bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
c-Jun Signaling During Initial HSV-1 Infection Modulates Latency to Enhance Later Reactivation in addition to Directly Promoting the Progression to Full Reactivation
Authors: Dochnal Sara A. , Whitford Abigail L. , Francois Alison K. , Krakowiak Patryk A. , Cuddy Sean , Cliffe Anna R. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractHerpes simplex virus-1 (HSV-1) establishes a latent infection in peripheral neurons and can periodically reactivate to permit transmission and clinical manifestations. Viral transactivators required for lytic infection are largely absent during latent infection and therefore HSV-1 relies on the co-option of neuronal host signaling pathways to initiate its gene expression. Activation of the neuronal c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) cell stress pathway is central to initiating biphasic reactivation in response to multiple stimuli. However, how host factors work with JNK to stimulate the initial wave of gene expression (known as Phase I) or the progression to full, Phase II reactivation remains unclear. Here, we found that c-Jun, the primary target downstream of neuronal JNK cell stress signaling, functions during reactivation but not during the JNK-mediated initiation of Phase I gene expression. Instead, c-Jun was required for the transition from Phase I to full HSV-1 reactivation and was detected in viral replication compartments of reactivating neurons. Interestingly, we also identified a role for both c-Jun and enhanced neuronal stress during initial neuronal infection in promoting a more reactivation-competent form of HSV-1 latency. Therefore, c-Jun functions at multiple stages during HSV latent infection of neurons to promote reactivation. Importantly, by demonstrating that initial infection conditions can contribute to later reactivation abilities, this study highlights the potential for latently infected neurons to maintain a molecular scar of previous exposure to neuronal stressors.ImportanceThe molecular mechanisms that regulate the reactivation of HSV-1 from latent infection are unknown. In addition, studies on the mechanisms of reactivation can be complicated by factors that act during latency establishment to ultimately impact reactivation. Here we focused on the host transcription and pioneer factor c-Jun because it is the main target of the JNK cell stress pathway known to be important in exit of HSV from latency. Surprisingly, we found that c-Jun does not act with JNK during exit from latency but instead promotes the transition to full reactivation. Moreover, c-Jun and enhanced neuronal stress during initial neuronal infection promoted a more reactivation-competent form of HSV-1 latency. c-Jun therefore functions at multiple stages during HSV latent infection of neurons to promote reactivation and serves as a relevant therapeutic target for attenuating reactivation and related clinical consequences. Importantly, this study contributes to a growing body of evidence thatde novoHSV-1 infection conditions can modulate latent infection and impact future reactivation events, raising important questions on the clinical impact of stress during initial HSV-1 acquisition on future reactivation events and consequences.
A systematic screening assay identifies efficient small guide RNAs for CRISPR activation
Authors: Arvidsson Elin , Lobo Diana Duarte , Sabarese Ermelinda , Duarte Fabio , Nobre Rui Jorge , Lundberg Cecilia , Quintino Luis 
Published: November 2023

AbstractCRISPR-mediated gene activation (CRISPRa) encompasses a growing field of biotechnological approaches with exciting implications for gene therapy. However, there is a lack of experimental validation tools for selecting efficient sgRNAs for downstream applications. Here, we present a screening assay capable of identifying efficient single- and double sgRNAs through fluorescence quantification in vitro. In addition, we provide a tailored Golden Gate cloning workflow for streamlined incorporation of selected sgRNA candidates into lentiviral (LVs) or adeno-associated vectors (AAVs). The overall workflow was validated using therapeutically relevant genes for neurodegenerative diseases, such asTfeb,Adam17, andSirt1. The most efficient sgRNAs also demonstrated activation of endogenous gene expression at mRNA and protein levels. Further proof- of-principle assays usingTfebindicated that gene activation was accompanied by increased levels of Lc3b. This data demonstrates the potential of the screening assay to identify functionally efficient sgRNA candidates across multiple genes along with streamlined cloning of viral vectors and may assist in accelerating future developments of CRISPRa-focused applications.
Thermal and pigment characterization of environmental fungi in the urban heat island of Baltimore City
Authors: Smith Daniel F. Q. , Bencomo Alexa , Faiez Tasnim Syakirah , Casadevall Arturo 
Published: November 2023

