bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Broca area homologue’s asymmetry reflects gestural communication lateralisation in monkeys (Papio anubis)
Authors: Becker Yannick , Claidière Nicolas , Margiotoudi Konstantina , Marie Damien , Roth Muriel , Nazarian Bruno , Anton Jean-Luc , Coulon Olivier , Meguerditchian Adrien 
Published: February 2021

AbstractManual gestures and speech recruit a common neural network, involving Broca’s area in the left hemisphere. Such speech-gesture integration gave rise to theories on the critical role of manual gesturing in the origin of language.Within this evolutionary framework, research on gestural communication in our closer primate relatives has received renewed attention for investigating its potential language-like features.Here, using in-vivo anatomical MRI in 50 baboons, we found that communicative gesturing is related to Broca homologue’s marker in monkeys, namely the ventral portion of the Inferior Arcuate sulcus (IA sulcus). In fact, both direction and degree of gestural communication’s handedness – but not handedness for object manipulation - are associated and correlated with contralateral depth asymmetry at this exactIA sulcusportion. In other words, baboons that prefer to communicate with their right hand have a deeper left-than-rightIA sulcus, than those preferring to communicate with their left hand and vice versa. Interestingly, in contrast to handedness for object manipulation, gestural communication’s lateralisation is not associated to theCentral sulcusdepth asymmetry, suggesting a double dissociation of handedness’ types between manipulative action and gestural communication.It is thus not excluded that this specific gestural lateralisation signature within the baboons’ frontal cortex might reflect a phylogenetical continuity with language-related Broca lateralisation in humans.
A linguistic representation in the visual system underlies successful lipreading
Authors: Nidiffer Aaron R , Cao Cody Zhewei , O’Sullivan Aisling , Lalor Edmund C 
Published: February 2021

AbstractThere is considerable debate over how visual speech is processed in the absence of sound and whether neural activity supporting lipreading occurs in visual brain areas. Surprisingly, much of this ambiguity stems from a lack of behaviorally grounded neurophysiological findings. To address this, we conducted an experiment in which human observers rehearsed audiovisual speech for the purpose of lipreading silent versions during testing. Using a combination of computational modeling, electroencephalography, and simultaneously recorded behavior, we show that the visual system produces its own specialized representation of speech that is 1) well-described by categorical linguistic units (“visemes”) 2) dissociable from lip movements, and 3) predictive of lipreading ability. These findings contradict a long-held view that visual speech processing co-opts auditory cortex after early visual processing stages. Consistent with hierarchical accounts of visual and audiovisual speech perception, our findings show that visual cortex performs at least a basic level of linguistic processing.
Mutation bias implicates RNA editing in a wide range of mammalian RNA viruses
Authors: Simmonds Peter , Ansari M. Azim 
Published: February 2021

ABSTRACTThe rapid evolution of RNA viruses has been long considered to result from a combination of high copying error frequencies during RNA replication, short generation times and the consequent extensive fixation of neutral or adaptive changes over short periods. While both the identities and sites of mutations are typically modelled as being random, recent investigations of sequence diversity of SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have identified a preponderance of C->U transitions, potentially driven by an APOBEC-like RNA editing process. The current study investigated whether this phenomenon could be observed in the more genetically diverse datasets of other RNA viruses. Using a 5% divergence filter to infer directionality, 18 from 32 datasets of aligned coding region sequences from a diverse range of mammalian RNA viruses (includingPicornaviridae, Flaviviridae, Matonaviridae, CaliciviridaeandCoronaviridae) showed a >2-fold base composition normalised excess of C->U transitions compared to U->C (range 2.1x–7.5x). C->U transitions showed a favoured 5’ U upstream context consistent with previous analyses of APOBEC-mediated RNA targeting. Amongst several genomic compositional and structural parameters, the presence of genome scale RNA secondary structure (GORS) was associated with C->U/U->C transition asymmetries (p< 0.001), potentially reflecting the documented structure dependence of APOBEC-mediated RNA editing. Using the association index metric, C->U changes were specifically over-represented at phylogenetically uninformative sites, consistent with extensive homoplasy documented in SARS-CoV-2. Excess C->U substitutions accounted for 15-20% of standing sequence variability of HCV and other RNA viruses; RNA editing may therefore represent a potent driver of RNA virus sequence diversification and longer term evolution.Author SummaryThe rapid evolution of RNA viruses is thought to arise from high mutation frequencies during replication and the rapid accumulation of genetic changes over time in response to its changing environments. This study describes an additional potent factor that contributes to the evolution of RNA infecting mammals, the deliberate mutation of the viral genome by host antiviral pathways active within the cell when it becomes infected. This so called “genome editing” by one or more APOBEC enzymes leads to characteristic C->U mutations that damage the virus’s ability to replicate. While this pathway is well characterised as an antiviral defence against HIV and other retroviruses, this study provides evidence for its activity against a wide range of human and veterinary viruses, including HCV and foot and mouth disease virus. APOBEC-driven mutations accounted for 15-20% of standing sequence variability of RNA virus groups, representing a potent driver of RNA virus sequence diversification.
An adaptive compromise - Conflicting evolutionary pressures on arthropod-borne Zika virus dinucleotide composition in mammalian hosts and mosquito vectors
Authors: Fros Jelke J. , Visser Imke , Tang Bing , Yan Kexin , Nakayama Eri , Visser Tessa M. , Koenraadt Constantianus J.M. , van Oers Monique M. , Pijlman Gorben P. , Suhrbier Andreas , Simmonds Peter 
Published: February 2021

