Publications by authors named "L Leventhal"
The genetics model system (L.) Heynh. lives across a vast geographic range with contrasting climates, in response to which it has evolved diverse life histories and phenotypic adaptations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlants are colonized by distinct pathogenic and commensal microbiomes across different regions of the globe, but the factors driving their geographic variation are largely unknown. Here, using 16S ribosomal DNA and shotgun sequencing, we characterized the associations of the Arabidopsis thaliana leaf microbiome with host genetics and climate variables from 267 populations in the species' native range across Europe. Comparing the distribution of the 575 major bacterial amplicon variants (phylotypes), we discovered that microbiome composition in A.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Anthropogenic factors like habitat loss and climate change are shrinking species' ranges, which heightens their extinction risk and diminishes genetic diversity.
- - The authors introduce a new mathematical framework that combines biodiversity theory with population genetics to analyze the decline of DNA mutations as habitats decrease.
- - By examining a large genomic dataset from various species, they find that genetic diversity declines in a predictable manner related to habitat area, estimating over 10% of genetic diversity has already been lost in many species, exceeding UN targets for conservation.
Phosphodiesterase 9 (PDE9) degrades selectively the second messenger cGMP, which is an important molecule of dopamine signaling pathways in striatal projection neurons (SPNs). In this study, we assessed the effects of a selective PDE9 inhibitor (PDE9i) in the primate model of Parkinson's disease (PD). Six macaques with advanced parkinsonism were used in the study.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Loss-of-function mutations in the progranulin gene cause frontotemporal dementia, a genetic, heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder. Progranulin deficiency leads to extensive neuronal loss in the frontal and temporal lobes, altered synaptic connectivity, and behavioral alterations.
Methods: The chronological emergence of neurophysiological and behavioral phenotypes of Grn heterozygous and homozygous mice in the dorsomedial thalamic-medial prefrontal cortical pathway were evaluated by in vivo electrophysiology and reward-seeking/processing behavior, tested between ages 3 and 12.