The Genetic and Environmental Foundation of the Simple View of Reading in Chinese

The Simple View of Reading (SVR) in Chinese was examined in a genetically sensitive design. A total of 270 pairs of Chinese twins (190 pairs of monozygotic twins and 80 pairs of same-sex dizygotic twins) were tested on Chinese vocabulary and word reading at the mean age 7.8 years and reading comprehension of sentences and passages one year later. Results of behavior-genetic analyses showed that both vocabulary and word reading had significant independent genetic influences on reading comprehension, and the two factors together accounted for most but not all of the genetic influences on reading comprehension. In addition, sentence comprehension had a stronger genetic correlation with word reading while passage comprehension showed a trend of stronger genetic overlap with vocabulary. These findings suggest that the genetic foundation of the SVR in Chinese is largely supported in that language comprehension and decoding are two core skills for reading comprehension in nonalphabetic as well as alphabetic written languages.     

Population Genetic Structure of the Endangered Kaiser’s Mountain Newt,Neurergus kaiseri (Amphibia: Salamandridae)

Species often exhibit different levels of genetic structuring correlated to their environment. However, understanding how environmental heterogeneity influences genetic variation is difficult because the effects of gene flow, drift and selection are confounded. We investigated the genetic variation and its ecological correlates in an endemic and critically endangered stream breeding mountain newt, Neurergus kaiseri, within its entire range in southwestern Iran. We identified two geographic regions based on phylogenetic relationships using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood of 779 bp mtDNA (D-loop) in 111 individuals from ten of twelve known breeding populations. This analysis revealed a clear divergence between northern populations, located in more humid habitats at higher elevation, and southern populations, from drier habitats at lower elevations regions. From seven haplotypes found in these populations none was shared between the two regions. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) of N. kaiseri indicates that 94.03% of sequence variation is distributed among newt populations and 5.97% within them. Moreover, a high degree of genetic subdivision, mainly attributable to the existence of significant variance among the two regions is shown (θ_CT = 0.94, P = 0.002). The positive and significant correlation between geographic and genetic distances (r = 0.61, P = 0.002) following controlling for environmental distance suggests an important influence of geographic divergence of the sites in shaping the genetic variation and may provide tools for a possible conservation based prioritization policy for the endangered species.     

Examining the influence of sport program staff and parent/caregiver support on youth outcomes

Abstract

Youth participation in sport is associated with positive developmental outcomes. The development of life skills is especially important for urban youth of color who are often underserved and face poor long-term outcomes. To service the needs of underserved youth, community youth sport programs have begun to utilize sport-based positive youth development (PYD). Through this approach, key adult figures such as sport program staff and parents/caregivers have been identified as important mechanisms for life skill development and the transfer of learning. The aim of the current study sought to better understand how key adult figures influence life skill outcomes of urban youth of color involved in a community sport-based PYD program. Hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to examine the independent and interactive effects of staff support and parent/caregiver support on youth life skill and transfer of learning outcomes. Results indicated that staff support and parent/caregiver support predicted youth life skill and transfer of learning outcomes, both independently and, in some cases, interactively.     

The power of print reading: comics in the classroom

Evidence from neuroscience and psychological studies supporting benefits of print reading over digital reading has recently been discussed in these columns (Perbal 2017 J. Cell Commun. Signal. 11:1–4). In the present commentary, I would like to add my perspective as a Humanities educator, and build upon the idea that print reading results in better comprehension, learning and communication. The argumentation that is presented herein is based on a study performed in a French Comics language class aimed at broadening students' knowledge and experience of graphic novels, and providing them with a cultural representation in the foreign language. The results that are discussed in this commentary indicate that upon reading printed books students created connections for a more meaningful learning experience, leading to personal growth and linguistic development. The impact these graphic novels had on students’ learning capacity and relationship to reading was tremendous. The kinesthetic relationship with printed text was deeply enriching and gratifying. The stimulatory effects on their imagination allowed for a more creative reading, and a deeper comprehension, resulting in meaningful communication.     

