In many species with sex chromosomes, the Y is a tiny chromosome. However, the dioecious plant Silene latifolia has a giant ~550-megabase Y chromosome, which has remained unsequenced so far. We used a long- and short-read hybrid approach to obtain a high-quality male genome. Comparative analysis of the sex chromosomes with their homologs in outgroups showed that the Y is highly rearranged and degenerated. Recombination suppression between X and Y extended in several steps and triggered a massive accumulation of repeats on the Y as well as in the nonrecombining pericentromeric region of the X, leading to giant sex chromosomes. Using sex phenotype mutants, we identified candidate sex-determining genes on the Y in locations consistent with their favoring recombination suppression events 11 and 5 million years ago.
The impacts of degradation and deforestation on tropical forests are poorly understood, particularly at landscape scales. We present an extensive ecosystem analysis of the impacts of logging and conversion of tropical forest to oil palm from a large-scale study in Borneo, synthesizing responses from 82 variables categorized into four ecological levels spanning a broad suite of ecosystem properties: (i) structure and environment, (ii) species traits, (iii) biodiversity, and (iv) ecosystem functions. Responses were highly heterogeneous and often complex and nonlinear. Variables that were directly impacted by the physical process of timber extraction, such as soil structure, were sensitive to even moderate amounts of logging, whereas measures of biodiversity and ecosystem functioning were generally resilient to logging but more affected by conversion to oil palm plantation.
- MeSH
- Arecaceae MeSH
- biodiverzita * MeSH
- deštný prales * MeSH
- lesnictví * MeSH
- půda chemie MeSH
- stromy MeSH
- tropické klima * MeSH
- zachování přírodních zdrojů * MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Borneo MeSH
- Názvy látek
- půda MeSH
Ancient DNA links people across hundreds of kilometers.
- MeSH
- dějiny starověku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- migrace lidstva * dějiny MeSH
- neandertálci genetika MeSH
- rodokmen MeSH
- starobylá DNA * analýza MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- dějiny starověku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- zprávy MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Názvy látek
- starobylá DNA * MeSH
Parrots produce stunning plumage colors through unique pigments called psittacofulvins. However, the mechanism underlying their ability to generate a spectrum of vibrant yellows, reds, and greens remains enigmatic. We uncover a unifying chemical basis for a wide range of parrot plumage colors, which result from the selective deposition of red aldehyde- and yellow carboxyl-containing psittacofulvin molecules in developing feathers. Through genetic mapping, biochemical assays, and single-cell genomics, we identified a critical player in this process, the aldehyde dehydrogenase ALDH3A2, which oxidizes aldehyde psittacofulvins into carboxyl forms in late-differentiating keratinocytes during feather development. The simplicity of the underlying molecular mechanism, in which a single enzyme influences the balance of red and yellow pigments, offers an explanation for the exceptional evolutionary lability of parrot coloration.
- MeSH
- aldehyddehydrogenasa * genetika MeSH
- barva MeSH
- biologické pigmenty * genetika metabolismus MeSH
- keratinocyty metabolismus MeSH
- oxidace-redukce MeSH
- papouškovití * anatomie a histologie genetika fyziologie MeSH
- peří * metabolismus MeSH
- pigmentace * genetika MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Názvy látek
- aldehyddehydrogenasa * MeSH
- biologické pigmenty * MeSH
- long-chain-aldehyde dehydrogenase MeSH Prohlížeč
Climate change is commonly assumed to induce species' range shifts toward the poles. Yet, other environmental changes may affect the geographical distribution of species in unexpected ways. Here, we quantify multidecadal shifts in the distribution of European forest plants and link these shifts to key drivers of forest biodiversity change: climate change, atmospheric deposition (nitrogen and sulfur), and forest canopy dynamics. Surprisingly, westward distribution shifts were 2.6 times more likely than northward ones. Not climate change, but nitrogen-mediated colonization events, possibly facilitated by the recovery from past acidifying deposition, best explain westward movements. Biodiversity redistribution patterns appear complex and are more likely driven by the interplay among several environmental changes than due to the exclusive effects of climate change alone.
- MeSH
- biodiverzita * MeSH
- distribuce rostlin * MeSH
- dusík * metabolismus MeSH
- klimatické změny * MeSH
- lesy * MeSH
- stromy metabolismus MeSH
- znečištění ovzduší * MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Evropa MeSH
- Názvy látek
- dusík * MeSH
Identifying alternatives to PFAS requires weighing trade-offs and uncertainties.
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Brassinosteroids are steroidal phytohormones that regulate plant development and physiology, including adaptation to environmental stresses. Brassinosteroids are synthesized in the cell interior but bind receptors at the cell surface, necessitating a yet to be identified export mechanism. Here, we show that a member of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily, ABCB19, functions as a brassinosteroid exporter. We present its structure in both the substrate-unbound and the brassinosteroid-bound states. Bioactive brassinosteroids are potent activators of ABCB19 ATP hydrolysis activity, and transport assays showed that ABCB19 transports brassinosteroids. In Arabidopsis thaliana, ABCB19 and its close homolog, ABCB1, positively regulate brassinosteroid responses. Our results uncover an elusive export mechanism for bioactive brassinosteroids that is tightly coordinated with brassinosteroid signaling.
- MeSH
- ABC transportéry * chemie genetika metabolismus MeSH
- adenosintrifosfát metabolismus MeSH
- Arabidopsis * genetika metabolismus MeSH
- brassinosteroidy * metabolismus MeSH
- konformace proteinů MeSH
- kyseliny indoloctové metabolismus MeSH
- proteiny huseníčku * chemie genetika metabolismus MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Názvy látek
- ABC transportéry * MeSH
- ABCB19 protein, Arabidopsis MeSH Prohlížeč
- adenosintrifosfát MeSH
- brassinosteroidy * MeSH
- kyseliny indoloctové MeSH
- proteiny huseníčku * MeSH
To harness the potential of a quantum computer, quantum information must be protected against error by encoding it into a logical state that is suitable for quantum error correction. The Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) qubit is a promising candidate because the required multiqubit operations are readily available at optical frequency. To date, however, GKP qubits have been demonstrated only at mechanical and microwave frequencies. We realized a GKP state in propagating light at telecommunication wavelength and verified it through homodyne measurements without loss corrections. The generation is based on interference of cat states, followed by homodyne measurements. Our final states exhibit nonclassicality and non-Gaussianity, including the trident shape of faint instances of GKP states. Improvements toward brighter, multipeaked GKP qubits will be the basis for quantum computation with light.
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
