🧬 biology

Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the Bcl-2-associated athanogene (BAG) gene family in barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) under drought and heat stresses

This study identifies seven barley BAG genes, characterizes their evolutionary relationships and promoter motifs, and reveals their distinct tissue-specific expression patterns under drought and heat stresses, providing a foundation for future efforts to enhance crop abiotic stress tolerance.

Zahra Moeili Chegeni, Mitra Khademi, Farhad Nazarian-Firouzabadi2026-08-26
🧬 biology

Oxytocin Activity in the Paraventricular Nucleus Facilitates Social Recognition Memory via Lateral Septum Neurons in an Ovariectomized Mouse

This study demonstrates that in ovariectomized mice, chemogenetic inhibition of oxytocin neurons in the paraventricular nucleus and their projections to the lateral septum alleviates social recognition memory deficits by counteracting the detrimental effects of estrogen withdrawal.

Bing-Chen Lv, Yi-Dan Zhao, Yun Wan, Le-Le Liu, Xia-Min Wang2026-08-26
🧬 biology

Gut Microbiome Associations with Cingulate Cortex Structure and Autistic Symptom Severity

This study of 231 children and adolescents reveals that while gut microbiota composition differs significantly between individuals with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing controls, the specific abundance of *Enterococcus* is notably associated with structural variations in the cingulate cortex, suggesting a potential gut–brain mechanism underlying autistic symptoms.

Susan Shur-Fen Gau, Jung-Chi Chang, Hai-Ti Lin, Yan-Lin Chen2026-08-26
🧬 biology

A diffusion MRI-based structural assessment of the striatal compartments, striosome and matrix, in Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

Using diffusion MRI-based connectivity parcellation, this study reveals that patients with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder exhibit a significant shift toward striosome-like structural volume and connectivity, particularly in the bilateral rostral caudate and putamen, suggesting that altered organization of striatal compartments underpins the disorder's pathophysiology.

Jeff Waugh, An Tieu, Rebecca Price, Emily Stern2026-08-26
🧬 biology

Chronic Hypothalamic 2-Arachidonoylglycerol Infusion Drives Diet-Dependent Obesity, Metabolic Dysfunction, and Peripheral Tissue Remodeling in Rats

This study demonstrates that chronic intra-hypothalamic infusion of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) in rats is sufficient to drive diet-dependent obesity, metabolic dysfunction, and peripheral tissue remodeling, thereby establishing sustained central endocannabinoid signaling as a key mechanistic link in the pathogenesis of obesity.

Rahul Deshmukh, Shilpa Kumari, Biswanath Nayak, Mahendra Bishnoi2026-08-26
🧬 biology

Shank3 insufficiency is associated with age-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction in dendritic and synaptic compartments

This study demonstrates that Shank3 insufficiency leads to age-dependent mitochondrial dysfunction specifically within dendritic and synaptic compartments, characterized by morphological and dynamic alterations that impair metabolic processes like translation and autophagy, thereby contributing to the synaptic deficits observed in Phelan-McDermid Syndrome.

Rakshita Pandey, Veronica Colombo, Helen Friedericke Bauer, Mirita Franz, Francesca Barletta, Stefan Czemmel, Daniel Tew (…)2026-08-26
🧬 biology

A fusion protein strategy for high-yield production of DOPA- modified recombinant mussel adhesive protein Pvfp-5P

This study presents a green and scalable fusion protein strategy using *Pichia pastoris* to achieve high-yield production of DOPA-modified mussel adhesive protein Pvfp-5P, which demonstrates superior wound healing promotion, versatile surface adhesion, and exceptional flexibility for biomedical applications.

Jian He, Tiantian Li, Yanjin Cai, Zejun Wang, Zilong Wang, Liang Zhang2026-08-26
🧬 biology

Description Sponges Associative with Mangrove Species from Tampora Beach, East Java, Indonesia

This study documents the diversity of nine sponge specimens representing eight genera across six orders found in mangrove habitats at Tampora Beach, East Java, Indonesia, thereby addressing the significant data gap regarding mangrove-associated sponge taxonomy and distribution in the region.

Susantin FAJARIYAH, Edwin SETIAWAN, Husnatun NIHAYAH, Asmoro LELONO, Eva Tyas UTAMI, Vendi Eko SUSILO, Sophie PUSPITASAR (…)2026-08-26
🧬 biology

Corticospinal propagation of full-length TDP-43 toxicity drives brain-to-muscle pathology

This study demonstrates that purified full-length TDP-43, when infused into the rat motor cortex, propagates toxicity along the corticospinal axis to the spinal cord and skeletal muscle, causing mitochondrial dysfunction, neurodegeneration, and behavioral deficits, thereby establishing a non-transgenic model of brain-to-periphery disease spread in ALS.

Jacopo Marongiu, Valeria Crippa, Isabella Marzi, Clara Porcedda, Maria Cristina Gagliani, Annalisa Brivio, Maria Frances (…)2026-08-26