AbstractOne of the major barriers of fungal infections of mammals is the inability to grow and/or survive at mammalian body temperature, typically around 37°C. This has provided mammals an advantage over fungi. However, environmental fungi may soon adapt to persist at higher temperatures, consistent with mammalian body temperature, due to thermal selection pressures imposed by climate change, global warming, and increased frequency of extreme heat events. Consequently, there is a need for more updated information about the thermal tolerance range of fungi near humans, such as in urban areas. The heat island effect suggests that cities are up to 8°C warmer than their suburban counterparts because of increased heat production, asphalt coatings and reduced greenspace among other factors, and it is more common in lower income and marginalized urban communities. Thus, urban centers are at increased risk for the emergence of heat tolerant fungi. In this study, we developed a methodology to collect and archive fungal isolates from sidewalk and soil samples in both warmer and cooler neighborhoods in Baltimore, Maryland. We demonstrate a novel methodology for fungal sample collection from sidewalks, employing the use of standardized and commercially available taffy. Analysis of fungal isolates collected from warmer neighborhoods revealed greater thermal tolerance and lower pigmentation, suggesting local adaptation to heat. Lower pigmentation in hotter areas is consistent with the notion that fungi use pigmentation to help regulate their temperature. Further, we identified the robust presence of the polyextremotolerant fungusAureobasidium pullalansfrom the warmest neighborhood in Baltimore, further showing that the extreme conditions of cities can drive proliferation of extremotolerant fungi. This study develops new techniques for environmental fungal collection and provides insight on the fungal census in an urban setting that can inform future work to study how urban environments may drive stress/thermotolerance in fungi, which could alter fungal interactions with humans and impact human health.
Metabolic rewiring compensates for the loss of glutamate and aspartate biosynthesis inBacillus subtilis
Authors: Mardoukhi Mohammad Saba Yousef , Rapp Johanna , Irisarri Iker , Gunka Katrin , Link Hannes , Marienhagen Jan , de Vries Jan , Stülke Jörg , Commichau Fabian M. 
Published: November 2023

