A. Nakamura

Dual-specificity phosphatases 13 and 27 as key switches in muscle stem cell transition from proliferation to differentiation

The paper identifies Dusp13 and Dusp27 as MYOD target genes that regulate muscle stem cell transition from proliferation to differentiation during myogenesis.

Olfaction foraging in visually oriented tropical arboreal ants Oecophylla smaragdina: Implications for insect predation studies using artificial sentinel prey

This study tests the effectiveness of sentinel prey in identifying predators by showing that Oecophylla smaragdina ants rely more on olfactory cues than visual cues for predation.

miR-29 is an important driver of aging-related phenotypes

This study identifies miR-29 as a key driver of aging-related phenotypes by showing its upregulation in aging models and its ability to induce aging traits when overexpressed.

The polyol pathway is an evolutionarily conserved system for sensing glucose uptake

The paper shows the polyol pathway senses glucose uptake in flies and mice, enabling metabolic remodeling through ChREBP/MondoA activation.

The sugar-responsive enteroendocrine neuropeptide F regulates lipid metabolism through glucagon-like and insulin-like hormones in Drosophila melanogaster

This study identifies Neuropeptide F (NPF) in Drosophila as a sugar-responsive incretin-like hormone that regulates lipid metabolism via glucagon-like and insulin-like hormones.

A Crystallographic Snapshot of SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease Maturation Process

This paper presents a crystal structure of an immature SARS-CoV-2 main protease, revealing conformational changes that hinder dimerization and activity, and identifies potential therapeutic targets.

Bacterial glycocalyx integrity drives multicellular swarm biofilm dynamism

The paper shows that BPS secretion alters EPS glycocalyx stability, affecting cell motility and biofilm structure in M. xanthus.

Extracellular DJ-1 induces sterile inflammation in the ischemic brain

This paper shows that extracellular DJ-1 triggers inflammation in ischemic brains by activating TLR2 and TLR4, and that blocking DJ-1 reduces inflammation and neuronal damage.

Coordinate transcriptional and post-transcriptional repression of pro-differentiation genes maintains intestinal stem cell identity

This study identifies P-body dependent repression of pro-differentiation genes in Drosophila intestinal stem cells, maintaining their identity by preventing inappropriate translation and expression of differentiation genes.

Chemical-state-dependent free energy profile from single-molecule trajectories of biomolecular motor: Application to processive chitinase

This study uses single-molecule trajectories to estimate a chemical-state-dependent free energy profile for processive chitinase, revealing how chemical state changes drive unidirectional motion.

The polyol pathway is a crucial glucose sensor in Drosophila

This study identifies the polyol pathway as a glucose sensor in Drosophila that activates the metabolic regulator Mondo, linking glucose levels to transcriptional responses.

An integrated approach unravels a crucial structural property for the function of the insect steroidogenic Halloween protein Noppera-bo

This paper determines the structure of the insect steroidogenic Halloween protein Noppera-bo and identifies a conserved residue critical for its function.