bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Symbiosis collapses during development of asexual offspring in the absence of heterotrophic feeding in a model cnidarian-algal symbiosis
Authors: Bedgood Samuel A. , Plichon Keyla , Weis Virginia M. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractA stable symbiosis between corals and dinoflagellate algae is crucial for coral reef health, and it is driven by nutrient exchange and environmental interactions. Our understanding of the homeostasis between host cnidarian and algal symbiont during the host adult stage is a longtime area of focus, but little is known about the balance of partners during development and regeneration. We investigated the role of symbiotic algae and heterotrophic feeding on development in the sea anemone model organism commonly called Aiptasia. We focused on asexually-produced offspring (G1), examining the effects of autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition on developmental rates. We found that the presence of symbionts enhanced growth in fed conditions but impeded development and survival under starvation. The effect of symbiont presence on starved offspring was dose-dependent where those offspring with more symbionts at an earlier stage lost tentacles and mass faster than those with fewer symbionts. Our data demonstrate the importance of heterotrophic nutrition during early development and establishment of symbiosis. We propose that suppression of immunity during development may account for the observed patterns, although further research is required to validate this hypothesis. Our results provide insight into the metabolic costs and benefits of symbiosis under different nutritional conditions during development and regeneration of symbiotic cnidarians.
Unexpected levels of antibiotic resistance in marine bacterial communities not solely explained by urban river discharge
Authors: Chan Brandon , Xue Carolyn , Lozano-Huntelman Natalie , Jimenez Karina , Jay Jennifer , Yeh Pamela , Kremer Colin 
Published: November 2024

AbstractDriven by anthropogenic pressures, antibiotic resistance has become more prevalent within urban bacterial communities over recent decades. In general, resistance is expected to spread from highly impacted areas into surrounding environments as the spatial patterns of resistance reflect the balance between the ability of dispersal and horizontal gene transfer to spread resistance, and the effects of dilution or selection driven by other environmental or ecological factors that change along these gradients. However, the strength and scale of this effect is less clear, especially in coastal environments. We investigated antibiotic resistance of bacterial communities along a transect from a freshwater site in the Los Angeles River (surrounded by high-density urban development) out into the San Pedro Basin in the Pacific Ocean. We determined the minimum concentration of twelve different antibiotics needed to inhibit the growth of bacterial communities across eight sites. We also examined community composition and the prevalence of known genes related to antibiotic resistance from anthropogenic sources in each sample using 16S rRNA sequencing and qPCR. In contrast to our expectations, marine bacteria communities displayed higher resistance than the freshwater LA River community. Rather than the presence of known resistance genes or proximity to urban impacts, patterns of resistance were more strongly associated with the higher species diversity found in marine communities. These unexpected results open new opportunities to determine why marine bacterial communities possess high resistance and the repercussions for potentially pathogenic bacteria and their impacts on the health of humans and wildlife.
Neural correlates of unconscious and conscious visual processing
Authors: Menétrey Maëlan Q. , Herzog Michael H. , Pascucci David 
Published: November 2024

AbstractPostdictive effects, where later events influence the perception of earlier ones, suggest that conscious perception is not a continuous stream but occurs at discrete moments, preceded by extended periods of unconscious processing. This is evident in the Sequential Metacontrast Paradigm (SQM), where a stream of lines and vernier offsets is unconsciously integrated over several hundred milliseconds before conscious perception emerges: regardless of whether one or multiple verniers are shown, only a single offset is perceived from the first to the last line. Postdictive phenomena offer a unique opportunity to study the neural correlates of unconscious and conscious stages of perception because unconscious and conscious processing are well separated in time. Using EEG recordings during the SQM, we identified two distinct stages of neural activity. Early occipital EEG activity patterns (∼200 ms after the initial vernier presentation) capture unconscious processing, while later centro-parietal EEG patterns (∼400-600 ms after the onset of the stimulus stream) are associated with conscious perception, aligning closely with behavioral reports. We propose that the transition between these distinct neural topographies reflects the discrete moments when conscious perception emerges.
