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molbioevol.bsky.social
Molecular Biology and Evolution
@molbioevol.bsky.social
1.2K followers 37 following 310 posts
MBE publishes fresh insights into the patterns and processes that impact the evolution of life at molecular levels.

🔗 academic.oup.com/mbe

🏠 @official-smbe.bsky.social

🤝 @genomebiolevol.bsky.social

#evobio #molbio #science #biology #societyjournal
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molbioevol.bsky.social
Price et al. characterized germline and somatic intercellular bridges in the cnidarian Hydra vulgaris, revealing that the molecular and structural features of intercellular bridges in Hydra are conserved across lineages.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf248

#evobio #molbio #hydra
MBE | Examination of Germline and Somatic Intercellular Bridges in Hydra vulgaris Reveals Insights into the Evolutionarily Conserved Mechanism of Intercellular Bridge Formation
November 21, 2025 at 12:10 PM
molbioevol.bsky.social
"The two concepts of epaktovars and xenotypes provide a framework for understanding how independently evolving lineages, whether prokaryotic, eukaryotic, plasmid, or viral, can acquire similar genomic patterns through gene transfer."
MBE | Classifying Convergences in the Light of Horizontal Gene Transfer: Epaktovars and Xenotypes Fig. 2.A phylogenetic network illustrating the relationships between epaktovars, xenotypes, and the consequences of vertical inheritance. Taxa {A,B} share 50 genes with taxa {G,H}, making them xenotypes of one another (see text for details). Without phenotypic data, we would not be able to say whether these groups are epaktovars. Taxa A and E, labeled green, are epaktovars and xenotypes for some trait, thanks to the independent acquisition of a gene encoding a metabolic enzyme, which results in the same phenotype in both taxa. B and G, labeled red, have independently evolved resistance to a toxin, though HGT has not facilitated the evolution of this trait, making them epaktovars, but not xenotypes.
November 20, 2025 at 3:48 PM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Epaktovars: organisms that have independently acquired similar phenotypes

Xenotypes: organisms that share genetic material that has been acquired through horizontal transfer, regardless of quantity, mechanism of transfer, or phenotypic effect
MBE | Classifying Convergences in the Light of Horizontal Gene Transfer: Epaktovars and Xenotypes Fig. 1. Clarification of the relationships between epaktovars and xenotypes.
November 20, 2025 at 3:48 PM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Chen et al. present the v4 upgrade of the DIVERGE software for identifying amino acid residues critical to functional shifts between protein subfamilies, including DIVERGE-Chat, a conversational AI agent for code-free exploration.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf277

#evobio #molbio #compbio
MBE | DIVERGE v4: A Platform for Large-Scale Analysis of Functional Divergence Across Multi-Gene Families
November 19, 2025 at 1:20 PM
molbioevol.bsky.social
He et al. sequenced whole genomes from 21 Tibeto-Burman-speaking groups and genotyped individuals from 60 Sino-Tibetan-speaking groups to reconstruct the origins of Tibeto-Burman populations on the eastern Tibetan Plateau.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf258

#evobio #molbio #humanevolution
MBE | Human Population Genetic History and Evolutionary Dynamics on the Eastern Tibetan Plateau
November 18, 2025 at 11:21 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Dias et al. used genetic data from 27 Drosophilidae species and 6 outgroups to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships of fruit flies, recovering Drosophilidae as nonmonophyletic, underscoring the need for taxonomic revision.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf269

#evobio #molbio #drosophila
MBE | Timing and Pattern of Early Diversification in Drosophilidae (Diptera)
November 14, 2025 at 10:46 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Our recent article on GHIST, the community competition to benchmark methods in genomic history inference, is the focus of this month's Highlight.

Highlight: Community Tournament GHIST Fuels Advances in Computational Genetics

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf278

#evobio #molbio #compbio
MBE | Highlight: Community Tournament GHIST Fuels Advances in Computational Genetics
November 14, 2025 at 9:32 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Hart et al. integrated cell biology, phylogenetics, transcriptomics, and genomics to investigate Trichomonas–bacteria interactions, identifying a conserved molecular toolkit that targets bacterial peptidoglycan and its precursor.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf276

#evobio #molbio
MBE | An Evolutionarily Conserved Laterally Acquired Toolkit Enables Microbiota Targeting by Trichomonas
November 14, 2025 at 8:51 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
The origin of plasmid core genes remains poorly understood - Picazo et al. show that acquisition of LLP-1/LPP-2 plasmids by the bacteria Pantoea introduced genetic redundancy with chromosomal genes, followed by waves of differential gene loss.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf273

#evobio #molbio
MBE | Evolution of the Plant-Associated Pantoea was Accompanied by Plasmid Domestication Events
November 14, 2025 at 8:36 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Zhou et al. present SMTdb, a spatial meta-transcriptome database that provides insights into the abundance, distribution, and enriched tumor microenvironment regions of 1,218 microbiota in spatial tissue slices.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf263

#evobio #molbio #cancer
MBE | SMTdb: A Comprehensive Spatial Meta-Transcriptome Resource in Cancer
November 7, 2025 at 9:35 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
You can visit the GHIST website to learn how to participate: ghist.bio
November 6, 2025 at 3:20 PM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Community competitions help benchmark approaches in computational biology. Struck et al. now present GHIST 2024 - The First Genomic History Inference Strategies Tournament, for the inference of evolutionary history from genome data.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf257

