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Yan, S.

Publications and source records attributed to Yan, S..

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

DEPICT enables sample-centric therapeutic prioritization across evolving and spatially heterogeneous tumor states

Accurate treatment selection remains a major challenge in precision oncology because tumors with similar genomic alterations can respond differently to therapy. Most drug-response models evaluate individual drugs or drug-sample pairs, whereas clinical decision-making requires therapies to be prioritized within each tumor context. Here we present DEPICT (Drug Efficacy Prediction via Integrated ConText), a sample-centric deep learning framework that reframes drug-response prediction as the relative prioritization of therapies within an individual tumor context. DEPICT integrates transcriptomic and mutational features with prior alteration-therapy relationship and was trained on 231,880 cell line-drug pairs comprising 941 cancer cell lines and 289 compounds. Without retraining, DEPICT retained predictive performance in independently profiled cell lines, experimentally induced drug-resistant states and matched primary lung tumors and patient-derived organoids. Representations learned exclusively from bulk pharmacogenomic data further captured progressive drug-response states at single-cell resolution and outperformed existing single-cell drug-response inference methods. Applied to spatial transcriptomic data, DEPICT resolved clone-associated therapeutic heterogeneity within individual lung tumors, and predicted regional differences were recapitulated in matched multiregional organoid drug-response assays. These findings establish sample-centric therapeutic prioritization as a transferable strategy for modeling dynamic and spatially heterogeneous drug vulnerabilities across biological scales.

bioinformatics↗

Cross-Tissue Inflammatory Convergence Supports a Putative Muscle-Brain Axis in Alzheimer's Disease

Background Reduced muscle strength is associated with cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD), suggesting that skeletal-muscle aging and AD-related neurodegeneration may share biological mechanisms. Vascular dysfunction, immune activation, and extracellular-matrix remodeling have been implicated in both tissues, but the extent of shared cellular and molecular programs remains unclear. We investigated cross-tissue transcriptional programs in aging skeletal muscle and AD-related brain tissue and evaluated whether related signals are detectable in peripheral blood. Methods We analyzed independent, unpaired human transcriptomic datasets from skeletal muscle (23 donors), the SEA-AD middle temporal gyrus atlas (84 donors), and peripheral blood. Donor-aware models identified age-associated changes in muscle and transcriptomic changes across continuous pseudoprogression score (CPS) in brain. Cross-tissue comparisons focused on 30 brain donors within an early CPS window. Shared tissue-derived programs were assessed in peripheral blood mononuclear cells and independently tested in frailty bulk-blood and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) whole-blood datasets. CellOracle simulations were used to prioritize candidate transcriptional regulators. Results Aging muscle showed increased inflammatory, extracellular-matrix, and stromal communication programs. During early AD-related brain progression, vascular and immune populations showed increasing inflammatory and matrix-associated activity together with shifts in intercellular communication. Cross-tissue analysis identified six concordantly enriched pathways comprising 109 leading-edge genes in endothelial populations and four pathways comprising 51 genes in myeloid populations. Related peripheral-blood signatures varied across cohorts and cell types. However, in independent frailty and ADNI mild cognitive impairment and AD datasets, 23 of 30 predefined tissue-derived pathway-subset tests showed significant positive enrichment after false-discovery-rate correction, whereas individual gene-level bulk-blood associations did not survive correction. CellOracle analyses prioritized ETS2 and BHLHE40 as exploratory endothelial regulators whose simulated perturbation consistently reduced selected shared program scores across tissues. Conclusions Aging skeletal muscle and AD-related brain tissue exhibit convergent endothelial and myeloid inflammatory programs, with related pathway-level signals detectable in peripheral blood. These cross-tissue programs and candidate endothelial regulators provide testable hypotheses for mechanisms linking systemic aging, muscle dysfunction, and AD-related neurodegeneration.

neuroscience↗

The multiscale architecture of trait aggression: from meta-analytic convergence to multimodal characterization