AbstractMost vertebrate RNA viruses show pervasive suppression of CpG and UpA dinucleotides, closely resembling the dinucleotide composition of host cell transcriptomes. In contrast, CpG suppression is absent in both invertebrate mRNA and RNA viruses that exclusively infect arthropods. Arthropod-borne (arbo) viruses are transmitted between vertebrate hosts by invertebrate vectors and thus encounter potentially conflicting evolutionary pressures in the different cytoplasmic environments. Using a newly developed Zika virus (ZIKV) model, we have investigated how demands for CpG suppression in vertebrate cells can be reconciled with potentially quite different compositional requirements in invertebrates, and how this affects ZIKV replication and transmission.Mutant viruses with synonymously elevated CpG or UpA dinucleotide frequencies showed attenuated replication in vertebrate cell lines, which was rescued by knockout of the zinc-finger antiviral protein (ZAP). Conversely, in mosquito cells, ZIKV mutants with elevated CpG dinucleotide frequencies showed substantially enhanced replication compared to wildtype. Host-driven effects on virus replication attenuation and enhancement were even more apparent in mouse and mosquito models. Infections with CpG-or UpA-high ZIKV mutants in mice did not cause typical ZIKV-induced tissue damage and completely protected mice during subsequent challenge with wildtype virus, which demonstrates their potential as live-attenuated vaccines. In contrast, the CpG-high mutants displayed enhanced replication inAedes aegyptimosquitoes and a larger proportion of mosquitoes carried infectious virus in their saliva.These findings show that mosquito cells are also capable of discriminating RNA based on dinucleotide composition. However, the evolutionary pressure on the CpG dinucleotides of viral genomes in arthropod vectors directly opposes the pressure present in vertebrate host cells, which provides evidence that an adaptive compromise is required for arbovirus transmission. This suggests that the genome composition of arthropod-borne flaviviruses is crucial to maintain the balance between high-level replication in the vertebrate host and persistent replication in the mosquito vector.
Relative brain size and cognitive equivalence in fishes
Authors: Triki Zegni , Aellen Mélisande , van Schaik Carel , Bshary Redouan 
Published: February 2021

