PLOS Biology

Poster for EMBO | EMBL Symposium, titled "Sex differences in health and disease." Scheduled for 27 – 30 April 2026, both at EMBL Heidelberg and virtually. The design includes abstract genetic symbols and patterns.

How do sex hormones, genetics, and mosaicism influence health?

In this @‌events.embl.org Symposium, leading researchers will explore how sex influences health and disease through genetic, hormonal, immune, metabolic, and environmental factors.

🔗 plos.io/4sI034t

#EESSexDifferences

A GABAergic network from AVP- to VIP-neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus sets the timing of circadian behavior rhythms The suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus serves as the central circadian pacemaker. This study elucidates the role of GABAergic signaling, from AVP-producing neurons in the SCN shell to…

The suprachiasmatic nucleus of the hypothalamus serves as the central circadian pacemaker. In a new study, Yubo Peng,Yusuke Tsuno, Michihiro Mieda &co elucidate the role of GABAergic signaling in setting the timing of behavioral activity and rest.
🧪 #NeuroSky

@plosbiology.org is formalizing its long‑standing practice of asking authors to share research code, introducing a mandatory #code‑sharing policy and clarifying what is meant by code sharing.

Learn more and find guidance on best practice: plos.io/4reyX3v

Four researchers on the deck of a ship prepare to collect a sample from the ocean. Image credit: Dr. Steven Wilhelm.

Viruses in the #ocean outnumber cells and shape ecosystems, yet their dynamics remain poorly understood. @sullivan-lab.bsky.social used high-resolution sampling of blue-ocean waters to reveal extensive depth- and diel-driven population dynamics beneath the surface.🧪 #MicroSky
plos.io/4lf9zJE

The adaptor protein TASL is required for age-related B cell emergence and lupus-like disease development in mice Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease that mostly affects women and it is associated with genetic variants in the X-linked gene encoding the adaptor protein TASL. This study…

SLE (#lupus) is associated with genetic variants in the X-linked gene TASL. Julia Johnstone, @ajclarke.bsky.social &co show that TASL is required for B cell activation, age-associated B cell formation and lupus-like disease #InMice, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target 🧪

Four researchers on the deck of a ship prepare to collect a sample from the ocean. Image credit: Dr. Steven Wilhelm.

Viruses in the #ocean outnumber cells and shape ecosystems, yet their dynamics remain poorly understood. @sullivan-lab.bsky.social used high-resolution sampling of blue-ocean waters to reveal extensive depth- and diel-driven population dynamics beneath the surface.🧪 #MicroSky
plos.io/4lf9zJE

The adaptor protein TASL is required for age-related B cell emergence and lupus-like disease development in mice Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease that mostly affects women and it is associated with genetic variants in the X-linked gene encoding the adaptor protein TASL. This study…

SLE (#lupus) is associated with genetic variants in the X-linked gene TASL. Julia Johnstone, @ajclarke.bsky.social &co show that TASL is required for B cell activation, age-associated B cell formation and lupus-like disease #InMice, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target 🧪

Four researchers on the deck of a ship prepare to collect a sample from the ocean. Image credit: Dr. Steven Wilhelm.

Viruses in the #ocean outnumber cells and shape ecosystems, yet their dynamics remain poorly understood. @sullivan-lab.bsky.social used high-resolution sampling of blue-ocean waters to reveal extensive depth- and diel-driven population dynamics beneath the surface.🧪 #MicroSky
plos.io/4lf9zJE

The adaptor protein TASL is required for age-related B cell emergence and lupus-like disease development in mice Systemic lupus erythematosus is a chronic autoimmune disease that mostly affects women and it is associated with genetic variants in the X-linked gene encoding the adaptor protein TASL. This study…

SLE (#lupus) is associated with genetic variants in the X-linked gene TASL. Julia Johnstone, @ajclarke.bsky.social &co show that TASL is required for B cell activation, age-associated B cell formation and lupus-like disease #InMice, suggesting its potential as a therapeutic target 🧪

Ecosystems research plays a critical role in shaping environmental decisions 🌍️

PLOS Ecosystems brings together open, evidence‑led insights across terrestrial, freshwater and marine systems.

📩 Sign up for email updates to receive content, Editorial Board insights, and journal news: plos.io/4b898Mt

Populations are aging—and decisions must be evidence‑led.

PLOS Aging and Health is a new global platform for multidisciplinary research across the lifespan.

📄 Submit your work and help shape healthier futures: plos.io/4rJeV2n

The image is an infographic titled "Open science creates economic value through reuse at scale," by PLOS. It highlights four benefits of reuse: prevents duplication of effort, accelerates research processes, compounds benefits through network effects, and enables reuse across sectors. The left side features a flowchart illustrating reuse from a single research output. On the right, a text box emphasizes that open science can enhance productivity and strengthen long-term performance when done correctly. A final note states, "Publishing is a vital part of the infrastructure that enables reuse at scale.

