The Influence of Motor Competence on Broader Aspects of Health: A Systematic Review of the Longitudinal Associations Between Motor Competence and Cognitive and Social-Emotional Outcomes.

Background: Motor competence has important developmental associations with aspects of physical health, but there has been no synthesis of longitudinal associations with cognitive and social-emotional health.

Objectives: The first aim was to present a conceptual model that positions motor competence as a mediator between physical activity and cognitive and social-emotional outcomes. The second aim was to synthesize the association of motor competence and cognitive and social-emotional development using longitudinal observational and experimental evidence, in particular to (i) identify the role of task, individual, and environmental characteristics in moderating the association between motor and cognitive and social-emotional outcomes and (ii) synthesize the strength of evidence pertaining to domain-specific relationships.

Cell surface-localized CsgF condensate is a gatekeeper in bacterial curli subunit secretion.

Curli are functional amyloids present on the outer membrane of E. coli. CsgF is required for the proper assembly of curli.

Categorical edge-based analyses of phylogenomic data reveal conflicting signals for difficult relationships in the avian tree.

Phylogenetic analyses fail to yield a satisfactory resolution of some relationships in the tree of life even with genome-scale datasets, so the failure is unlikely to reflect limitations in the amount of data. Gene tree conflicts are particularly notable in studies focused on these contentious nodes, and taxon sampling, different analytical methods, and/or data type effects can further confound analyses. Although many efforts have been made to incorporate biological conflicts, few studies have curated individual genes for their efficiency in phylogenomic studies.

Associations between body composition and fundamental motor skill competency in children.

Background: Evidence supports an inverse relationship between weight status and motor competence, but most work utilizes body mass index as the proxy for weight status. Body mass index fails to account for essential components of body composition, which may be critical for motor performance. The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between fundamental motor skills competency and body composition (i.

Analysis of Paralogs in Target Enrichment Data Pinpoints Multiple Ancient Polyploidy Events in Alchemilla s.l. (Rosaceae).

Target enrichment is becoming increasingly popular for phylogenomic studies. Although baits for enrichment are typically designed to target single-copy genes, paralogs are often recovered with increased sequencing depth, sometimes from a significant proportion of loci, especially in groups experiencing whole-genome duplication (WGD) events. Common approaches for processing paralogs in target enrichment data sets include random selection, manual pruning, and mainly, the removal of entire genes that show any evidence of paralogy.

Reduced membrane cholesterol content in skeletal muscle is not essential for greater insulin-stimulated glucose uptake after acute exercise by rats.

One exercise session can elevate insulin-stimulated glucose uptake (GU) by skeletal muscle, but it is uncertain if this effect is accompanied by altered membrane cholesterol content, which is reportedly inversely related to insulin-stimulated GU. Muscles from sedentary (SED) or exercised 3 h post-exercise (3hPEX) rats were evaluated for GU, membrane cholesterol, and phosphorylation of cholesterol regulatory proteins (pHMCGR and pABCA1). Insulin-stimulated GU for 3hPEX exceeded SED.

Pilot RNA-seq data from 24 species of vascular plants at Harvard Forest.

Premise: Large-scale projects such as the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) collect ecological data on entire biomes to track climate change. NEON provides an opportunity to launch community transcriptomic projects that ask integrative questions in ecology and evolution. We conducted a pilot study to investigate the challenges of collecting RNA-seq data from diverse plant communities.

TagSeq for gene expression in non-model plants: A pilot study at the Santa Rita Experimental Range NEON core site.

Premise: TagSeq is a cost-effective approach for gene expression studies requiring a large number of samples. To date, TagSeq studies in plants have been limited to those with a high-quality reference genome. We tested the suitability of reference transcriptomes for TagSeq in non-model plants, as part of a study of natural gene expression variation at the Santa Rita Experimental Range National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON) core site.

Disentangling Sources of Gene Tree Discordance in Phylogenomic Data Sets: Testing Ancient Hybridizations in Amaranthaceae s.l.

Gene tree discordance in large genomic data sets can be caused by evolutionary processes such as incomplete lineage sorting and hybridization, as well as model violation, and errors in data processing, orthology inference, and gene tree estimation. Species tree methods that identify and accommodate all sources of conflict are not available, but a combination of multiple approaches can help tease apart alternative sources of conflict. Here, using a phylotranscriptomic analysis in combination with reference genomes, we test a hypothesis of ancient hybridization events within the plant family Amaranthaceae s.

PAWH1 and PAWH2 are plant-specific components of an Arabidopsis endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation complex.

Endoplasmic reticulum-associated degradation (ERAD) is a unique mechanism to degrade misfolded proteins via complexes containing several highly-conserved ER-anchored ubiquitin ligases such as HMG-CoA reductase degradation1 (Hrd1). Arabidopsis has a similar Hrd1-containing ERAD machinery; however, our knowledge of this complex is limited. Here we report two closely-related Arabidopsis proteins, Protein Associated With Hrd1-1 (PAWH1) and PAWH2, which share a conserved domain with yeast Altered Inheritance of Mitochondria24.

Bursts of amino acid replacements in protein evolution.

Evolution can occur both gradually and through alternating episodes of stasis and rapid changes. However, the prevalence and magnitude of fluctuations of the rate of evolution remain obscure. Detecting a rapid burst of changes requires a detailed record of past evolution, so that events that occurred within a short time interval can be identified.

Climate warming leads to decline in frequencies of melanic individuals in subarctic leaf beetle populations.