How accurate is the phenotype? – An analysis of developmental noise in a cotton aphid clone

Background  

The accuracy by which phenotype can be reproduced by genotype potentially is important in determining the stability, environmental sensitivity, and evolvability of morphology and other phenotypic traits. Because two sides of an individual represent independent development of the phenotype under identical genetic and environmental conditions, average body asymmetry (or "fluctuating asymmetry") can estimate the developmental instability of the population. The component of developmental instability not explained by intrapopulational differences in gene or environment (or their interaction) can be further defined as internal developmental noise. Surprisingly, developmental noise remains largely unexplored despite its potential influence on our interpretations of developmental stability, canalization, and evolvability. Proponents of fluctuating asymmetry as a bioindicator of environmental or genetic stress, often make the assumption that developmental noise is minimal and, therefore, that phenotype can respond sensitively to the environment. However, biologists still have not measured whether developmental noise actually comprises a significant fraction of the overall environmental response of fluctuating asymmetry observed within a population.     

Quantitative Genetics of Response to Novelty and Other Stimuli by Infant Rhesus Macaques (Macaca mulatta) Across Three Behavioral Assessments

Primate behavior is influenced by both heritable factors and environmental experience during development. Previous studies of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) examined the effects of genetic variation on expressed behavior and related neurobiological traits (heritability and/or genetic association) using a variety of study designs. Most of these prior studies examined genetic effects on the behavior of adults or adolescent rhesus macaques, not in young macaques early in development. To assess environmental and additive genetic variation in behavioral reactivity and response to novelty among infants, we investigated a range of behavioral traits in a large number (N?=?428) of pedigreed infants born and housed in large outdoor corrals at the Oregon National Primate Research Center (ONPRC). We recorded the behavior of each subject during a series of brief tests, involving exposure of each infant to a novel environment, to a social threat without the mother present, and to a novel environment with its mother present but sedated. We found significant heritability (h ² ) for willingness to move away from the mother and explore a novel environment (h ² ?=?0.25?±?0.13; P?=?0.003). The infants also exhibited a range of heritable behavioral reactions to separation stress or to threat when the mother was not present (h ² ?=?0.23?±?0.13–0.24?±?0.15, P?<?0.01). We observed no evidence of maternal environmental effects on these traits. Our results extend knowledge of genetic influences on temperament and reactivity in nonhuman primates by demonstrating that several measures of behavioral reactivity among infant rhesus macaques are heritable.     

Developmental inflexibility of larval tapeworms in response to resource variation

The timing of habitat switching in organisms with complex life cycles is an important life history characteristic that is often influenced by the larval growth environment. Under starvation, longer developmental times are frequently observed, probably as a consequence of developmental thresholds, but prolonged ontogeny sometimes also occurs under good conditions, as organisms may take advantage of the large potential gains in body size. I investigated whether variation in growth conditions affects the larval development time of a complex life cycle tapeworm (Schistocephalus solidus) in its copepod first host. Moreover, I reviewed patterns of developmental plasticity in larval tapeworms to assess the generality of my findings. Copepod starvation weakly retarded parasite growth but did not affect development. Worms grew bigger in larger copepods, but they developed at a similar rate in large and small hosts. Thus, S. solidus does not delay ontogeny under good conditions nor does it fail to reach a developmental threshold under poor conditions. Although unusual in comparison to free-living organisms, such inflexibility is common in tapeworms. Plasticity, namely prolonged ontogeny, has been mainly observed at high infection intensities. For S. solidus, there were large cross-environment genetic correlations for development, suggesting there may be genetic constraints on the evolution of developmental plasticity.     

