloth-specific expansions illuminate mammalian genome evolution - BMC BiologyBackground Xenarthrans, comprising sloths, anteaters, and armadillos, represent one of the most morphologically and physiologically specialized mammalian clades, yet the genomic basis of their adaptat...

BMC Biology reposted

BMC
@bmc.springernature.com

Metamorphosis isn’t magic—it’s metabolism. This paper in BMC Biology explores the hidden energy costs of amphibian metamorphosis, showing how the dramatic transformation from tadpole to adult comes with direct metabolic trade‑offs that shape survival and fitness. 🧬

bit.lyThe direct cost of amphibian metamorphosis: insights from body weight loss in facultative paedomorphs - BMC BiologyBackground Metamorphosis is a key event in the life history of many organisms, including amphibians, because it can involve abrupt changes in morphology and habitat. However, metamorphosis can also be bypassed by paedomorphic processes that allow reproduction at the larval stage. The evolution of these alternative developmental processes depends on the payoffs of life in larval and adult environments, as well as the cost of transition. Previous studies on the cost of metamorphosis have focused on the larval stage, which is still subject to the achievement of a minimal size threshold as well as growth to adulthood. Therefore, facultatively paedomorphic species could be valuable models for testing the direct costs of metamorphosis. This is because facultative paedomorphs are sexually dimorphic adults that are capable of metamorphosis. Results By modelling weight loss using an experimental, longitudinal design that manipulated the ecological drivers of metamorphosis in a facultatively paedomorphic amphibian, the palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus), we found that metamorphosis imposes costs in terms of body weight, whereas temperature has a smaller effect. In contrast, newts that do not metamorphose did not lose weight. The costs were sex-related with females at a disadvantage during metamorphosis. Furthermore, the decrease in food consumption associated with metamorphosis resulted in a loss of body weight. Conclusions Overall, these results emphasise the importance of considering direct costs when studying the evolutionary ecology of metamorphosis. They also show that polymorphic species are suitable models for investigating the drivers of metamorphosis and its loss in micro- and macroevolution.

BMC Biology reposted

BMC
@bmc.springernature.com

A study in BMC Biology presents chromosome-level genomes for the two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) and the southern anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla) and investigates duplicated genes from retrocopies shape genome evolution in these species. 🧬 #PaleoSky #Epigenetics

bit.lyElevated retrocopy burden and sloth-specific expansions illuminate mammalian genome evolution - BMC BiologyBackground Xenarthrans, comprising sloths, anteaters, and armadillos, represent one of the most morphologically and physiologically specialized mammalian clades, yet the genomic basis of their adaptations remains poorly understood. Here, we present chromosome-level genomes for the two-toed sloth (Choloepus didactylus) and the southern anteater (Tamandua tetradactyla) and investigate how retrotransposon-mediated gene duplications (retrocopies) have shaped genome evolution in these and other species in Xenarthra. Results Comparative analyses revealed that the xenarthran genomes analyzed here harbour the highest number of retrocopies reported among mammals, with lineage-specific insertion dynamics. Anteater and armadillo genomes contain older LINE1 repertoires and species-specific older retrocopy insertions. In contrast, sloths retain both an abundance of young LINE1s and thousands of young retrocopies, alongside a large shared set that originated from an evolutionary burst of retroduplication in the branch leading to their last common ancestor (~ 30 Mya). In C. didactylus, 49% of retrocopies were found to be expressed in five tissues, compared with 27% in Dasypus novemcinctus in three tissues. Evolutionary analyses identified 38 retrocopies with strong hallmarks of domestication in C. didactylus. Many of these retrocopies derive from parental genes involved in mitochondrial and metabolic processes, suggesting a potential genomic contribution to the physiological specializations of sloths. Conclusions Altogether, our findings identify retrotransposition as a major contributor to the genomic architecture of the xenarthrans presented here and highlight retrocopy origination as a mechanism for generating lineage-specific novelty and, possibly, distinctive biological specializations.

BMC Biology reposted

Caitlyn Cardetti, PhD
@caitlyncardetti.bsky.social

What happens when millions of years of evolution strip a eukaryotic cell down to its essentials? This analysis of Microsporidia uncovers new extremes that challenge our understanding of what a eukaryotic cell needs to function. link.springer.com/article/10.1... #EvoSky #MicroSky #BMCBiology

link.springer.comComprehensive analysis of small GTPases in Microsporidia reveals new extremes in eukaryotic cell biology - BMC BiologyBackground Microsporidia are a fungi-related rapidly evolving lineage of obligate intracellular parasites with poorly known cell biology. Cellular processes in eukaryotes heavily rely on a group of pr...

