A single IGF1 allele is a major determinant of small size in dogs

The domestic dog exhibits greater diversity in body size than any other terrestrial vertebrate. We used a strategy that exploits the breed structure of dogs to investigate the genetic basis of size. First, through a genome-wide scan, we identified a major quantitative trait locus (QTL) on chromosome 15 influencing size variation within a single breed. Second, we examined genetic variation in the 15-megabase interval surrounding the QTL in small and giant breeds and found marked evidence for a selective sweep spanning a single gene (IGF1), encoding insulin-like growth factor 1. A single IGF1 single-nucleotide polymorphism haplotype is common to all small breeds and nearly absent from giant breeds, suggesting that the same causal sequence variant is a major contributor to body size in all small dogs.     

Phosphorylation of ULK1 (hATG1) by AMP-activated protein kinase connects energy sensing to mitophagy

Adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK) is a conserved sensor of intracellular energy activated in response to low nutrient availability and environmental stress. In a screen for conserved substrates of AMPK, we identified ULK1 and ULK2, mammalian orthologs of the yeast protein kinase Atg1, which is required for autophagy. Genetic analysis of AMPK or ULK1 in mammalian liver and Caenorhabditis elegans revealed a requirement for these kinases in autophagy. In mammals, loss of AMPK or ULK1 resulted in aberrant accumulation of the autophagy adaptor p62 and defective mitophagy. Reconstitution of ULK1-deficient cells with a mutant ULK1 that cannot be phosphorylated by AMPK revealed that such phosphorylation is required for mitochondrial homeostasis and cell survival during starvation. These findings uncover a conserved biochemical mechanism coupling nutrient status with autophagy and cell survival.     

Comparative genome and proteome analysis of Anopheles gambiae and Drosophila melanogaster

Comparison of the genomes and proteomes of the two diptera Anopheles gambiae and Drosophila melanogaster, which diverged about 250 million years ago, reveals considerable similarities. However, numerous differences are also observed; some of these must reflect the selection and subsequent adaptation associated with different ecologies and life strategies. Almost half of the genes in both genomes are interpreted as orthologs and show an average sequence identity of about 56%, which is slightly lower than that observed between the orthologs of the pufferfish and human (diverged about 450 million years ago). This indicates that these two insects diverged considerably faster than vertebrates. Aligned sequences reveal that orthologous genes have retained only half of their intron/exon structure, indicating that intron gains or losses have occurred at a rate of about one per gene per 125 million years. Chromosomal arms exhibit significant remnants of homology between the two species, although only 34% of the genes colocalize in small "microsyntenic" clusters, and major interarm transfers as well as intra-arm shuffling of gene order are detected.     

Causal protein-signaling networks derived from multiparameter single-cell data

Machine learning was applied for the automated derivation of causal influences in cellular signaling networks. This derivation relied on the simultaneous measurement of multiple phosphorylated protein and phospholipid components in thousands of individual primary human immune system cells. Perturbing these cells with molecular interventions drove the ordering of connections between pathway components, wherein Bayesian network computational methods automatically elucidated most of the traditionally reported signaling relationships and predicted novel interpathway network causalities, which we verified experimentally. Reconstruction of network models from physiologically relevant primary single cells might be applied to understanding native-state tissue signaling biology, complex drug actions, and dysfunctional signaling in diseased cells.     

Tim50 maintains the permeability barrier of the mitochondrial inner membrane

Transport of metabolites across the mitochondrial inner membrane is highly selective, thereby maintaining the electrochemical proton gradient that functions as the main driving force for cellular adenosine triphosphate synthesis. Mitochondria import many preproteins via the presequence translocase of the inner membrane. However, the reconstituted Tim23 protein constitutes a pore remaining mainly in its open form, a state that would be deleterious in organello. We found that the intermembrane space domain of Tim50 induced the Tim23 channel to close. Presequences overcame this effect and activated the channel for translocation. Thus, the hydrophilic cis domain of Tim50 maintains the permeability barrier of mitochondria by closing the translocation pore in a presequence-regulated manner.     

Ultrafast flash thermal conductance of molecular chains

At the level of individual molecules, familiar concepts of heat transport no longer apply. When large amounts of heat are transported through a molecule, a crucial process in molecular electronic devices, energy is carried by discrete molecular vibrational excitations. We studied heat transport through self-assembled monolayers of long-chain hydrocarbon molecules anchored to a gold substrate by ultrafast heating of the gold with a femtosecond laser pulse. When the heat reached the methyl groups at the chain ends, a nonlinear coherent vibrational spectroscopy technique detected the resulting thermally induced disorder. The flow of heat into the chains was limited by the interface conductance. The leading edge of the heat burst traveled ballistically along the chains at a velocity of 1 kilometer per second. The molecular conductance per chain was 50 picowatts per kelvin.     