Intraspecific diversity buffers populations from deleterious impacts of environmental change. Nevertheless, the consequences of climate warming for phenotypic and genetic diversity within populations and species remain poorly understood. The goal of our study was to explore among-year variations in the phenotypic structure of populations and their relationships with climate variability and population dynamics.

Plastid phylogenomic insights into the evolution of Caryophyllales.

The Caryophyllales includes 40 families and 12,500 species, representing a large and diverse clade of angiosperms. Collectively, members of the clade grow on all continents and in all terrestrial biomes and often occupy extreme habitats (e.g.

Cryptic protein interactions regulate DNA replication initiation.

DNA replication is a fundamental biological process that is tightly regulated in all cells. In bacteria, DnaA controls when and where replication begins by building a step-wise complex that loads the replicative helicase onto chromosomal DNA. In many low-GC Gram-positive species, DnaA recruits the DnaD and DnaB proteins to function as adaptors to assist in helicase loading.

MeNA, Controlled by Reversible Methylation of Nicotinate, Is an NAD Precursor that Undergoes Long-Distance Transport in Arabidopsis.

Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) biosynthesis, including synthesis from aspartate via the de novo pathway and from nicotinate (NA) via the Preiss-Handler pathway, is conserved in land plants. Diverse species of NA conjugates, which are mainly involved in NA detoxification, were also found in all tested land plants. Among these conjugates, MeNA (NA methyl ester) has been widely detected in angiosperm plants, although its physiological function and the underlying mechanism for its production in planta remain largely unknown.

An axonal stress response pathway: degenerative and regenerative signaling by DLK.

Signaling through the dual leucine zipper-bearing kinase (DLK) is required for injured neurons to initiate new axonal growth; however, activation of this kinase also leads to neuronal degeneration and death in multiple models of injury and neurodegenerative diseases. This has spurred current consideration of DLK as a candidate therapeutic target, and raises a vital question: in what context is DLK a friend or foe to neurons? Here, we review our current understanding of DLK's function and mechanisms in regulating both regenerative and degenerative responses to axonal damage and stress in the nervous system.

From cacti to carnivores: Improved phylotranscriptomic sampling and hierarchical homology inference provide further insight into the evolution of Caryophyllales.

Premise Of The Study: The Caryophyllales contain ~12,500 species and are known for their cosmopolitan distribution, convergence of trait evolution, and extreme adaptations. Some relationships within the Caryophyllales, like those of many large plant clades, remain unclear, and phylogenetic studies often recover alternative hypotheses. We explore the utility of broad and dense transcriptome sampling across the order for resolving evolutionary relationships in Caryophyllales.

GRASP55 Senses Glucose Deprivation through O-GlcNAcylation to Promote Autophagosome-Lysosome Fusion.

The Golgi apparatus is the central hub for protein trafficking and glycosylation in the secretory pathway. However, how the Golgi responds to glucose deprivation is so far unknown. Here, we report that GRASP55, the Golgi stacking protein located in medial- and trans-Golgi cisternae, is O-GlcNAcylated by the O-GlcNAc transferase OGT under growth conditions.

Emergent niche structuring leads to increased differences from neutrality in species abundance distributions.

Species abundance distributions must reflect the dynamic processes involved in community assembly, but whether and when specific processes lead to distinguishable signals is not well understood. Biodiversity and species abundances may be shaped by a variety of influences, but particular attention has been paid to competition, which can involve neutral dynamics, where competitor abundances are governed only by demographic stochasticity and immigration, and dynamics driven by trait differences that enable stable coexistence through the formation of niches. Key recent studies of the species abundance patterns of communities with niches employ simple models with pre-imposed niche structure.

Climate change and an invasive, tropical milkweed: an ecological trap for monarch butterflies.

While it is well established that climate change affects species distributions and abundances, the impacts of climate change on species interactions has not been extensively studied. This is particularly important for specialists whose interactions are tightly linked, such as between the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) and the plant genus Asclepias, on which it depends. We used open-top chambers (OTCs) to increase temperatures in experimental plots and placed either nonnative Asclepias curassavica or native A.

Effect of coffee agriculture management on the population structure of a forest dwelling rodent ().

Most of the natural habitat in tropical regions exists as scattered fragments embedded in a matrix of different agricultural uses. As a result of this agricultural expansion, habitat loss and fragmentation have become the main drivers of biodiversity loss. Understanding the long-term effects of agricultural management on populations is of great importance for the development of successful conservation strategies.

To eat or not to eat: ontogeny of hypothalamic feeding controls and a role for leptin in modulating life-history transition in amphibian tadpoles.

Many animal life histories entail changing feeding ecology, but the molecular bases for these transitions are poorly understood. The amphibian tadpole is typically a growth and dispersal life-history stage. Tadpoles are primarily herbivorous, and they capitalize on growth opportunities to reach a minimum body size to initiate metamorphosis.

queens exhibit personality variation and behavioral syndromes.

Consistent differences in behavior between individuals, otherwise known as animal personalities, have become a staple in behavioral ecology due to their ability to explain a wide range of phenomena. Social organisms are especially serviceable to animal personality techniques because they can be used to explore behavioral variation at both the individual and group level. Despite the success of personality research in social organisms generally, and social Hymenoptera in particular, social wasps (Vespidae) have received little to no attention in the personality literature.

Maintaining a Healthy Proteome during Oxidative Stress.

Some of the most challenging stress conditions that organisms encounter during their lifetime involve the transient accumulation of reactive oxygen and chlorine species. Extremely reactive to amino acid side chains, these oxidants cause widespread protein unfolding and aggregation. It is therefore not surprising that cells draw on a variety of different strategies to counteract the damage and maintain a healthy proteome.