Characterization of the Conus bullatus genome and its venom-duct transcriptome

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The venomous marine gastropods, cone snails (genus <it>Conus</it>), inject prey with a lethal cocktail of conopeptides, small cysteine-rich peptides, each with a high affinity for its molecular target, generally an ion channel, receptor or transporter. Over the last decade, conopeptides have proven indispensable reagents for the study of vertebrate neurotransmission. <it>Conus bullatus </it>belongs to a clade of <it>Conus </it>species called <it>Textilia</it>, whose pharmacology is still poorly characterized. Thus the genomics analyses presented here provide the first step toward a better understanding the enigmatic <it>Textilia </it>clade.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We have carried out a sequencing survey of the <it>Conus bullatus </it>genome and venom-duct transcriptome. We find that conopeptides are highly expressed within the venom-duct, and describe an <it>in silico </it>pipeline for their discovery and characterization using RNA-seq data. We have also carried out low-coverage shotgun sequencing of the genome, and have used these data to determine its size, genome-wide base composition, simple repeat, and mobile element densities.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results provide the first global view of venom-duct transcription in any cone snail. A notable feature of <it>Conus bullatus </it>venoms is the breadth of A-superfamily peptides expressed in the venom duct, which are unprecedented in their structural diversity. We also find SNP rates within conopeptides are higher compared to the remainder of <it>C. bullatus </it>transcriptome, consistent with the hypothesis that conopeptides are under diversifying selection.</p

Test of lepton universality in b→sℓ+ℓ−b \rightarrow s \ell^+ \ell^- decays

The first simultaneous test of muon-electron universality using $B^{+}\rightarrow K^{+}\ell^{+}\ell^{-}$ and $B^{0}\rightarrow K^{*0}\ell^{+}\ell^{-}$ decays is performed, in two ranges of the dilepton invariant-mass squared, $q^{2}$. The analysis uses beauty mesons produced in proton-proton collisions collected with the LHCb detector between 2011 and 2018, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$. Each of the four lepton universality measurements reported is either the first in the given $q^{2}$ interval or supersedes previous LHCb measurements. The results are compatible with the predictions of the Standard Model.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-046.html (LHCb public pages

Precision measurement of CP\it{CP} violation in the penguin-mediated decay Bs0→ϕϕB_s^{0}\rightarrow\phi\phi

A flavor-tagged time-dependent angular analysis of the decay $B_s^{0}\rightarrow\phi\phi$ is performed using $pp$ collision data collected by the LHCb experiment at % at $\sqrt{s}=13$ TeV, the center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6 fb^{-1}. The $\it{CP}$-violating phase and direct $\it{CP}$-violation parameter are measured to be $\phi_{s\bar{s}s} = -0.042 \pm 0.075 \pm 0.009$ rad and $|\lambda|=1.004\pm 0.030 \pm 0.009$, respectively, assuming the same values for all polarization states of the $\phi\phi$ system. In these results, the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. These parameters are also determined separately for each polarization state, showing no evidence for polarization dependence. The results are combined with previous LHCb measurements using $pp$ collisions at center-of-mass energies of 7 and 8 TeV, yielding $\phi_{s\bar{s}s} = -0.074 \pm 0.069$ rad and $|lambda|=1.009 \pm 0.030$. This is the most precise study of time-dependent $\it{CP}$ violation in a penguin-dominated $B$ meson decay. The results are consistent with $\it{CP}$ symmetry and with the Standard Model predictions.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2023-001.html (LHCb public pages

Observation of Two New Excited Ξb0 States Decaying to Λb0 K-π+

Two narrow resonant states are observed in the Λb0K-π+ mass spectrum using a data sample of proton-proton collisions at a center-of-mass energy of 13 TeV, collected by the LHCb experiment and corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 6 fb-1. The minimal quark content of the Λb0K-π+ system indicates that these are excited Ξb0 baryons. The masses of the Ξb(6327)0 and Ξb(6333)0 states are m[Ξb(6327)0]=6327.28-0.21+0.23±0.12±0.24 and m[Ξb(6333)0]=6332.69-0.18+0.17±0.03±0.22 MeV, respectively, with a mass splitting of Δm=5.41-0.27+0.26±0.12 MeV, where the uncertainties are statistical, systematic, and due to the Λb0 mass measurement. The measured natural widths of these states are consistent with zero, with upper limits of Γ[Ξb(6327)0]&lt;2.20(2.56) and Γ[Ξb(6333)0]&lt;1.60(1.92) MeV at a 90% (95%) credibility level. The significance of the two-peak hypothesis is larger than nine (five) Gaussian standard deviations compared to the no-peak (one-peak) hypothesis. The masses, widths, and resonant structure of the new states are in good agreement with the expectations for a doublet of 1D Ξb0 resonances

