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1. Estrogen Stimulation of Kiss1 Expression in the Medial Amygdala Involves Estrogen Receptor-α But Not Estrogen Receptor-β

   https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2016-1431  

   Stephens, Shannon B.; Chahal, Navdeep; Munaganuru, Nagambika; Parra, Ruby A.; Kauffman, Alexander S. (October 2016, Endocrinology)
2. Neural system and receptor diversity in the ctenophore Beroe abyssicola

   https://doi.org/10.1002/cne.24633  

   Norekian, Tigran P.; Moroz, Leonid L. (February 2019, Journal of Comparative Neurology)

   Abstract Although, neurosensory systems might have evolved independently in ctenophores, very little is known about their organization and functions. Most ctenophores are pelagic and deep‐water species and cannot be bred in the laboratory. Thus, it is not surprising that neuroanatomical data are available for only one genus within the group—Pleurobrachia. Here, using immunohistochemistry and scanning electron microscopy, we describe the organization of two distinct neural subsystems (subepithelial and mesogleal) and the structure of different receptor types in the comb jellyBeroe abyssicola—the voracious predator from North Pacific. A complex subepithelial neural network ofBeroe, with five receptor types, covers the entire body surface and expands deep into the pharynx. Three types of mesogleal neurons are comparable to the cydippidPleurobrachia. The predatory lifestyle ofBeroeis supported by the extensive development of ciliated and muscular structures including the presence of giant muscles and feeding macrocilia. The obtained cell‐type atlas illustrates different examples of lineage‐specific innovations within these enigmatic marine animals and reveals the remarkable complexity of sensory and effector systems in this clade of basal Metazoa. 

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3. Rapid analysis of strigolactone receptor activity in a Nicotiana benthamiana dwarf14 mutant

   https://doi.org/10.1002/pld3.389  

   White, Alexandra R. F.; Mendez, Jose A.; Khosla, Aashima; Nelson, David C. (March 2022, Plant Direct)

   Abstract DWARF14 (D14) is an ɑ/β‐hydrolase and receptor for the plant hormone strigolactone (SL) in angiosperms. Upon SL perception, D14 works with MORE AXILLARY GROWTH2 (MAX2) to trigger polyubiquitination and degradation of DWARF53(D53)‐type proteins in the SUPPRESSOR OF MAX2 1‐LIKE (SMXL) family. We used CRISPR‐Cas9 to generate knockout alleles of the two homoeologousD14genes in theNicotiana benthamianagenome. TheNbd14a,bdouble mutant had several phenotypes that are consistent with the loss of SL perception in other plants, including increased axillary bud outgrowth, reduced height, shortened petioles, and smaller leaves. A ratiometric fluorescent reporter system was used to monitor degradation of SMXL7 fromArabidopsis thaliana(AtSMXL7) after transient expression inN. benthamianaand treatment with the strigolactone analog GR24. AtSMXL7 was degraded after treatment with GR24^5DS, which has the stereochemical configuration of natural SLs, as well as its enantiomer GR24^ent‐5DS. InNbd14a,bleaves, AtSMXL7 abundance was unaffected byrac‐GR24 or either GR24 stereoisomer. Transient coexpression of AtD14 with the AtSMXL7 reporter inNbd14a,brestored the degradation response torac‐GR24, but required an active catalytic triad. We used this platform to evaluate the ability of several AtD14 mutants that had not been characterized in plants to target AtSMXL7 for degradation. 

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4. Species-specific microsymbiont discrimination mediated by a Medicago receptor kinase

   https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adp6436  

   Yu, Xiaocheng; Liu, Jinge; Qin, Qiulin; Zribi, Ikram; Yu, Jingyin; Yang, Shengming; Dinkins, Randy D; Fei, Zhangjun; Kereszt, Attila; Zhu, Hongyan (July 2024, Science Advances)

   Host range specificity is a prominent feature of the legume-rhizobial symbiosis.Sinorhizobium melilotiandSinorhizobium medicaeare two closely related species that engage in root nodule symbiosis with legume plants of theMedicagogenus, but certainMedicagospecies exhibit selectivity in their interactions with the two rhizobial species. We have identified aMedicagoreceptor–like kinase, which can discriminate between the two bacterial species, acting as a genetic barrier against infection by mostS. medicaestrains. Activation of this receptor-mediated nodulation restriction requires a bacterial gene that encodes a glycine-rich octapeptide repeat protein with distinct variants capable of distinguishingS. medicaefromS. meliloti. This study sheds light on the coevolution of host plants and rhizobia, shaping symbiotic selectivity in their respective ecological niches. 

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5. Toll9 from Bombyx mori functions as a pattern recognition receptor that shares features with Toll-like receptor 4 from mammals

   https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2103021118  

   Zhang, Ruonan; Li, Xiaofeng; Zhang, Jie; Li, Yanjun; Wang, Yuan; Song, Yuhang; Ren, Feifei; Yi, Huiyu; Deng, Xiaojuan; Zhong, Yangjin; et al (May 2021, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)

   Toll/Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are key regulators of the innate immune system in both invertebrates and vertebrates. However, while mammalian TLRs directly recognize pathogen-associated molecular patterns, the insect Toll pathway is thought to be primarily activated by binding Spätzle cytokines that are processed from inactive precursors in response to microbial infection. Phylogenetic and structural data generated in this study supported earlier results showing that Toll9 members differ from other insect Tolls by clustering with the mammalian TLR4 group, which recognizes lipopolysaccharide (LPS) through interaction with myeloid differentiation-2 (MD-2)–like proteins. Functional experiments showed that BmToll9 from the silkmothBombyx morialso recognized LPS through interaction with two MD-2–like proteins, previously named BmEsr16 and BmPP, that we refer to in this study as BmMD-2A and BmMD-2B, respectively. A chimeric BmToll9–TLR4 receptor consisting of the BmToll9 ectodomain and mouse TLR4 transmembrane and Toll/interleukin-1 (TIR) domains also activated LPS-induced release of inflammatory factors in murine cells but only in the presence of BmMD-2A or BmMD-2B. Overall, our results indicate that BmToll9 is a pattern recognition receptor for LPS that shares conserved features with the mammalian TLR4–MD-2–LPS pathway. 

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