Deep mutational scanning of rabies glycoprotein defines mutational constraint and antibody-escape mutations.

Rabies virus causes nearly 60,000 human deaths annually. Antibodies that target the rabies glycoprotein (G) are being developed as post-exposure prophylactics, but mutations in G can render such antibodies ineffective. Here, we use pseudovirus deep mutational scanning to measure how all single amino-acid mutations to G affect cell entry and neutralization by a panel of antibodies.

Bioimaging marine crustacean brain: quantitative comparison of micro-CT preparations in an Alpheid snapping shrimp.

Non-invasive bioimaging techniques like X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT), combined with contrast-enhancing techniques, allow the 3D visualization of the central nervous system , without the destruction of the sample. However, quantitative comparisons of the most common fixation and contrast-enhancing protocols are rare, especially in marine invertebrates. Using the snapping shrimp () as a model, we test three common fixation and staining agents combinations to prepare specimens prior to μCT scanning.

An electrophysiological correlate of sleep in a shark.

Sleep is a prominent physiological state observed across the animal kingdom. Yet, for some animals, our ability to identify sleep can be masked by behaviors otherwise associated with being awake, such as for some sharks that must swim continuously to push oxygenated seawater over their gills to breathe. We know that sleep in buccal pumping sharks with clear rest/activity cycles, such as draughtsboard sharks (Cephaloscyllium isabellum, Bonnaterre, 1788), manifests as a behavioral shutdown, postural relaxation, reduced responsiveness, and a lowered metabolic rate.