Discovery of antibiotics in the archaeome using deep learning
Authors: Torres Marcelo D. T. , Wan Fangping , de la Fuente-Nunez Cesar 
Published: November 2024

SummaryAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) is one of the greatest threats facing humanity, making the need for new antibiotics more critical than ever. While most antibiotics have traditionally been derived from bacteria and fungi, archaea—a distinct and underexplored domain of life—offer a largely untapped reservoir for antibiotic discovery. In this study, we leveraged deep learning to systematically explore the archaeome, uncovering promising new candidates for combating AMR. By mining 233 archaeal proteomes, we identified 12,623 molecules with potential antimicrobial activity. These newly discovered peptide compounds, termed archaeasins, exhibit unique compositional features that differentiate them from traditional antimicrobial peptides, including a distinct amino acid profile. We synthesized 80 archaeasins, 93% of which demonstrated antimicrobial activityin vitro. Notably,in vivovalidation identified archaeasin-73 as a lead candidate, significantly reducing bacterial loads in mouse infection models, with effectiveness comparable to established antibiotics like polymyxin B. Our findings highlight the immense potential of archaea as a resource for developing next-generation antibiotics.
Heat Shock Factor 1 Governs Sleep-Wake Cycles Across Species
Authors: Yamazaki Shintaro , Valekunja Utham K. , Chen-Roetling Jing , Reddy Akhilesh B. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractHeat Shock Factor 1 (HSF1) is a critical transcription factor for cellular proteostasis, but its role in sleep regulation remains unexplored. We demonstrate that nuclear HSF1 levels in the mouse brain fluctuate with sleep-wake cycles, increasing during extended wakefulness and decreasing during sleep. Using CUT&RUN and RNA-seq, we identified HSF1-regulated transcriptional changes involved in synaptic organization, expanding its known functions beyond traditional heat shock responses. Both systemic and brain-specificHsf1knockout mice exhibit altered sleep homeostasis, including increased delta power after sleep deprivation and upregulation of sleep-related genes. However, these knockouts struggle to maintain sleep due to disrupted synaptic organization. InDrosophila, knockout of HSF1’s ortholog results in fragmented sleep patterns, suggesting a conserved role for HSF1 in sleep regulation across species. Our findings reveal a novel molecular mechanism underlying sleep regulation and offer potential therapeutic targets for sleep disturbances.
Upregulating ANKHD1 in PS19 mice reduces Tau phosphorylation and mitigates Tau-toxicity-induced cognitive deficits
Authors: Tian Xiaolin , Le Nathan , Zhao Yuhai , Alawamleh Dina , Schwartz Andrew , Meyer Lauren , Helm Elizabeth , Wu Chunlai 
Published: November 2024

AbstractAbnormal accumulation of Tau protein in the brain disrupts normal cellular function and leads to neuronal death linked with many neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. An attractive approach to mitigate Tau-induced neurodegeneration is to enhance the clearance of toxic Tau aggregates. We previously showed that upregulation of the fly genemaskprotects against FUS- and Tau-induced photoreceptor degeneration in fly disease models. Here we have generated a transgenic mouse line carrying Cre-inducible ANKHD1, the mouse homolog ofmask, to determine whether the protective role ofmaskis conserved from flies to mammals. Utilizing the TauP301S-PS19 mouse model for Tau-related dementia, we observed that ANKHD1 significantly reduced hyperphosphorylated human Tau in 6-month-old mice. Additionally, there was a notable trend towards reduced gliosis levels in these mice, suggesting a protective role of ANKHD1 against TauP301S-linked degeneration. Further analysis of 9-month- old mice revealed a similar trend of effects. Moreover, we found that ANKHD1 also suppresses the cognitive defect of 9-month-old PS19 female mice in novel object recognition (NOR) behavioral assay. Unlike previous therapeutic strategies that primarily focus on inhibiting Tau phosphorylation or directly clearing aggregates, this study highlights the novel role of ANKHD1 in promoting autophagy as a means to mitigate Tau pathology. This novel mechanism not only underscores ANKHD1’s potential as a unique therapeutic target for tauopathies but also provides new insights into autophagy-based interventions for neurodegenerative diseases.