Background. Trait aggression shows substantial interindividual variability, yet its neurobiological architecture across structural, functional, molecular, and macroscale organizational levels remains poorly understood. Methods. We developed a convergent multiscale framework to characterize the neurobiological architecture associated with trait aggression. We first integrated a large-sample voxel-based morphometry analysis (n = 922) with published neuroimaging studies using two complementary coordinate-based meta-analytic approaches, activation likelihood estimation and seed-based d mapping (total N = 3,671). Convergent meta-analytic findings were subsequently mapped onto functional connectivity networks, and their molecular signatures were characterized using imaging transcriptomics and neurotransmitter mapping. Finally, we examined whether the spatial organization of aggression-related networks was embedded within intrinsic multimodal brain hierarchies spanning morphometric, functional, transcriptomic, and neurochemical dimensions. Results. Across complementary analyses, trait aggression converged on a reproducible structural-functional network centered on the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. This architecture exhibited distinct molecular signatures, including gene-expression patterns enriched for synaptic functions and robust spatial associations with serotonergic, dopaminergic, and noradrenergic transporter systems. Moreover, the spatial organization of the aggression-related functional network was systematically predicted by the brain's intrinsic multimodal gradients, indicating that it is embedded within broader principles of cortical hierarchical organization. Conclusions. these findings move beyond the localization of aggression to discrete brain regions and identify a reproducible multiscale architecture linking aggression-related structural variation to functional network organization, molecular signatures, and the brain's intrinsic multimodal hierarchy. This integrative framework provides a systems-level account of the neurobiological basis of individual differences in trait aggression.

neuroscience↗

Parallel Arg/N-degron recognition systems regulate coenzyme A biosynthesis

Coenzyme A (CoA) is an essential metabolic cofactor whose biosynthesis is controlled by pantothenate kinases (PANKs), the rate-limiting enzymes in CoA synthesis. Although CoA production is extensively regulated, whether PANK abundance is controlled by selective protein degradation remains unknown. Here, we identify PANK1{beta} and PANK3 as substrates of the Arg/N-degron pathway. Two mechanistically distinct E3 ligase systems, UBR4-KCMF1 and MKLN1-CTLH, independently converge on a common N-terminal MK Arg/N-degron to promote PANK degradation and restrict CoA biosynthesis. UBR4-KCMF1 recognizes the MK Arg/N-degron through KCMF1 ZZ domain, whereas CTLH complex employs the B30.2-domain proteins RanBP9 and RanBP10 as previously unrecognized Arg/N-degron recognins. Structural, biochemical, and cellular analyses demonstrate that RanBP9 and RanBP10 recognize both Met-X and canonical Arg/N-degrons through their B30.2 domains, using a mechanism distinct from canonical UBR proteins. Together, these findings establish a new branch of the mammalian Arg/N-degron pathway and reveal ubiquitin-dependent control of PANK abundance in CoA homeostasis.

