Gut microbiome remodeling and metabolomic profile improves in response to protein pacing with intermittent fasting versus continuous caloric restriction.

The gut microbiome (GM) modulates body weight/composition and gastrointestinal functioning; therefore, approaches targeting resident gut microbes have attracted considerable interest. Intermittent fasting (IF) and protein pacing (P) regimens are effective in facilitating weight loss (WL) and enhancing body composition. However, the interrelationships between IF- and P-induced WL and the GM are unknown.

Two Lineages of Papillomaviruses Identified from Caracals () in South Africa.

Papillomaviruses (PV) infect epithelial cells and can cause hyperplastic or neoplastic lesions. In felids, most described PVs are from domestic cats (; n = 7 types), with one type identified in each of the five wild felid species studied to date (, , , and ). PVs from domestic cats are highly diverse and are currently classified into three genera (, , and ), whereas those from wild felids, although diverse, are all classified into the genus.

De Novo Genome Assembly for the Coppery Titi Monkey (Plecturocebus cupreus): An Emerging Nonhuman Primate Model for Behavioral Research.

The coppery titi monkey (Plecturocebus cupreus) is an emerging nonhuman primate model system for behavioral and neurobiological research. At the same time, the almost entire absence of genomic resources for the species has hampered insights into the genetic underpinnings of the phenotypic traits of interest. To facilitate future genotype-to-phenotype studies, we here present a high-quality, fully annotated de novo genome assembly for the species with chromosome-length scaffolds spanning the autosomes and chromosome X (scaffold N50 = 130.

Genome analysis of gyroviruses identified in waterfowl in Arizona (USA).

Gyroviruses are small single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) viruses that are largely associated with birds. Chicken anemia virus is the most extensively studied gyrovirus due to its disease impact on the poultry industry. However, we know much less about gyroviruses infecting other avian species.

Two Novel Geminiviruses Identified in Bees ( and sp.).

Members of the family are circular single-stranded DNA plant-infecting viruses, some of which impact global food production. Geminiviruses are vectored by sap-feeding insects such as leafhoppers, treehoppers, aphids, and whiteflies. Additionally, geminivirus sequences have also been identified in other insects such as dragonflies, mosquitoes, and stingless bees.

Marmosets contain multitudes.

Single-cell RNA sequencing reveals the extent to which marmosets carry genetically distinct cells from their siblings.

Complete genome sequence of the bacteriophage Amabiko.

Amabiko is a lytic subcluster BE2 bacteriophage that infects -a bacterium causing common scab in potatoes. Its 131,414 bp genome has a GC content of 49.5% and contains 245 putative protein-coding genes, 45 tRNAs, and one tmRNA.

Mediterranean diet protects against a neuroinflammatory cortical transcriptome: Associations with brain volumetrics, peripheral inflammation, social isolation, and anxiety in nonhuman primates (Macaca fascicularis).

Mediterranean diets may be neuroprotective and prevent cognitive decline relative to Western diets; however, the underlying biology is poorly understood. We assessed the effects of Western versus Mediterranean-like diets on RNAseq-generated transcriptional profiles in lateral temporal cortex and their relationships with longitudinal changes in neuroanatomy, circulating monocyte gene expression, and observations of social isolation and anxiety in 38 socially-housed, middle-aged female cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis). Diet resulted in differential expression of seven transcripts (FDR < 0.

Virome release of an invasive exotic plant species in southern France.

The increase in human-mediated introduction of plant species to new regions has resulted in a rise of invasive exotic plant species (IEPS) that has had significant effects on biodiversity and ecosystem processes. One commonly accepted mechanism of invasions is that proposed by the enemy release hypothesis (ERH), which states that IEPS free from their native herbivores and natural enemies in new environments can outcompete indigenous species and become invasive. We here propose the virome release hypothesis (VRH) as a virus-centered variant of the conventional ERH that is only focused on enemies.

Socioecological drivers of injuries in female and male rhesus macaques ().

Competition over access to resources, such as food and mates, is believed to be one of the major costs associated with group living. Two socioecological factors suggested to predict the intensity of competition are group size and the relative abundance of sexually active individuals. However, empirical evidence linking these factors to injuries and survival costs is scarce.

Social ageing can protect against infectious disease in a group-living primate.

The benefits of social living are well established, but sociality also comes with costs, including infectious disease risk. This cost-benefit ratio of sociality is expected to change across individuals' lifespans, which may drive changes in social behaviour with age. To explore this idea, we combine data from a group-living primate for which social ageing has been described with epidemiological models to show that having lower social connectedness when older can protect against the costs of a hypothetical, directly transmitted endemic pathogen.

Cell-in-cell phenomena across the tree of life.

Cells in obligately multicellular organisms by definition have aligned fitness interests, minimum conflict, and cannot reproduce independently. However, some cells eat other cells within the same body, sometimes called cell cannibalism. Such cell-in-cell events have not been thoroughly discussed in the framework of major transitions to multicellularity.

An evaluation of LLIN physical integrity and population attitudes towards net use, care and handling during the Magude project in southern Mozambique.

Background: The Magude Project assessed the feasibility of eliminating malaria in Magude district, a low transmission setting in southern Mozambique, using a package of interventions, including long-lasting insecticidal nets (LLINs). As the efficacy of LLINs depends in part on their physical integrity, this metric was quantified for Olyset® Nets post mass-distribution, in addition to net use, care and handling practices and other risk factors associated with net physical integrity.

Methods: Nets were collected during a cross-sectional net evaluation, nine months after the Magude project commenced, which was 2 years after the nets were distributed by the National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP).

