http://jbiol.com/ The latest research articles published by Journal of Biology 2010-04-08T00:00:00Z This is an RSS newsfeed from BioMed Central It is intended to be used with an RSS reader. For more information about RSS newsfeeds from BioMed Central, visit http://www.biomedcentral.com/info/about/rss/ 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, 9:16 2010-04-08T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol232 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 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, 9:20 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol230 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 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, 9:19 2010-04-01T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol222 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 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, 9:18 2010-03-29T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol233 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 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, 9:17 2010-03-11T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol227 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 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, 9:11 2010-02-24T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol218 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 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, 9:10 2010-02-24T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol226 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 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, 9:12 2010-02-18T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol225 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 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, 9:13 2010-02-17T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol221 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 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, 9:14 2010-02-16T00:00:00Z doi:10.1186/jbiol223 Journal of Biology 1475-4924 9 14 2010-02-16T00:00:00Z XML