molecular biology↗

A Generic Numbering Scheme for TMEM16 Scramblases

The TMEM16 family of calcium-activated phospholipid scramblases (CaPLSs) and chloride channels (CaCCs) performs diverse physiological functions that include regulation of blood coagulation and apoptotic signaling, through a shared ten-transmembrane-helix (TM) architecture organized around a hydrophilic lipid-translocating groove. Mechanistic studies of TMEM16 family members have been hampered by the absence of a unified positional reference framework that would permit direct comparison of structurally equivalent residues across paralogs with different sequence numbering systems. Here we introduce a generic numbering scheme for TMEM16 scramblases (GNS-TMEM16), modeled on the Ballesteros & Weinstein system established for class A G protein-coupled receptors. A reference alignment (TMEM16-RA) was constructed from twelve human and mouse TMEM16 scramblases (TMEM16C/D/E/F/G/J) using structure-based ClustalW alignment of the ten TM helices. From this alignment, a TM-specific reference residue (TsRR) was identified for each helix by hierarchical application of three criteria: (1) 100% conservation in the core TMEM16-RA; (2) conservation in an augmented reference alignment (TMEM16-ARA) incorporating a group of phylogenetically more distant homologs composed of nhTMEM16, afTMEM16, TMEM16K, TMEM16A, and TMEM16B; and (3) structural and functional considerations, including helix-perturbing character, groove localization, conserved motif membership, and central TM position. The resulting ten TsRRs are Y1.50, W2.50, R3.50, E4.50, F5.50, P6.50, E7.50, D8.50, W9.50, and E10.50, and are illustrated in mTMEM16F. Each residue is assigned the identifier N.m(k), where N is the TM number, m is the position relative to the TsRR (for which m = 50), and k is the absolute sequence number. Loop residues receive dual identifiers referenced to the TsRRs of both flanking helices. Application of the GNS-TMEM16 is illustrated with the comparisons of the groove-opening measurements using pairwise distances between residues identified by their N.m indices to be corresponding across mTMEM16F, afTMEM16, and nhTMEM16. The results bring to light the advantages of corresponding residues identification in different TMEM16 proteins and show that the mammalian scramblase undergoes substantially larger separation at the extracellular groove entrance than either fungal homolog. Comparison of mutagenesis data guided by N.m correspondence shows at the conserved (E3.55,R6.26) salt-bridge locus, Ala substitution reduces activity more than 100-fold in nhTMEM16 but less than 2-fold in afTMEM16, illustrating that the GNS identifies structural equivalence of position without implying functional equivalence of the residue, which is a distinct advantage of GNS in providing mechanistic interpretation across paralogs. Also described is a protocol for extending the GNS-TMEM16 to uncharacterized protein sequences, including AlphaFold-predicted models, using structural superposition to mTMEM16F. Thus, the presented GNS-TMEM16 provides a stable positional reference for the integration and comparative analysis of structural, computational, and functional data across the TMEM16 family, utilizing a construction strategy applicable to yet other polytopic membrane protein families sharing a common transmembrane fold.

biophysics↗

A durably colonizing engineered native symbiont enables sustained intestinal delivery for metabolic dysfunction and colitis

BackgroundEngineered bacterial therapeutics represent a promising strategy for sustained intestinal delivery of therapeutic molecules, but their efficacy is limited by inefficient colonisation, safety concerns and the need for repeated administration or auxiliary delivery systems. ObjectiveTo develop a safety-optimised native bacterial chassis capable of long-term gut colonisation and sustained therapeutic delivery for intestinal inflammatory and metabolic diseases. DesignNative murine Escherichia coli isolates were screened for antibiotic susceptibility, genetic tractability and long-term intestinal colonisation. The selected strain, MEc30, was further optimised by deleting the putative virulence-associated clb and irp loci. MEc30 was then engineered to deliver murine interleukin-10 (MEc30-mIL-10) or produce nicotinic acid (MEc30-NA), and therapeutic efficacy was evaluated in Il10-/- colitis and high-fat diet-induced metabolic dysfunction models. ResultsMEc30 achieved stable lifelong colonisation of the murine intestine after a single oral administration, without antibiotic preconditioning or auxiliary delivery systems, and did not detectably disturb host physiology or gut microbial ecology. Deletion of clb and irp abolished potential colibactin- and yersiniabactin-associated biosafety risks while preserving bacterial growth and colonisation capacity. MEc30-NA continuously produced nicotinic acid in the gut, activated epithelial GPR109a-associated barrier signalling, improved glucose and lipid metabolism, reduced systemic inflammation and avoided the sharp peak exposure associated with conventional nicotinic acid administration. MEc30-mIL-10 enabled sustained intestinal IL-10 delivery, suppressed inflammatory macrophage activation, improved barrier integrity and alleviated spontaneous colitis in Il10-/- mice. ConclusionThis study identifies MEc30 as a durable and safety-optimised native E. coli chassis for sustained intestinal therapeutic delivery. Engineered native symbionts may provide a long-acting live biotherapeutic strategy for chronic intestinal inflammatory and metabolic diseases.

microbiology↗

ZNF185 expression is negatively regulated by CTCF and promotes endometrial cancer growth