不同倍性柿品种的杂交亲和性及结实性研究

【目的】通过对部分柿品种杂交亲和性的研究,为柿杂交育种亲本的选择及杂交组合的选配提供理论依据。【方法】采用“杂3-2”、“禅寺丸”、“杂4-2”和“正月”4个雄株作父本,“黑柿”、“干帽盔”、“野柿”、“平核无”、“金枣柿”和“阳丰”6个雌株作母本,设置自然授粉（对照）、套袋不授粉、套袋后进行无生活力花粉授粉和有生活力花粉不同组合杂交授粉4种处理,利用离体萌发法比较雄株的花粉生活力,利用荧光显微镜观察柿不同杂交组合的亲和性,并比较不同杂交组合的坐果率、单果种子数和无籽果实率。【结果】4个雄株花粉生活力由大到小依次为“杂3-2”（52.53%）>“禅寺丸”(48.13%)>“杂4-2”（40.02%）>“正月”（34.10%）。在24个杂交组合中,相同倍性的父本与母本杂交,柱头乳突细胞表面均无胼胝质（“阳丰”与各雄株杂交情况除外）,且花粉粒在柱头上粘附萌发形成大量的花粉管并不同程度地参与了受精;不同倍性的父本与母本杂交,柱头上粘附的花粉粒少,柱头胼胝质的形成阻碍了花粉的萌发。24个杂交组合中,坐果率和单果种子数最高的组合为“黑柿”ד杂3-2”,分别为74.44%和4.00;坐果率最低的组合为“金枣柿”ד正月”,坐果率和单果种子数分别为22.22%和0.10,且人工授粉处理的坐果率和单果种子数均高于自然授粉处理。通过比较不同授粉方式下6个雌株的无籽果实率可知,“干帽盔”、“阳丰”、“平核无”存在真单性和刺激性单性结实现象,“黑柿”存在刺激性单性结实现象,“野柿”、“金枣柿”存在假单性结实现象。【结论】柿不同雄株间的花粉生活力存在差异;相同倍性的父本与母本杂交亲和性大于不同倍性间父本与母本杂交;人工授粉能明显提高各杂交组合的坐果率和单果种子数。     

Vibrational energy transfer across a reverse micelle surfactant layer

In a suspension of reverse micelles, in which the surfactant sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (AOT) separates a water nanodroplet from a bulk nonpolar CCl4 phase, ultrafast vibrational spectroscopy was used to study vibrational energy transfer from the nanodroplet through the AOT interfacial monolayer to the surrounding CCl4. Most of the vibrational energy from the nanodroplet was transferred to the polar AOT head group within 1.8 picoseconds and then out to the CCl4 within 10 picoseconds. Vibrational energy pumped directly into the AOT tail resulted in a slower 20- to 40-picosecond transfer of energy to the CCl4.     

Where do you think you’re going? Accounting for ontogenetic and climate‐induced movement in spatially stratified integrated population assessment models

Understanding spatial population structure and biocomplexity is critical for determining a species’ resilience to environmental and anthropogenic perturbations. However, integrated population models (IPMs) used to develop management advice for harvested populations have been slow to incorporate spatial dynamics. Therefore, limited research has been devoted to understanding the reliability of movement parameter estimation in spatial population models, especially for spatially dynamic marine fish populations. We implemented a spatial simulation–estimation framework that emulated a generic marine fish metapopulation to explore the impact of ontogenetic movement and climate‐induced distributional shifts between two populations. The robustness of spatially stratified IPMs was explored across a range of movement parametrizations, including ignoring connectivity or estimating movement with various levels of complexity. Ignoring connectivity was detrimental to accurate estimation of population‐specific biomass, while implementing spatial IPMs with intermediate levels of complexity (e.g. estimating movement in two‐year and two‐age blocks) performed best when no a priori information about underlying movement was available. One‐way distributional shifts mimicking climate‐induced poleward migrations presented the greatest estimation difficulties, but the incorporation of auxiliary information on connectivity (e.g. tag‐recapture data) reduced bias. The continued development of spatially stratified modelling approaches should allow harvested resources to be better utilized without increased risk. Additionally, expanded collection and incorporation of unique spatially explicit data will enhance the robustness of IPMs in the future.