Tools for Intersectional Optical and Chemical Tagging on Cell Surfaces.

We present versatile tools for intersectional optical and chemical tagging of live cells. Photocaged tetrazines serve as "photo-click" adapters between recognition groups on the cell surface and diverse chemical payloads. We describe two new functionalized photocaged tetrazine structures which add a light-gating step to three common cell-targeting chemical methods: HaloTag/chloroalkane labeling, nonspecific primary amine labeling, and antibody labeling.

NO-mediated DNA damage induced by polystyrene nanoparticles triggers program cell death in mesenchymal stem cells.

Daily contact with considerable amounts of polystyrene nanoparticles (PSNPs) may cause harmful effects on the living organisms, through mechanisms that are not fully understood. The study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic and genotoxic effects of PSNPs (size 200 nm and 40 nm) in mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). In order to estimate cellular uptake and retention of nanoplastics, PSNP-treated cells have been analyzed by transmission electron microscopy.

Ecomorphological correlates of grasping forces in strepsirrhine primates.

Powerful digital grasping is essential for primates navigating arboreal environments and is often regarded as a defining characteristic of the order. However, data on primate grip strength are limited. In this study, we collected grasping data from the hands and feet of eleven strepsirrhine species to assess how ecomorphological variables-such as autopodial shape, laterality, body mass and locomotor mode-influence grasping performance.

A hydrodynamic antenna: novel lateral line system in the tail of myliobatid stingrays.

Eagle rays, cownose rays and manta rays (order Myliobatiformes) have a slender tail that can be longer than the animal's body length, but its function and structure are unknown. Using histology, immunohistochemistry and three-dimensional imaging with micro-computed tomography scans, we describe the anatomy and function of the tail in , the cownose ray. The tail is an extension of the vertebral column with unique morphological specializations.

Herbivory can increase plant fitness via reduced interspecific competition-evidence from models and mesocosms.

Herbivores are generally considered to reduce plant fitness. However, as in natural communities they often feed on several competing plant species, herbivores can also increase plant fitness by reducing interspecific competition among plants. In this study, we developed a testable model to predict plant fitness in the presence of an interspecific competitor and a herbivore that feeds on both plant species.

More than a token photo: humanizing scientists enhances student engagement.

Despite broad consensus that highlighting counter-stereotypical scientist role models in educational materials promotes equity and success, the specific elements that make these materials effective remain untested. Are pictures of counter-stereotypical scientists enough to communicate to students that scientists come from a variety of backgrounds, or is additional information required? To parse the effects of including visual depictions and humanizing information about scientists featured in biology course materials, we distributed three randomized versions of assignments over several academic terms across 36 undergraduate institutions ( > 3700 students). We found that including humanizing information about scientists was key to increasing student engagement with the biology course materials.

Broad geographic dispersal is not a diversification driver for Emberizoidea.

The movement of species to new geographical areas has been proposed to be crucial for speciation. As such, dispersal has been regarded as a likely explanation for the variation in species richness among clades. The Emberizoidea are a highly diverse Oscine bird clade native to the New World that has been characterized for their ubiquitous distribution both ecologically and geographically, making this group ideal to test how biogeographical dispersal could promote speciation.

Early prenatal but not postnatal glucocorticoid exposure is associated with enhanced HPA axis activity into adulthood in a wild primate.

The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a dual role in the biology of developmental plasticity in mammals, including humans-HPA axis activity not only provides the input for, but is also a target of, offspring developmental plasticity. To investigate the understudied effects of exposure timing, this study quantified maternal HPA axis activity during each half of gestation as well as during early lactation and assessed its effect on offspring HPA axis activity in a cross-sectional sample of infant, juvenile and adult Assamese macaques (). To add ecological validity to experimental studies under laboratory conditions, macaques were studied in the wild.

Filter feeding in devil rays is highly sensitive to morphology.

Mobulid rays (manta and devil rays) use a highly specialized filtering apparatus to separate plankton food particles from seawater. Recent studies have indicated that captive vortices form within the microscale pores of the filter, which enhance filtration efficiency through a novel mechanism referred to as ricochet separation. The high throughput and clog resistance of this filtration process have led to the development of several bioinspired engineered filtration systems.

Dating the origin of a viral domestication event in parasitoid wasps attacking Diptera.

Over the course of evolution, hymenopteran parasitoids have developed a close relationship with heritable viruses, sometimes integrating viral genes into their chromosomes. For example, in parasitoids belonging to the genus, 13 viral genes from the family have been domesticated to deliver immunosuppressive factors to host immune cells, thereby protecting parasitoid offspring from the host immune response. The present study aims to comprehensively characterize this domestication event in terms of the viral genes involved, the wasp diversity affected by this event and its chronology.

Socio-ecological context modulates the significance of territorial contest competition in .

The intensity and direction of sexual selection are intricately linked to the social and ecological context. Both operational sex ratios (OSRs) and population densities can affect the ability of males to monopolize resources and mates, and thus the form and intensity of sexual selection on them. Here, we studied how the mating system of the promiscuous and strongly sexually dimorphic fruit fly responds to changes in the OSR and population density.

Submarine groundwater discharge drives both direct and indirect effects on organismal and community metabolism on coral reefs.

Coral reefs experience numerous environmental gradients affecting organismal physiology and species biodiversity, which ultimately impact community metabolism. This study shows that submarine groundwater discharge (SGD), a common natural environmental gradient in coastal ecosystems associated with decreasing temperatures, salinity and pH with increasing nutrients, has both direct and indirect effects on coral reef community metabolism by altering individual growth rates and community composition. Our data revealed that SGD exposure hindered the growth of two algae, and by 67 and 200%, respectively, and one coral, by 20%.

