Biology subjects

Hering, L.

Publications and source records attributed to Hering, L..

7 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Daily locomotor rhythms and ecdysial stage-dependent behaviors in the tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris

Tardigrades, key ecdysozoan organisms, have poorly characterized daily behavioral rhythms linked to their molting (ecdysial) cycle. We continuously tracked the locomotor activity of the model tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris using infrared videography and deep learning-based automated tracking under three photic regimes: a light/dark cycle, constant darkness following entrainment, and constant darkness without prior entrainment. We identified a robust endogenous circadian-like rhythm in locomotor activity that persisted in constant darkness, independent of photic input. Although the light/dark cycle enhanced the rhythm amplitude and the overall animal activity, it was not required for rhythmicity. Individual phases varied widely, indicating a lack of population-level synchronization. Furthermore, we developed a behavioral classification system based on activity level, which enables categorizing distinct behaviors. Behavioral patterns were modulated by distinct ecdysial stages, with quiescence gating premolt and time-of-day dependent patterns in feeding and wandering. These findings provide evidence consistent with an endogenous, circadian-like timing system in tardigrades that integrates daily activity with molting cycles and establish H. exemplaris as a promising model for studying ecdysozoan chronobiology.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2026

Extensive opsin gene expansion and non-cerebral origin of the minimalist eye in a model tardigrade

Panarthropod vision exhibits extraordinary morphological and functional diversity, yet the sensory biology of tardigrades--microscopic extremophiles renowned for their resilience--remains poorly understood. In the model tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris, we uncover an unprecedented expansion of opsin genes, with over 100 paralogs constituting the largest known opsin repertoire in any animal. Paradoxically, the visual system is structurally minimalist: a paired, inverse pigment-cup ocellus embedded within the brain lobes, forming a single-pixel, dual-receptor organ. Integrating genomic, phylogenetic, molecular expression, and ultrastructural analyses, we show that directional vision relies on a single rhabdomeric opsin (He-R-Opsin-V), localized to microvilli of the rhabdomeric cell. A ciliary photoreceptor with a lamellated cilium co-expresses two ciliary opsins (He-C-Opsin-1 and -2), suggesting non-visual light detection. These and other non-visual opsins are differentially expressed in the brain, gut, storage cells, and peripheral tissues, implicating them in circadian regulation, neuromodulation, ecdysis, digestion, and environmental sensing. Crucially, the eye is an internalized epidermal vesicle, not a cerebral derivative, challenging long-standing assumptions about its evolutionary origin. These findings reveal how extreme miniaturization drives sensory system simplification in visual organs while enabling parallel evolutionary innovation in non-visual photoreception. This study establishes a new paradigm for sensory evolution in microscale animals.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2026

Human T Cells From Resistant Hypertension Patients Promote Hypertension via TNF in humanized mice

ObjectivePreclinical studies suggest a pivotal role of adaptive immunity, particularly T cells, in hypertension. However, due to the multifactorial pathogenesis, there is still no definitive evidence for a causal role of T cells in the development of hypertension in humans. We sought to determine whether T cells from patients with treatment-resistant hypertension (TRH) directly modulate blood pressure and vascular function in vivo. MethodsPeripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from TRH patients and healthy controls (HC) were adoptively transferred into immunodeficient NSG-(KbDb)^null mice. Hypertension was induced by angiotensin II infusion for 14 days and monitored continuously by radiotelemetry. ResultFollowing T cell engraftment, blood pressure was assessed at baseline and during AngII infusion in both groups of recipient mice. At baseline, systolic blood pressure did not differ between both groups. However, mice receiving TRH-PBMCs developed a significantly higher systolic blood pressure following AngII compared with HC-PBMC recipients. Endothelial dysfunction in isolated perfused kidneys was more pronounced in AngII-challenged TRH-PBMC recipients compared to HC-PBMC recipients. TRH-PBMC recipients displayed elevated effector memory CD4 T cells and Th17 frequencies in spleen and kidney, along with markedly increased renal expression of human T cell-derived TNF. Overnight incubation of mouse aortic rings with human TNF induced endothelial dysfunction, indicating a causal role of T cell-derived TNF. As a proof of concept, TNF inhibition attenuated AngII-induced hypertension in TRH-PBMC-engrafted mice. ConclusionT cells from patients with treatment-resistant hypertension promote an exaggerated hypertensive response and endothelial dysfunction in PBMC-engrafted humanized mice, promoted by TNF-mediated mechanisms. These findings provide evidence that T cell-derived TNF may contribute to the pathogenesis of human hypertension.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2025

The ancient metazoan cytoplasmic intermediate filament protein, Cilin, shapes cilia arrangement and tissue architecture

