Seventy-three percent of all exposed common coral reef invertebrates, from four phyla (42 species) tested, are toxic to fish. This represents the first evidence of the high incidence to toxicity in the marine tropics among several phyletic groups comprising dominant species. Most of the remaining exposed species have structural defense mechanisms against predation by fish. Of cryptic invertebrates, 25 percent are toxic to fish. The relation between toxicity, fish feeding behavior, community structure, and evolutionary theory is discussed.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.7455691 | DOI Listing |
Protein Pept Lett
January 2025
Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey.
Like other vertebrates, amphibians possess innate and adaptive immune systems. At the center of the adaptive immune system is the Major Histocompatibility Complex. The important molecules of innate immunity are antimicrobial peptides (AMPs).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Cell Biol
January 2025
Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Many of the cells in mammalian tissues are in a reversible quiescent state; they are not dividing, but retain the ability to proliferate in response to extracellular signals. Quiescence relies on the activities of transcription factors (TFs) that orchestrate the repression of genes that promote proliferation and establish a quiescence-specific gene expression program. Here we discuss how the coordinated activities of TFs in different quiescent stem cells and differentiated cells maintain reversible cell cycle arrest and establish cell-protective signalling pathways.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Commun
January 2025
Laboratory of Structural Biochemistry, Institute of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Many bacteriophages modulate host transcription to favor expression of their own genomes. Phage satellite P4 polarity suppression protein, Psu, a building block of the viral capsid, inhibits hexameric transcription termination factor, ρ, by presently unknown mechanisms. Our cryogenic electron microscopy structures of ρ-Psu complexes show that Psu dimers clamp two inactive, open ρ rings and promote their expansion to higher-oligomeric states.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHorm Metab Res
January 2025
Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are large structures composed of chromatin, histones and granule-derived proteins released extracellularly by neutrophils. They are generally considered to be a part of the antimicrobial defense strategy, preventing the dissemination of pathogens. However, overproduction of NETs or their ineffective clearance can drive various pathologies, many of which are associated with advanced age and involve uncontrolled inflammation, oxidative, cardiovascular and neurodegenerative stress as underlying mechanisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcotoxicol Environ Saf
January 2025
State Key Laboratory of Subtropical Silviculture, Zhejiang A&F University, Hangzhou 311300, China. Electronic address:
Soil cadmium (Cd) pollution is a serious ecological problem worldwide. Understanding Cd-detoxification mechanisms in woody plants will help to evaluate their tolerance ability and phytoremediation potential to Cd-polluted soils. This study investigated the growth, physiochemistry, Cd distribution, and transcriptome sequencing of male and female poplars under three Cd levels (0, 50, and 100 mg·kg).
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