SummaryGlutamate serves as the major cellular amino group donor. InBacillus subtilis, glutamate is synthesized by the combined action of the glutamine synthetase and the glutamate synthase (GOGAT). The glutamate dehydrogenases are devoted to glutamate degradationin vivo. To keep the cellular glutamate concentration high, the genes and the encoded enzymes involved in glutamate biosynthesis and degradation need to be tightly regulated depending on the available carbon and nitrogen sources. Serendipitously, we found that the inactivation of theansRandcitGgenes encoding the repressor of theansABgenes and the fumarase, respectively, enables the GOGAT-deficientB. subtilismutant to synthesize glutamate via a non-canonical fumarate-based ammonium assimilation pathway. We also show that the de-repression of theansABgenes is sufficient to restore aspartate prototrophy of anaspBaspartate transaminase mutant. Moreover, with excess nitrogen,B. subtilismutants lacking fumarase activity show a growth defect that can be relieved byaspBoverexpression, by reducing arginine uptake and by decreasing the metabolic flux through the TCA cycle. It will be interesting to investigate whether theB. subtilisstrain using the alternative glutamate biosynthesis route can evolve in such a way that it robustly grows during nitrogen limitation and excess.
The impact of knocking out theLeishmania majortelomerase RNA (LeishTER): from altered cell proliferation to decreased parasite infectivity
Authors: de Oliveira Beatriz Cristina Dias , Shiburah Mark Ewusi , Assis Luiz Henrique de Castro , Fontes Veronica Silva , Gallo-Francisco Pedro Henrique , Giorgio Selma , Batista Marcos Meuser , Correia Soeiro Maria Nazaré , Menna-Barreto Rubem Figueiredo Sadok , Aoki Juliana Ide , Coelho Adriano Cappellazzo , Cano Maria Isabel Nogueira 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe telomerase RNA, TER, is an intrinsic component of the telomerase ribonucleoprotein complex. It contains the telomere template sequence copied by the enzyme during telomere elongation. This unique molecule shows divergent nucleotide sequences but a more conserved secondary structure containing domains involved with telomerase assembly and biogenesis. The present work aims to characterize the biological roles played by theLeishmaniaTER component (LeishTER) in parasite homeostasis. We generated double knockout (LmTER-/-) parasites, which showed a distinct growth pattern at early passages, characterized by lower density and an extended stationary phase compared to the control. Although this pattern normalized after multiple in vitro passages, ablation ofLeishTER affected cell division and proliferation, with cells arrested at the G0/G1 phase. Progressive telomere shortening was also observed during continuous passages, along with a reduction in the expression of TERRA29. Complementation with the episomal expression ofLeishTER did not restore telomere length to the control levels, corroborating preliminary results showing that the overexpression of TER has a dominant negative effect on parasite lifespan.LmTER-/-also presented a higher percentage of gamma-H2A phosphorylation, likely due to stalled replication forks since no DNA damage was observed. Also, no plasma membrane modifications were detected, but pro-survival autophagic signals were present. Intriguingly,LmTER-/-retained the ability to transform into metacyclic forms, although its in vitro infectivity and growth inside the host cell were compromised. Together, these results highlight the importance of TER in parasite lifespan and open a discussion about its potential as a drug target againstLeishmania.
Tick extracellular vesicles undermine epidermal wound healing during hematophagy
Authors: Marnin Liron , Valencia Luisa M. , Bogale Haikel N. , Laukaitis-Yousey Hanna J. , Rolandelli Agustin , Ferraz Camila Rodrigues , O’Neal Anya J. , Schmitter-Sánchez Axel D. , Cuevas Emily Bencosme , Nguyen Thu-Thuy , Leal-Galvan Brenda , Rickert David M. , Tays Mendes M. , Samaddar Sourabh , Rainer Butler L. , Singh Nisha , Paz Francy E. Cabrera , Oliver Jonathan D. , Jameson Julie M , Munderloh Ulrike G. , Chávez Adela S. Oliva , Mulenga Albert , Park Sangbum , Serre David , Pedra Joao H.F. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractWound healing has been extensively studied through the lens of inflammatory disorders and cancer, but limited attention has been given to hematophagy and arthropod-borne diseases. Hematophagous ectoparasites, including ticks, subvert the wound healing response to maintain prolonged attachment and facilitate blood-feeding. Here, we unveil a strategy by which extracellular vesicles (EVs) ensure blood-feeding and arthropod survival in three medically relevant tick species. We demonstrate through single cell RNA sequencing and murine genetics that wildtype animals infested with EV-deficientIxodes scapularisdisplay a unique population of keratinocytes with an overrepresentation of pathways connected to wound healing. Tick feeding affected keratinocyte proliferation in a density-dependent manner, which relied on EVs and dendritic epidermal T cells (DETCs). This occurrence was linked to phosphoinositide 3-kinase activity, keratinocyte growth factor (KGF) and transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) levels. Collectively, we uncovered a strategy employed by a blood-feeding arthropod that impairs the integrity of the epithelial barrier, contributing to ectoparasite fitness.
A non-toxic equinatoxin-II reveals the dynamics of sphingomyelin in the cytosolic leaflet of the plasma membrane
Authors: Mori Toshiki , Niki Takahiro , Uchida Yasunori , Mukai Kojiro , Kuchitsu Yoshihiko , Kishimoto Takuma , Makino Asami , Kobayashi Toshihide , Arai Hiroyuki , Yokota Yasunari , Taguchi Tomohiko , Suzuki Kenichi G.N. 
Published: November 2023