CCCTC-binding factor (CTCF) is frequently mutated in endometrial cancer, resulting in genetic haploinsufficiency that contributes to tumour progression. We previously showed that depletion of CTCF disrupted cell polarity in KLE endometrial cancer spheroids; however, the implications for gene dysregulation and endometrial cancer pathophysiology remains poorly understood. ZNF185, an actin-associated and LIM domain-containing protein involved in cytoskeletal remodelling, was identified as a dysregulated target following CTCF haploinsufficiency. In this study, shRNA-mediated knockdown of CTCF was used to model haploinsufficiency in endometrial cancer cells, leading to the identification of a previously unrecognised isoform of ZNF185, named ZNF185B. Unlike the full-length protein, ZNF185B lacked co-localisation with F-actin and exhibited a diffuse cytoplasmic distribution, and ZNF185B was significantly upregulated in CTCF-depleted endometrial cancer cells and in an auxin-inducible degron model in a dose-dependent manner. Functional studies demonstrated that depletion of ZNF185 expression reduced endometrial cancer cell proliferation and clonogenic potential. Together, these findings identify ZNF185B as a novel isoform negatively regulated by CTCF protein dosage and establish ZNF185 as a requirement for endometrial cancer cell proliferation. Our results suggest that dysregulated ZNF185 expression is a crucial downstream consequence of CTCF haploinsufficiency and may contribute to tumour progression in endometrial cancer.

Molecular Biology↗

SMS: Symmetric Mediation Statistics for Powerful High-Dimensional Mediation Analysis

BackgroundMediation analysis of high-dimensional features, particularly molecular-level omics features, provides important opportunities to uncover biological mechanisms underlying human health and disease. However, two central statistical challenges remain: testing the composite-null hypothesis and maintaining power when the exposure-mediator and mediator-outcome associations differ substantially in statistical significance. Existing methods typically rely on accurate estimation of the proportions of the three null types or on the maximum of the two association p-values, and may not always control the FDR well and may have limited power under imbalanced significance. MethodsWe propose SMS, a new statistical framework based on symmetric mediation statistics. By exploiting symmetry, SMS calibrates the composite null distribution as a whole for FDR control. It also allows flexible combinations of the two association p-values, including the maximum, and then enables construction of an omnibus test. Moreover, it permits direct use of effect-size estimates, bypassing the need to compute p-values. ResultsSMS controlled the FDR across a wide range of simulation scenarios while achieving a substantial sensitivity gain, often around 20 percentage points, over existing methods including HDMT, DACT, and DEI-B. Applications to a metabolomics dataset and a DNA methylation dataset further corroborated these findings. Notably, SMS discovered five plausible mediators in the metabolomics dataset that were missed by all existing methods considered.

bioinformatics↗

Enhanced Target Binding by Leritrelvir Restores Dimerization of Mpro Mutants and Mitigates Drug Resistance

The SARS-CoV-2 main protease (Mpro) has been a major target of antiviral drug development, leading to the development of inhibitors such as nirmatrelvir, the antiviral component of the COVID-19 drug Paxlovid. However, resistance-associated mutations that reduce the efficacy of current Mpro inhibitors, particularly nirmatrelvir, have emerged. Here, we evaluated the inhibitory activity of leritrelvir (RAY1216), an Mpro inhibitor approved in China for COVID-19 monotherapy, against a panel of Mpro variants carrying mutations at 12 resistance-associated residues distributed across four catalytic subsites. Using integrated biochemical, biophysical, structural, and cellular analyses, we demonstrate that leritrelvir retains stronger inhibitory activity against most tested resistant mutants compared with nirmatrelvir. Most of the tested mutations promote Mpro dimer dissociation, with E166V showing a particularly pronounced effect and markedly compromising nirmatrelvir binding. In contrast, thermal shift and size-exclusion chromatography assays demonstrate that leritrelvir binding restores dimerization of these Mpro mutants. Sixteen high-resolution crystal structures reveal that leritrelvir binding re-instates key dimer-interface interactions disrupted by resistance mutations. Mini-replicon assays further confirm leritrelvir to possess enhanced cellular antiviral efficacy compared with nirmatrelvir. Our findings indicate that tighter leritrelvir binding enables more effective inhibition of dissociation-prone Mpro mutants than nirmatrelvir, supporting its use as a more resilient antiviral agent for SARS-CoV-2 treatment.

molecular biology↗

(2R,6R)-Hydroxynorketamine elicits rapid antidepressant effects by promoting astrocytic μ-δ opioid receptor heterodimerization