Diverse papillomaviruses identified from Antarctic fur seals, leopard seals and Weddell seals from the Antarctic.

Papillomaviruses (family Papillomaviridae) are non-enveloped, circular, double-stranded DNA viruses known to infect squamous and mucosal epithelial cells. In the family Papillomaviridae there are 53 genera and 133 viral species whose members infect a variety of mammalian, avian, reptilian, and fish species. Within the Antarctic context, papillomaviruses (PVs) have been identified in Adélie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae, 2 PVs), Weddell seals (Leptonychotes weddellii, 7 PVs), and emerald notothen (Trematomus bernacchii, 1 PV) in McMurdo Sound and Ross Island in eastern Antarctica.

New duck papillomavirus type identified in a mallard in Missouri, USA.

Papillomaviruses are small circular DNA viruses that infect epithelial and mucosal cells and have co-evolved with their hosts. Some papillomaviruses in mammals are well studied (especially those associated with disease). However, there is limited information on papillomaviruses associated with avian hosts.

Social network shrinking is explained by active and passive effects but not increasing selectivity with age in wild macaques.

Evidence of social disengagement, network narrowing and social selectivity with advancing age in several non-human animals challenges our understanding of the causes of social ageing. Natural animal populations are needed to test whether social ageing and selectivity occur under natural predation and extrinsic mortality pressures, and longitudinal studies are particularly valuable to disentangle the contribution of within-individual ageing from the demographic processes that shape social ageing at the population level. Data on wild Assamese macaques () were collected between 2013 and 2020 at the Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand.

Quantifying the relationship between bone and soft tissue measures within the rhesus macaques of Cayo Santiago.

Objectives: Interpretations of the primate and human fossil record often rely on the estimation of somatic dimensions from bony measures. Both somatic and skeletal variation have been used to assess how primates respond to environmental change. However, it is unclear how well skeletal variation matches and predicts soft tissue.

Mechanical and morphometric approaches to body mass estimation in rhesus macaques: A test of skeletal variables.

Objectives: Estimation of body mass from skeletal metrics can reveal important insights into the paleobiology of archeological or fossil remains. The standard approach constructs predictive equations from postcrania, but studies have questioned the reliability of traditional measures. Here, we examine several skeletal features to assess their accuracy in predicting body mass.

Targeted enrichment of whole-genome SNPs from highly burned skeletal remains.

Genetic assessment of highly incinerated and/or degraded human skeletal material is a persistent challenge in forensic DNA analysis, including identifying victims of mass disasters. Few studies have investigated the impact of thermal degradation on whole-genome single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) quality and quantity using next-generation sequencing (NGS). We present whole-genome SNP data obtained from the bones and teeth of 27 fire victims using two DNA extraction techniques.

Differential Conservation and Loss of CR1 Retrotransposons in Squamates Reveals Lineage-Specific Genome Dynamics across Reptiles.

Transposable elements (TEs) are repetitive DNA sequences which create mutations and generate genetic diversity across the tree of life. In amniotic vertebrates, TEs have been mainly studied in mammals and birds, whose genomes generally display low TE diversity. Squamates (Order Squamata; ~11,000 extant species of lizards and snakes) show as much variation in TE abundance and activity as they do in species and phenotypes.

Sex-specific recruitment rates contribute to male-biased sex ratio in Adélie penguins.

Sex-related differences in vital rates that drive population change reflect the basic life history of a species. However, for visually monomorphic bird species, determining the effect of sex on demographics can be a challenge. In this study, we investigated the effect of sex on apparent survival, recruitment, and breeding propensity in the Adélie penguin (), a monochromatic, slightly size dimorphic species with known age, known sex, and known breeding history data collected during 1996-2019 ( = 2127 birds) from three breeding colonies on Ross Island, Antarctica.

Computational host range prediction-The good, the bad, and the ugly.

The rapid emergence and spread of antimicrobial resistance across the globe have prompted the usage of bacteriophages (i.e. viruses that infect bacteria) in a variety of applications ranging from agriculture to biotechnology and medicine.

Lack of Dosage Balance and Incomplete Dosage Compensation in the ZZ/ZW Gila Monster (Heloderma suspectum) Revealed by De Novo Genome Assembly.

Reptiles exhibit a variety of modes of sex determination, including both temperature-dependent and genetic mechanisms. Among those species with genetic sex determination, sex chromosomes of varying heterogamety (XX/XY and ZZ/ZW) have been observed with different degrees of differentiation. Karyotype studies have demonstrated that Gila monsters (Heloderma suspectum) have ZZ/ZW sex determination and this system is likely homologous to the ZZ/ZW system in the Komodo dragon (Varanus komodoensis), but little else is known about their sex chromosomes.

Acute metformin induces hyperglycemia in healthy adult mourning doves, Zenaida macroura.

Birds have the highest blood glucose among vertebrates. Several mechanisms may explain this including the lack of a functional insulin-responsive glucose transport protein, high glucagon concentrations, and reliance on lipid oxidation resulting in the production of gluconeogenic precursors. The hypothesis was that interruption of gluconeogenesis using the diabetes medication metformin would lower glucose concentrations in wild-caught birds.

Poor Oral Health Is Associated With Inflammation, Aortic Valve Calcification, and Brain Volume Among Forager-Farmers.

Poor oral health is associated with cardiovascular disease and dementia. Potential pathways include sepsis from oral bacteria, systemic inflammation, and nutritional deficiencies. However, in post-industrialized populations, links between oral health and chronic disease may be confounded because the lower socioeconomic exposome (poor diet, pollution, and low physical activity) often entails insufficient dental care.