@article{20972, abstract = {Small amounts of stress are thought to have beneficial effects. A new study reports a mechanism by which the psychedelic drug, psilocybin, causes acute release of stress hormones, despite its known long-term anti-anxiety effects.}, author = {Kücükdereli, Hakan and Douglass, Amelia May Barnett}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {1}, pages = {R27--R29}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Neuroscience: What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2025.11.056}, volume = {36}, year = {2026}, } @article{21761, abstract = {Neural tube closure is a critical morphogenetic process in vertebrate development, and failure to close cranial regions such as the hindbrain neuropore (HNP) leads to severe congenital malformations. While mechanical forces such as actomyosin purse-string contraction and directional cell crawling have been implicated in driving HNP closure, how these forces organize local cell shape and motion to produce large-scale tissue remodeling remains poorly understood. Using live and fixed imaging of mouse embryos combined with cell-based biophysical modeling, we show that these force-generating mechanisms are insufficient to explain the reproducible patterns of cell elongation and nematic alignment observed at the HNP border. Instead, we show that local anisotropic stress and cytoskeletal organization are required to generate these patterns and promote midline cell motion. Our model captures key features of cell shape dynamics and emergent nematic order, which we confirm experimentally, including the alignment of actin fibers with cell shape and enhanced midline cell speed. Comparative analysis with chick embryos, which lack supracellular purse strings, supports a conserved link between tension generation and cellular patterning. These findings establish a physical framework connecting force generation, cell shape anisotropy, and tissue morphodynamics during epithelial gap closure.}, author = {Perez Verdugo, Fernanda L and Maniou, Eirini and Galea, Gabriel L. and Banerjee, Shiladitya}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {8}, pages = {1903--1917.e5}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Mechanosensitive feedback organizes cell shape and motion during hindbrain neuropore morphogenesis}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2026.02.068}, volume = {36}, year = {2026}, } @article{20986, abstract = {During complex vocal interactions, different features of acoustic stimuli are integrated to produce appropriate vocal responses,1 such as copying sounds during vocal matching behavior in some animals.2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 However, little is known about the interplay and possible trade-offs between the different temporal and spectral acoustic features during these vocal exchanges.2,13,14 Nightingales can flexibly match the pitch of their tonal “whistle songs” in real time during counter-singing duels.15,16 Here, we show that the syllable duration of whistle playbacks could alter the song responses of wild nightingales, causing their whistle duration distribution to shift toward the presented stimulus duration. When exposed to whistle playbacks featuring unnatural combinations of pitch and duration, nightingales demonstrate a flexible trade-off between pitch matching and temporal imitation, yet they are constrained by their vocal repertoire. They selectively adapted their vocal responses to approximate these novel stimuli, aligning them with their natural whistle repertoire. We developed a computational model of nightingale whistle-matching behavior that revealed a hierarchical organization of acoustic feature production. During whistle matching, the feature integration process is constrained by the duration of syllables, and pitch matching follows within this temporal framework, forcing a trade-off between the two features. Our findings reveal a complex interplay between the spectral and temporal domains that shapes song-matching behavior.}, author = {Calderon Garcia, Juan Sebastian and Costalunga, Giacomo and Vogels, Tim P and Vallentin, Daniela}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {3}, pages = {791--798.e6}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Interplay between syllable duration and pitch during whistle matching in wild nightingales}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2025.12.025}, volume = {36}, year = {2026}, } @article{22267, abstract = {Thermal pollution, whether local or driven by global warming, threatens biodiversity in part through its detrimental effects on reproduction. Non-coding small RNAs (sRNAs) are crucial for maintaining germline developmental robustness under heat stress. Remarkably, we uncovered that neuronal sRNAs regulate germ cells’ thermotolerance, affecting both spermatogenic and oogenic germlines in a cell-non-autonomous manner. Furthermore, we demonstrate that, in RNAi mutants, an oxygen-sensing neural circuit, modulated by neuropeptide signaling, antagonizes germline maintenance, likely reflecting the nematode’s innate association of reduced oxygen levels with food availability and reproductive permissive environments. Finally, we provide evidence that laboratory-domesticated alleles of oxygen-response genes encoding neuropeptide receptor NPR-1 and hexacoordinated globin GLB-5 compromise germline thermotolerance. Hence, our findings raise the possibility that sensory perception, independent of direct environmental change, modulates germline integrity, highlighting a novel mechanism by which neural circuits integrate environmental information to safeguard reproductive fitness in fluctuating environments.