Moons orbiting exoplanets ("exomoons") may hold clues about planet formation, migration, and habitability. In this work, we investigate the plausibility of exomoons orbiting the temperate (T eq = 294 K) giant (R = 9.2 R circle plus) planet HIP 41378 f, which has been shown to have a low apparent bulk density of 0.09 g cm-3 and a flat near-infrared transmission spectrum, hinting that it may possess circumplanetary rings. Given this planet's long orbital period (P approximate to 1.5 yr), it has been suggested that it may also host a large exomoon. Here, we analyze the orbital stability of a hypothetical exomoon with a satellite-to-planet mass ratio of 0.0123 orbiting HIP 41378 f. Combining a new software package, astroQTpy, with REBOUND and EqTide, we conduct a series of N-body and tidal migration simulations, demonstrating that satellites up to this size are largely stable against dynamical escape and collisions. We simulate the expected transit signal from this hypothetical exomoon and show that current transit observations likely cannot constrain the presence of exomoons orbiting HIP 41378 f, though future observations may be capable of detecting exomoons in other systems. Finally, we model the combined transmission spectrum of HIP 41378 f and a hypothetical moon with a low-metallicity atmosphere and show that the total effective spectrum would be contaminated at the similar to 10 ppm level. Our work not only demonstrates the feasibility of exomoons orbiting HIP 41378 f but also shows that large exomoons may be a source of uncertainty in future high-precision measurements of exoplanet systems.

Stem cells regenerate differentiated cells to maintain and repair tissues and organs. They also replenish themselves, i.e. self-renewal, for the regenerative process to last a lifetime. How stem cells renew is of critical biological and medical significance. Here we use the skeletal muscle stem cell (MuSC) to study this process. Using a combination of genetic, molecular, and biochemical approaches, we show that MPP7, AMOT, and TAZ/YAP form a complex that activates a common set of target genes. Among these targets, Carm1 can direct MuSC renewal. In the absence of MPP7, TAZ can support regenerative progenitors and activate Carm1 expression, but not to a level needed for self-renewal. Facilitated by the actin polymerization-responsive AMOT, TAZ recruits the L27 domain of MPP7 to up-regulate Carm1 to the level necessary to drive MuSC renewal. The promoter of Carm1, and those of other common downstream genes, also contain binding site(s) for YY1. We further demonstrate that the L27 domain of MPP7 enhances the interaction between TAZ and YY1 to activate Carm1. Our results define a renewal transcriptional program embedded within the progenitor program, by selectively up-regulating key gene(s) within the latter, through the combination of protein interactions and in a manner dependent on the promoter context.

In many eukaryotic algae, CO2 fixation by Rubisco is enhanced by a CO2-concentrating mechanism, which utilizes a Rubisco-rich organelle called the pyrenoid. The pyrenoid is traversed by a network of thylakoid-membranes called pyrenoid tubules, proposed to deliver CO2. In the model alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Chlamydomonas), the pyrenoid tubules have been proposed to be tethered to the Rubisco matrix by a bestrophin-like transmembrane protein, BST4. Here, we show that BST4 forms a complex that localizes to the pyrenoid tubules. A Chlamydomonas mutant impaired in the accumulation of BST4 (bst4) formed normal pyrenoid tubules and heterologous expression of BST4 in Arabidopsis thaliana did not lead to the incorporation of thylakoids into a reconstituted Rubisco condensate. Chlamydomonas bst4 mutant did not show impaired growth at air level CO2. By quantifying the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of chlorophyll fluorescence, we show that bst4 displays a transiently lower thylakoid lumenal pH during dark to light transition compared to control strains. When acclimated to high light, bst4 had sustained higher NPQ and elevated levels of light-induced H2O2 production. We conclude that BST4 is not a tethering protein, but rather is an ion channel involved in lumenal pH regulation possibly by mediating bicarbonate transport across the pyrenoid tubules.

