Spatially resolved single-cell atlas reveals the macroevolutionary trajectory of animal hearts

September 3, 2026| Source: Science

Animal hearts display diverse anatomical structures during adaptive evolution. Here, we present a multiomics atlas of adult hearts from 27 species across chordates, arthropods, and mollusks. Joint analysis indicates that Bilateria hearts share a core gene repertoire, taking a stepwise “add-on” approach as a universal evolutionary strategy. The “proto-heart” is populated by key cell types, including cardiomyocytes, fibroblasts, endothelial cells, and neural cells, which maintained core signatures while evolving with shifts in living environments and corresponding adaptations in the cardiovascular system. Additionally, we reveal an evolutionarily conserved cardiomyocyte state dynamic potentially linked to cardiac development and stress responses. Finally, we identify a common molecular program underpinning chamber evolution from a ventricular foundation. This work establishes a resource for understanding the intrinsic mechanisms of heart evolution.

Read the original source →

PLASTID ENVELOPE ION CHANNELS (PEC1/2) link Ca 2+ and jasmonic acid signaling in plant cells.

Plants constantly encounter adverse environmental interactions. One organelle is particularly specialized in stress signaling and phytohormone synthesis: the plastid. Calcium (Ca 2+ ), a key second messenger, is known to intersect with cellular phytohormone signaling networks. While cytosolic Ca 2+ dynamics have been studied extensively, the physiological relevance of stromal Ca 2+ transients and the identity of channels mediating rapid Ca 2+ flux into plastids remain largely unexplored. In this

Health & MedicineSeptember 28, 2026

Structural insights into fosfomycin efflux by a streptococcal ABC transporter.

Gram-positive bacteria encode a broad array of ABC transporters that mediate substrate translocation across the cell membrane, with some contributing to their survival under environmental stresses such as antimicrobial exposure. While several of these transporters have been shown to exhibit multidrug efflux activity, the functional roles of many others remain unknown. Here, using an efflux pump screen in the opportunistic human pathogen Streptococcus pneumoniae , we identified a previously uncha

Health & MedicineSeptember 26, 2026

Detection of "hidden" mitotic crossovers by long-read DNA sequencing.

Mitotic crossovers in diploid organisms are usually detected by looking for loss of heterozygosity (LOH) for a marker. Assuming the crossover occurs between two duplicated chromatids, a single reciprocal crossover will result in two recombinant chromatids and two nonrecombinant chromatids. LOH will only be observed when a recombinant chromatid cosegregates with a nonrecombinant chromatid. Cells containing both recombinant chromosomes will not result in LOH. Below, we use long-range DNA sequencin

Health & MedicineSeptember 26, 2026

Amino acid homeostasis by CORVET/HOPS: A metabolic and stress resilience checkpoint for T cells.

Amino acid sufficiency is critical for T cell metabolic reprogramming, yet how T cells maintain amino acid homeostasis remains poorly defined. Here, we identify the CORVET and HOPS (CORVET/HOPS) tethering complexes as essential upstream regulators. In activated T cells, they sustain intracellular amino acid levels by promoting macropinocytosis to acquire extracellular nutrients. This function enables dual signaling outcomes: suppression of the integrated stress response (ISR) and activation of m

Health & MedicineSeptember 25, 2026

Bright monomeric fluorescent protein elite-niRFP704 for two-channel near-infrared STED nanoscopy.

The near-infrared (NIR) spectral region is attractive for live-cell imaging, due to low autofluorescence and reduced phototoxicity. Some phytochrome-derived fluorescent proteins absorb and emit fluorescence in the NIR, but have short fluorescence lifetimes and relatively low quantum yields, requiring higher laser powers thus limiting their usefulness for live-cell superresolution microscopy. Using the bacterial phytochrome miRFP703 as a template, we screened for variants with longer fluorescence