Open Science isn’t just a values choice. It’s an economic one.

We are sharing a new independent report by @technopolis-group.com on the economic benefits of #OpenScience and what drives value when research outputs are designed for reuse at scale: plos.io/4rdAxCY

Sub-daily virus sampling at the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series reveals diel and depth-structured population dynamics without community-level shifts by Alfonso Carrillo, Emily Hageman, Lauren Chittick, Anna I. Mackey, Kimberley S. Ndlovu, Funing Tian, Naomi E. Gilbert, Daniel Muratore, Dean Vik, Gary R. LeCleir, Christine Sun, Ho B. Jang, Ricardo R. Pavan, Joshua S. Weitz, Steven W. Wilhelm, Matthew B. Sullivan Ocean microbes contribute to biogeochemical cycles and ecosystem function, but they do so under top-down pressure imposed by viruses. While viruses are increasingly understood spatially and beginning to be incorporated into predictive modeling, high-frequency ocean virus dynamics remain understudied due to methodological challenges. Here we sampled stratified Bermuda Atlantic Time Series (BATS) waters for 112 hours at sub-daily 4- (surface) or 12- (deep chlorophyll maximum) hour intervals, purified viral particles from these samples, sequenced their metagenomes, and used the resulting data to characterize high-frequency virus community dynamics. Aggregated community diversity metrics changed with depth, but were not statistically significant temporally at a fixed location. However, finer-scale population-level analyses revealed both depth and temporal change, including physicochemical depth-driven differences and, in surface waters, thousands of viral populations that exhibited statistically significant diel rhythms. Statistical analyses revealed three main archetypes of temporal dynamics that themselves differed in abundance patterns, host predictions, viral taxonomy, and gene functions. Among these, highlights include viruses resembling an archetype with a night peaking pattern in activity that include an over-representation of viruses that putatively infect Prochlorococcus, a phototrophic cyanobacteria. Together, these efforts provide baseline community- and population-scale short-time-frame observations relevant to future climate state modeling.

Sub-daily virus sampling at the Bermuda Atlantic Time Series reveals diel and depth-structured population dynamics without community-level shifts @plosbiology.org

Molecular characterization of nervous system organization in the hemichordate acorn worm Saccoglossus kowalevskii Hemichordates are crucial for understanding vertebrate nervous system origins. This study of the acorn worm Saccoglossus kowalevskii reveals a complex and regionalized neural plexus at the proboscis b...

Going to be presenting the journal club for the Postbacs this month. I have been thinking a lot about hemichordates and their patterning these past two weeks so I thought this would be a great paper to present ☺️

journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

"not perfect" for prophages either, "very not perfect" for lytic viruses 😁
We touch on this a bit in our "host prediction" review www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
and the Sullivan lab has done benchmarking that highlights the potential noise in these data
journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

Our (@jeffsekelsky.bsky.social, Corbin Jones & me) #Meiosis, Recombination & Evolution of Sex class @uncchapelhill.bsky.social geeked out about #BChromosomes w/ Patrick Ferree from @scrippscollege.bsky.social about his @plosbiology.org paper on female meiotic drag in Nasonia: doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Gpc3 selectively suppresses subcutaneous adipogenesis in diet-induced obesity Why does fat expand differently in distinct body regions? This study identifies GPC3 as regional depot-specific obesity responsive gene that selectively promotes the expansion of inguinal, but not…

Why does #fat expand differently in distinct body regions? Yan Li, Carlos Ibáñez, Meng Xie &co identify Gpc3 as a gene that selectively promotes the expansion of white adipose tissue in specific body areas in mice fed a high fat diet.
🧪 #metabolism #InMice

Gpc3 selectively suppresses subcutaneous adipogenesis in diet-induced obesity Why does fat expand differently in distinct body regions? This study identifies GPC3 as regional depot-specific obesity responsive gene that selectively promotes the expansion of inguinal, but not…

Why does #fat expand differently in distinct body regions? Yan Li, Carlos Ibáñez, Meng Xie &co identify Gpc3 as a gene that selectively promotes the expansion of white adipose tissue in specific body areas in mice fed a high fat diet.
🧪 #metabolism #InMice

Magnesium depletion by Candida albicans unleashes two unusual modes of colistin resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with different fitness costs Bacterial resistance to the vital last-resort antibiotic colistin is an increasing challenge. This study shows that magnesium sequestration by C. albicans enables P. aeruginosa to evolve much higher l...