Adaptation to new environments can be impeded if beneficial phenotype combinations cannot coexist due to genetic constraints. To understand how such constraints may hinder plant adaptation to future climates, we compiled a comprehensive database of traits of Arabidopsis thaliana and estimated phenotypic natural selection in common gardens in its native distribution with rainfall limitation treatments. We found a natural selection conflict in drought environments as two drought-adaptive strategies, escape and avoidance, are mutually exclusive in A. thaliana. Traits underlying such strategies, such as flowering time, growth rate, and water use efficiency, are genetically correlated, and we identify novel loci involved in such correlation experiencing antagonistic natural selection. This empirical evidence shows that these adaptive strategies in natural populations are mutually exclusive due to strong genetic correlations amongst traits that limit the possible combinations of phenotypes. Given projections that future climates will become hotter and drier in many temperate regions, we expect an increasing conflict in natural selection among adaptive traits that could slow down or prevent adaptation. Our study underscores the importance of accounting for evolutionary genetic constraints when predicting how species may respond to a changing climate.

Proposals for achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 include scaling-up electrolytic hydrogen production, however, this poses technical, economic, and environmental challenges. One such challenge is for policymakers to ensure a sustainable future for the environment including freshwater and land resources while facilitating low-carbon hydrogen production using renewable wind and solar energy. We establish a country-by-country reference scenario for hydrogen demand in 2050 and compare it with land and water availability. Our analysis highlights countries that will be constrained by domestic natural resources to achieve electrolytic hydrogen self-sufficiency in a net-zero target. Depending on land allocation for the installation of solar panels or wind turbines, less than 50% of hydrogen demand in 2050 could be met through a local production without land or water scarcity. Our findings identify potential importers and exporters of hydrogen or, conversely, exporters or importers of industries that would rely on electrolytic hydrogen. The abundance of land and water resources in Southern and Central-East Africa, West Africa, South America, Canada, and Australia make these countries potential leaders in hydrogen export.

Isotopic studies of meteorites suggest that planetesimals were formed as two distinct populations: noncarbonaceous (NC) and carbonaceous (CC) reservoirs. A recent model explains this dichotomy by considering planetesimal formation at the snowline during its migration in the protoplanetary disk, suggesting that NC planetesimals were formed during the outward migration and CC planetesimals were formed during the inward migration. This model has been suggested to contradict meteorite observations because planetesimals formed at the snowline are expected to be rich in H2O and, therefore, develop more oxidizing environments than those inferred from NC iron meteorites. However, if the accreted ice sublimates into vapor without transitioning into a liquid state, the planetesimals may lose most water without being oxidized because reactions between vapor and solids are negligibly slow at temperatures relevant to direct ice sublimation. Here, we investigate the transport of vapor inside a planetesimal and suggest that the pore pressure would have been sufficiently low for direct ice sublimation if (1) the planetesimals were formed during the outward snowline migration (such that they lay inside the snowline after formation and had surfaces permeable to water vapor), (2) these planetesimals were formed by dust-aggregate boulders through "streaming instabilities" instead of being formed directly by submicrometer dust grains, and (3) the boulders were between a few centimeters to similar to 10 m in size. With these results, the snowline model for NC/CC planetesimal formation may be reconciled with the observations of iron meteorite oxidation states.

Zebrafish are an ideal model organism to study lipid metabolism and to elucidate the molecular underpinnings of human lipid-associated disorders. In this study, we provide an improved protocol to assay the impact of a high-cholesterol diet (HCD) on zebrafish lipid deposition and lipoprotein regulation. Fish fed HCD developed hypercholesterolemia as indicated by significantly elevated ApoB-containing lipoproteins (ApoB-LP) and increased plasma levels of cholesterol and cholesterol esters. Feeding of the HCD to larvae (8 days followed by a 1 day fast) and adult female fish (2 weeks, followed by 3 days of fasting) was also associated with a fatty liver phenotype that presented as severe hepatic steatosis. The HCD feeding paradigm doubled the levels of liver triacylglycerol (TG), which was striking because our HCD was only supplemented with cholesterol. The accumulated liver TG was unlikely due to increased de novo lipogenesis or inhibited -oxidation since no differentially expressed genes in these pathways were found between the livers of fish fed the HCD versus control diets. However, fasted HCD fish had significantly increased lipogenesis gene fasn in adipose tissue and higher free fatty acids (FFA) in plasma. This suggested that elevated dietary cholesterol resulted in lipid accumulation in adipocytes, which supplied more FFA during fasting, promoting hepatic steatosis. In conclusion, our HCD zebrafish protocol represents an effective and reliable approach for studying the temporal characteristics of the physiological and biochemical responses to high levels of dietary cholesterol and provides insights into the mechanisms that may underlie fatty liver disease.