Cophylogeny, narrow host breadth and local conditions drive highly specialized bird-haemosporidian associations in West-Central African sky islands.

The parasite island syndrome denotes shifts in parasite life histories on islands, which affect parasite diversity, prevalence and specificity. However, current evidence of parasite island syndromes mainly stems from oceanic islands, while sky islands (i.e.

Is temporal synchrony necessary for effective Batesian mimicry?

Batesian mimicry occurs when palatable mimics gain protection from predators by evolving a phenotypic resemblance to an aposematic model species. While common in nature, the mechanisms maintaining mimicry are not fully understood. Patterns of temporal synchrony (i.

Adaptation in a keystone grazer under novel predation pressure.

Understanding how species adapt to environmental change is necessary to protect biodiversity and ecosystem services. Growing evidence suggests species can adapt rapidly to novel selection pressures like predation from invasive species, but the repeatability and predictability of selection remain poorly understood in wild populations. We tested how a keystone aquatic herbivore, , evolved in response to predation pressure by the introduced zooplanktivore .

Wild recognition: conducting the mark test for mirror self-recognition on wild baboons.

The distribution of self-awareness across species is important to understand, not only as a matter of scientific interest but also because of its implications for the ethical standing of non-human animals. The prevailing methodology for determining self-awareness is to test for visual self-recognition using mirror-image stimulation and a 'mark test'. However, most studies have involved very small sample sizes, omitted a control condition and been conducted on captive animals.

Continuous colonization of the Atlantic coastal rain forests of South America from Amazônia.

The two main extensions of rain forest in South America are the Amazon (Amazônia) and the Atlantic rain forest (Mata Atlântica), which are separated by a wide 'dry diagonal' of seasonal vegetation. We used the species-rich tree genus to test if Amazônia-Mata Atlântica dispersals have been clustered during specific time periods corresponding to past, humid climates. We performed hybrid capture DNA sequencing of 810 nuclear loci for 453 accessions representing 164 species that included 62% of Mata Atlântica species and estimated a dated phylogeny for all accessions using maximum likelihood, and a species-level tree using coalescent methods.

Energetic costs of social dominance in wild male baboons.

In vertebrates, glucocorticoids can be upregulated in response to both psychosocial and energetic stressors, making it difficult to identify the cause of elevated glucocorticoid concentrations when both types of stressors are present. This problem has been particularly challenging in studies of social dominance rank in wild animals. In contrast to glucocorticoids, thyroid hormone concentrations are largely unaffected by psychosocial stressors and therefore offer a better estimate of energetic challenges.

Serious issues with cryo-EM structures of human prothrombinase.

Thrombin is generated from prothrombin through sequential cleavage at two sites by the enzyme complex prothrombinase, composed of a serine protease, factor (f) Xa and a cofactor, fVa, on phospholipid membranes. In a recent paper published in , Ruben . (Ruben .

Tracking individual seed fate confirms mainly antagonistic interactions between rodents and European beech.

Food-hoarding granivores act as both predators and dispersers of plant seeds, resulting in facultative species interactions along a mutualism-antagonism continuum. The position along this continuum is determined by the positive and negative interactions that vary with the ratio between seed availability and animal abundance, particularly for mast-seeding species with interannual variation and spatial synchrony of seed production. Empirical data on the entire fate of seeds up to germination and the influence of rodents on seed survival is rare, resulting in a lack of consensus on their position along the mutualism-antagonism continuum.

The sexy and formidable male body: men's height and weight are conditfion-dependent, sexually selected traits.

On average men are taller and more muscular than women, which confers on them advantages related to female choice and during physical competition with other men. Sexual size dimorphisms such as these come with vulnerabilities due to higher maintenance and developmental costs for the sex with the larger trait. These costs are in keeping with evolutionary theory that posits large, elaborate, sexually selected traits are signals of health and vitality because stressor exposure (e.

A consensus on the definition of positive animal welfare.

The concept of animal welfare is evolving due to progress in our scientific understanding of animal biology and changing societal expectations. Animal welfare science has been primarily concerned with minimizing suffering, but there is growing interest in also promoting positive experiences, grouped under the term positive animal welfare (PAW). However, there are discrepancies in the use of the term PAW.

Feed-forward loop improves the transient dynamics of an antithetic biological controller.

Integral controller is widely used in industry for its capability of endowing perfect adaptation to disturbances. To harness such capability for precise gene expression regulation, synthetic biologists have endeavoured in building biomolecular (quasi-)integral controllers, such as the antithetic integral controller. Despite demonstrated successes, challenges remain with designing the controller for improved transient dynamics and adaptation.

Techniques and analytic workflow for spatial transcriptomics and its application to allergy and inflammation.

Spatial profiling, through single-cell gene level expression data paired with cell localization, offers unprecedented biological insights within the intact spatial context of cells in healthy and diseased tissue, adding a novel dimension to data interpretation. This review summarizes recent developments in this field, its application to allergy and inflammation, and recent single-cell resolution platforms designed for spatial transcriptomics with a focus on data processing and analyses for efficient biological interpretation of data. By preserving spatial context, these technologies provide critical insights into tissue architecture and cellular interactions unattainable with traditional transcriptomics methods, such as revealing localized inflammatory cell network in atopic dermatitis, and T-cell interactions in the lung in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Vagus nerve stimulation rescues impaired fear extinction and social interaction in a rat model of autism spectrum disorder.

Clinical diagnosis of anxiety disorders is highly prevalent in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Available treatments for anxiety offer limited efficacy in the ASD population. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) has an anxiolytic effect in rats and, when coupled with fear extinction training, VNS enhances extinction of fear in healthy rats.