Observation of a resonant structure near the Ds+Ds−D_s^+ D_s^- threshold in the B+→Ds+Ds−K+B^+\to D_s^+ D_s^- K^+ decay

An amplitude analysis of the $B^+\to D_s^+ D_s^- K^+$ decay is carried out to study for the first time its intermediate resonant contributions, using proton-proton collision data collected with the LHCb detector at centre-of-mass energies of 7, 8 and 13 TeV. A near-threshold peaking structure, referred to as $X(3960)$, is observed in the $D_s^+ D_s^-$ invariant-mass spectrum with significance greater than 12 standard deviations. The mass, width and the quantum numbers of the structure are measured to be $3956\pm5\pm10$ MeV, $43\pm13\pm8$ MeV and $J^{PC}=0^{++}$, respectively, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second systematic. The properties of the new structure are consistent with recent theoretical predictions for a state composed of $c\bar{c}s\bar{s}$ quarks. Evidence for an additional structure is found around 4140 MeV in the $D_s^+ D_s^-$ invariant mass, which might be caused either by a new resonance with the $0^{++}$ assignment or by a $J/\psi \phi\leftrightarrow D_s^+ D_s^-$ coupled-channel effect.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-018.html (LHCb public pages

Measurement of the Λb0→Λ(1520)μ+μ−\Lambda_{b}^{0}\to \Lambda(1520) \mu^{+}\mu^{-} differential branching fraction

The branching fraction of the rare decay $\Lambda_{b}^{0}\to \Lambda(1520) \mu^{+}\mu^{-}$ is measured for the first time, in the squared dimuon mass intervals, $q^2$, excluding the $J/\psi$ and $\psi(2S)$ regions. The data sample analyzed was collected by the LHCb experiment at center-of-mass energies of 7, 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to a total integrated luminosity of $9\ \mathrm{fb}^{-1}$. The result in the highest$q^{2}$interval,$q^{2} >15.0\ \mathrm{GeV}^2/c^4$, where theoretical predictions have the smallest model dependence, agrees with the predictions.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/p/LHCb-PAPER-2022-050.html (LHCb public pages

Search for rare decays of D0 mesons into two muons

A search for the very rare D 0 → μ + μ − decay is performed using data collected by the LHCb experiment in proton-proton collisions at √ s = 7 , 8, and 13 TeV, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 9     fb − 1 . The search is optimized for D 0 mesons from D * + → D 0 π + decays but is also sensitive to D 0 mesons from other sources. No evidence for an excess of events over the expected background is observed. An upper limit on the branching fraction of this decay is set at B ( D 0 → μ + μ − ) &lt; 3.1 × 10 − 9 at a 90% C.L. This represents the world’s most stringent limit, constraining models of physics beyond the standard model

Direct CP violation in charmless three-body decays of B± mesons

Measurements of C P asymmetries in charmless three-body decays of B ± mesons are reported using proton-proton collision data collected by the LHCb detector, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 5.9     fb − 1 . The previously observed C P asymmetry in B ± → π ± K + K − decays is confirmed, and C P asymmetries are observed with a significance of more than five standard deviations in the B ± → π ± π + π − and B ± → K ± K + K − decays, while the C P asymmetry of B ± → K ± π + π − decays is confirmed to be compatible with zero. The distributions of these asymmetries are also studied as a function of the three-body phase space and suggest contributions from rescattering and resonance interference processes. An indication of the presence of the decays B ± → π ± χ c 0 ( 1 P ) in both B ± → π ± π + π − and B ± → π ± K + K − decays is observed, as is C P violation involving these amplitudes

Measurement of the ratios of branching fractions R(D*) and R(D0)

The ratios of branching fractions R ( D ∗ ) ≡ B ( ¯ B → D ∗ τ − ¯ ν τ ) / B ( ¯ B → D ∗ μ − ¯ ν μ ) and R ( D 0 ) ≡ B ( B − → D 0 τ − ¯ ν τ ) / B ( B − → D 0 μ − ¯ ν μ ) are measured, assuming isospin symmetry, using a sample of proton-proton collision data corresponding to 3.0     fb − 1 of integrated luminosity recorded by the LHCb experiment during 2011 and 2012. The tau lepton is identified in the decay mode τ − → μ − ν τ ¯ ν μ . The measured values are R ( D ∗ ) = 0.281 ± 0.018 ± 0.024 and R ( D 0 ) = 0.441 ± 0.060 ± 0.066 , where the first uncertainty is statistical and the second is systematic. The correlation between these measurements is ρ = − 0.43 . The results are consistent with the current average of these quantities and are at a combined 1.9 standard deviations from the predictions based on lepton flavor universality in the standard model