}, author = {Ewe, Chee Kiang and Achache, Hanna and Schön, Hanna and Kontorovich, Leonid and Teichman, Guy and Weiss, Shir and Mogilevskaya, Anna and Valenski, Myriam and Anava, Sarit and Bardapurkar, Rutwik and Gingold, Hila and Posner, Rachel and Antonova, Olga and De Bono, Mario and Tzur, Yonatan B. and Rechavi, Oded}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {14}, pages = {3566--3579.e5}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Neuronal RNAi and oxygen-sensing circuit shape germline resilience to heat stress}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2026.06.016}, volume = {36}, year = {2026}, } @article{20427, abstract = {Animal cells migrating up chemotactic gradients often show speed oscillations. A new study describes a molecular circuit that switches zebrafish germ cells between phases of straight runs, tumbling and directional reorientation.}, author = {Li, Ziqiang and Sixt, Michael K}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {18}, pages = {R890--R892}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Cell migration: How animal cells run and tumble}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2025.08.016}, volume = {35}, year = {2025}, } @article{14479, abstract = {In animals, parasitic infections impose significant fitness costs.1,2,3,4,5,6 Infected animals can alter their feeding behavior to resist infection,7,8,9,10,11,12 but parasites can manipulate animal foraging behavior to their own benefits.13,14,15,16 How nutrition influences host-parasite interactions is not well understood, as studies have mainly focused on the host and less on the parasite.9,12,17,18,19,20,21,22,23 We used the nutritional geometry framework24 to investigate the role of amino acids (AA) and carbohydrates (C) in a host-parasite system: the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile, and the entomopathogenic fungus, Metarhizium brunneum. First, using 18 diets varying in AA:C composition, we established that the fungus performed best on the high-amino-acid diet 1:4. Second, we found that the fungus reached this optimal diet when given various diet pairings, revealing its ability to cope with nutritional challenges. Third, we showed that the optimal fungal diet reduced the lifespan of healthy ants when compared with a high-carbohydrate diet but had no effect on infected ants. Fourth, we revealed that infected ant colonies, given a choice between the optimal fungal diet and a high-carbohydrate diet, chose the optimal fungal diet, whereas healthy colonies avoided it. Lastly, by disentangling fungal infection from host immune response, we demonstrated that infected ants foraged on the optimal fungal diet in response to immune activation and not as a result of parasite manipulation. Therefore, we revealed that infected ant colonies chose a diet that is costly for survival in the long term but beneficial in the short term—a form of collective self-medication.}, author = {Csata, Eniko and Perez-Escudero, Alfonso and Laury, Emmanuel and Leitner, Hanna and Latil, Gerard and Heinze, Juerge and Simpson, Stephen and Cremer, Sylvia and Dussutour, Audrey}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {4}, pages = {902--909.e6}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Fungal infection alters collective nutritional intake of ant colonies}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2024.01.017}, volume = {34}, year = {2024}, } @article{18651, abstract = {Embryo axis formation begins with the localized expression of biochemical signals, which organize cell movements and determine cell fate. A quail study finds that tissue contraction and resulting long-range changes in tissue tension restrict the area where these biochemical signals are expressed.}, author = {Hino, Naoya and Santos Fernandes Lasbarrères Camelo, Carolina and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {24}, pages = {R1230--R1232}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Development: Turing mechanics}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2024.10.065}, volume = {34}, year = {2024}, } @article{14795, abstract = {Metazoan development relies on the formation and remodeling of cell-cell contacts. Dynamic reorganization of adhesion receptors and the actomyosin cell cortex in space and time plays a central role in cell-cell contact formation and maturation. Nevertheless, how this process is mechanistically achieved when new contacts are formed remains unclear. Here, by building a biomimetic assay composed of progenitor cells adhering to supported lipid bilayers functionalized with E-cadherin ectodomains, we show that cortical F-actin flows, driven by the