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The issue contains 3 articles and 1 book review

Cephalochordates, commonly known as amphioxus or lancelets, are widely utilized by the scientific community as model organisms to investigate the ancestral traits of vertebrates. An international research team—including Research Fellow Jr-Kai Yu and Postdoctoral Fellow Che-Yi Lin from the Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology at Academia Sinica, together with researchers from the USA, South Korea, and China— has sequenced the chromosome-scale genome of Asymmetron lucayanum, a tiny marine animal representing the earliest branch of the cephalochordate lineage. This new genome assembly provides a crucial link in understanding the evolutionary transition from simple invertebrates to complex vertebrates, including humans. Comparative genomic analysis reveals that the Asymmetron genome is significantly larger than those of species within the genus Branchiostoma, which have been the primary focus of previous amphioxus research. The team discovered that this genome expansion was driven by the massive accumulation of "jumping genes" (transposable elements). Remarkably, despite the presence of this extra DNA, the researchers found that the overall gene order—or macro-synteny—has remained incredibly intact over hundreds of millions of years. This stability is likely maintained by selective constraints, potentially due to the necessity for these genes to be co-expressed during development.

Utilizing liposomes for drug delivery is a vital technology in modern nanomedicine. Equipping liposome surfaces with peptides as trigger-responsive release units enables smart, precision-controlled drug delivery. However, peptide–membrane interactions have largely been studied as separate entities ("binary systems"). When membrane-active peptides are directly conjugated onto liposomes ("unary systems"), the constructs often become highly unstable, causing premature drug leakage—an enduring bottleneck in the field.

Neurosteroids regulate brain neurotransmission and are linked to anxiety, depression, epilepsy, and PMDD, with several drugs recently receiving FDA approval. However, their complex stereochemical structures make conventional production — whether via animal-tissue extraction or chemical synthesis — costly and inefficient. A multinational team led by Dr. Yin-Ru Chiang at Academia Sinica screened over 3,000 human gut bacterial strains and identified isolates that synthesize neurosteroid isomers with chiral purity exceeding 99%. Using agricultural byproducts such as molasses and soybean residue as the growth medium, the team reduces production costs by 90% and carbon footprint by 95%, achieving multigram-scale yields with pharmaceutical-grade purity via simple column chromatography. The study reveals three key findings: gut bacteria can convert progesterone into neurosteroids, potentially influencing mood and brain function; an enzyme previously considered vertebrate-exclusive has an industrially superior counterpart in gut microbes; and microbial fermentation with agricultural waste offers a viable green platform for sustainable chiral drug manufacturing.

Cases of ovarian clear cell carcinomas (OCCC) with wild-type ARID1A gene are chemo-resistant and currently lack specific therapies. We identified circadian gene BMAL2 as a critical oncogene that promotes OCCC tumorigenesis by preventing endogenous DNA damage.

We are pleased to announce the new publication of issue 27.2 of Language and Linguistics

The latest issue of《Bulletin of the Institute of Mathematics Academia Sinica New Series》has been published

How green turtles recover from injuries in the wild and whether they can fully recover have long been a mystery in the field of conservation research. Biodiversity Research Center of Academia Sinica, in collaboration with the citizen-science group "TurtleSpot Taiwan," conducted the first-ever analysis of the natural wound-healing process of green turtles in their natural habitat in Taiwan.

How animals establish dorsal–ventral polarity is central to understanding bilaterian evolution, yet remains unresolved in spiralians, a diverse clade that includes annelids and molluscs. A team led by Assistant Research Fellow Yi-Jyun Luo at the Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, has generated the first chromosome-level genome of the brachiopod Lingula anatina and used functional transcriptomics to examine BMP (Bone Morphogenic Protein) signaling during embryogenesis. They show that BMP signaling is asymmetrically activated on the dorsal side during gastrulation, regulated by a balance between ventral chordin expression and BMP ligands. Experimental manipulation confirms that high BMP activity suppresses genes associated with central nervous system development, consistent with patterns observed in other bilaterians.

A group of scientists led by Dr. Yijuang Chern at the IBMS, Academia Sinica has identified a promising new approach to reduce brain inflammation, a key driver of neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s disease. The study focuses on Galectin-3 (Gal3), a protein that senses cellular damage and activates immune responses in the brain, but has been difficult to target with brain-penetrant drugs.

The newest issue of Bulletin of the Institute of History and Philology, Academia Sinica has just been published by the Institute of History and Philology

Pneumonia remains a major infectious disease, with K. pneumoniae posing serious threats, especially under antibiotic-induced dysbiosis. The team led by Dr. Ya-Jen Chang at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, further explored the role of the lung microbiota in protection against pneumonia.