BMC Biology reposted

BMC
@bmc.springernature.com

What can we learn about drug tolerance by studying the molecular, and evolutionary processes that drive this? BMC Biology explores this question in a Collection on ‘Cellular mechanisms and evolutionary processes of drug resistance’, guest edited by Kristina Haslinger and Camelia Quek. bit.ly/4haXSCj

BMC Biology reposted

Roland Hatzenpichler
@environmicrobio.bsky.social

"Group II Mcr-encoding archaea exhibit methane-cycling potential in geothermal springs" explores the diversity and transcriptional activity of thermoproteotal MCR-encoding archaea in 48 hot springs link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.comGroup II Mcr-encoding archaea exhibit methane-cycling potential in geothermal springs - BMC BiologyBackground Methane is a potent greenhouse gas with profound implications for climate change, and its global emissions are largely driven by biological methanogenesis—a process long thought to be restr...
BMC Biology
@bmcbiol.springernature.com

Say hi to our Editor Caitlyn!

Caitlyn Cardetti, PhD@caitlyncardetti.bsky.social

I'll be at the 4th Frontiers in Electron Microscopy for Physical and Life Sciences conference for @bmcbiol.springernature.com tomorrow if anyone wants to say hi and/or tell me about their science.

BMC Biology
@bmcbiol.springernature.com

🌍Feeding a growing population in a changing climate will require new ways of producing food. From vertical farming to chemical food synthesis, this review explores approaches to produce more food using less land while reducing environmental pressures🌱 #WorldFoodDay link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.comOpportunities to produce food from substantially less land - BMC BiologyThe vast majority of the food we eat comes from land-based agriculture, but recent technological advances in agriculture and food technology offer the prospect of producing food using substantially le...
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BMC Biology
@bmcbiol.springernature.com

🔬 Plasma membrane invaginations and their diverse cellular functions (John Brumell & co) Specialised membrane folds play key roles in cellular organisation, communication and adaptation. Discover their diverse functions across biology link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.comPlasma membrane invaginations and their diverse cellular functions - BMC BiologyThe plasma membrane (PM), a dynamic boundary between a cell and its environment, has a complex inner architecture that includes diverse subcellular structures. Among these, PM invaginations (membrane ...
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BMC Biology
@bmcbiol.springernature.com

🤖 Generative AI in structure-based drug discovery (Jacob Durrant & co) This Review examines how AI can be used to design new molecules, potentially accelerating the search for better medicines - and the challenges of turning AI-generated candidates into therapies link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.comGenerative AI in structure-based drug discovery - BMC BiologyGenerative artificial intelligence is reshaping how researchers discover protein-binding compounds and develop them into drug candidates. Unlike traditional methods that screen existing molecules, str...
BMC Biology
@bmcbiol.springernature.com

💉 Promises and pitfalls of mRNA-based vaccines as cancer treatment (Shivan Sivakumar & co) Could mRNA vaccines transform cancer care? Explore the promise of personalised cancer vaccines and the challenges still facing the field link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.comPromises and pitfalls of mRNA-based vaccines as cancer treatment - BMC BiologyThe success of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines has accelerated interest in applying mRNA technology to oncology. mRNA cancer vaccines offer the potential for precise, patient-specific treatment with redu...

BMC Biology reposted

Cereda Lab
@ceredalab.bsky.social

Our paper on RNAmotifs 2.0 is out in @bmcbiol.springernature.com 🌟 How to prioritize which RNA-binding protein is behind the splicing changes in your RNA-seq data? RNAmotifs 2.0 links multivalent RNA motifs to candidate regulators. 🧵 link.springer.com/article/10.1...

link.springer.comRNAmotifs 2.0: a framework for inferring multivalent RNA motifs and their candidate regulators of splicing - BMC BiologyBackground Alternative splicing expands proteomic diversity and is shaped by RNA‑binding proteins (RBPs) that bind to multivalent RNA motifs. Yet connecting cis-acting motifs to their candidate trans-...

BMC Biology reposted

Nature Portfolio
@natureportfolio.nature.com

The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for discoveries leading to optogenetics. This collection celebrates their achievements. #Neuroskyence 🧪

go.nature.comNobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2026The 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been awarded jointly to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel “for discoveries leading to ...

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