SummarySuper-resolution microscopic observation of a novel non-toxic sphingomyelin probe revealed the formation of dynamic small domains including sphingomyelin and cholesterol in the cytosolic leaflet of living cell plasma membranes.AbstractSphingomyelin (SM) is a major sphingolipid in mammalian cells. SM is enriched in the extracellular leaflet of the plasma membrane (PM). Besides this localization, recent electron microscopic and biochemical studies suggest the presence of SM in the cytosolic leaflet of the PM. In the present study, we generated a non-toxic SM-binding variant (NT-EqtII) based on equinatoxin-II (EqtII) from the sea anemoneActinia equina, and examined the dynamics of SM in the cytosolic leaflet of living cell PMs. NT-EqtII with two point mutations (Leu26Ala and Pro81Ala) had essentially the same specificity and affinity to SM as wild-type EqtII. NT-EqtII expressed in the cytosol was recruited to the PM in various cell lines. Super-resolution microscopic observation revealed that NT-EqtII formed tiny domains that were significantly colocalized with cholesterol and N-terminal Lyn. Meanwhile, all the examined lipid probes including NT-EqtII underwent apparent fast simple Brownian diffusion, exhibiting that SM and other lipids in the cytosolic leaflet rapidly moved in and out of domains. Thus, the novel SM-binding probe demonstrated the presence of the raft-like domain in the cytosolic leaflet of living cell PMs.
The impact of CEO attributes on sustainability performance: evidence from an emerging economy
Authors: Saha Rubel , Kabir Md. Nurul , Chowdhury Abdul Hannan 
Published: November 2023

Purpose
This study aims to empirically examine the influence of CEO characteristics on the sustainability performance of listed banks in Bangladesh through the lens of upper echelons theory.

Design/methodology/approach
The authors estimated sustainability performance score based on a hand collected data set from the annual report and sustainability reports of the Bangladeshi listed banks. Following Clarkson et al. (2008), the sustainability index developed by Ong et al. (2016) and the G4 sustainability reporting standards of the global reporting initiative (GRI), a unique scoring index was developed to gather and assess sustainability data from listed banks. A panel regression analysis model is used to investigate the impact of CEO attributes on sustainability performance.

Findings
The findings of this study reveal that higher academic qualifications, greater industry experience and a longer tenure of the CEO have a significant and positive impact on the sustainable performance of the Bangladeshi listed banks. Furthermore, this study reveals that Bangladeshi listed banks are considerably behind in implementing the sustainability recommendations of Bangladesh Bank.

Originality/value
This study provides new evidence of how CEOs’ attributes can affect the sustainability reporting of Bangladeshi listed banks. Furthermore, this study measures the real contribution towards sustainability performance compared with the general claims about sustainability made by listed banks in Bangladesh.
Perception bias, social embedding and consumer willingness to pay for chilled pork packaging: empirical analysis based on multiple experiments
Authors: Zhou Jiehong , Han Fei , Han Xiaoyu , Yan Zhen 
Published: November 2023

PurposeThe paper proposes a research method to verify the perception bias of consumers on the freshness preservation effects of vacuum packaging (VP) and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) chilled pork packages, the influence of “sensory experience” on correcting consumers' perception bias of packaging performance and willingness-to-pay (WTP) enhancement channels.Design/methodology/approachUsing data from 458 and 188 participants who completed the contingent valuation method (CVM) and auction experiment, respectively, the study aimed to uncover consumers' packing quality perception bias and WTP, and investigated the societal factors that contribute to variations in WTP.FindingsThe CVM experiment revealed that although consumers' high perception bias rate toward MAP to maintain freshness, as compared to lab test results, came along with low WTP premium to cost rate with sensory experience in the auction experiment, the proportion of consumers with quality perception bias decreased from 49.85% to 34.46%, while the WTP premium to cost rate for MAP increased largely by 36.7%. Perceptive embedding has a positive effect on chilled pork packaging WTP, while normative embedding decreases WTP.Originality/valueThe findings emphasize the need of public policies to promote positive consumption attitudes, while whittling the negative consumption norms, to increase the WTP for packaged child pork and promote the chilled pork market formation.
Pacific methodologies in critical disaster studies
Authors: Sang Yum Maria Koreti , Baars Roger C. 
Published: November 2023