Ketamine produces rapid antidepressant effects but is constrained by psychotomimetic properties and abuse potential. The ketamine metabolite (2R,6R)-hydroxynorketamine (HNK) shows antidepressant-like efficacy without N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) blockade, yet its upstream targets remain unclear. Here we show that HNK potentiates hippocampal excitatory transmission and reverses stress-induced behavioural deficits through opioid receptor signaling. Pharmacological and genetic analyses reveal a requirement for both {micro}- and {delta}-opioid receptors in astrocytes. Chronic stress reduces {micro}-{delta} receptor heterodimers in the hippocampus, and a single dose of HNK restores their abundance. PAINT-MINFLUX nanoscopy quantifies increased {micro}-{delta} heterodimerization, and molecular dynamics simulations indicate selective binding of HNK to the {micro}-receptor protomer via Asp147 and Tyr148. Mutating these residues abolishes HNK-driven heterodimer formation, downstream signaling and rapid antidepressant-like effects in vivo. Astrocytic {micro}-{delta} opioid receptor heterodimers thus represent a targetable mechanism for next-generation rapid-acting antidepressants.

neuroscience↗

Chronic Mild Stress Impairs Hippocampal Myelination through SOX6-Dependent Dysfunction of Oligodendrocyte Lineage Cells

Chronic stress induces structural and functional changes in the brain, increasing susceptibility to major depressive disorder and other mental illnesses. Myelination deficits are a key pathological feature of stress-related disorders, yet the molecular mechanisms linking chronic stress to oligodendrocyte dysfunction remain poorly understood. Here, we used single-nucleus multiome sequencing to map gene expression and chromatin-accessibility remodeling in the hippocampus of mice exposed to chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS), a model that simulates key features of human daily stressors. CUMS induced broad molecular reprogramming across hippocampal cell populations, with stress-responsive gene networks significantly enriched for depression-associated genes. The oligodendrocyte lineage showed heightened vulnerability, with CUMS preferentially disrupting immature OPC/intermediate states and impairing OPC migration, OPC-to-ODC lineage progression, intercellular communication, and myelination. Integrated multiomic analysis identified stage-specific cis-regulatory elements and stress-sensitive gene regulatory networks, converging on SOXD transcription factors, particularly SOX5 and SOX6, as key regulators of OPC dysfunction. SOX6 ChIP-seq confirmed direct SOX6 binding at regulatory elements associated with genes controlling OPC morphogenesis, migration, and glutamatergic signaling. CUMS reduced SOX6 protein levels and SOX6-associated regulatory network activity in OPCs, whereas OPC-specific enhancer-driven restoration of SOX6 rescued stress-induced defects in OPC migration and myelination. Together, these findings define a stress-sensitive SOXD/SOX6 regulatory mechanism linking chronic stress to oligodendrocyte lineage dysfunction and myelination deficits, identifying SOX6 as a functional regulatory node with therapeutic potential for stress-related brain pathology.

neuroscience↗

Plant-specific and conserved mechanisms of the polymerase-associated factor 1 complex in replication stress responses

DNA replication stress threatens genome stability in eukaryotes. The evolutionarily conserved kinase WEE1 is essential for the activation of the replication stress response. Although the polymerase-associated factor 1 complex (PAF1C) is highly conserved in eukaryotes, its role in the DNA replication stress response remains unclear. Here, we show that Arabidopsis PAF1C is essential for replication stress response. PAF1C-deficient mutants exhibit hypersensitivity to hydroxyurea (HU)-induced replication stress. Mechanistically, we uncover a plant-specific regulatory pathway in which WEE1 interacts with and phosphorylates the PAF1 subunit within its unique N-terminal domain, thereby preventing PAF1 polyubiquitination and subsequent proteasomal degradation to ensure PAF1 accumulation under stress. Genetically, overexpression of a phospho-mimetic PAF1 variant suppresses the HU hypersensitivity of wee1, revealing that PAF1 acts downstream of WEE1. However, the WEE1-PAF1 regulatory axis is absent in yeast, indicating its lineage-specific innovation. Further studies reveal that the replication factor C (RFC) complex interacts with and recruits PAF1 to the stalled replication forks. PAF1 then sequentially recruits the E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes UBC1/2 and the E3 ubiquitin ligases HUB1/2 to promote histone H2B monoubiquitination (H2Bub), thereby facilitating replication fork stability. This RFC-dependent recruitment mechanism is conserved in yeast. Collectively, this study suggests that PAF1 regulates replication stress responses by integrating a plant-specific protein stability control mechanism (WEE1-PAF1) with a conserved recruitment mechanism (RFC-PAF1-UBC1/2-HUB1/2), uncovering a novel function of PAF1C and revealing new mechanisms of WEE1 and the RFC complex.

