Group 3 innate lymphocytes (ILC3s) upregulate IL-22 in response to elevated intracellular cAMP levels.

Group 3 innate lymphocytes (ILC3s) are important immune cells within mucosal tissues and protect against bacterial infections. They can be activated in response to the innate cytokines IL-23 or IL-1β, which rapidly increases their production of effector molecules that regulate barrier functions. Pathogens can subvert these anti-bacterial effects to evade mucosal defenses to infect the host.

Assessing the Effectiveness of a Community-based Livestock Insurance Program.

Financial mechanisms to mitigate the costs of negative human-carnivore interactions are frequently promoted to support human coexistence with carnivores. Yet, evidence to support their performance in different settings is scarce. We evaluated a community-based livestock insurance program implemented as part of a broader snow leopard conservation effort in the Tost Tosonbumba Nature Reserve, South Gobi, Mongolia.

Hypoxic modulation of hepatocyte responses to the cytokine interleukin-22.

The cytokine interleukin-22 (IL-22) is a potent regulator of tissue responses during inflammation. Depending on the context of inflammation, IL-22 can have protective or inflammatory effects on epithelial cells. This dual nature of IL-22 leads us to hypothesize that its activity must be exquisitely regulated to prevent host tissue damage.

Patterns of Snow Leopard Site Use in an Increasingly Human-Dominated Landscape.

Human population growth and concomitant increases in demand for natural resources pose threats to many wildlife populations. The landscapes used by the endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia) and their prey is increasingly subject to major changes in land use. We aimed to assess the influence of 1) key human activities, as indicated by the presence of mining and livestock herding, and 2) the presence of a key prey species, the blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur), on probability of snow leopard site use across the landscape.

A spotlight on snow leopard conservation in China.

China holds the greatest proportion of the snow leopard's (Panthera uncia) global range and is central to their conservation. The country is also undergoing unprecedented economic growth, which increases both the threats to the snow leopard and the opportunities for its conservation. In this paper we aim to review published literature (from 1950 to 2014) in English and Mandarin on snow leopard ecology and conservation in China in order to identify thematic and geographic research gaps and propose research priorities.

Face Value: Towards Robust Estimates of Snow Leopard Densities.

When densities of large carnivores fall below certain thresholds, dramatic ecological effects can follow, leading to oversimplified ecosystems. Understanding the population status of such species remains a major challenge as they occur in low densities and their ranges are wide. This paper describes the use of non-invasive data collection techniques combined with recent spatial capture-recapture methods to estimate the density of snow leopards Panthera uncia.