Evolutionary Biology

Genome-wide data inferring the evolution and population demography of the novel pneumonia coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2)

1. Bin Fang
2. Linlin Liu
3. Xiao Yu
4. Xiang Li
5. Guojun Ye
6. Juan Xu
7. Ling Zhang
8. Faxian Zhan
9. Guiming Liu
10. Tao Pan
11. Yilin Shu
12. Yongzhong Jiang

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Partial RdRp sequences offer a robust method for Coronavirus subgenus classification

1. David A Wilkinson
2. Lea Joffrin
3. Camille Lebarbenchon
4. Patrick Mavingui

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Multivariate Analyses of Codon Usage of SARS-CoV-2 and other betacoronaviruses

1. Haogao Gu
2. Daniel Chu
3. Malik Peiris
4. Leo L.M. Poon

Reviewed by ScreenIT

Coronary artery established through amniote evolution

1. Kaoru Mizukami
2. Hiroki Higashiyama
3. Yuichiro Arima
4. Koji Ando
5. Norihiro Okada
6. Katsumi Kose
7. Shigehito Yamada
8. Jun K Takeuchi
9. Kazuko Koshiba-Takeuchi
10. Shigetomo Fukuhara
11. Sachiko Miyagawa-Tomita
12. Hiroki Kurihara

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  Mizukami et al. propose a scenario for the evolutionary origin of the coronary artery in amniotes by comparing the morphologies of the vasculatures across several species and developmental timepoints. They show that the coronary arteries of non-amniotes most closely resemble embryonic amniote aortic subepicardial vessels (ASVs), which are replaced by the true coronary arteries during amniote development. While the identification of common vascular structures in diverse taxa is a valuable contribution, additional developmental evidence is needed to confirm that such vessels are truly homologous.

Reviewed by eLife

A computational method for predicting the most likely evolutionary trajectories in the stepwise accumulation of resistance mutations

1. Ruth Charlotte Eccleston
2. Emilia Manko
3. Susana Campino
4. Taane G Clark
5. Nicholas Furnham

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This report is a useful demonstration of how to predict the mutational pathways to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emergence, particularly in the enzyme DHFR (dihydrofolate reductase). The methodology is overall solid but some of the claims are only partially supported. The work will be of interest to microbiologists and evolutionary biologists interested in antimicrobial resistance and its population genetics dynamic.

Reviewed by eLife

TRPA5 encodes a thermosensitive ankyrin ion channel receptor in a triatomine insect

1. Marjorie A. Liénard
2. David Baez-Nieto
3. Cheng-Chia Tsai
4. Wendy A. Valencia-Montoya
5. Balder Werin
6. Urban Johanson
7. Jean-Marc Lassance
8. Jen Q. Pan
9. Nanfang Yu
10. Naomi E. Pierce

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Reconstructing cell type evolution across species through cell phylogenies of single-cell RNAseq data

1. Jasmine L. Mah
2. Casey W. Dunn

Reviewed by Arcadia Science

Gene expression plasticity followed by genetic change during colonization in a high-elevation environment

1. Huishang She
2. Yan Hao
3. Gang Song
4. Xu Luo
5. Fumin Lei
6. Weiwei Zhai
7. Yanhua Qu

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study provides useful information on the evolution of gene expression levels and plasticity in tissues impacted by hypoxia during colonization of a high-altitude environment. Unfortunately, the evidence for the conclusions is incomplete because of the low sample size available.

Reviewed by eLife

Divergent functions of two clades of flavodoxin in diatoms mitigate oxidative stress and iron limitation

1. Shiri Graff van Creveld
2. Sacha N Coesel
3. Stephen Blaskowski
4. Ryan D Groussman
5. Megan J Schatz
6. E Virginia Armbrust

• Curated by eLife

  eLife assessment

  This study presents valuable findings regarding the functional diversification of flavodoxins from diatoms, a protein initially described as an Fe-sparing substitute for ferredoxin in Fe-poor open ocean environments. The evidence supporting the claims of the authors is solid, although the study could be strengthened by using a wider gradient of oxidative stress in the experiments and using Fe limitation methodology, which allows more certain differentiation between a low Fe and oxidative stress response.

Reviewed by eLife

Fight Not Flight: Parasites Drive the Bacterial Evolution of Resistance, Not Escape

1. Michael Blazanin
2. Jeremy Moore
3. Sydney Olsen
4. Michael Travisano

Reviewed by Arcadia Science