W. Mao

Identification of the KIF18A alpha-4 helix as a therapeutic target for chromosomally unstable tumor cells

This study identifies the KIF18A alpha-4 helix as a therapeutic target, showing that mutations or inhibitors targeting this region disrupt proliferation of chromosomally unstable tumor cells.

Assembly and Cation-selectivity Mechanisms of Neuronal Gap Junction Channel Connexin 36 Elucidated by Cryo-EM

This study determines the cryo-EM structure of Cx36, revealing structural features that explain its homomeric assembly and cation-selectivity, and provides insights into its role in electrical synapses.

Invasive Californian death caps develop mushrooms unisexually and bisexually

The paper reveals invasive Amanita phalloides mushrooms can reproduce both unisexually and bisexually, with homokaryotic and heterokaryotic forms, suggesting diverse reproductive strategies aid their spread.

Polymerization cycle of actin homolog MreB from a Gram-positive bacterium

This study reports the first observation of organized MreB filaments and 3D structure from a Gram-positive bacterium, revealing unique polymerization mechanisms distinct from eukaryotic actin.

Prediction of local convergent shifts in evolutionary rates with phyloConverge characterizes the phenotypic associations and modularity of regulatory elements

This paper introduces phyloConverge, a method to analyze local convergence in regulatory elements, showing it identifies rate-accelerated CNEs linked to ocular tissues in subterranean mammals.

Discovery of A New Class of Integrin Antibodies for Fibrosis

The paper identifies new integrin antibodies that inhibit fibrosis progression in lung injury models and show superior in vitro activity in fibroblasts.

RERconverge: an R package for associating evolutionary rates with convergent traits

RERconverge associates evolutionary rates with convergent traits across phylogenies, supporting binary and continuous traits with visualization and enrichment tools.