ABSTRACTThere are two well-established facts about vertebrate brains: brains are physiologically costly organs, and both absolute and relative brain size varies greatly between and within the major vertebrate clades. While the costs are relatively clear, scientists struggle to establish how larger brains translate into higher cognitive performance. Part of the challenge is that intuitively larger brains are needed to control larger bodies without any changes in cognitive performance. Therefore, body size needs to be controlled to establish the slope of cognitive equivalence between animals of different sizes. Potentially, intraspecific slopes provide the best available estimate of how an increase in body size translates into an increase in brain size without changes in cognitive performance. Here, we provide the first evaluation of this hypothesis for fishes. First, a dataset of 51 species that included only samples of ≥ ten wild-caught individuals yielded a mean brain-body slope of 0.46 (albeit with a large range of 0.26 to 0.79). This mean slope is similar to the encephalisation quotients for ectotherm higher taxa, i.e. teleost fishes, amphibians and reptiles (∼ 0.5). However, the slope is much higher than what has been found in endotherm vertebrate species (∼ 0.3). Second, we provide slope estimates for brain-body sizes and for cognition-body sizes in wild-caught cleaner fishLabroides dimidiatusas a case study. Brain-body slopes from two datasets gave the values of 0.58 (MRI scans data) and 0.47 (dissection data). Furthermore, we have cognitive performance data from 69 individuals tested in four different cognitive tasks that estimated learning, numerical, and inhibitory control abilities. In all four tasks, the cognitive performance did not correlate significantly with body size. These results suggest that the brain-body slopes represent estimates of intraspecific cognitive equivalence for this species. While subject to further studies on various species, our results suggest that endo- and ectotherm brain organisations and resulting cognitive performances are fundamentally different.
Male pheromones modulate synaptic transmission at theC. elegansneuromuscular junction in a sexually dimorphic manner
Authors: Qian Kang-Ying , Zeng Wan-Xin , Hao Yue , Zeng Xian-Ting , Liu Haowen , Li Lei , Chen Lili , Tian Fu-min , Chang Cindy , Hall Qi , Song Chun-Xue , Gao Shangbang , Hu Zhi-Tao , Kaplan Joshua M , Li Qian , Tong Xia-Jing 
Published: February 2021

SUMMARYThe development of functional synapses in the nervous system is important for animal physiology and behaviors. The synaptic transmission efficacy can be modulated by the environment to accommodate external changes, which is crucial for animal reproduction and survival. However, the underlying plasticity of synaptic transmission remains poorly understood. Here we show that inC. elegans, the male pheromone increases the hermaphrodite cholinergic transmission at the neuromuscular junction (NMJ), which alters hermaphrodites’ locomotion velocity and mating efficiency in a developmental stage-dependent manner. Dissection of the sensory circuits reveals that the AWB chemosensory neurons sense those male pheromones and further transduce the information to NMJ using cGMP signaling. Exposure of hermaphrodites to male pheromones specifically increases the accumulation of presynaptic CaV2 calcium channels and clustering of postsynaptic receptors at cholinergic synapses of NMJ, which potentiates cholinergic synaptic transmission. Thus, our study demonstrates a circuit mechanism for synaptic modulation by sexual dimorphic pheromones.
Motor Sequences - Separating The Sequence From The Motor. A longitudinal rsfMRI Study
Authors: Jäger ATP , Huntenburg JM , Tremblay SA , Schneider U , Grahl S , Huck J , Tardif CL , Villringer A , Gauthier CJ , Bazin PL , Steele CJ 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn motor learning, sequence-specificity, i.e. the learning of specific sequential associations, has predominantly been studied using task-based fMRI paradigms. However, offline changes in resting state functional connectivity after sequence-specific motor learning are less well understood. Previous research has established that plastic changes following motor learning can be divided into stages including fast learning, slow learning and retention. A description of how resting state functional connectivity after sequence-specific motor sequence learning (MSL) develops across these stages is missing. This study aimed to identify plastic alterations in whole-brain functional connectivity after learning a complex motor sequence by contrasting an active group who learned a complex sequence with a control group who performed a control task matched for motor execution. Resting state fMRI and behavioural performance were collected in both groups over the course of 5 consecutive training days and at follow-up after 12 days to encompass fast learning, slow learning, overall learning and retention. Between-group interaction analyses showed sequence-specific decreases in functional connectivity during overall learning in the right supplementary motor area (SMA). We found that connectivity changes in key regions of the motor network including the superior parietal cortex (SPC) and primary motor cortex (M1) were not a result of sequence-specific learning but were instead linked to motor execution. Our study confirms the sequence-specific role of SMAthat has previously been identified in online task-based learning studies, and extends it to resting state network changes after sequence-specific MSL.
Methylation of KRAS at lysine 182 and 184 by SETD7 promotes KRAS degradation
Authors: Chiang Chengyao , Xiao Tian , Fan Songqing , Zheng Hongmei , Li Shuaihu , Guo Wenjun , Zhang Min , Zhong Chuanqi , Zeng Juan , Zheng Duo 
Published: February 2021