The emergence of animal multicellularity demanded novel cytoskeletal systems to support cellular architecture and tissue integrity. Cytoplasmic intermediate filaments (cIFs) are essential components of this scaffold, yet their evolutionary origins remain obscure. Here, we identify and characterize a lamin-derived, bona fide cIF protein in a ctenophore--a sister lineage to all other extant animals. We name this protein Cilin. Unlike nuclear lamins, Cilin lacks a nuclear localization signal and instead localizes predominantly to motile ciliary structures, including comb plates, the aboral organ, and sperm flagella, indicating a central role in ciliary architecture and function. Remarkably, Cilin is also present in non-ciliated cells, suggesting early functional diversification of cIFs in animal evolution. Phylogenetic and structural analyses position Cilin within an ancestral class of intermediate filament proteins, homologous to cnidarian and bilaterian nematocilins and lamin-tail-domain-containing (LMNTD) proteins. In humans, LMNTD proteins are enriched in ciliated epithelia and spermatids, pointing to a deeply conserved role in cilia-associated functions. These findings establish cilins as the earliest lamin-derived cytoplasmic intermediate filament proteins in metazoans, likely contributing to both ciliary function and the emergence of multicellular tissue organization.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2024

Receptor-based protein binding in the supramolecular network of velvet worm slime

The slime of velvet worms (Onychophora) is a protein-based bioadhesive that undergoes rapid, yet reversible transition from a fluid into stiff fibers used for prey capture and defense, but the mechanism by which this phase transition functions is largely unknown. Here, integrating transcriptomic and proteomic approaches with AI-guided structure predictions, we discover a group of evolutionarily conserved leucine-rich repeat (LRR) proteins in velvet worm slime that readily adopt a receptor-like, protein-binding "horseshoe" structure. Our structural predictions suggest dimerization of LRR proteins and support their interactions with conserved {beta}-sheets-rich domains of high-molecular-weight proteins, the primary building blocks of velvet worm slime fibers. This previously unknown functional context of LRR proteins is presumably involved in reversible, receptor-based supramolecular network formation in these adhesive biofibers and provides possible new avenues for fabricating fully recyclable (bio)polymeric materials. Significance StatementAnalyzing structure-function-relationships underlying reversible fiber formation in velvet worm slime may inspire avenues for the sustainable fabrication of protein-based polymeric materials. Here, we present evidence for an evolutionarily conserved mechanism of reversible fiber formation in velvet worm slime based on the receptor-like binding of fiber forming proteins by a leucine-rich repeat (LRR) protein. The structures of both protein components are highly conserved evolutionarily in the two distantly related velvet worm subgroups, indicating pervasive presence of this mechanism across species that has been maintained through the last [~]380 MY. Our results suggest that the ubiquitously occurring LRR motif--better known for its innate immunity and developmental roles--has a novel identified function in processing a biological material, which might contribute to the development of sustainable bio-inspired materials.

biochemistry↗

bioRxiv2024

Pigment-dispersing factor neuropeptides act as multifunctional hormones and modulators in tardigrades

Pigment-dispersing factors (PDFs) are neuropeptides that play key roles in controlling the circadian rhythms in various insects, whereas their function remains elusive in other protostomes including tardigrades (water bears). Here we show that the three PDFs of the tardigrade Hypsibius exemplaris are co-localized in two pairs of inner lobe cells in the brain, whereas only one PDF occurs in four additional cerebral and two extracerebral cells. The axons of the inner lobe cells pass through the contralateral brain hemisphere, descend to the ventral nerve cord and terminate in two pairs of potential release sites in the posteriormost trunk ganglion. Using in vitro assays, we demonstrate that all three PDFs and their deorphanized receptor (PDFR) are functional. Widespread localization of PDFR suggests that tardigrade PDFs may act as multifunctional hormones and neuromodulators that control major functions including light detection, neural processing, locomotion, feeding, digestion, osmoregulation, growth, embryonic development, and oogenesis/reproduction.

zoology↗

bioRxiv2018

The Genomic Basis of Arthropod Diversity

BackgroundArthropods comprise the largest and most diverse phylum on Earth and play vital roles in nearly every ecosystem. Their diversity stems in part from variations on a conserved body plan, resulting from and recorded in adaptive changes in the genome. Dissection of the genomic record of sequence change enables broad questions regarding genome evolution to be addressed, even across hyper-diverse taxa within arthropods.\n\nResultsUsing 76 whole genome sequences representing 21 orders spanning more than 500 million years of arthropod evolution, we document changes in gene and protein domain content and provide temporal and phylogenetic context for interpreting these innovations. We identify many novel gene families that arose early in the evolution of arthropods and during the diversification of insects into modern orders. We reveal unexpected variation in patterns of DNA methylation across arthropods and examples of gene family and protein domain evolution coincident with the appearance of notable phenotypic and physiological adaptations such as flight, metamorphosis, sociality and chemoperception.\n\nConclusionsThese analyses demonstrate how large-scale comparative genomics can provide broad new insights into the genotype to phenotype map and generate testable hypotheses about the evolution of animal diversity.

genomics↗