Mapping Pesticide-Induced Metabolic Alterations in Human Gut Bacteria
Authors: Chen Li , Yan Hong , Di Shanshan , Guo Chao , Zhang Huan , Zhang Shiqi , Gold Andrew , Wang Yu , Hu Ming , Wu Dayong , Johnson Caroline H. , Wang Xinquan , Zhu Jiangjiang 
Published: November 2024

AbstractPesticides can modulate gut microbiota (GM) composition, but their specific effects on GM remain largely elusive. Our study demonstrated that pesticides inhibit or promote growth in various GM species, even at low concentrations, and can accumulate in GM to prolong their presence in the host. Meanwhile, the pesticide induced changes in GM composition are associated with significant alterations in gut bacterial metabolism that reflected by the changes of hundreds of metabolites. We generated a pesticide-GM-metabolites (PMM) network that not only reveals pesticide-sensitive gut bacteria species but also report specific metabolic changes in 306 pesticide-GM pairs (PGPs). Using anin vivomice model, we further demonstrated a PGP’s interactions and verified the inflammation-inducing effects of pesticides on the host through dysregulated lipid metabolism of microbes. Taken together, our findings generate a PMM interactions atlas, and shed light on the molecular level of how pesticides impact host health by modulating GM metabolism.Graphical Abstract
Primed bovine embryonic stem cell lines can be derived at diverse stages of blastocyst development with similar efficiency and molecular characteristics
Authors: Guiltinan Carly , Botigelli Ramon C. , Candelaria Juliana I. , Smith Justin M. , Arcanjo Rachel B. , Denicol Anna C. 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTIn this study, we established bovine embryonic stem cell (bESC) lines from early (eBL) and full (BL) blastocysts to determine the efficiency of bESC derivation from an earlier embryonic stage and compare the characteristics of the resulting lines. Using established medium and protocols for derivation of primed bESCs from expanded blastocysts, we derived bESC lines from eBLs and BLs with the same efficiency (4/12 each, 33%). Regardless of original blastocyst stage, bESC lines had a similar phenotype, including differentiation capacity, stable karyotype, and pluripotency marker expression over feeder-free transition and long-term culture. Transcriptome and functional analyses indicated that eBL– and BL-derived lines were in primed pluripotency. We additionally compared RNA-sequencing data from our lines to bovine embryos and stem cells from other recent reports, finding that base medium was the predominant source of variation among cell lines. In conclusion, our results show that indistinguishable bESC lines can be readily derived from eBL and BL, widening the pool of embryos available for bESC establishment. Finally, our investigation points to sources of variation in cell phenotype among recently reported bESC conditions, opening the door to future studies investigating the impact of factors aside from signaling molecules on ESC derivation, maintenance, and performance.SUMMARY STATEMENTPrimed bovine embryonic stem cell lines can be readily established from early blastocysts and are indistinguishable from full blastocyst-derived lines, widening the pool of embryos available for stem cell derivation.
Corticotropin-releasing factor neurons of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis demonstrate sex- and estrous phase-dependent differences in synaptic activity and in their role in anxiety-potentiated startle
Authors: Chudoba Rachel , Dabrowska Joanna 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety disorders is higher in women than men. The severity of hallmark symptoms including hypervigilance and fear reactivity to unpredictable threats varies with sex and reproductive cycle, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we investigated corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) neurons in the dorsolateral bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTDL) as a potential nexus for the influence of biological sex and reproductive cycle on fear- and anxiety-related behaviors.Methods103 male and 132 cycle-monitored female CRF-Cre rats were used. BNSTDL-CRF neuron excitability and synaptic activity was recorded with slice electrophysiology. Chemogenetic inhibition of BNSTDL-CRF neurons was performed before elevated-plus maze, predator odor exposure, shock-induced startle sensitization, and anxiety-potentiated startle (APS) following unpredictable fear conditioning.ResultsBNSTDL-CRF neurons in females exhibit higher excitability (cycle-independent) and lower sensitivity to excitatory synaptic inputs (proestrus and diestrus) compared to males. BNSTDL-CRF neuron inhibition reduces open-arm time in estrous females but not males, suggesting that BNSTDL-CRF neurons reduce anxiety during sexual receptivity. In the APS, BNSTDL-CRF neuron inhibition attenuates short-term startle potentiation in males, whereas it causes persistent APS in diestrous females.ConclusionsUnpredictable fear conditioning elicits sex- and estrous phase-specific APS, differentially regulated by BNSTDL-CRF neurons. Persistent APS in females align with hormonal phases marked by low reproductive hormones, mirroring human PTSD findings. Our findings underscore the sex- and hormone-specific role of BNSTDL-CRF neurons in APS. Widely used in human studies, APS may bridge animal and human research, supporting biomarker development and more effective pharmacotherapies.