plant biology↗

Correlations of 276 missense variants of PSEN1, PSEN2, and APP on the production of Aβ peptides against variant effect predictors and biophysical structures

INTRODUCTIONEarly-onset Alzheimers disease (EOAD) is mostly caused by mutations in Presenilin-1,2 (PSEN1, PSEN2), and amyloid precursor protein (APP) genes. Both genetic and experimental evidence has supported the PSEN-APP amyloid hypothesis as the leading pathogenesis of AD. Thus far, 276 missense variants from PSEN1,2, and APP have been identified. Herein, we report the development of algorithm platforms for predicting the degrees of pathogenic potentials of these various missense mutations in AD. METHODSWe performed extensive pairwise correlations between 276 in vitro functional assays of missense variants from PSEN1, PSEN2, and APP and clinical data among EOAD patients against 37 variant effect predictors (VEPs). Furthermore, we used the structural models of all three proteins to refine understanding of the molecular basis of missense variants in dominant negative (DN) or loss-of-function (LoF) effects. RESULTSWe found that VEPs were consistently correlated with age of onset (AAO) among EOAD patients and the A{beta}42/A{beta}40 ratio biomarker. This study also identified discrepancies in the predictor variable leading to an increase in the A{beta}42/A{beta}40 ratio; The increased A{beta}42/A{beta}40 ratio was due to decreased A{beta}40 levels by Sun et al., (2016), while Petit et al., (2022) argued that increased A{beta}42 level was the culprit. We also identified that with increased predicted pathogenicity, there were decreased A{beta}38 levels. Conversely, this study found no direct correlations with A{beta}37 and A{beta}43. Lastly, structural studies show characteristics of either DN and LoF mechanisms, as there were numerous variants located in buried hydrophobic domains and those on charged surfaces of the proteins. DISCUSSIONCurrently, a major limitation in the field is the lack of reliable approaches for predicting the pathogenicity of variants in EOAD. We show that VEPs are promising in deciphering the effects of variants in PSEN1, PSEN2, and APP genes, especially between multiple pathogenic mutations. Our study also illuminates the need for experimental studies to identify the predictor variable causing the increased A{beta}42/A{beta}40 biomarker. Our biophysical studies also identify the need to characterize whether the mechanism of pathogenesis caused by DN or LoF effects is in scope of the presenilin hypothesis. Research in ContextO_LISystematic review: The authors reviewed experimental evidence of pathogenic PSEN1, PSEN2, and APP variants in scope of the presenilin hypothesis. To our knowledge, the pathogenesis of EOAD remains incompletely understood. There are also no predictive tools/models available for informing clinical translation. C_LIO_LIInterpretation: VEPs demonstrate strong correlations with AAO and A{beta} levels from pairwise correlations with 276 missense variants. Structurally, it appears that mutations demonstrate characteristics of dominant negative and loss-of-function effects. C_LIO_LIFuture Direction: Larger studies are necessary of VEPs for realistic clinical usage. C_LI HighlightsO_LIWe performed correlations of 37 VEPs against in vitro data of EOAD variants. C_LIO_LIVEPs demonstrate potential as diagnostic tools for early onset Alzheimers disease. C_LIO_LIPathogenic missense variants show characteristics of DN and LoF effects. C_LI

neuroscience↗

Genetic analysis and mapping of adult plant stripe rust resistance loci in CIMMYT wheat 'Kijil under Mexican and Chinese field environments

Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, can cause severe yield losses in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) during epidemics. Breeding resistant wheat varieties remains the most cost-effective approach to manage this disease; and the identification of new resistance loci is essential for maintaining genetic diversity. The CIMMYT-derived wheat line Kijil was highly resistant to stripe rust in both Mexican and Chinese environments. A population of 153 F recombinant inbred lines (RILs) was derived from a cross between Kijil and the susceptible parent Apav#1. The population was phenotyped for stripe rust resistance across seven environments in two countries and genotyped using a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) platform. Inclusive composite interval mapping (ICIM) was uesd to construct a genetic map and identify significant resistance quantitative trait loci (QTLs) using 5,468 polymorphic markers. Mapping revealed the known resistance loci Yr29, Yr30 and QYr.hzau-3AS, along with two novel loci, QYr.hzau-2BS and QYr.hzau-5DL, across both Chinese and Mexican rust environments. Among these, QYr.hzau-2BS accounted for 11.75% to 19.19% of the phenotypic variance. A corresponding KASP marker, KASP_2BS, was developed to facilitate maker-assisted selection. Based on the mapping interval, four candidate genes underlying this locus were predicted. Further analysis revealed that Yr29 showed significant additive effects with other stripe rust resistance genes/loci, and the combination of Yr29, Yr30, and QYr.hzau-2BS reduced disease severity by up to 67.8%. Our findings suggest that Kijil and RILs carrying Yr29, Yr30, and QYr.hzau-2BS can serve as valuable donors for breeding wheat varieties with improved stripe rust resistance. Author summaryStripe rust is an important disease that seriously threatens the yield and quality of wheat. It is crucial to explore new resistant resources and cultivate durable resistant varieties in the current breeding programme. In this study, we analysed the genetic basis of resistance to stripe rust in the wheat line "Kijil", which has broad-spectrum resistance to stripe rust. Through genetic mapping, we identified five quantitative trait loci for stripe rust, including two new resistance loci. A closely linked KASP marker, KASP_2BS, was developed for the QYr.hzau-2BS, which can be used for rapid and accurate screening of resistant plants in early breeding populations. Meanwhile, within this QTL region, we screened four candidate genes based on expression analysis. In addition, it was found that polymerization of QYr.hzau-2BS with known resistance genes, Yr29 and Yr30, significantly enhanced resistance and reduced disease severity to low levels and near immunity. In conclusion, this study provides new genetic resources, practical molecular markers and effective gene polymerization strategies for breeding wheat for stripe rust resistance. Kijil and the lines containing resistance loci have important breeding utilization value.

plant biology↗

Augmented prediction of multi-species protein--RNA interactions using evolutionary conservation of RNA-binding proteins

AbstractRNA-binding proteins (RBPs) play critical roles in gene expression regulation. Recent studies have begun to detail the RNA recognition mechanisms of diverse RBPs. However, given the array of RBPs studied so far, it is implausible to experimentally profile RBP-binding peaks for hundreds of RBPs in multiple non-model organisms. Here, we introduce MuSIC (Multi-Species RBP-RNA Interactions using Conservation), a deep learning-based framework for predicting cross-species RBP-RNA interactions by leveraging label smoothing and evolutionary conservation of RBPs across 11 diverse species ranging from human to yeast. MuSIC outperforms state-of-the-art computational methods, and provides predicted RBP-binding peaks across species with high accuracy. The prediction confidence is higher in the closely related species, partially due to the RBP conservation patterns. Finally, the effects of homologous genetic variants on RBP binding can be computationally quantified across species, followed by experimental validations. The target transcripts with disrupted binding events are enriched with the ubiquitination-associated pathways. To summarize, MuSIC provides a useful computational framework for predicting RBP-RNA interactions cross-species and quantifying the effects of genetic variants on RBP binding, offering novel insights into the RBP-mediated regulatory mechanisms implicated in human diseases. HighlightsO_LIMuSIC integrates RBP-binding peaks with conservation-weighted label smoothing to predict RBP-RNA interactions across eleven species C_LIO_LIMuSIC outperforms state-of-the-art computational methods in predicting cross-species RBP-RNA interactions C_LIO_LICross-species prediction accuracy of RBP-binding peaks correlates with the conservation of RBPs C_LIO_LIMuSIC quantifies the effects of homologous SNVs on RBP binding with experimental validation in mouse C_LI

bioinformatics↗

Trimodal Single-Cell Gene Regulatory Networks Reveal Principles of Stemness Loss and Cell Fate Acquisition in Human Hematopoiesis