AbstractOncogenic KRAS mutations are considered to be a key driver for initiation and progression in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, how post-translational modifications (PTMs) of KRAS, especially methylation, modify KRAS activity and downstream signals remain largely unclear. Here, we showed that SET domain containing histone lysine methyltransferase 7 (SETD7) interacts with KRAS and methylates KRAS at lysine 182 and 184. SETD7-mediated methylation of KRAS led to degradation of KRAS and attenuation of the RAS/MEK/ERK signaling cascade, endowing SETD7 with a potent tumor-suppressive role in NSCLC, bothin vitroandin vivo. Mechanistically, RABGEF1, a ubiquitin E3 ligase of KRAS, was recruited and promoted KRAS degradation in a K182/K184 methylation-dependent manner. Notably, low SETD7 or RABGEF1 expression was associated with poor prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma patients. Taken together, our results establish a novel connection between lysine methylation and KRAS protein stability, in addition to elucidating a tumor-suppressive function of SETD7 that operates via modulation of oncogenic RAS signaling.
Alternative splicing of auxiliary β2-subunits stabilizes Cav2.3 Ca2+channel activity in continuously active midbrain dopamine neurons
Authors: Siller Anita , Hofer Nadja T. , Tomagra Giulia , Wiederspohn Nicole , Hess Simon , Benkert Julia , Gaifullina Aisylu , Spaich Desiree , Duda Johanna , Pötschke Christina , Vilusic Kristina , Fritz Eva Maria , Schneider Toni , Kloppenburg Peter , Liss Birgit , Carabelli Valentina , Carbone Emilio , Ortner Nadine J. , Striessnig Jörg 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIn dopaminergic (DA) substantia nigra (SN) neurons Cav2.3 R-type Ca2+-currents contribute to somatodendritic Ca2+-oscillations. These may contribute to the selective degeneration of these neurons in Parkinson’s disease (PD) since Cav2.3-knockout is neuroprotective in a PD mouse model. However, the typical Cav2.3 gating would predict complete channel inactivation during SN DA neuronal firing. Here we show that in tsA-201-cells the membrane-anchored β2-splice variants β2a and β2e stabilize Cav2.3 gating properties allowing sustained Cav2.3 availability during simulated pacemaking and enhanced Ca2+-currents during bursts. We confirmed the expression of β2a and β2e-subunits in the SN and identified SN DA neurons. Patch-clamp recordings of SN DA neurons in mouse brain slices revealed R-type Ca2+-currents similar to β2a- or β2e-stabilized Cav2.3-currents and recordings in cultured murine DA neurons confirmed their activity during pacemaking. Taken together, our data support an important (patho)physiological role of β-subunit alternative splicing for Cav2.3 Ca2+-signaling in highly vulnerable SN DA neurons.
Neuromesodermal progenitor origin of trunk neural crestin vivo
Authors: Lukoseviciute Martyna , Mayes Sarah , Sauka-Spengler Tatjana 
Published: February 2021

AbstractNeural crest (NC) is a vertebrate-specific population of multipotent embryonic cells predisposed to diverse derivatives along the anteroposterior (A-P) axis. Only cranial NC progenitors give rise to ectomesenchymal cell types, whereas trunk NC is biased for neuronal cell fates. By integrating multimodal single-cell analysis, we provide evidence for divergent embryonic origins of cranial vs. trunk NC that explain this dichotomy. We show that the NC regulator foxd3 is heterogeneously expressed across the A-P axis and identify its specific cranial and trunk autoregulatory enhancers. Whereas cranial-specific enhancer is active in thebona fideNC, the trunk foxd3 autoregulatory element surprisingly marked bipotent tailbud neuromesodermal progenitors (NMps). We integrated NMp single cell epigemomics and trasncriptomics data and for the first time reconstructed anamniote NMp gene regulatory network. Moreover, using pseudotime and developmental trajectory analyses of NMps and NC during normal development and infoxd3mutants, we demonstrate an active role for foxd3 in balancing non-cranial NC and NMp fates during early embryonic development. Strikingly, we show that a portion of posterior NC in the developing zebrafish embryo is derived from the pro-neural NMps. This suggests a common embryonic origin of trunk NC and NM progenitors that is distinct from cranial NC anlage, and elucidates pro-neural bias of trunk NC.
The ecological significance of extracellular vesicles in modulating host-virus interactions during algal blooms
Authors: Schatz Daniella , Schleyer Guy , Saltvedt Marius R. , Sandaa Ruth-Anne , Feldmesser Ester , Vardi Assaf 
Published: February 2021