Quantitative genetics of plumage color: lifetime effects of early nest environment on a colorful sexual signal

Phenotypic differences among individuals are often linked to differential survival and mating success. Quantifying the relative influence of genetic and environmental variation on phenotype allows evolutionary biologists to make predictions about the potential for a given trait to respond to selection and various aspects of environmental variation. In particular, the environment individuals experience during early development can have lasting effects on phenotype later in life. Here, we used a natural full‐sib/half‐sib design as well as within‐individual longitudinal analyses to examine genetic and various environmental influences on plumage color. We find that variation in melanin‐based plumage color – a trait known to influence mating success in adult North American barn swallows (Hirundo rustica erythrogaster) – is influenced by both genetics and aspects of the developmental environment, including variation due to the maternal phenotype and the nest environment. Within individuals, nestling color is predictive of adult color. Accordingly, these early environmental influences are relevant to the sexually selected plumage color variation in adults. Early environmental conditions appear to have important lifelong implications for individual reproductive performance through sexual signal development in barn swallows. Our results indicate that feather color variation conveys information about developmental conditions and maternal care alleles to potential mates in North American barn swallows. Melanin‐based colors are used for sexual signaling in many organisms, and our study suggests that these signals may be more sensitive to environmental variation than previously thought.     

A genome‐wide association study for reading and language abilities in two population cohorts

Candidate genes have been identified for both reading and language, but most of the heritable variance in these traits remains unexplained. Here, we report a genome‐wide association meta‐analysis of two large cohorts: population samples of Australian twins and siblings aged 12–25 years (n = 1177 from 538 families), and a younger cohort of children of the UK Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and their Children (aged 8 and 9 years; maximum n = 5472). Suggestive association was indicated for reading measures and non‐word repetition (NWR), with the greatest support found for single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the pseudogene, ABCC13 (P = 7.34 × 10^?8), and the gene, DAZAP1 (P = 1.32 × 10^?6). Gene‐based analyses showed significant association (P < 2.8 × 10^?6) for reading and spelling with genes CD2L1, CDC2L2 and RCAN3 in two loci on chromosome 1. Some support was found for the same SNPs having effects on both reading skill and NWR, which is compatible with behavior genetic evidence for influences of reading acquisition on phonological‐task performance. The results implicate novel candidates for study in additional cohorts for reading and language abilities.     

The interface between spoken and written language: developmental disorders

We review current knowledge about reading development and the origins of difficulties in learning to read. We distinguish between the processes involved in learning to decode print, and the processes involved in reading for meaning (reading comprehension). At a cognitive level, difficulties in learning to read appear to be predominantly caused by deficits in underlying oral language skills. The development of decoding skills appears to depend critically upon phonological language skills, and variations in phoneme awareness, letter–sound knowledge and rapid automatized naming each appear to be causally related to problems in learning to read. Reading comprehension difficulties in contrast appear to be critically dependent on a range of oral language comprehension skills (including vocabulary knowledge and grammatical, morphological and pragmatic skills).     

A meta-analysis of the heritability of developmental stability

The existence of additive genetic variance in developmental stability has important implications for our understanding of morphological variation. The heritability of individual fluctuating asymmetry and other measures of developmental stability have frequently been estimated from parent-offspring regressions, sib analyses, or from selection experiments. Here we review by meta-analysis published estimates of the heritability of developmental stability, mainly the degree of individual fluctuating asymmetry in morphological characters. The overall mean effect size of heritabilities of individual fluctuating asymmetry was 0.19 from 34 studies of 17 species differing highly significantly from zero (P < 0.0001). The mean heritability for 14 species was 0.27. This indicates that there is a significant additive genetic component to developmental stability. Effect size was larger for selection experiments than for studies based on parent-offspring regression or sib analyses, implying that genetic estimates were unbiased by maternal or common environment effects. Additive genetic coefficients of variation for individual fluctuating asymmetry were considerably higher than those for character size per se. Developmental stability may be significantly heritable either because of strong directional selection, or fluctuating selection regimes which prevent populations from achieving a high degree of developmental stability to current environmental and genetic conditions.     

