🧬 biology

Cross-species functional analysis of a de novo DCLK1 variant associated with a neurodevelopmental disorder

This study identifies a de novo DCLK1 variant as the causative factor of a progressive neurodevelopmental disorder by integrating cross-species functional genomics in C. elegans and patient-derived neuronal analyses to demonstrate that the mutation induces neurite defects and neurodegeneration, which can be partially rescued by wild-type DCLK1 expression or pathway targeting.

Stephen Pak, David Butler, Weimin Yuan, hirokazu hashimoto, Hieu Hoang, Jonathan Sheehan, Vanessa Gomez, Jill Rosenfeld (…)2026-07-23
🧬 biology

The Complex Geometry of Biological Knowledge in Artificial Intelligence: Manifolds, Spectra, and Concept Structure in Foundation-Model Representations

This study reveals that while protein language models encode biologically meaningful information that is linearly decodable, they lack the complex low-dimensional manifolds, multi-scale spectral structures, and hierarchical concept geometries found in single-cell foundation models, instead representing knowledge through a geometrically simple, high-linear-dimensional space shaped by the discrete and homology-driven nature of sequence data.

Liu Chen2026-07-23
🧬 biology

Beyond histology: self‑organizing map-derived MASLD transcriptomic subtypes for patient stratification

This study utilizes self-organizing map analysis of liver transcriptomics across diverse independent cohorts to identify five distinct, histology-independent MASLD subtypes with unique molecular and immune-stromal profiles, offering a new framework for patient stratification and targeted therapeutic strategies.

Maria Ryaboshapkina, Sophie Gunnarsson, Anna Whatling, Ian Henry, Vian Azzu2026-07-23
🧬 biology

Development of a biomimetic hydrogel cervical spinal cord surrogate for transverse compression across loading rates

This study demonstrates that tunable polyacrylamide-alginate double-network hydrogels, particularly those crosslinked with CaCl₂, successfully replicate the nonlinear, rate-dependent transverse compressive behavior of cervical spinal cord tissue, offering a viable biomimetic surrogate for injury biomechanics and surgical simulation.

Paria Arjmandisarvestani, Nicholas Cunha, Parham Foroutan, Yue Hui, Ashish Diwan, Ryan David Quarrington2026-07-23
🧬 biology

Two axes of drug transcriptional response, and a mechanistic correlate that organizes them: a conservation–divergence audit of Tahoe-100M

This study analyzes the Tahoe-100M atlas to define an interpretable coordinate system for drug responses based on two nearly independent axes—context-robustness and dose-emergence—and identifies target transcriptional depth as a key mechanistic correlate that organizes these responses, offering a structural audit of drug mechanisms rather than a predictive model.

Huazhang Shen2026-07-23
🧬 biology

Gene-resolved codon evolution and ordered CpG suppression in feline morbillivirus: implications for host adaptation and immune evasion

This study reveals that Feline morbillivirus exhibits gene-specific codon environments and a pervasive, ordered suppression of CpG dinucleotides across its coding genome, suggesting a multiscale evolutionary model where host adaptation and potential immune evasion mechanisms jointly shape viral architecture.

Jun-Wei Yang, Cheng-Hsun Lee, Hsuan-Wei Huang, Wei-Mei Hsieh, Su-Lan Hsu, Fang Hsu Lin, Han-Chia Chen, Kuan-Chien Yuan (…)2026-07-23
🧬 biology

Two-step process regulating the ciliary entrance of non-ciliary proteins: BBSome functions in the first step, upstream of the ciliary gate

This study reveals that the BBSome regulates ciliary composition by functioning upstream of the ciliary gate to prevent non-ciliary proteins from being mis-loaded onto intraflagellar transport trains, thereby establishing a two-step model of cargo selection and gating.

Oktay Kaplan, Sebiha Cevik, Ferhan Yenisert, Hanife Kantarci, Onur Cakici, Damla Pucak2026-07-23
🧬 biology

AlphaFold Database expands to proteome-scale quaternary structures

This paper describes the expansion of the AlphaFold Protein Structure Database to include 1.81 million high-confidence, proteome-scale predictions of homo- and heterodimeric complexes across 4,777 organisms, revealing novel structural topologies and conserved ancient assemblies that significantly extend beyond existing experimental coverage to facilitate functional discovery.

Jennifer Fleming, Yewon Han, Maxim Tsenkov, Niccolò Venanzi, Sooyoung Cha, Nilkanth Pate, Sreenath Nair, Razan Abbara, D (…)2026-07-23