AbstractExtracellular vesicles are produced by organisms from all kingdoms and serve a myriad of functions, many of which involve cell-cell signaling, especially during stress conditions and host-pathogen interactions. In the marine environment, communication between microorganisms can shape trophic level interactions and population succession, yet we know very little about the involvement of vesicles in these processes. In a previous study, we showed that vesicles produced during viral infection by the ecologically important model algaEmiliania huxleyi, could act as a pro-viral signal, by expediting infection and enhancing the half-life of the virus in the extracellular milieu. Here, we expand our laboratory findings and show the effect of vesicles on natural populations ofE. huxleyiin a mesocosm setting. We profile the small-RNA (sRNA) cargo of vesicles that were produced byE. huxleyiduring bloom succession, and show that vesicles applied to natural assemblages expedite viral infection and prolong the half-life of this major mortality agent ofE. huxleyi. We subsequently reveal that exposure of the natural assemblage toE. huxleyi-derived vesicles modulates not only host-virus dynamics, but also other components of the microbial food webs, thus emphasizing the importance of extracellular vesicles to microbial interactions in the marine environment.
Serum and sputum MMP-9/TIMP-1 in winter sports athletes and swimmers: relationships with airway function
Authors: Bougault Valérie , Turmel Julie , Boulet Louis-Philippe 
Published: February 2021

AbstractIntroductionCross-country skiers and swimmers present characteristics of airway inflammation and remodeling of the extracellular matrix similar to what is observed in mild asthma. We aimed to compare serum and sputum MMP-9/TIMP-1 levels, to assess the balance between airway fibrogenesis and inflammation process in both categories of athletes, and to observe its seasonal variations in winter sports athletes.MethodsCompetitive winter sports athletes (n=41), swimmers (n=25) and healthy nonathletes (n=10) had blood sampling, lung function measurement, skin prick tests, eucapnic voluntary hyperpnea challenge, methacholine inhalation test (MIT), and induced sputum analysis. Twelve winter sport athletes performed the test during both summer and winter. Serum and sputum MMP-9 and TIMP-1 were measured by ELISA.ResultsNo significant difference in serum or sputum MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio was observed between groups, nor relationship with airway function or responsiveness. Serum MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio was significantly higher during the summer in winter sport athletes compared with winter season (median [Interquartile range]: 3.65 [2.47-4.03] ng.ml-1 and 1.27 [0.97-1.62] ng.ml-1, respectively, p=0.005). Sputum MMP-9 correlated with Methacholine PC20 and serum CC16/SP-D ratio.ConclusionMMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio in sputum or serum may fluctuate with training or environment but does not correlate with airway lung function or responsiveness in competitive athletes.
An angiospermNLRatlas reveals thatNLRgene reduction is associated with ecological specialization and signal transduction component deletion
Authors: Liu Yang , Zeng Zhen , Li Qian , Jiang Xing-Mei , Jiang Zhen , Tang Ji-Hong , Zhang Yan-Mei , Chen Dijun , Wang Qiang , Chen Jian-Qun , Shao Zhu-Qing 
Published: February 2021

AbstractNucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat receptor (NLR) genes comprise the largest family of plant disease resistance genes.NLRgenes are phylogenetically divided into theTNL, CNL,andRNLsubclasses.NLRcopy numbers and subclass composition vary tremendously across angiosperm genomes. However, the evolutionary associations between genomicNLRcontent and plant lifestyle, or betweenNLRcontent and signal transduction components, are poorly characterized due to limited genome availability. Here, we established anangiospermNLRatlas (ANNA,http://compbio.nju.edu.cn/app/ANNA/), which includesNLRgenes from over 300 angiosperm genomes. Using ANNA, we revealed thatNLRcopy numbers differ up to 66-fold among closely related species due to rapid gene loss and gain. Interestingly,NLRcontraction was associated with adaptations to aquatic, parasitic, and carnivorous lifestyles. The convergentNLRreduction in aquatic plants resembles the long-term evolutionary silence ofNLRgenes in green algae before the colonization of land. A co-evolutionary pattern betweenNLRsubclasses and plant immune-pathway components was also identified, suggesting that immune pathway deficiencies may driveTNLloss. Finally, we recovered a conservedTNLlineage that may function independently of the RNL pathway. Our findings provide new insights into the evolution ofNLRgenes in the context of plant lifestyles and genome content variation.