Communications Biology

Abstract Environmental DNA technology has revolutionized biomonitoring, primarily capturing the presence/absence of target taxa. Recent advances have revealed that eDNA also retains epigenetic signatures. In this perspective, we focus on DNA methylation signals in eDNA, which we define as meth-eDNA, and analyze three pivotal topics: (1) Detection of methylation signals in eDNA, (2) stability in a…

Abstract The evolution of skin appendages has involved innovation at the levels of keratin intermediate filament proteins, which build stable cornified structures, and regulatory factors, which determine the anatomical location of skin appendages. The keratin components of nails and claws have evolved at the digit tips under the control of the transcription factor Hoxc13 in a common ancestor of t…

Abstract The opportunistic pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans adapts to diverse host microenvironments during infection, yet the contribution of epigenetic mechanisms remains unclear. Comparative genomics across 50 basidiomycete species revealed that one chromatin protein, the linker histone H1, is uniquely duplicated across the entire Cryptococcus genus , generating paralogs H1.51 and H1.52 with d…

Abstract Traumatic brain injury (TBI) caused by rapid head acceleration produces visual impairments from damage to the optic nerve (ON), as well as widespread perturbations of the central visual system. Widely used mouse and rat models have limitations in translational relevance due to their nocturnal habits and rod-dominant retinas. In contrast, the thirteen-lined ground squirrel (Ictidomys trid…

Abstract Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders in both younger and older adults. However, the current treatments for anxiety were developed based on younger adults and are not as effective in older adults. Therefore, investigating anxiety disorders in older adults would greatly benefit the mental well-being of the rapidly growing aged populations. This study finds that basal anxi…

Abstract Traditionally, the electroencephalogram (EEG) has been understood as arising from rhythmic neuronal oscillators with varying degrees of synchronisation. Alternative insights, however, highlight the arrhythmic nature of the EEG, primarily inferred from broadband properties like the ubiquitous 1/ f spectrum. From the analysis of EEG simulations based on stochastic pulse superposition, we i…

Abstract Billions of birds migrate annually, triggered by endogenous behaviors but also by ecoclimatic drivers which are shifting with climate change. These dynamics play out over huge spatiotemporal scales, making monitoring of phenology challenging with traditional biodiversity survey approaches. In this study, over a complete spring migration season (April through June), we collected 37,429 ho…

Abstract Epithelial morphogenesis generates complex tissue architectures with remarkable reproducibility, yet how tissue-scale epithelial curvature transitions are triggered in vivo remains poorly understood. Here, we show that epithelial morphogenesis during early pupal development of the Drosophila wing disc is regulated non-autonomously through spatially restricted remodeling of the basal extr…