R. Adriano Batista

Evolutionary flexibility in the maternal-to-zygotic transition reveals alternative routes to embryogenesis across eukaryotes

The paper investigates the maternal-to-zygotic transition in brown algae, finding that zygotic genome activation occurs immediately after fertilization without stable parental imprinting, suggesting evolutionary flexibility in embryogenesis.

PKN is a sex- and species-specific fertilization factor in brown algae

This study identifies PKN as a female-specific protein in brown algae that mediates species-specific fertilization by enabling male-female recognition.

Dominance modifiers at the Arabidopsis self-incompatibility locus retain proto-miRNA features and act through non-canonical pathways

The paper investigates sRNA precursors at the Arabidopsis self-incompatibility locus, showing they repress recessive alleles through non-canonical pathways and generate diverse sRNA molecules.

The evolutionary history and functional specialization of microRNA genes in Arabidopsis halleri and A. lyrata

This study investigates the evolutionary history and functional specialization of miRNA genes in Arabidopsis halleri and A. lyrata, showing rapid birth-and-death dynamics and integration into core biological processes.