AI Article Synopsis
- The immune response carries costs, with trade-offs between immunity and reproduction noted in various arthropod species, leading to expected sex differences in immune function.
- Research conducted on the burrowing wolf spider Allocosa senex found that female spiders displayed higher lytic activity than males, indicating stronger immune responses.
- Additionally, males that dug deeper burrows exhibited increased lytic activity, suggesting that their behavior influences their immune responses, while no correlation was found between male body condition and burrow length, a trait influenced by female choice.
Article Abstract
The immune response can be costly. Studies in several arthropod species have indicated a trade-off between immunity and other life-history traits, including reproduction. In sexually dimorphic species in which females and males largely differ in their life history strategies and related energetic demands, we can expect to find sex differences in immune functions. Sex differences in immunity are well documented in vertebrates; however, we largely lack data from invertebrate systems. Lytic activity, the immune system's ability to lysate bacteria and viruses, has been widely used as a proxy for the strength of the immune response in several invertebrates. With this in mind, we used the burrowing wolf spider Allocosa senex to test differences in lytic activity between females and males. We also studied whether digging behavior affects the immune responses in this species. While females of A. senex construct simple refuges where they stay during the day, males construct deep burrows, which they donate to females after copulation. In accordance with our hypothesis, females showed higher lytic activity compared with males, and those males who dug showed higher levels of lytic activity than those that did not dig. Furthermore, male body condition and lytic activity did not correlate with burrow length, a trait under female choice in this species. Our results show sexual dimorphism in lytic activity responses, which are likely related to differences in life-history strategies and energetic requirements of each sex in A. senex spiders.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00114-020-01700-2 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Modulation of Cell Cycle Kinases by Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus.
J Med Virol
January 2025
Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
The cell cycle is governed by kinase activity that coordinates progression through a series of regulatory checkpoints, preventing the division of damaged cells. The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) encodes multiple genes that modulate or co-opt the activity of these kinases, shaping the cellular environment to promote viral persistence. By advancing the cell cycle, KSHV facilitates latent replication and subsequent transmission of viral genomes to daughter cells, while also contributing to the establishment of multiple cancer types.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an immune-mediated demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Clemastine fumarate, the over-the-counter antihistamine and muscarinic receptor blocker, has remyelinating potential in MS. A clemastine arm was added to an ongoing platform clinical trial TRAP-MS ( NCT03109288 ) to identify a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) remyelination signature and to collect safety data on clemastine in patients progressing independently of relapse activity (PIRA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFElucidating the synergistic action between sulfonated lignin and lytic polysaccharide monooxygenases (LPMOs) in enhancing cellulose hydrolysis.
Int J Biol Macromol
January 2025
Forest Product Biotechnology/Bioenergy Group, Department of Wood Science, University of British Columbia, 2424 Main Mal, Vancouver V6T 1Z4, Canada. Electronic address:
Modern enzyme cocktails often include lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) as an accessory enzyme that enhances cellulose accessibility during hydrolysis. Although lignin is known to generally impede cellulose hydrolysis, previous research has demonstrated lignin's potential to act as a co-factor in boosting LPMO activity and that the negative impact of lignin limiting enzyme accessibility can be mitigated by sulfonated. When sulphonated lignin was added to microcrystalline cellulose (Avicel) the activity of the lytic polysaccharide monooxygenase (LPMO) was boosted, as determined when using a quartz crystal microbalance and dissipation monitoring (QCM-D).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInsights into the catalytic mechanism of archaeal peptidoglycan endoisopeptidases from methanogenic phages.
Int J Biol Macromol
January 2025
Center of Infectious Diseases, Division of Infectious Diseases in State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610041, China. Electronic address:
Archaeal peptidoglycan, a crucial component of the cell walls of Methanobacteria and Methanopyri, enhances the tightness of methanogenic cells and their resistance to known lytic enzymes and antibiotics. Although archaeal peptidoglycan endoisopeptidases (Pei) can reportedly degrade archaeal peptidoglycan, their biochemistry is still largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the activity and catalytic properties of the endoisopeptidases PeiW and PeiP using synthesized isopeptides identical to natural substrates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStreptomyces secretes a siderophore that sensitizes competitor bacteria to phage infection.
Nat Microbiol
January 2025
Department of Chemistry, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA.
To overtake competitors, microbes produce and secrete secondary metabolites that kill neighbouring cells and sequester nutrients. This metabolite-mediated competition probably evolved in complex microbial communities in the presence of viral pathogens. We therefore hypothesized that microbes secrete natural products that make competitors sensitive to phage infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!