Effects of knockdown of autophagy pathway genes on C. elegans longevity are highly condition dependent

This study demonstrates that the impact of knocking down autophagy genes on *C. elegans* longevity is highly dependent on specific experimental conditions, including temperature, genetic background, and chemical treatments, thereby challenging the universal necessity of autophagy for lifespan extension and highlighting the risk of selection bias in such research.

Hsiung, K. C., Chapman, H., Wei, X. + 3 more2026-04-14🧬 genetics

Paralogous guanine deaminases likely acquired from bacteria by horizontal gene transfer promote purine homeostasis in Caenorhabditis elegans

This study identifies two paralogous guanine deaminases, *gda-1* and *gda-2*, in *C. elegans* that regulate purine homeostasis and prevent xanthine stone formation, revealing that *gda-2* was likely acquired from bacteria via horizontal gene transfer to shape the nematode's metabolic network.

Bhattacharya, S., Fischer, L., Fer, E. + 6 more2026-04-12🧬 genetics

Temporal dynamics and acquisition of Shiga toxin subtype stx2a within Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli in England, 2016 to 2024

An analysis of 12,888 STEC genomes in England from 2016 to 2024 reveals a significant temporal shift toward non-O157 serogroups, particularly O26:H11 and O145:H28, driven by the widespread and increasing prevalence of the high-risk stx2a toxin subtype, underscoring the critical value of genomic surveillance for monitoring emerging public health threats.

Hayles, E. H., Rodwell, E. V., Greig, D. R. + 2 more2026-04-12🧬 genetics

A plant single nucleotide polymorphism impacts nectar sugar composition, microbial diversity and pollinator visits

This study demonstrates that a single-nucleotide polymorphism in the sunflower cell-wall invertase gene (HaCWINV2) alters nectar sugar composition, which in turn drives distinct shifts in microbial diversity and pollinator foraging behavior, revealing a direct genetic link that cascades through the plant-pollinator-microbe ecosystem.

Tueux, G., Pouilly, N., Bernigaud-Samatan, J. + 13 more2026-04-12🧬 genetics

Altered chromatin accessibility and nucleosome positioning landscape upon HDAC and LSD1 inhibition in cancer cell

This study employs a multi-modal deep learning platform to demonstrate that dual inhibition of HDAC and LSD1 enzymes in cancer cells alters chromatin accessibility and nucleosome positioning, revealing a JunB-mediated mechanism that displaces the CoREST-RUNX complex to trigger apoptosis and suggesting optimized combinatorial epigenetic therapies.

Sen, S., Esteve, P. O., Tarasia, D. + 5 more2026-04-11🧬 genetics

Genomic landscape of the medieval Hungarian elite from the Szekesfehervar royal necropolis

This study analyzes 399 shotgun genomes from the Szekesfehervar royal necropolis to reveal that the medieval Hungarian elite underwent significant genomic homogenization through admixture with eastern conquering groups and shifting European ancestry, while lacking large continuous kinship networks and displaying strong affinities with both Central Asian and neighboring Central European populations.

Schutz, O., Maroti, Z., Maar,, K. + 16 more2026-04-11🧬 genetics

The Genomic Legacy of the Norman Conquest in Rural England

Genomic analysis of a rural English cemetery spanning the Norman Conquest reveals that while the population carried mixed Scandinavian, Saxon, and French ancestry, there was no abrupt genetic discontinuity in 1066 CE, indicating that the Conquest's demographic impact was limited to the elite rather than causing widespread population replacement in rural southern England.

De Angelis, F., Nelson, E. A., Leggett, S. + 7 more2026-04-10🧬 genetics

Cell-specific variant-to-gene mapping identifies conserved neural and glial regulators of sleep

By integrating chromatin-based variant-to-gene mapping with cell-specific functional validation in *Drosophila* and zebrafish, this study identifies the conserved glial regulator AP3B2 (ruby) as a key effector of excessive daytime sleepiness, establishing a generalizable framework for linking non-coding GWAS variants to cell-type-specific sleep mechanisms.

Zimmerman, A. J., Biglari, S., Trang, K. B. + 4 more2026-04-09🧬 genetics

Telomeric amplicons of SUL1 and Y' in yeast are generated by microhomology-mediated break induced replication occurring in cis

This study reveals that telomeric amplicons of *SUL1* and *Y'* in *Saccharomyces cerevisiae* arise via a microhomology-mediated break-induced replication mechanism termed "pseudo-rolling circle," where unprotected telomeres invade internal telomere sequences to generate tandem repeats in a single event, a process also implicated in similar amplifications on human chromosome 18.

Brewer, B. J., Martin, R., Ramage, E. + 12 more2026-04-09🧬 genetics

Improving GWAS performance in underrepresented groups by appropriate modeling of genetics, environment, and sociocultural factors

This study enhances GWAS performance and polygenic score prediction in underrepresented South Asian populations by refining sample identification through machine learning, utilizing ancestry-matched imputation panels, and incorporating environmental covariates to reduce sex bias and improve predictive accuracy.

Cataldo-Ramirez, C., Lin, M., McMahon, A. + 3 more2026-04-08🧬 genetics

From low to high transmission: Diversity-dependent responses of Plasmodium falciparum population structure to transmission intensity

This study utilizes a stochastic agent-based model to demonstrate that the population structure of *Plasmodium falciparum* and the reliability of genomic surveillance metrics are determined not by transmission intensity alone, but by its complex, nonlinear interaction with standing genetic diversity across a transmission gradient.

Suarez-Salazar, D., Corredor, V., Santos-Vega, M.2026-04-08🧬 genetics