depletion of myosin-2 at the cell contact center, mediate the dynamic reorganization of adhesion receptors and cell cortex at the contact. E-cadherin-dependent downregulation of the small GTPase RhoA at the forming contact leads to both a depletion of myosin-2 and a decrease of F-actin at the contact center. At the contact rim, in contrast, myosin-2 becomes enriched by the retraction of bleb-like protrusions, resulting in a cortical tension gradient from the contact rim to its center. This tension gradient, in turn, triggers centrifugal F-actin flows, leading to further accumulation of F-actin at the contact rim and the progressive redistribution of E-cadherin from the contact center to the rim. Eventually, this combination of actomyosin downregulation and flows at the contact determines the characteristic molecular organization, with E-cadherin and F-actin accumulating at the contact rim, where they are needed to mechanically link the contractile cortices of the adhering cells.}, author = {Arslan, Feyza N and Hannezo, Edouard B and Merrin, Jack and Loose, Martin and Heisenberg, Carl-Philipp J}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {1}, pages = {171--182.e8}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Adhesion-induced cortical flows pattern E-cadherin-mediated cell contacts}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.067}, volume = {34}, year = {2024}, } @misc{14842, abstract = {Eva Benkova received a PhD in Biophysics at the Institute of Biophysics of the Czech Academy of Sciences in 1998. After working as a postdoc at the Max Planck Institute in Cologne and the Center for Plant Molecular Biology (ZMBP) in Tübingen, she became a group leader at the Plant Systems Biology Department of the Vlaams Instituut voor Biotechnologie (VIB) in Gent. In 2012, she transitioned to an Assistant Professor position at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) where she was later promoted to Professor. Since 2021, she has served as the Dean of the ISTA Graduate School. As a plant developmental biologist, she focuses on unraveling the molecular mechanisms and principles that underlie hormonal interactions in plants. In her current work, she explores the intricate connections between hormones and regulatory pathways that mediate the perception of environmental stimuli, including abiotic stress and nitrate availability.}, author = {Benková, Eva}, booktitle = {Current Biology}, issn = {1879-0445}, number = {1}, pages = {R3--R5}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Eva Benkova}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2023.11.039}, volume = {34}, year = {2024}, } @article{8824, abstract = {Plants are able to orient their growth according to gravity, which ultimately controls both shoot and root architecture.1 Gravitropism is a dynamic process whereby gravistimulation induces the asymmetric distribution of the plant hormone auxin, leading to asymmetric growth, organ bending, and subsequent reset of auxin distribution back to the original pre-gravistimulation situation.1, 2, 3 Differential auxin accumulation during the gravitropic response depends on the activity of polarly localized PIN-FORMED (PIN) auxin-efflux carriers.1, 2, 3, 4 In particular, the timing of this dynamic response is regulated by PIN2,5,6 but the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we show that MEMBRANE ASSOCIATED KINASE REGULATOR2 (MAKR2) controls the pace of the root gravitropic response. We found that MAKR2 is required for the PIN2 asymmetry during gravitropism by acting as a negative regulator of the cell-surface signaling mediated by the receptor-like kinase TRANSMEMBRANE KINASE1 (TMK1).2,7, 8, 9, 10 Furthermore, we show that the MAKR2 inhibitory effect on TMK1 signaling is antagonized by auxin itself, which triggers rapid MAKR2 membrane dissociation in a TMK1-dependent manner. Our findings suggest that the timing of the root gravitropic response is orchestrated by the reversible inhibition of the TMK1 signaling pathway at the cell surface.}, author = {Marquès-Bueno, MM and Armengot, L and Noack, LC and Bareille, J and Rodriguez Solovey, Lesia and Platre, MP and Bayle, V and Liu, M and Opdenacker, D and Vanneste, S and Möller, BK and Nimchuk, ZL and Beeckman, T and Caño-Delgado, AI and Friml, Jiří and Jaillais, Y}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {1}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Auxin-regulated reversible inhibition of TMK1 signaling by MAKR2 modulates the dynamics of root gravitropism}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2020.10.011}, volume = {31}, year = {2021}, } @article{9290, abstract = {Polar subcellular localization of the PIN exporters of the phytohormone auxin is a key determinant of directional, intercellular auxin transport and thus a central topic of both plant cell and developmental biology. Arabidopsis mutants lacking PID, a kinase that phosphorylates PINs, or the MAB4/MEL proteins of unknown molecular function display PIN polarity defects and phenocopy pin mutants, but mechanistic insights into how these factors convey PIN polarity are missing. Here, by combining protein biochemistry with quantitative live-cell imaging, we demonstrate that PINs, MAB4/MELs, and AGC kinases interact in the same complex at the plasma membrane. MAB4/MELs are recruited to the plasma membrane by the PINs and in concert with the AGC kinases maintain PIN polarity through limiting lateral diffusion-based escape of PINs from the polar domain. The PIN-MAB4/MEL-PID protein complex has self-reinforcing properties thanks to positive feedback between AGC kinase-mediated PIN phosphorylation and MAB4/MEL recruitment. We thus uncover the molecular mechanism by which AGC kinases and MAB4/MEL proteins regulate PIN localization and plant development.