The gut microbiome plays a crucial role in fish health, yet its diversity across life stages remains poorly understood, especially in juveniles. This study provides a comprehensive assessment of the gut microbiome in wild adult and juvenile Mugil cephalus from the Mediterranean estuary, Ashtum El-Gamil, Egypt, by integrating prokaryotic 16S and eukaryotic 18S rRNA gene metabarcoding with functional gene prediction. Gut bacteri...

Microglial activation underpins the methotrexate (MTX)-induced neurotoxicity; however, the precise mechanism remains unclear. This study appraised the potential impact of apigenin (Api), a neuroprotective flavonoid, in MTX-induced neurotoxicity in rats in terms of microglial activation through targeting the miR-15a/Rho-associated protein kinase-1 (ROCK-1)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) pathway. Male Sprague...

Recurring outbreaks of crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) severely damage healthy corals, especially in the Western Pacific Ocean. To obtain a better understanding of population genetics of COTS and historical colonization across the Pacific Ocean, complete mitochondrial genomes were sequenced from 243 individuals collected in 11 reef regions. Our results indicate that Pacific COTS ( Acanthaster cf. solaris ) comprise two major c...