ASAP: An automatic sustained attention prediction method for infants and toddlers using wearable device signals
Authors: Zhang Yisi , Martinez-Cedillo A. Priscilla , Mason Harry T. , Vuong Quoc C. , Garcia-de-Soria M. Carmen , Mullineaux David , Knight Marina , Geangu Elena 
Published: November 2024

AbstractSustained attention (SA) is a critical cognitive ability that emerges in infancy. The recent development of wearable technology for infants enables the collection of large-scale multimodal data in the natural environment, including physiological signals. To capitalize on these new technologies, psychologists need methods to efficiently extract valid and robust SA measures from large datasets. In this study, we present an innovative automatic sustained attention prediction (ASAP) method that harnesses electrocardiogram (ECG) and accelerometer (Acc) signals recorded with wearable sensors from 75 infants (6-, 9-, 12-, 24- and 36-months). Infants undertook various naturalistic tasks similar to those encountered in their natural environment, including free play with their caregivers. Annotated SA was validated by fixation signals from eye-tracking. ASAP was trained on temporal and spectral features derived from the ECG and Acc signals to detect attention periods, and tested against human-coded SA. ASAP’s performance is similar across all age groups, demonstrating its suitability for studying development. We also investigated the relationship between attention periods and low-level perceptual features (visual saliency, visual clutter) extracted from the egocentric videos recorded during caregiver-infant free play. Saliency increased during attention vs inattention periods and decreased with age for attention (but not inattention) periods. Crucially, there was no observable difference in results from ASAP attention detection relative to the human-coded attention. Our results demonstrate that ASAP is a powerful tool for detecting infant SA elicited in natural environments. Alongside the available wearable sensors, ASAP provides unprecedented opportunities for studying infant development in the ‘wild’.
Social and Contextual Memory Impairments Induced by Amyloid-β Oligomers are Rescued by Sigma-1 Receptor Activation
Authors: Djebari Souhail , Jiménez-Herrera Raquel , Iborra-Lázaro Guillermo , Jiménez-Díaz Lydia , Navarro-López Juan D. 
Published: November 2024

AbstractSigma-1 receptors (S1Rs) are widely expressed throughout the central nervous system and modulate neuron intracellular calcium levels, leading to changes in neurotransmitter release and neuronal activity. They also interact with various proteins and signaling pathways, playing a key role in regulating synaptic plasticity in brain areas such as the hippocampus, thereby influencing learning and memory processes. This opens a research avenue to explore S1R modulation as a potential therapeutic target in diseases involving hippocampal synaptic alterations and compromised cognitive processes, such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Here, we hypothesize that pharmacological activation of S1R could counteract synaptic plasticity deficits and hippocampal-dependent cognitive alterations in an early-stage amyloidosis model of Alzheimer’s disease, induced by intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of Aβ1-42oligomers (oAβ1-42). For that purpose, we investigateex vivoCA3-CA1 synaptic plasticity, whilein vivo, we performed open field habituation and social recognition tasks to assess contextual and social memory, respectively. Our data show that pharmacological activation of S1Rs with the selective agonist PRE-084 counteract oAβ1-42deleterious effects on CA3-CA1 long-term synaptic plasticity (LTP), and hippocampal-dependent contextual and social memory, without alterations of spontaneous behaviors. Together, these results provide evidence for the role of S1Rs in ameliorating hippocampal synaptic and contextual memory dysfunctions and, for the first time, in early amyloid-induced social memory deficits, highlighting their potential in the development of comprehensive treatments for early AD. Also, the absence of adverse behavioral outcomes associated with PRE-084 treatment accentuates its safety profile, underscoring its potential as a therapeutic agent.
