An ovipositing insect experiences many sensory challenges during her search for a suitable host plant. These sensory challenges become exceedingly pronounced when host range increases, as larger varieties of sensory inputs have to be perceived and processed in the brain. Neural capacities can be exceeded upon information overload, inflicting costs on oviposition accuracy. One presumed generalist strategy to diminish information overload is the acquisition of a focused search during its lifetime based on experiences within the current environment, a strategy opposed to a more genetically determined focus expected to be seen in relative specialists. We hypothesized that a broader host range is positively correlated with mushroom body (MB) plasticity, a brain structure related to learning and memory. To test this hypothesis, butterflies with diverging host ranges (, and ) were subjected to differential environmental complexities for oviposition, after which ontogenetic MB calyx volume differences were compared among species. We found that the relative generalist species exhibited remarkable plasticity in ontogenetic MB volumes; MB growth was differentially stimulated based on the complexity of the experienced environment. For relative specialists, MB volume was more canalized. All in all, this study strongly suggests an impact of host range on brain plasticity in Nymphalid butterflies.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.1594 | DOI Listing |
Cell Host Microbe
December 2024
The Edison Family Center for Genome Sciences and Systems Biology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Pathology and Immunology, Division of Laboratory and Genomic Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Molecular Microbiology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Washington University in St Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA; Department of Pediatrics, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, USA. Electronic address:
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Shenzhen Third People's Hospital, National Clinical Research Centre for Infectious Disease, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Southern University of Science and Technology, Shenzhen, China.
Background: Bacterial pathogens frequently encounter host-derived metabolites during their colonization and invasion processes, which can serve as nutrients, antimicrobial agents, or signaling molecules for the pathogens. The essential nutrient choline (Cho) is widely known to be utilized by a diverse range of bacteria and may undergo conversion into the disease-associated metabolite trimethylamine (TMA). However, the impact of choline metabolism on bacterial physiology and virulence remains largely unexplored.
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December 2024
Sydney School of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Camperdown, NSW, 2006, Australia.
Chlamydiosis is a common infectious disease impacting koalas and is a major cause of population decline due to resulting mortality and infertility. Polymorphisms of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes influence chlamydial disease outcomes in several species but koala studies have produced variable results. We aimed to identify the MHC II DAB and DBB repertoire of koalas from Liverpool Plains, NSW, a population heavily impacted by chlamydiosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCommun Biol
December 2024
Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.
The beta-rhizobial strain Paraburkholderia phymatum STM815 is noteworthy for its wide host range in nodulating legumes, primarily mimosoids (over 50 different species) but also some papilionoids. It cannot, however, nodulate soybean (Glycine max [L.] Merr.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Rep
December 2024
School of Dentistry, University of California Los Angeles, 10833 Le Conte Ave., 73-022 CHS, Los Angeles, CA, 90095-1668, USA.
We developed a 4-parameter clinical assay using Electric Field Induced Release and Measurement (EFIRM) technology to simultaneously assess SARS-CoV-2 RNA (vRNA), nucleocapsid antigen, host binding (BAb) and neutralizing antibody (NAb) levels from a drop of saliva with performance that equals or surpasses current EUA-approved tests. The vRNA and antigen assays achieved lower limit of detection (LOD) of 100 copies/reaction and 3.5 TCID₅₀/mL, respectively.
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