This article uses high-throughput screening to identify two phytochemicals that are effective in promoting resilience against stress by moduling brain synaptic plasticity and peripheral inflammation.

This article describes a facile one-step method to synthesize stable collodial gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) loaded with a combination of two anticancer therapeutics, -bleomycin and doxorubicin

This article explores the use of an information-entropy-based gene clustering method for genomic island detection in MRSA.

This article describes the computational design of proteins that bind the potent analgesic fentanyl.

This article tested the cross-species application of the Affymetrix 600K Chicken SNP array in five species of North American prairie grouse (Centrocercus and Tympanuchus genera). This study study provided evidence for successful cross-species application of the chicken SNP array in grouse which diverged ca. 37 mya from the chicken lineage. As far as the authors are concerned, this is the first reported application of a SNP array in non-passerine birds, and it demonstrates the feasibility of using commercial SNP arrays in research on non-model bird species.

This article reports on the origin, evolution, and diversification of the iron-sulfur (2Fe-2S) binding motif CDGSH.

This article proposes a model for the accumulation of substantial levels of cyclopropane fatty acids (CPA) in camelina, and discusses the differences between CPA accumulation in camelina and Arabidopsis.

Article studying the effect of MS222 on hemostasis in Zebrafish. The authors performed various assays and find that Hct values, the amount of blood collected, bleeding, and coagulation differ significantly between anesthetized and nonanesthetized fish. These results suggest that blood collected after MS222 anesthesia of zebrafish has altered hemostasis.

Article exploring PAD4 functions in plant defense by expressing the N-terminal PAD4 lipase-like domain (PAD4ᴸᴸᴰ) without its C-terminal EDS1-PAD4 (EP) domain. The authors show that transgenic expression of PAD4ᴸᴸᴰ in Arabidopsis is sufficient for limiting GPA infestation but not for conferring basal and effector-triggered pathogen immunity. This suggests that the C-terminal PAD4 EP domain is necessary for EDS1-dependent immune functions but is dispensable for aphid resistance. Moreover, PAD4ᴸᴸᴰ is not sufficient to interact with EDS1, indicating the PAD4-EP domain is required for stable heterodimerization. These data provide molecular evidence that PAD4 has domain-specific functions.

Article describes study which shows that resistance against fusarium graminearum, the primary casual agent of fusarium head blight (FHB), can be enhanced by flg22, a bacterial microbe-associated molecular pattern (MAMP).

This article predicts that marine-derived bacteria should inhibit Vibrio pathogens and may be a source of unique antibiotic compounds.

This article reports the first draft genome of Pseudomonas monteilii BCN3, a cyanotroph isolated from sewage sludge.

This article is a commentary on the future of legume genetic data resources and summarizes the workshop held in March of 2019 by the Legume Genomic Data Working Group that addressed questions of data resources and priorities for legumes.

Article on new markers of tumor metastasis. The authors found that expression of DP103 was significantly upregulated in the metastatic basal subtype of breast cancers in 3 independent cohorts. This elevated DP103 expression correlated with metastatic breast cancer gene signatures and was strongly associated with patient survival. This study provides the first evidence that the RNA helicase DEAD-box protein DP103 is an NF-kB target that could form part of a positive feedback loop contributing to DP103- mediated regulation of TAK1 kinase activity on the major NF-kB kinase IKK2, thus implicating DP103 in the maintenance of this oncogenic signaling arm in human cancer.

This article measures the cardiac performance of Newfoundland Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua). The results: (1) show that maximum performance of the isolated cod heart is not compromised by exposure to cold temperatures; and (2) support data from other studies, which show that, in contrast to salmonids, cod cardiac performance/myocardial contractility is not dependent upon humoral adrenergic stimulation.

Article describes study in which researchers characterized the influence of temperature on arterial acid–base balance and intracellular pH (pHi) in the bimodal-breathing swamp eel, Monopterus albus.

This article communicates the results of a study conducted on red-winged blackbirds where brain phospholipid composition during development was measured and diet was manipulated. The dietary study confirmed that nestling brains are sensitive to fatty acid supply. The findings of this article suggest that Red-winged blackbirds may be able to advance cognitive development relative to other altricial species owing to their aquatic maternal diet.

This article describes a study investigating the maturation of convective oxygen transport in embryos of the snapping turtle (Chelydra serpentina). Measurements included: mass, oxygen consumption, heart rate, blood oxygen content and affinity and blood flow distribution at 50%, 70% and 90% of the incubation period.

This article posits that the frequently abrupt environmental changes accompanying much longer-term general climate change require consideration of the true nature of environmental change coupled with an expansion of focus to consider developmental phenotypic plasticity.

This article examining the correlation between pulmonary compliance, lung volume, and lymph flux rates in anurans. The findings of this article suggest that lymph mobilization capacity may explain some of the variation in pulmonary compliance and lung volume in anurans.

This column article discusses the impact of Robert Boutillier and Graham Shelton's 1986 Journal of Experimental Biology paper "Gas exchange, storage and transport in voluntarily diving Xenopus laevis."

Article explores the ‘membrane pacemaker’ hypothesis which proposes a biochemical explanation for among-species variation in resting metabolism, based on the positive correlation between membrane docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and metabolic rate. The authors tested this hypothesis using a novel model, altricial red-winged blackbird nestlings, predicting that the proportion of DHA in muscle and liver membranes should increase with the increasing metabolic rate of the nestling as it develops endothermy. In support of the membrane pacemaker hypothesis, DHA proportions increased in membranes from pectoralis muscle, muscle mitochondria and liver during post-hatch development. By contrast, elevated dietary DHA had no effect on resting metabolic rate, despite causing significant changes to membrane lipid composition.

This article is a study using crude oil as an example of an environmental stressor in adult zebrafish. The offspring obtained were then assessed for transgenerational epigenetic transfer of oil-induced phenotypes. The authors conclude that epigenetic transgenerational inheritance can lead to an immediate and simultaneous inheritance of both beneficial and maladaptive traits in a large proportion of the F1 larvae. The adaptive responses may help fish populations survive when facing transient environmental stressors.

Article describes study which investigated the importance of atrial contraction in filling of the ventricle in American alligators (Alligator mississippiensis) by bypassing both atria (with the use of ligatures to prevent atrial filling) and measuring the resultant effects on cardiac output in anesthetized animals.