Hematopoiesis requires the coordinated loss of stemness and acquisition of lineage identity, yet the regulatory logic and principles underlying these transitions has remained elusive. Single-cell studies suggest that hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells progress along continuous trajectories, but this view conflicts with the existence of discrete, functionally validated populations. Here, we establish the first dynamic, enhancer-based gene regulatory networks (eGRNs) that resolve the molecular programs underlying early human hematopoietic fate decisions. Built on a high-resolution trimodal framework generated with TEA-seq, these networks integrate simultaneously measured transcription factor abundance, enhancer and promoter accessibility, and gene expression within single-cell trajectories anchored to immunophenotypically defined populations. Our framework reveals that stemness loss and lineage acquisition are temporally and mechanistically uncoupled: stemness programs decline gradually through reduced TF abundance long before chromatin closure, whereas lineage identity emerges stepwise through enhancer reconfiguration and activation of lineage-defining eGRNs. This process generates discrete regulatory states that align with immunophenotypically defined populations. Together, these findings reconcile continuous and discrete models of hematopoiesis and establish eGRNs as a powerful framework for defining cell types by their regulatory logic. In addition, we provide an interactive web-based resource to facilitate further investigation of eGRNs and trajectories during early human hematopoiesis.

genomics↗

Hyperbolic Wavelet Interaction Network (HyWinNet): Multi-Scale Geometric Learning for Interpretable Protein-Protein Interaction Prediction

Understanding the multi-scale organization of protein-protein interactions (PPIs) is fundamental to deciphering cellular signaling, allosteric regulation, and disease mechanisms, yet existing computational approaches fail to simultaneously resolve atomic-scale binding interfaces and pathway-level coordination. We present HyWinNet, a geometric deep learning framework that unifies Lorentzian hyperbolic graph neural networks with spectral graph wavelet transforms to intrinsically model the hierarchical architecture of biological interactions. The core innovation lies in three synergistic components: (1) Hyperbolic embeddings that preserve evolutionary-conserved topological relationships through negatively curved space projections, capturing scale-free properties of protein networks; (2) Multi-scale wavelet decomposition operating at biologically grounded resolutions to jointly analyze local residue contacts and global pathway dynamics; (3) Contrastive learning with stochastic feature dropout that mimics natural binding interface plasticity. Benchmarked against state-of-the-art methods, HyWinNet demonstrates superior performance in recovering known interactions while predicting previously unannotated functional sites validated through independent structural and biochemical studies. By bridging hyperbolic geometry with graph signal processing, this work establishes a new paradigm for analyzing multi-scale biological networks, offering both interpretable computational predictions and testable hypotheses for experimental validation. The frameworks ability to map hierarchical relationships from atomic details to system-level modules provides a transformative tool for drug discovery and mechanistic studies of complex diseases.

bioinformatics↗

Evolutionary predisposition of NIN to function in nitrogen-fixing nodules

Nitrogen-fixing nodule symbiosis is an ecologically and economically important trait in legumes and some related species. A critical step in the evolution of nodulation is the recruitment of NODULE INCEPTION (NIN); a homolog of the nitrate-sensing NIN-LIKE PROTEIN (NLP) transcription factors. However, whether adaptations have occurred in the NIN protein upon its recruitment in symbiosis remains elusive. Here we show that non-symbiotic NIN orthologs can function in intracellular infection and even nodule initiation, demonstrating that these properties of NIN predate the evolution of nodulation. Concurrent with the evolution of nodulation, symbiotic NIN proteins were optimized for their role in symbiosis by acquiring nitrate independent functionality, including constitutive nuclear localization. A single amino acid substitution in Arabidopsis AtNLP2 enhances its nuclear localization under low nitrate conditions, making it functionally comparable to a symbiotic NIN. These findings highlight that NIN was predisposed to function in nodulation at the time of its recruitment into nitrogen-fixing symbiosis. Our study provides novel insight in how and why non-symbiotic NIN orthologues could be recruited to function in nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbiosis.

plant biology↗