Functional analysis of 3'-UTR hairpins supports a two-tiered model for posttranscriptional regulation of by METTL16.

S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) is the methyl donor for nearly all cellular methylation events, so cells need to carefully control SAM levels. encodes the only SAM synthetase expressed in the majority of human cells, and its 3'-UTR has six conserved regulatory hairpins (hp1-6) that can be methylated by the N6-methyladenosine methyltransferase METTL16. Hp1 begins 8 nt from the stop codon, whereas hp2-6 are clustered further downstream (∼800 nt).

The PNUTS-PP1 complex acts as an intrinsic barrier to herpesvirus KSHV gene expression and replication.

Control of RNA Polymerase II (pol II) elongation is a critical component of gene expression in mammalian cells. The PNUTS-PP1 complex controls elongation rates, slowing pol II after polyadenylation sites to promote termination. The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) co-opts pol II to express its genes, but little is known about its regulation of pol II elongation.

Female squirrel monkeys as models for research on women's pelvic floor disorders.

Animal models enable research on biological phenomena with controlled interventions not possible or ethical in patients. Among species used as experimental models, squirrel monkeys ( genus) are phylogenetically related to humans and are relatively easily managed in captivity. Quadrupedal locomotion of squirrel monkeys resembles most other quadrupedal primates in that they utilize a diagonal sequence/diagonal couplets gait when walking on small branches.

Epidemiological and molecular characterization of a novel adenovirus of squirrel monkeys after fatal infection during immunosuppression.

Adenoviruses are a frequent cause of acute upper respiratory tract infections that can also cause disseminated disease in immunosuppressed patients. We identified a novel adenovirus, squirrel monkey adenovirus 1 (SqMAdV-1), as the cause of fatal infection in an immunocompromised squirrel monkey () at the Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research (KCCMR). Sequencing of SqMAdV-1 revealed that it is most closely related (80.

Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus Fine-Tunes the Temporal Expression of Late Genes by Manipulating a Host RNA Quality Control Pathway.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a human oncogenic nuclear DNA virus that expresses its genes using the host cell transcription and RNA processing machinery. As a result, KSHV transcripts are subject to degradation by at least two host-mediated nuclear RNA decay pathways, the PABPN1- and poly(A) polymerase α/γ (PAPα/γ)-mediated RNA decay (PPD) pathway and an ARS2-dependent decay pathway. Here, we present global analyses of viral transcript levels to further understand the roles of these decay pathways in KSHV gene expression.

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus ORF57 protein protects viral transcripts from specific nuclear RNA decay pathways by preventing hMTR4 recruitment.

Nuclear RNAs are subject to a number of RNA decay pathways that serve quality control and regulatory functions. As a result, any virus that expresses its genes in the nucleus must have evolved mechanisms that avoid these pathways, but the how viruses evade nuclear RNA decay remains largely unknown. The multifunctional Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) ORF57 (Mta) protein is required for the nuclear stability of viral transcripts.

Cellular immune responses in peripheral blood lymphocytes of Giardia infected squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis boliviensis) treated with Fenbendazole.

Cellular immune responses were tested to determine the effect of fenbendazole on the function of lymphocytes from Bolivian squirrel monkeys (Samiri boliviensis boliviensis). Giardia-infected squirrel monkeys were treated with commercially available fenbendazole (FBZ)-medicated monkey chow. Immune responses were compared between historical controls (Giardia naïve, untreated with FBZ (control animals)) and Giardia-infected, FBZ-treated squirrel monkeys (study animals).

Niche adaptation and viral transmission of human papillomaviruses from archaic hominins to modern humans.

Recent discoveries on the origins of modern humans from multiple archaic hominin populations and the diversity of human papillomaviruses (HPVs) suggest a complex scenario of virus-host evolution. To evaluate the origin of HPV pathogenesis, we estimated the phylogeny, timing, and dispersal of HPV16 variants using a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo framework. To increase precision, we identified and characterized non-human primate papillomaviruses from New and Old World monkeys to set molecular clock models.

Experimental Zika Virus Infection of Neotropical Primates.

The establishment of a sylvatic reservoir of Zika virus (ZIKV) in the Americas is dependent on the susceptibility of primates of sufficient population density, the duration and magnitude of viremia, and their exposure to the human mosquito-borne transmission cycle. To assess the susceptibility of squirrel ( sp.) and owl monkeys ( sp.

Randomized trial of cesarean vs vaginal delivery for effects on the pelvic floor in squirrel monkeys.

Background: Vaginal delivery is a risk factor in pelvic floor disorders. We previously described changes in the pelvic floor associated with pregnancy and parturition in the squirrel monkey, a species with a humanlike pattern of spontaneous age- and parity-associated pelvic organ prolapse.

Objective: The potential to prevent or diminish these changes with scheduled cesarean delivery (CD) has not been evaluated.