}, author = {Glanc, Matous and Van Gelderen, K and Hörmayer, Lukas and Tan, Shutang and Naramoto, S and Zhang, Xixi and Domjan, David and Vcelarova, L and Hauschild, Robert and Johnson, Alexander J and de Koning, E and van Dop, M and Rademacher, E and Janson, S and Wei, X and Molnar, Gergely and Fendrych, Matyas and De Rybel, B and Offringa, R and Friml, Jiří}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {9}, pages = {1918--1930}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{AGC kinases and MAB4/MEL proteins maintain PIN polarity by limiting lateral diffusion in plant cells}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2021.02.028}, volume = {31}, year = {2021}, } @article{9392, abstract = {Humans conceptualize the diversity of life by classifying individuals into types we call ‘species’1. The species we recognize influence political and financial decisions and guide our understanding of how units of diversity evolve and interact. Although the idea of species may seem intuitive, a debate about the best way to define them has raged even before Darwin2. So much energy has been devoted to the so-called ‘species problem’ that no amount of discourse will ever likely solve it2,3. Dozens of species concepts are currently recognized3, but we lack a concrete understanding of how much researchers actually disagree and the factors that cause them to think differently1,2. To address this, we used a survey to quantify the species problem for the first time. The results indicate that the disagreement is extensive: two randomly chosen respondents will most likely disagree on the nature of species. The probability of disagreement is not predicted by researcher experience or broad study system, but tended to be lower among researchers with similar focus, training and who study the same organism. Should we see this diversity of perspectives as a problem? We argue that we should not.}, author = {Stankowski, Sean and Ravinet, Mark}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {9}, pages = {R428--R429}, publisher = {Cell Press}, title = {{Quantifying the use of species concepts}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.060}, volume = {31}, year = {2021}, } @article{6979, author = {Kopf, Aglaja and Sixt, Michael K}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {20}, pages = {R1091--R1093}, publisher = {Cell Press}, title = {{Gut homeostasis: Active migration of intestinal epithelial cells in tissue renewal}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2019.08.068}, volume = {29}, year = {2019}, } @article{526, abstract = {Plants form new organs with patterned tissue organization throughout their lifespan. It is unknown whether this robust post-embryonic organ formation results from stereotypic dynamic processes, in which the arrangement of cells follows rigid rules. Here, we combine modeling with empirical observations of whole-organ development to identify the principles governing lateral root formation in Arabidopsis. Lateral roots derive from a small pool of founder cells in which some take a dominant role as seen by lineage tracing. The first division of the founders is asymmetric, tightly regulated, and determines the formation of a layered structure. Whereas the pattern of subsequent cell divisions is not stereotypic between different samples, it is characterized by a regular switch in division plane orientation. This switch is also necessary for the appearance of patterned layers as a result of the apical growth of the primordium. Our data suggest that lateral root morphogenesis is based on a limited set of rules. They determine cell growth and division orientation. The organ-level coupling of the cell behavior ensures the emergence of the lateral root's characteristic features. We propose that self-organizing, non-deterministic modes of development account for the robustness of plant organ morphogenesis.}, author = {Von Wangenheim, Daniel and Fangerau, Jens and Schmitz, Alexander and Smith, Richard and Leitte, Heike and Stelzer, Ernst and Maizel, Alexis}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {4}, pages = {439 -- 449}, publisher = {Cell Press}, title = {{Rules and self-organizing properties of post-embryonic plant organ cell division patterns}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2015.12.047}, volume = {26}, year = {2016}, } @article{9489, abstract = {Cytosine methylation is an ancient process with conserved enzymology but diverse biological functions that include defense against transposable elements and regulation of gene expression. Here we will discuss the evolution and biological significance of eukaryotic DNA methylation, the likely drivers of that evolution, and major remaining mysteries.