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The VCP/p97 segregase is a member of the AAA+ ATPase family that participates in numerous cellular processes including extraction of XPC from UV-induced DNA lesions during nucleotide excision repair. In this study, it was shown for the first time that BTG3-mediated CHK1 activation and phosphorylation of VCP/p97 at Ser775 govern the cytoplasm-to-nucleus shuttling of VCP/p97. Loss of BTG3 or CHK1 inhibition led to retention of VCP/p97 in the cytoplasm, thus delaying the extraction of lesion-bound XPC and hampering the repair of UV DNA lesions, which culminate in an increase in mutation and carcinogenesis in vivo. These findings not only reveal the molecular basis of VCP/p97 cytoplasm-to-nucleus shuttling but also highlight a potential role of BTG3 and CHK1 in guarding against UV-induced skin mutation and carcinogenesis.

Analyzing the clinical data from the Taiwan Precision Medicine Initiative, TPMI Consortium researchers led by IBMS’s Drs. Chun-Yu Wei and Pui-Yan Kwok studied genetic risk factors’ effect on one’s response to commonly used medications. In their paper, the TPMI team found that nearly all 486,956 TPMI participants carried at least one genetic variant that could affect drug response.

In living cells, reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a dual role — they are important molecules that regulate cellular metabolism and signaling, but excessive ROS can lead to oxidative damage and chronic inflammation. For years, it has been widely recognized that oxidative stress is closely associated with immune imbalance, aging, cancer, and metabolic diseases. However, due to the lack of high-resolution tools to dynamically analyze redox signaling, the fundamental question of “how redox signals drive immune cell fate” has remained unresolved.

《Bulletin of the Institute of Mathematics Academia Sinica New Series》 Volume 20 Number 2 is now available

Please see the list of contents below:

Language & Linguistics 26.3 is now available

During social interactions, individuals interpret others' behaviors differently depending on their distance - too close or too far can alter perception. How animals integrate social cues (such as behavior) with spatial distance (via depth vision) to guide their responses is a frontier in neuroscience research. Dr. Kuo-Hua Huang’s team at the Institute of Molecular Biology used zebrafish, known for their innate social tendencies, to investigate how the body movements and proximity of the same species shape social affiliation. They created lifelike virtual zebrafish with realistic tail bends, turns, and displacements, and simulated motion parallax through a game engine. They discovered that depth sensation can either enhance or suppress social affiliation, depending on the context, offering insights into how the brain integrates social and depth information. This research, led by lab members Jing-Yu Tsao, Chiao-Ya Tang, Cheng-Yu Chen, and Chih-Tsun Yang, was published in Current Biology on July 3rd, 2025, and funded by Academia Sinica’s Career Development Award and NSTC’s Early Career Project.

The newest issue of Academia Economic Papers has been published. Articles in this issue include:

This issue has a total of four research articles.

Plastids develop into nutrient-storing leucoplasts in seeds and roots. Efficient protein delivery is essential to modify biosynthetic processes in leucoplasts for human needs, but no effective transit peptide for leucoplasts is currently available. Using an in vitro leucoplast import system, we have identified six high-efficiency transit peptides. Compared to a widely used chloroplast transit peptide, these peptides delivered comparable amounts of GFP into chloroplasts, but 2-7 times more GFP into root and petal leucoplasts, attesting to the advantage of screening using leucoplasts. When used to deliver bacterial phytoene synthase (crtB) into rice calli and glyphosate-resistant EPSP synthase into Arabidopsis, these peptides enhanced carotenoid production and herbicide resistance, respectively. The correlation among levels of GFP delivery, carotenoid production and herbicide resistance indicate that the efficiency of these transit peptides is consistent across plant species and passenger proteins. Therefore, transit peptide selection offers an effective way to modulate production levels of engineered proteins. This study was published in Nature Plants on 13 June 2025. This work was supported by grants to H.-m.L. from the National Science and Technology Council and Academia Sinica of Taiwan.

Touch is a fundamental sensory function through which humans interact with the external world. Located deep within the skin, the Pacinian corpuscle is a specialized mechanoreceptor responsible for detecting high-frequency vibrations. With its onion-like multilayered structure, this organ has long been thought to rely primarily on sensory nerve endings for signal processing. However, a collaborative study by Kuo-Sheng Lee of Academia Sinica and Daniel Huber of the University of Geneva reveals that Schwann cells within the Pacinian corpuscle can actively sense mechanical stimuli and modulate neuronal firing, reshaping current models of tactile processing. By integrating high-resolution three-dimensional electron microscopy (3D-EM), optogenetics, and in vivo electrophysiology, the team reconstructed the architecture of individual lamellar Schwann cells and examined their direct structural and functional interactions with sensory neurons. The findings demonstrate that glial cells can also directly participate in mechanical sensing and play an active role in regulating neuronal activity, offering a new cellular framework for understanding touch. This discovery has implications for the development of bio-inspired tactile sensors and provides insights into the mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain and tactile hypersensitivity. The study was published on June 11, 2025, in Science Advances and was featured as the cover article. The study's lead authors include Kuo-Sheng Lee and Yuh-Tarng Chen from Academia Sinica, as well as Dominica de Thomas Wagner and Alastair J. Loutit from Daniel Huber’s lab at the University of Geneva. The research was supported by scientific funding agencies in both Taiwan and Switzerland, highlighting the strength of international collaboration in advancing neuroscience.

Carbon has an extremely rare form known as carbyne—a highly reactive state in which carbon exhibits unusual electronic properties. Until recently, scientists have faced significant challenges in isolating and characterizing these transient carbon species, particularly a highly variant known as carbon(I) radicals. A research team led by Dr. Tiow-Gan Ong at the Institute of Chemistry, Academia Sinica, has successfully synthesized and isolated a cationic carbon(I) radical species, [1-CDC]•+, by performing a single-electron transfer (SET) reaction between a carbodicarbene (CDC) and strongly electron-deficient 3-fluoronitrobenzene. The structure and electronic properties of [1-CDC]•+ were confirmed using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, single crystal X-ray diffraction, and quantum chemical calculations. Reactivity studies reveal that this radical species effectively promotes various C-O and C-C cross-coupling reactions, particularly with electron-deficient aryl halides. The research findings not only expand the understanding of carbon(I) radical chemistry but also open new avenues for radical methodologies in organic synthesis and catalysis.