‘Impossible for Chinese’: Yale scientist Zhang Kai leaves US for China

Pioneering work involves observing proteins inside the body during exercise, effectively capturing their activity in a natural state.

Evolutionary persistence of a highly prevalent multicopy mitochondrial-derived nuclear insertion (Mega-NUMT) in Neotropical Drosophila flies

Background: Although strict maternal transmission of mitochondria is a general feature of animals and humans for ensuring homogeneity in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) across generations, exceptions were reported in the recent past. For example, some extremely rare but spectacular cases of heteroplasmy and paternal transmission in humans have questioned the universal evolutionary principle. Hence, as an alternative, the Mega-NUMT concept was coined to explain this discovery and was thereafter partly proven to exist. This concept expands on the quite common transfer of mtDNA fragments to the nucleus (NUMTs) by considering the existence of multicopy mitochondrial nuclear insertions. Mega-NUMT reports are currently restricted to a few cases in animals, including humans. However, even in humans, their detailed genomic organization, natural prevalence, and potential biological functions remain unclear. Methodology/Principal Findings: Here, we discovered that up to 60 full-sized mitochondrial genomes are integrated into the nuclear genome of the neotropical fruit fly Drosophila paulistorum using long-read sequencing and confirmed their presence by in situ hybridization. The copies are organized in one cluster on chromosome 3, which we, due to its similarity with the Mega-NUMT concept, designated the Dpau Mega-NUMT. Contrary to the rarity in humans, this Mega-NUMT is found at high prevalence (40%) in both long-term laboratory lines and natural D. paulistorum populations of different semispecies. Additionally, the mitochondrial copies in the Mega-NUMT cluster are phylogenetically separated from the current mitotypes of D. paulistorum. Together, these observations suggest long-term maintenance of the Mega-NUMT in nature. Hence, we propose that the Dpau Mega-NUMT may have been transferred to the nuclear genome before D. paulistorum semispecies radiation and maintained at relatively high prevalence in nature by balancing selection due to yet undetermined functions. Conclusions/Significance: To our knowledge, this is the first verified existence and detailed dissection of a Mega-NUMT outside cats and humans. We show that Mega-NUMTs can be persistent in nature, even at high prevalence, potentially due to balancing selection. Our findings strengthen the importance of high-quality long-read sequencing technologies for deciphering complex repeat-rich genomic regions to deepen our understanding of the dynamics of genome evolution within genomic dark matter. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. FWF Austrian Science Fund, P28255B22, FW613A0501, FW613A0502 Swedish Research Council, 2014–4353

Mitonuclear interactions shape male cuticular hydrocarbon profiles with consequences on mating success

Sexual signals are thought to reflect metabolic capacity, allowing females to assess male genetic quality. In insects, cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are central to mate recognition and sexual signalling, and their biosynthesis is directly tied to mitochondrial metabolism. Because mitochondrial performance requires coordination between the mitochondrial and nuclear genomes, non-compatible genomes may disrupt CHC production and reduce male attractiveness. We tested this prediction using a global Drosophila melanogaster mitonuclear panel comprising 80 cybrid genotypes. Multivariate analyses of male CHC profiles revealed strong nuclear effects, smaller but significant mitochondrial effects, and substantial non-additive mitonuclear interactions that accounted for ~10% of the variance after controlling for body mass. These interactions reorganised CHC blends in genotype-specific ways, with certain hydrocarbons contributing disproportionately to differentiation. In behavioural assays, females preferentially mated with males whose mitonuclear genomes were coadapted. Conversely, coadapted males had higher copulation success than males presenting disrupted combinations to the female. Our results demonstrate that mitonuclear compatibility influences the production of sexual signals and shapes reproductive outcomes, linking genomic interactions to mate choice. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Leverhulme Trust, RPG-2023-198 UK Research and Innovation, NE/V014307/1

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A structure-selective endonuclease drives uniparental mitochondrial DNA inheritance

Maternal inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is a near-universal feature of eukaryotes[1][1], yet the mechanisms that ensure this by preventing paternal mtDNA inheritance have remained unclear. In both Drosophila and humans, mtDNA is actively eliminated from sperm during spermatogenesis, producing mature sperm whose mitochondria lack their genomes[2][2]–[5][3]. Here we identify Hotaru, a previously uncharacterized, testis-specific GIY-YIG endonuclease, as a central player in this process. We find that Hotaru is expressed in elongated spermatids, localizes to the mitochondrial matrix, and is required for paternal mtDNA elimination. In hotaru mutants, sperm retain mtDNA at levels comparable to those present before the elimination process. Genetic and biochemical analyses show that Hotaru selectively recognizes and cleaves cruciform DNA structures within the mtDNA control region. Together, these findings identify a dedicated nuclease that enforces mitochondrial genome elimination in the animal male germline and reveal that an unexpected structural feature of mtDNA serves as the molecular determinant of its destruction. By recognizing DNA structure rather than specific sequence motifs, this mechanism is inherently robust to the high mutation rate of mitochondrial genomes. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. Canadian Institutes of Health Research, https://ror.org/01gavpb45, FRN #542273 (T.R.H), FRN #487044 (H.D.M.W) Canada Research Chairs, #CRC-2021-00346 (H.D.M.W) National Human Genome Research Institute, 5R01HG009190 (J.T.S) Heiwa Nakajima Foundation Scholarship (M.S.) University of Toronto Mito2i (M.S.) NSERC Canada Graduate Scholarship (H.Y.Y.) [1]: #ref-1 [2]: #ref-2 [3]: #ref-5

Age-dependent H3K9 trimethylation by dSetdb1 impairs mitochondrial UPR leading to degeneration of olfactory neurons and loss of olfactory function in Drosophila

Mitochondrial metabolic remodeling drives innate immune activation in Drosophila hemocytes

Innate immune cells rapidly reprogram their metabolism upon activation, yet the metabolic basis of this flexibility in invertebrate systems remains largely unexplored. Here, we investigate the metabolic landscape of Drosophila larval hemocytes, functional analogs of vertebrate myeloid cells, across developmental stages, genotypes, and immune activation states, by combining metabolic flux measurements with single-cell transcriptomics. Under homeostatic conditions, hemocytes rely predominantly on mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation for ATP production, with minimal glycolytic contribution. Immune activation, particularly lamellocyte differentiation, drives enhanced mitochondrial respiration and metabolic flexibility, accompanied by structural remodeling of the mitochondrial network. Mechanistically, functional lamellocytes require Drp1-mediated mitochondrial fission and utilize glucose and trehalose as primary carbon sources to sustain mitochondrial respiration, which is essential for effective immune responses. Overall, these findings establish that mitochondrial metabolic reprogramming is a conserved feature of innate immune activation in myeloid-like immune cells and reveal an evolutionarily ancient link between mitochondrial dynamics and immune cell activation, with implications for understanding metabolic regulation of innate immunity in invertebrate models and beyond. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.