PurposeResearch in critical disaster studies stresses the urgency to explore alternative ontological framings (Gaillard and Raju, 2022) that encourages researchers and practitioners, especially Indigenous communities, to nurture spaces where Indigenous voices are well represented. It is imperative that research in the Pacific should be guided by Pacific research methodologies to maximize positive outcomes (Ponton, 2018) and break free from limited Eurocentric ideologies that are often ill-suited in Pacific contexts. Hazards in the South Pacific region have become more frequent and volatile. This has created a growing interest in the study of disasters in the region. However, current disaster studies in the Pacific are often problematic as they often fail to challenge the implicit coloniality of the discipline.Design/methodology/approachThis paper will expand on these arguments, suggesting ways to overcome the limits of common Eurocentric research frameworks in disaster studies and to illustrate the significance and relevance of Pacific methodologies.FindingsIt is pertinent that critical disaster studies encapsulate Pacific worldviews and knowledge as valued and valid to reconstruct Pacific research. Decolonizing disaster research will ultimately liberate the discipline from limitations of its colonial past and allow for truly engaging and critical research practices.Originality/valueThis paper will illustrate and articulate how Talanoa, a pan-Pacific concept, could offer a more culturally appropriate research methodology to disasters, seen through a Samoan lens. Talanoa is an informal conversation that is widely shared among Pacific communities based on pure, authentic and real conversations which are crucial elements in building relationships with Pacific communities (Vaioleti, 2006).
The ebb and flow of trade credit: implications for financing financially dependent firm growth
Authors: Karakoç Bahadır 
Published: November 2023

PurposeThis study investigates the significance of trade credit (TC) as an alternative source of funding in financing the growth of financially dependent firms.Design/methodology/approachPanel data analysis using the difference generalized method of moments (GMM) and fixed-effects ordinary least squares (FE-OLS) is conducted on annual data from publicly listed firms across a number of developing economies. The data cover the period from 2003 to 2019.FindingsThe findings indicate that financially dependent firms rely on TC to manage their growth, especially when they have exhausted their debt capacity. This dependence on TC displays a cyclical pattern. As firms enhance their financial position, they tend to scale back their dependence. Nevertheless, firms with significant growth opportunities continue utilizing TC for at least two years after their initial identification as financially dependent.Practical implicationsThe author's conclusion highlights that TC can be a valuable and accessible source of funding, especially in developing economies where the real sector may require alternative financing channels. Hence, TC has the potential to play a very significant role in financing corporate growth in these economies.Originality/valueThe current study adds to the existing body of literature by revealing that access to alternative sources of finance is also critical for firms that are dependent on external sources and for firms that have exhausted their financial debt capacity.
Inter-firm relations and resource-based performance: a contingent relational view of small-scale farmers in Zambia
Authors: Adetoyinbo Ayobami , Mithöfer Dagmar 
Published: November 2023

PurposeEffective and flexible organizational models have become an avenue for driving smallholder competitiveness in the agricultural sector. However, little is understood about the processes by which resource-constrained actors deploy their organizational networks to generate and retain value in rapidly changing agrifood environments. This study examines the moderating effects of business contingencies on the interplay between organizational relationships and the resource-based performance of small-scale farmers in a developing country.Design/methodology/approachThe authors propose a novel conceptual framework grounded in the relational view, netchain and contingency theories. Cross-sectional data obtained from 330 maize farmers in rural Zambia were analyzed using variance-based structural equation modeling, which involves mediation-moderation analysis.FindingsThe results show that all relational networks – vertical, horizontal and lateral – positively mediate the effects farm resources and social capital have on farmers' performance. However, these effects change depending on the predominant agency situations. Specifically, asymmetric power from customers and reputable competitors weakens the positive effect of closer horizontal relationships on business performance, while the positive effect of tighter informal vertical relationships on farmers' performance weakens under conditions of high affective trust. Moreover, the gender-based multigroup analyses highlight variations in the contingent relational view of men- and women-headed households.Research limitations/implicationsThe study relies on cross-sectional data from one agribusiness sector in Zambia, thus generalizations should be cautious.Originality/valueThe uniqueness of this study lies in the proposed theoretical framework and new empirical insights, which extend the scope of the relational view to small-scale farming households in developing countries.