#evobio #molbio #compbio #popgen
MBE | GHIST 2024: The First Genomic History Inference Strategies Tournament
November 6, 2025 at 3:20 PM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Independently evolved supergenes control colony social organization and queen reproductive strategies in several ant lineages. Sigeman et al. uncover a novel 9 Mb supergene controlling queen size and social organization in Myrmica ruginodis.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf255

#evobio #molbio #ants
MBE | A Novel Supergene Controls Queen Size and Colony Social Organization in the Ant Myrmica ruginodis
November 5, 2025 at 11:24 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Fu et al. used comparative genomics to investigate the evolution of rock-inhabiting fungi. They reveal these fungi have compact, gene-dense genomes, and two genes under positive selection across multiple lineages.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf249

#evobio #molbio #fungi
MBE | Genomic Insights Into Convergent Evolution: Adaptation to Rocky Habitats in Rock-Inhabiting Fungi
October 31, 2025 at 12:24 PM
molbioevol.bsky.social
The November cover of Molecular Biology and Evolution features the work of Povilus et al., who examined DNA methylation and genetic imprinting in water lily endosperm.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf271

#evobio #molbio #PlantSky #epigenetics
Molecular Biology and Evolution | November 2025 cover
October 31, 2025 at 10:37 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Our recent article on human-virus co-evolution following the rise of agriculture is the focus of this month's Highlight.

Highlight: 10,000 Years of Agriculture-driven Human Evolution Through the Lens of a Single Gene

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf245

#evobio #molbio #humanevolution
MBE | Highlight: 10,000 Years of Agriculture-driven Human Evolution Through the Lens of a Single Gene
October 28, 2025 at 10:19 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
@farleykvdg.bsky.social et al. investigate the importance of translation-enabling RNA editing in ferns, suggesting an adaptive role, in contrast to the prevailing view of RNA editing as a neutral evolutionary process.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf241

#evobio #molbio #PlantSky
MBE | High Conservation of Translation-Enabling RNA Editing Sites in Hyper-editing Ferns Implies They Are Not Selectively Neutral
October 27, 2025 at 11:30 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Nordgren et al. analyzed 4,343 ancient and ∼700,000 present-day human genomes to link the evolution of a gastroenteritis-protective loss-of-function allele to the development of agriculture across Europe.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf243

#evobio #molbio #humanevolution
MBE | Natural Selection of a Virus-Protective FUT2 Variant Following the Transition to Agriculture
October 24, 2025 at 11:14 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
@djivanp.bsky.social @aline-muyle.bsky.social et al. sequenced the transcriptomes of nine dioecious, two gynodioecious, and two hermaphrodite Silene species, finding that those with older sex separation exhibit the most numerous sex-biased genes.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf229

#evobio #molbio
MBE | Evolution of Sex-Biased Gene Expression During Transitions to Separate Sexes in the Silene Genus
October 24, 2025 at 9:29 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
@snbogan.bsky.social @notothentoma.bsky.social @scotthotaling.bsky.social @paulbfrandsen.bsky.social et al. explore the evolution of type III antifreeze proteins in deep sea zoarcoid fishes.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf219

#evobio #molbio
MBE | Temperature and Pressure Shaped the Evolution of Antifreeze Proteins in Polar and Deep Sea Zoarcoid Fishes A graphic visualizing the finding by Bogan et al. that antifreeze protein (AFP) genes increased in copy number among shallow-water, polar species of Zoarcoidei fishes. Top left: Pholis gunnellus photographed by Chris Isaacs (CC-BY-NC). Top right: Cebidichthys violaceus photographed by Alex Heyman (CC0 1.0). Bottom left: Lycenchelys sp. photographed by Julien Savoie (CC BY 4.0). Bottom right: Lycodes sp. photographed by Julien Savoie (CC BY 4.0).
October 21, 2025 at 9:40 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Yun et al. leveraged RNA-seq data to model gene expression variation in the grass Brachypodium distachyon and its response to soil drying, identifying genotypic, environmental, and G×E effects on physiological, metabolic, and gene expression traits.

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf218

#evobio #molbio
MBE | Genotype by Environment Interactions in Gene Regulation Underlie the Response to Soil Drying in the Model Grass Brachypodium distachyon
October 21, 2025 at 9:19 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Henriques et al: The Diverse Evolutionary Histories of Domesticated Metaviral Capsid Genes in Mammals

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msae061
William S. Henriques
October 9, 2025 at 10:06 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
Joseph et al: Increased Positive Selection in Highly Recombining Genes Does not Necessarily Reflect an Evolutionary Advantage of Recombination

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msae107
Julien Joseph
October 9, 2025 at 10:06 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
The MBE Best Student Paper award of 2024 goes to Julien Joseph (winner) and William S. Henriques (runner-up).

👏 Congratulations Julien and William for this recognition of your amazing work!

Check below for details on their research ⬇️
MBE Best Student Paper of 2024 award | Julien Joseph (Winner), William S. Henriques (Honorable mention)
October 9, 2025 at 10:06 AM
molbioevol.bsky.social
He et al. performed large-scale comparative genomics on 131 species of Hymenoptera, providing insights finto genome evolution and the genomic basis of diversification in these insects

🔗 doi.org/10.1093/molbev/msaf221

#evobio #molbio #hymenoptera
MBE | Large-scale Genome Analyses Provide Insights into Hymenoptera Evolution
October 9, 2025 at 7:06 AM