Metabolomic Analysis of Murine Tissues Infected withBrucella melitensis
Authors: Ponzilacqua-Silva Bárbara , Dadelahi Alexis S. , Moley Charles R. , Abushahba Mostafa F.N. , Skyberg Jerod A. 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTBrucellais a gram negative, facultative, intracellular bacterial pathogen that constitutes a substantial threat to human and animal health.Brucellacan replicate in a variety of tissues and can induce immune responses that alter host metabolite availability. Here, mice were infected withB. melitensisand murine spleens, livers, and female reproductive tracts were analyzed by GC-MS to determine tissue-specific metabolic changes at one-, two- and four-weeks post infection. The most remarkable changes were observed at two-weeks post-infection when relative to uninfected tissues, 42 of 329 detected metabolites in reproductive tracts were significantly altered byBrucellainfection, while in spleens and livers, 68/205 and 139/330 metabolites were significantly changed, respectively. Several of the altered metabolites in host tissues were linked to the GABA shunt and glutaminolysis. Treatment of macrophages with GABA did not alter control ofB. melitensisinfection, and deletion of the putative GABA transporter BMEI0265 did not alterB. melitensisvirulence. While glutaminolysis inhibition did not affect control ofB. melitensisin macrophages, glutaminolysis was required for macrophage IL-1β production in response toB. melitensis. In sum, these results indicate thatBrucellainfection alters host tissue metabolism and that these changes could have effects on inflammation and the outcome of infection.
Lactobacillus paracaseiCNCM I-5220-derived postbiotic counteracts skin inflammation and protects skin barrier integrity
Authors: Pimazzoni Silvia , Algieri Francesca , Tanaskovic Nina , Braga Daniele , Penna Giuseppe , Rescigno Maria 
Published: November 2024

ABSTRACTIntroductionSkin inflammation and damage of skin barrier integrity contribute to the pathogenesis of inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis and atopic dermatitis. Nowadays, there is a growing interest in alternative and complementary strategies to counteract skin inflammation and treat dermatologic conditions.ObjectivesPostbiotics, metabolites released during bacterial fermentation, exert anti-inflammatory proprieties and contribute to the maintenance of epithelial barrier integrity. Therefore, we investigated the effect of LP-PBL, a novelLactobacillus paracaseiCNCM I-5220-derived postbiotic, in controlling skin inflammation and protecting the skin barrier.MethodsWe performed RNA-sequencing on Poly(I:C)-stimulated keratinocytes and investigated LP-PBL efficacy in regulating pro-inflammatory cytokine release. The production of most relevant cytokines was demonstrated by ELISA. Then, we tested postbiotic lenitive efficacy on healthy volunteers’ irritated skin. We compared the effect of a postbiotic-containing cream formulation versus placebo on sodium lauryl sulphate treated skin.ResultsWe demonstrate that LP-PBL has anti-inflammatory activity by modulating Poly(I:C)-dependent inflammatory pathways and pro-inflammatory cytokine release in keratinocytes. The postbiotic inhibited the upregulation of interleukin (IL)-23A, which is overexpressed in psoriatic skin, and ofIL-33and thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) that are upregulated in atopic dermatitis. Moreover, it increased filaggrin and zonula occludens (ZO)-1 expression in Poly(I:C)-stimulated keratinocytes, suggesting beneficial effects on inflamed and damaged skin. Consistently, a clinical test on healthy volunteers showed that topic LP-PBL treatment significantly reduced skin redness upon sodium lauryl sulphate challenge compared to placebo, leading to a rapid recovery of the irritated skin.ConclusionOverall, we demonstrated the protective role of LP-PBL on the skin, bothin vitroand in the clinical test, suggesting that postbiotic topical application could represent an innovative and promising strategy to counteract skin inflammation and preserve skin barrier integrity.