Human utilization of the mulberry–silkworm interaction started at least 5,000 years ago and greatly influenced world history through the Silk Road. Complementing the silkworm genome sequence, here we describe the genome of a mulberry species Morus notabilis. In the 330-Mb genome assembly, we identify 128 Mb of repetitive sequences and 29,338 genes, 60.8% of which are supported by transcriptome sequencing. Mulberry gene sequences appear to evolve ~3 times faster than other Rosales, perhaps facilitating the species’ spread worldwide. The mulberry tree is among a few eudicots but several Rosales that have not preserved genome duplications in more than 100 million years; however, a neopolyploid series found in the mulberry tree and several others suggest that new duplications may confer benefits. Five predicted mulberry miRNAs are found in the haemolymph and silk glands of the silkworm, suggesting interactions at molecular levels in the plant–herbivore relationship. The identification and analyses of mulberry genes involved in diversifying selection, resistance and protease inhibitor expressed in the laticifers will accelerate the improvement of mulberry plants.

Monkeypox virus (MPXV) has generally circulated in West and Central Africa since its emergence. Recently, sporadic MPXV infections in several nonendemic countries have attracted widespread attention. Here, we conducted a systematic analysis of the recent outbreak of MPXV‐2022, including its genomic annotation and molecular evolution. The phylogenetic analysis indicated that the MPXV‐2022 strains belong to the same lineage of the MPXV strain isolated in 2018. However, compared with the MPXV strain in 2018, in total 46 new consensus mutations were observed in the MPXV‐2022 strains, including 24 nonsynonymous mutations. By assigning mutations to 187 proteins encoded by the MPXV genome, we found that 10 proteins in the MPXV are more prone to mutation, including D2L‐like, OPG023, OPG047, OPG071, OPG105, OPG109, A27L‐like, OPG153, OPG188, and OPG210 proteins. In the MPXV‐2022 strains, four and three nucleotide substitutions are observed in OPG105 and OPG210, respectively. Overall, our studies illustrated the genome evolution of the ongoing MPXV outbreak and pointed out novel mutations as a reference for further studies.

Azithromycin (AZM) is a widely used antibiotic, with additional antiviral and anti-inflammatory properties that remain poorly understood. Although Zika virus (ZIKV) poses a significant threat to global health, there are currently no vaccines or effective therapeutics against it. Here, we report that AZM effectively suppresses ZIKV infection in vitro by targeting a late stage in the viral life cycle. In addition, AZM upregulates the expression of host type I and III interferons and several of their downstream interferon-stimulated genes in response to ZIKV infection. In particular, we found that AZM upregulated the expression of MDA5 and RIG-I (pathogen recognition receptors induced by ZIKV infection) and increased the levels of phosphorylated TBK1 and IRF3. Interestingly, AZM treatment upregulated the phosphorylation of TBK1 without inducing the phosphorylation of IRF3 by itself. These findings highlight the potential use of AZM as a broad antiviral agent to combat viral infection and to prevent devastating ZIKV-associated clinical outcomes, such as congenital microcephaly.