Distinctive DNA sequence features define epigenetic longevity of inflammatory memory

Tissues can "remember" past inflammation, making them more reactive to future insults, but the mechanisms sustaining this memory through cell division have been unclear. Researchers studied epidermal stem cells in mice and found they retain lifelong functional epigenetic records of psoriasis-like inflammation. Using deep learning to analyze chromatin accessibility dynamics, the team identified CpG dinucleotide density as a key factor in whether epigenetic memories persist. While CpG enrichment is not needed for inflammation-triggered transcription factors to initially open chromatin and establish memories, it becomes critical afterward—locking in accessible chromatin across cell generations through a combination of DNA demethylation, methylation-sensitive transcription factors, nucleosome-destabilizing histone variant H2A.Z, and intrinsic nucleosome-repelling sequence properties. The findings reveal that once inflammation activates a genomic site, the underlying DNA sequence takes over to maintain long-term epigenetic poise, with lasting consequences for how tissues respond to repeated stress.

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Family single-cell atlases reveal pig pregnancy and fetal growth restriction critical cell types

Researchers built comprehensive single-cell transcriptomic atlases covering 115 and 119 tissues from a fetal pig and its pregnant mother, respectively, totaling 2.56 million cells — an unusually complete picture of an entire organism and its developing offspring. Using this "all-from-one" approach, they identified a population of heart capillary endothelial cells with heightened fatty acid transport activity that appears specifically during pregnancy and returns to baseline afterward. They also linked fetal growth restriction to insufficient L-leucine transport in trophoblast cells, which in turn reduces a specific subpopulation of type II muscle myofibers in the fetus. Beyond these findings, the atlas allowed mapping of tissue- and cell-type-specific transcription factors across virtually all organs. The work demonstrates that whole-body, family-level single-cell profiling can reveal pregnancy-related physiological adaptations and developmental mechanisms that targeted, tissue-specific studies would likely miss.

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Population genomics of <i>Anopheles darlingi</i> , the principal South American malaria vector mosquito

Efforts to eliminate malaria in South America depend heavily on understanding the biology of Anopheles darlingi, the region's dominant mosquito vector. Researchers sequenced the whole genomes of more than 1,000 individuals collected across six South American countries to characterize the mosquito's genetic landscape. The analysis revealed pronounced geographic population structure, substantial genetic diversity, and 13 likely chromosomal inversions, but found no hidden cryptic species despite large differences between populations. Signatures of natural selection were concentrated in cytochrome P450 genes, pointing to insecticide pressure as a key evolutionary driver. The dataset provides a foundation for improving mosquito surveillance and guiding control strategies, while underscoring the difficulty of achieving malaria elimination when the target vector is genetically diverse and strongly differentiated across the continent.

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Cooperation by non-kin during birth underpins sperm whale social complexity

Researchers captured a sperm whale birth on high-resolution drone video and used computer vision alongside multiscale network analysis to examine how members of a Caribbean whale social unit behaved during and after delivery. The group consisted of two distinct matrilines, yet kinship divisions broke down entirely: a female family member appeared to lead the birthing assistance, and afterward all individuals oriented toward the newborn and took turns helping lift it in a coordinated collective effort. This cross-kin cooperation is notable because foraging behavior in sperm whales typically separates these same family groups. The findings represent quantitative evidence of birth attendance or active assistance in a non-primate species — a behavior previously thought to be exclusive to humans and their closest evolutionary relatives, suggesting that such cooperative social complexity may have evolved more broadly across large-brained, socially complex animals.

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Designed to remember

Inflammatory signals can leave lasting marks on gene regulation even after the initial trigger disappears — a phenomenon known as epigenetic memory. Researchers investigated what determines whether these marks persist or fade, focusing on specific characteristics of DNA sequences near inflammation-responsive genes. Using experimental and computational approaches, they found that particular sequence features at regulatory regions encode how long epigenetic changes endure after an inflammatory stimulus. In other words, the DNA itself contains instructions that influence whether a gene's regulatory state remains altered over time. This work clarifies a fundamental question in epigenetics: why some inflammation-induced changes are transient while others are stable. The findings have potential implications for understanding chronic inflammatory diseases, where persistent epigenetic alterations may contribute to long-term changes in gene expression even when the original inflammatory stimulus is no longer present.

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Rapid adaptation and extinction in synchronized outdoor evolution experiments of <i>Arabidopsis</i>

Researchers set up a large-scale field experiment to watch evolution unfold in real time, planting Arabidopsis thaliana at 30 sites spanning Western Europe, the Mediterranean, the Levant, and North America. By sequencing the pooled genomes of roughly 70,000 surviving plants, they tracked how allele frequencies shifted across generations. In similar climates, populations changed in consistent, repeatable ways, while populations in contrasting climates diverged — strong evidence of genuine adaptive evolution. The genetic variants driving these changes implicated biological processes such as heat-stress detection and the timing of spring flowering. Crucially, in warmer locations, populations whose evolutionary trajectories were orderly and predictable tended to persist over five years, whereas those showing erratic genetic shifts went extinct. The findings confirm that plants can adapt to climate pressures surprisingly quickly, but also highlight that predictability of that adaptation may be a key determinant of survival — with direct implications for forecasting biodiversity loss under climate change.

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