Background: Ionizing radiation (IR) accelerates atherosclerosis through induction of cellular senescence, DNA damage, defective efferocytosis, and dysregulation of clonal hematopoiesis (CH) drivers. Although low-dose colchicine reduces ischemic cardiovascular events in coronary artery disease, the precise molecular mechanisms underlying its vasculoprotective effects remain incompletely defined, and whether it mitigates radiation-associated vascular injury is unknown. Methods: Bone […]
PCP-dependent polarity propagation across neuronal columns in the Drosophila medulla
Planar cell polarity (PCP) signaling establishes coordinated tissue polarity through asymmetric localization of core PCP factors and propagation of polarity information between neighboring cells. While PCP mechanisms are well characterized in continuous epithelial tissues, whether PCP-dependent polarity propagation can operate across discontinuous neuronal structures remains unclear. During pupal development of the Drosophila medulla, R8 photoreceptor […]
Local Temperature and Humidity are Associated with Proportion of Antimicrobial-Resistant Escherichia coli isolates in Farm Environments: Considerations for On-Farm Surveillance
Evidence suggests that increased local temperatures are associated with higher prevalence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in environmental bacteria. This study investigates the association between local climate and the proportion of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli isolated from 2,766 farm environment samples from 53 English dairy farms. To do this, a non-linear Bayesian model that specifically accounts for […]
Fiat lux: A hotspot of Luciola fireflies on Western Mediterranean islands
Islands are priority areas for the study and conservation of biodiversity, as they frequently harbour distinct lineages. Yet they are particularly threatened by the global change. In the frame of an accelerated biodiversity crisis, many insular species risk disappearing before they are even discovered. Fireflies, despite their ecological and cultural significance, remain poorly investigated, especially […]
Unifying coexistence theory for ecological communities and pathogen strain competition
Predicting the outcome of species or pathogen strain competition is a fundamental aim in both community ecology and infectious disease dynamics. Recent work revealed major challenges in predicting strain co-circulation from ecological coexistence theory due to overcompensatory competition among pathogens for susceptible resources, which can prevent the re-invasion of other competing strains. This resource overcompensation […]
Supplemental deinoxanthin ameliorates bone marrow microenvironmental impairments and recovers functional damage of bone marrow-retained cells in total body irradiation-exposed mice
Total body irradiation (TBI) can impair the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment and dysregulate the fates of BM-residing cells by overproducing reactive oxygen species (ROS) and inflammatory mediators. This study aims to investigate the potency and mechanism of Deinococcus radiodurans-derived deinoxanthin (DEIX) in mitigating TBI-mediated injuries in the BM microenvironment and BM-resident cells. C57BL/6 mice were […]
Top-down and bottom-up landscape processes influence the formation of microbial partnerships in herbivorous insects
Many insects form intimate associations with microbial partners, spanning a continuum from obligate mutualisms to transient associations. These microbial partners confer a range of functional benefits, including protection from natural enemies, detoxification of plant secondary metabolites, and improved fitness. The prevalence and abundance of microbial symbionts can vary between insect populations, indicating that the insect-microbe […]
Bartonella and hemotropic Mycoplasma species in synanthropic bats in Kenya
Identifying and characterizing zoonotic pathogens in wildlife is essential for understanding disease risk to humans. In Sub-Saharan Africa, many people live with bats in their houses and are exposed to their pathogens, yet little is known about the bacterial pathogens in Afrotropical bat species. Globally, Bartonella spp. (bartonellae) and hemotropic Mycoplasma spp. (hemoplasmas) are common […]
Arteriolar GMP signaling revealed by FRET-based real-time measurement in vivo
cGMP evokes arteriolar vasorelaxation and is generated in smooth muscle by the soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) stimulated by endothelial NO. Phosphodiesterases (PDEs) degrade cGMP and may contribute in diameter regulation. We examined arteriolar cGMP levels in real-time in vivo upon NO and acetylcholine (ACh) and effects of PDE inhibition. Changes in cGMP were measured by […]
Dormancy stabilizes structured food webs
Theory predicts that strong species interactions drive ecological instability, but strong interactions are common in ecosystems while strong instability appears rare. This discrepancy motivates enduring interest in ecological mechanisms that limit or counteract instability. Dormancy – reversible metabolic suppression – may be one. Dormancy is a ubiquitous life history trait found in organisms ranging from […]
Glucocorticoid Programming of Erythrocyte Hypoxic Memory Enables Rapid High-Altitude Acclimatization
Background: Rapid ascent to high altitude causes acute mountain sickness (AMS) and life-threatening pulmonary/cerebral edema, yet no prophylaxis enables immediate acclimatization. Intermittent hypoxia training (IHT) establishes a ‘hypoxic memory’ that accelerates adaptation, to high altitude, but its cellular and molecular basis remains undefined, precluding effective pharmacological strategies. Methods: A human cohort of 18 sea-level inhabitants […]
Transcriptomic, Specific Marker, and Pathway Analysis of Smooth Muscle Cell Foam Cells Compared to Macrophage Foam Cells in Human Atherosclerosis
BACKGROUND: Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) comprise the majority of cells in human atherosclerotic lesions and are thought to be a major source of cholesterol-overloaded foam cells in human and mouse atheromas. However, the transcriptomic profile, specific markers, and biologic itinerary of SMC foam cells relative to macrophage foam cells remain poorly defined. METHODS: Single-cell RNA […]