Our story on the evolution of colistin resistance is just out on @plosbiology.org (journals.plos.org/plosbiology/... Evolution doesn’t happen in isolation. We show that competing fungi can rewire the evolutionary trajectory of colistin resistance in P. aeruginosa. Great teamwork with the Ernst lab

Gpc3 selectively suppresses subcutaneous adipogenesis in diet-induced obesity Why does fat expand differently in distinct body regions? This study identifies GPC3 as regional depot-specific obesity responsive gene that selectively promotes the expansion of inguinal, but not…

Why does #fat expand differently in distinct body regions? Yan Li, Carlos Ibáñez, Meng Xie &co identify Gpc3 as a gene that selectively promotes the expansion of white adipose tissue in specific body areas in mice fed a high fat diet.
🧪 #metabolism #InMice

Shot:

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Chaser:

Text from the article outlining a simplistic model of measles vaccine escape risk.

Monoclonal antibody therapies are being developed to treat #measles in response to its recent resurgence. David A Kennedy argues that such therapies risk driving measles virus evolution in ways that might undermine the protection offered by #vaccination. 🧪
plos.io/3OJx6q4

Glutamatergic projections from the substantia nigra pars reticulata to the dorsal raphe nucleus regulate male social hierarchies The dorsal raphe nucleus in the brain is critical for establishing social rank, but the circuit is not fully understood. This study in male mice shows that glutamatergic projections from the…

In a new study, Yanzhu Fan, Guangzhan Fang &co show that glutamatergic projections from the substantia nigra pars reticulata to the dorsal raphe nucleus can regulate social rank and anxiety levels in male mice, adding to our knowledge of these important circuits.
🧪 #NeuroSky #InMice

Magnesium depletion by Candida albicans unleashes two unusual modes of colistin resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with different fitness costs Bacterial resistance to the vital last-resort antibiotic colistin is an increasing challenge. This study shows that magnesium sequestration by C. albicans enables P. aeruginosa to evolve much higher…

In new research, Yu-Ying Phoebe Hsieh, Ian O’Keefe, Ajai Dandekar, Harmit Malik &co reveal how magnesium sequestration by C. albicans enables P. aeruginosa to evolve much higher levels of resistance to colistin (a last-resort #antibiotic).
🧪#MicroSky

An illustration of a cross-section of a human head superimposed on computer chip details. Image Credit: Artificial Intelligence Brain by Gerd Altmann, Pixabay

Deep learning is increasingly being used in #biology, but evidence suggests that models may not be as generalizable as hoped. Thomas O'Shea-Wheller & Katie Murray @cornwall.exeter.ac.uk outline the scale and severity of the issue, suggesting potential solutions.
🧪 #AI
plos.io/40H9ogJ

Text from the article outlining a simplistic model of measles vaccine escape risk.

Monoclonal antibody therapies are being developed to treat #measles in response to its recent resurgence. David A Kennedy argues that such therapies risk driving measles virus evolution in ways that might undermine the protection offered by #vaccination. 🧪
plos.io/3OJx6q4

Glutamatergic projections from the substantia nigra pars reticulata to the dorsal raphe nucleus regulate male social hierarchies The dorsal raphe nucleus in the brain is critical for establishing social rank, but the circuit is not fully understood. This study in male mice shows that glutamatergic projections from the…

In a new study, Yanzhu Fan, Guangzhan Fang &co show that glutamatergic projections from the substantia nigra pars reticulata to the dorsal raphe nucleus can regulate social rank and anxiety levels in male mice, adding to our knowledge of these important circuits.
🧪 #NeuroSky #InMice

Magnesium depletion by Candida albicans unleashes two unusual modes of colistin resistance in Pseudomonas aeruginosa with different fitness costs Bacterial resistance to the vital last-resort antibiotic colistin is an increasing challenge. This study shows that magnesium sequestration by C. albicans enables P. aeruginosa to evolve much higher…

In new research, Yu-Ying Phoebe Hsieh, Ian O’Keefe, Ajai Dandekar, Harmit Malik &co reveal how magnesium sequestration by C. albicans enables P. aeruginosa to evolve much higher levels of resistance to colistin (a last-resort #antibiotic).
🧪#MicroSky

An illustration of a cross-section of a human head superimposed on computer chip details. Image Credit: Artificial Intelligence Brain by Gerd Altmann, Pixabay

Deep learning is increasingly being used in #biology, but evidence suggests that models may not be as generalizable as hoped. Thomas O'Shea-Wheller & Katie Murray @cornwall.exeter.ac.uk outline the scale and severity of the issue, suggesting potential solutions.
🧪 #AI
plos.io/40H9ogJ

Text from the article outlining a simplistic model of measles vaccine escape risk.

Monoclonal antibody therapies are being developed to treat #measles in response to its recent resurgence. David A Kennedy argues that such therapies risk driving measles virus evolution in ways that might undermine the protection offered by #vaccination. 🧪
plos.io/3OJx6q4