Endemic Viruses of Squirrel Monkeys (Saimiri spp.).

Nonhuman primates are the experimental animals of choice for the study of many human diseases. As such, it is important to understand that endemic viruses of primates can potentially affect the design, methods, and results of biomedical studies designed to model human disease. Here we review the viruses known to be endemic in squirrel monkeys (Saimiri spp.

Lack of association between pelvic outlet diameter and pelvic organ prolapse in squirrel monkeys.

Introduction And Hypothesis: The aim was to test the hypothesis that the pelvic outlet diameter (POD) is associated with pelvic organ prolapse (POP) in squirrel monkeys.

Methods: Magnetic resonance images (MRI) were obtained from 55 females with and without POP. Commercial software was used by two observers to measure the POD.

F-box and leucine-rich repeat protein 5 (FBXL5): sensing intracellular iron and oxygen.

Though essential for many vital biological processes, excess iron results in the formation of damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS). Therefore, iron metabolism must be tightly regulated. F-box and leucine-rich repeat protein 5 (FBXL5), an E3 ubiquitin ligase subunit, regulates cellular and systemic iron homeostasis by facilitating iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2) degradation.

Phenotypic and functional characterization of lymphocytes from different age groups of Bolivian squirrel monkeys (Saimiri boliviensis boliviensis).

Due to many physiological and genetic characteristic similarities to humans, squirrel monkeys provide an ideal animal model specifically for studying malaria, and transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease). While squirrel monkeys three years and older are generally considered adult subjects suitable for use in medical research studies, little is known about the functional properties of lymphocytes in relation to the age of these animals, which could significantly impact the quality and quantity of innate and adaptive immune responses. In this study, we investigated differences in the phenotype and function of lymphocytes subsets of young (3-4 years), adult (8-10 years) and aged (16-19 years) squirrel monkeys.

F-box and leucine-rich repeat protein 5 (FBXL5) is required for maintenance of cellular and systemic iron homeostasis.

Maintenance of cellular iron homeostasis requires post-transcriptional regulation of iron metabolism genes by iron regulatory protein 2 (IRP2). The hemerythrin-like domain of F-box and leucine-rich repeat protein 5 (FBXL5), an E3 ubiquitin ligase subunit, senses iron and oxygen availability and facilitates IRP2 degradation in iron replete cells. Disruption of the ubiquitously expressed murine Fbxl5 gene results in a failure to sense increased cellular iron availability, accompanied by constitutive IRP2 accumulation and misexpression of IRP2 target genes.

Hemerythrin-like domain within F-box and leucine-rich repeat protein 5 (FBXL5) communicates cellular iron and oxygen availability by distinct mechanisms.

Iron regulatory proteins play a principal role in maintaining cellular iron homeostasis by post-transcriptionally regulating factors responsible for iron uptake, utilization, and storage. An E3 ubiquitin ligase complex containing FBXL5 targets IRP2 for proteasomal degradation under iron- and oxygen-replete conditions, whereas FBXL5 itself is degraded when iron and oxygen availability decreases. FBXL5 contains a hemerythrin-like (Hr) domain at its N terminus that mediates its own differential stability.

Structural and molecular characterization of iron-sensing hemerythrin-like domain within F-box and leucine-rich repeat protein 5 (FBXL5).

Mammalian cells maintain iron homeostasis by sensing changes in bioavailable iron levels and promoting adaptive responses. FBXL5 is a subunit of an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex that mediates the stability of iron regulatory protein 2, an important posttranscriptional regulator of several genes involved in iron metabolism. The stability of FBXL5 is regulated in an iron- and oxygen-responsive manner, contingent upon the presence of its N-terminal domain.

Activation of the HIF prolyl hydroxylase by the iron chaperones PCBP1 and PCBP2.

Mammalian cells express dozens of iron-containing proteins, yet little is known about the mechanism of metal ligand incorporation. Human poly (rC) binding protein 1 (PCBP1) is an iron chaperone that binds iron and delivers it to ferritin, a cytosolic iron storage protein. We have identified the iron-dependent prolyl hydroxylases (PHDs) and asparaginyl hydroxylase (FIH1) that modify hypoxia-inducible factor α (HIFα) as targets of PCBP1.

An E3 ligase possessing an iron-responsive hemerythrin domain is a regulator of iron homeostasis.

Cellular iron homeostasis is maintained by the coordinate posttranscriptional regulation of genes responsible for iron uptake, release, use, and storage through the actions of the iron regulatory proteins IRP1 and IRP2. However, the manner in which iron levels are sensed to affect IRP2 activity is poorly understood. We found that an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex containing the FBXL5 protein targets IRP2 for proteasomal degradation.

A study of a black howling monkey (Alouatta caraya) population in northern Argentina.

A population of Alouatta caraya in northern Argentina had an ecological density of 130 animals per km . Mean troop size varied from 7.2 to 8.