http://jbiol.com/ The latest research articles published by Journal of Biology 2010-04-08T00:00:00Z A recent paper in BMC Biology reports that actin stress fibers in adjacent cultured endothelial cells are linked through adherens junctions. This organization might provide a super-cellular network that could enable coordinated signaling and structural responses in endothelia.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/11 http://jbiol.com/content/9/3/16 Journal of Biology 2010, null:16 2010-04-08T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol232 /content/figures/jbiol232-toc.gif Journal of Biology 1475-4924 ${item.volume} 16 2010-04-08T00:00:00Z XML MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs that regulate the expression of numerous target genes. Yet, while hundreds of miRNAs have been identified, little is known about their functions. In a recent report published in Silence, Zheng and colleagues demonstrate a technique for robust and specific knockdown of miRNA expression in Caenorhabditis elegans using modified antisense oligonucleotides, which could be utilized as a powerful tool for the study of regulation and function of miRNAs in vivo.See research article http://www.silencejournal.com/content/1/1/9 http://jbiol.com/content/9/3/20 Journal of Biology 2010, null:20 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol230 Next generation miRNA silencing Frank Slack and Samrat Kundu highlight a refinement of the antisense strategy used to inhibit miRNAs in C.elegans, published in Silence, with an adaptation that supports transmission through the germline, and combinatorial use to target several different miRNAs in developing tissues. /content/figures/jbiol230-toc.gif Journal of Biology 1475-4924 ${item.volume} 20 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z XML An international collaborative effort has recently uncovered the genome of the zebra finch, a songbird model that has provided unique insights into an array of biological phenomena.See research articles http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/9/131, http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2164/11/220/, http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2202/11/46/ and http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/28/ http://jbiol.com/content/9/3/19 Journal of Biology 2010, null:19 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol222 Unveiling the songbird genome Pinaud heralds the publication of the zebra finch genome, reviewing some of the most exciting findings of this pioneering effort and explaining how this songbird model offers unique insights into auditory learning, singing behaviour and other biological phenomena. /content/figures/jbiol222-toc.gif Journal of Biology 1475-4924 ${item.volume} 19 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z XML Pollen tubes follow attractants secreted by the ovules. In a recent paper in BMC Plant Biology, Stewman and colleagues have quantified the parameters of this attraction and used them to calibrate a mathematical model that reproduces the process and enables predictions on the nature of the female attractant and the mechanisms of the male response.See research article: http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2229/10/32 http://jbiol.com/content/9/3/18 Journal of Biology 2010, null:18 2010-03-29T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol233 /content/figures/jbiol233-toc.gif Journal of Biology 1475-4924 ${item.volume} 18 2010-03-29T00:00:00Z XML A recent study in BMC Evolutionary Biology has reconstructed the molecular phylogeny of a large Mediterranean cave-dwelling beetle clade, revealing an ancient origin and strong geographic structuring. It seems likely that diversification of this clade in the Oligocene was seeded by an ancestor already adapted to subterranean life.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/10/29 http://jbiol.com/content/9/3/17 Journal of Biology 2010, null:17 2010-03-11T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol227 Evolution of subterranean beetles Juan and Emerson discuss the reconstruction of the molecular phylogeny of a large Mediterranean cave-dwelling beetle clade recently presented in BMC Evolutionary Biology, and the implications for the evolutionary origin of the beetle ancestor. /content/figures/jbiol227-toc.gif Journal of Biology 1475-4924 ${item.volume} 17 2010-03-11T00:00:00Z XML Two recent studies in BMC Biology and Evolution raise important questions about a textbook case of frequency-dependent selection in scale-eating cichlid fishes. They also suggest a fascinating new line of research testing the effects of handed behavior on morphological asymmetry.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/8. http://jbiol.com/content/9/2/11 Journal of Biology 2010, null:11 2010-02-24T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol218 The mystery of mouth asymmetry Palmer discusses recent studies, including one in BMC Biology, suggesting that mouth bending in scale-eating cichlids cannot be explained by frequency dependent selection alone, but that the behavior of the fish may amplify mouth asymmetry during growth. /content/figures/jbiol218-toc.gif Journal of Biology 1475-4924 ${item.volume} 11 2010-02-24T00:00:00Z XML A phylogeographic analysis of gene sequences important in determining body size in dogs, recently published in BMC Biology, traces the appearance of small body size to the Neolithic Middle East. This finding strengthens the association of this event with the development of sedentary societies, and perhaps even has implications for the inception of human social inequality.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/8/16/ http://jbiol.com/content/9/2/10 Journal of Biology 2010, null:10 2010-02-24T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol226 Levantine taming of the wolves Commenting on a phylogeographic analysis in BMC Biology that supports a Middle Eastern origin of small dogs, Driscoll and Macdonald speculate on the implications of wolf domestication and size reduction occurring at a time of transition between hunter-gatherer and sedentary societies. /content/figures/jbiol226-toc.gif Journal of Biology 1475-4924 ${item.volume} 10 2010-02-24T00:00:00Z XML Understanding the spatio-temporal subversion of host cell signaling by bacterial virulence factors is key to combating infectious diseases. Following a recent study by Buntru and co-workers published in BMC Biology, we review how fluorescence (Forster) resonance energy transfer (FRET) has been applied to studying host-pathogen interactions and consider the prospects for its future application.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7007/7/81. http://jbiol.com/content/9/2/12 Journal of Biology 2010, null:12 2010-02-18T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol225 Lets FRET about pathogens Hayward and colleagues discuss the promise of fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based techniques to study the spatio-temporal subversion of host cell signaling by pathogens, reviewing the few existing examples of this, which include a recent paper in BMC Biology, to illustrate the power of an approach that has been surprisingly under-exploited to date. /content/figures/jbiol225-toc.gif Journal of Biology 1475-4924 ${item.volume} 12 2010-02-18T00:00:00Z XML A recent study in BMC Evolutionary Biology has shown that genetically similar individual ring-tailed lemurs are also more similar in their scent composition, suggesting a possible mechanism of kin recognition. Theoretical and experimental studies reveal challenges ahead in achieving a true systems-level understanding of this process and its outcomes.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2148/9/281. http://jbiol.com/content/9/2/13 Journal of Biology 2010, null:13 2010-02-17T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol221 Chemical signals of kinship Highlighting recent research in BMC Evolutionary Biology that analyzes the scent profiles of ring-tailed lemurs in relation to their genetic distance, Hurst and Benyon discuss recent progress and remaining challenges in deciphering how vertebrates recognise kin by their smell. /content/figures/jbiol221-toc.gif Journal of Biology 1475-4924 ${item.volume} 13 2010-02-17T00:00:00Z XML Acoel and platyhelminth worms are particularly attractive invertebrate models for stem-cell research because their bodies are continually renewed from large pools of somatic stem cells. Several recent studies, including one in BMC Developmental Biology, are beginning to reveal the cellular dynamics and molecular basis of stem-cell function in these animals.See research article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-213X/9/69. http://jbiol.com/content/9/2/14 Journal of Biology 2010, null:14 2010-02-16T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol223 Soft-bodied worms for stem cell research The bodies of platyhelminth and acoel worms are continually renewed from large pools of somatic stem cells. Bely and Sikes discuss their consequent attractiveness for stem cell research, and how recent studies, including one in BMC Developmental Biology, reveal aspects of the cellular dynamics and molecular basis of stem-cell function in these animals. /content/figures/jbiol223-toc.gif Journal of Biology 1475-4924 ${item.volume} 14 2010-02-16T00:00:00Z XML