}, author = {Zemach, Assaf and Zilberman, Daniel}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {17}, pages = {R780--R785}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Evolution of eukaryotic DNA methylation and the pursuit of safer sex}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2010.07.007}, volume = {20}, year = {2010}, } @misc{4250, author = {Barton, Nicholas H}, booktitle = {Current Biology}, issn = {1879-0445}, number = {16}, pages = {647 -- 650}, publisher = {Cell Press}, title = {{Evolutionary Biology: How did the human species form?}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2006.07.032}, volume = {16}, year = {2006}, } @article{9491, abstract = {Cytosine DNA methylation in vertebrates is widespread, but methylation in plants is found almost exclusively at transposable elements and repetitive DNA [1]. Within regions of methylation, methylcytosines are typically found in CG, CNG, and asymmetric contexts. CG sites are maintained by a plant homolog of mammalian Dnmt1 acting on hemi-methylated DNA after replication. Methylation of CNG and asymmetric sites appears to be maintained at each cell cycle by other mechanisms. We report a new type of DNA methylation in Arabidopsis, dense CG methylation clusters found at scattered sites throughout the genome. These clusters lack non-CG methylation and are preferentially found in genes, although they are relatively deficient toward the 5′ end. CG methylation clusters are present in lines derived from different accessions and in mutants that eliminate de novo methylation, indicating that CG methylation clusters are stably maintained at specific sites. Because 5-methylcytosine is mutagenic, the appearance of CG methylation clusters over evolutionary time predicts a genome-wide deficiency of CG dinucleotides and an excess of C(A/T)G trinucleotides within transcribed regions. This is exactly what we find, implying that CG methylation clusters have contributed profoundly to plant gene evolution. We suggest that CG methylation clusters silence cryptic promoters that arise sporadically within transcription units.}, author = {Tran, Robert K. and Henikoff, Jorja G. and Zilberman, Daniel and Ditt, Renata F. and Jacobsen, Steven E. and Henikoff, Steven}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {2}, pages = {154--159}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{DNA methylation profiling identifies CG methylation clusters in Arabidopsis genes}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2005.01.008}, volume = {15}, year = {2005}, } @article{9493, abstract = {In a number of organisms, transgenes containing transcribed inverted repeats (IRs) that produce hairpin RNA can trigger RNA-mediated silencing, which is associated with 21-24 nucleotide small interfering RNAs (siRNAs). In plants, IR-driven RNA silencing also causes extensive cytosine methylation of homologous DNA in both the transgene "trigger" and any other homologous DNA sequences--"targets". Endogenous genomic sequences, including transposable elements and repeated elements, are also subject to RNA-mediated silencing. The RNA silencing gene ARGONAUTE4 (AGO4) is required for maintenance of DNA methylation at several endogenous loci and for the establishment of methylation at the FWA gene. Here, we show that mutation of AGO4 substantially reduces the maintenance of DNA methylation triggered by IR transgenes, but AGO4 loss-of-function does not block the initiation of DNA methylation by IRs. AGO4 primarily affects non-CG methylation of the target sequences, while the IR trigger sequences lose methylation in all sequence contexts. Finally, we find that AGO4 and the DRM methyltransferase genes are required for maintenance of siRNAs at a subset of endogenous sequences, but AGO4 is not required for the accumulation of IR-induced siRNAs or a number of endogenous siRNAs, suggesting that AGO4 may function downstream of siRNA production.}, author = {Zilberman, Daniel and Cao, Xiaofeng and Johansen, Lisa K. and Xie, Zhixin and Carrington, James C. and Jacobsen, Steven E.}, issn = {1879-0445}, journal = {Current Biology}, number = {13}, pages = {1214--1220}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Role of Arabidopsis ARGONAUTE4 in RNA-directed DNA methylation triggered by inverted repeats}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2004.06.055}, volume = {14}, year = {2004}, } @misc{3595, author = {Charlesworth, Brian and Barton, Nicholas H}, booktitle = {Current Biology}, issn = {1879-0445}, number = {6}, pages = {R233 -- R235}, publisher = {Cell Press}, title = {{Genome size: Does bigger mean worse?}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2004.02.054}, volume = {14}, year = {2004}, } @misc{3616, author = {Barton, Nicholas H}, booktitle = {Current Biology}, issn = {1879-0445}, number = {15}, pages = {R603 -- R604}, publisher = {Cell Press}, title = {{Speciation: Why, how, where and when?}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cub.2004.07.037}, volume = {14}, year = {2004}, }