Vocal convergence in a multi-level primate society: insights into the evolution of vocal learning

The extent to which nonhuman primate vocalizations are amenable to modification through experience is relevant for understanding the substrate from which human speech evolved. We examined the vocal behaviour of Guinea baboons, Papio papio, ranging in the Niokolo Koba National Park in Senegal. Guinea baboons live in a multi-level society, with units nested within parties nested within gangs. We investigated whether the acoustic structure of grunts of 27 male baboons of two gangs varied with party/gang membership and genetic relatedness. Males in this species are philopatric, resulting in increased male relatedness within gangs and parties. Grunts of males that were members of the same social levels were more similar than those of males in different social levels (N = 351 dyads for comparison within and between gangs, and N = 169 dyads within and between parties), but the effect sizes were small. Yet, acoustic similarity did not correlate with genetic relatedness, suggesting that higher amounts of social interactions rather than genetic relatedness promote the observed vocal convergence. We consider this convergence a result of sensory–motor integration and suggest this to be an implicit form of vocal learning shared with humans, in contrast to the goal-directed and intentional explicit form of vocal learning unique to human speech acquisition.     

Kindergarten Impacts of a Preschool Language-Focused Intervention

Many preschool language-focused interventions attempt to boost language and literacy skills in young children at risk in these areas of development, though the long-term effects of such interventions are not well-established. This study investigated kindergarten language and reading skills, specifically the subcomponents of vocabulary, decoding, and reading comprehension, for children exposed to the language-focused intervention Learning Language and Loving It (LLLI; Weitzman &; Greenberg, 2002 Weitzman, E. &; Greenberg, J. (2002). Learning language and loving it. Toronto, Canada: The Hanen Centre. [Google Scholar]) during preschool. End of kindergarten skills were examined, comparing children whose teachers implemented LLLI (n = 25) or business-as-usual (BAU) instruction (n = 24). Hierarchical linear modeling results showed the LLLI intervention to have significant effects on children's decoding and reading comprehension in kindergarten for children who had high levels of language skill at preschool, as compared to their counterparts in the BAU condition. Study findings therefore indicate that preschool language-focused interventions may primarily benefit children with higher skill levels. This suggests the need to explore avenues for addressing the needs of children with relatively low language skills during preschool and the eventual transition to reading.     

Developmental Programming Mediated by Complementary Roles of Imprinted Grb10 in Mother and Pup

Developmental programming links growth in early life with health status in adulthood. Although environmental factors such as maternal diet can influence the growth and adult health status of offspring, the genetic influences on this process are poorly understood. Using the mouse as a model, we identify the imprinted gene Grb10 as a mediator of nutrient supply and demand in the postnatal period. The combined actions of Grb10 expressed in the mother, controlling supply, and Grb10 expressed in the offspring, controlling demand, jointly regulate offspring growth. Furthermore, Grb10 determines the proportions of lean and fat tissue during development, thereby influencing energy homeostasis in the adult. Most strikingly, we show that the development of normal lean/fat proportions depends on the combined effects of Grb10 expressed in the mother, which has the greater effect on offspring adiposity, and Grb10 expressed in the offspring, which influences lean mass. These distinct functions of Grb10 in mother and pup act complementarily, which is consistent with a coadaptation model of imprinting evolution, a model predicted but for which there is limited experimental evidence. In addition, our findings identify Grb10 as a key genetic component of developmental programming, and highlight the need for a better understanding of mother-offspring interactions at the genetic level in predicting adult disease risk.     

EXO1 is critical for embryogenesis and the DNA damage response in mice with a hypomorphic Nbs1 allele

The maintenance of genome stability is critical for the suppression of diverse human pathologies that include developmental disorders, premature aging, infertility and predisposition to cancer. The DNA damage response (DDR) orchestrates the appropriate cellular responses following the detection of lesions to prevent genomic instability. The MRE11 complex is a sensor of DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) and plays key roles in multiple aspects of the DDR, including DNA end resection that is critical for signaling and DNA repair. The MRE11 complex has been shown to function both upstream and in concert with the 5′-3′ exonuclease EXO1 in DNA resection, but it remains unclear to what extent EXO1 influences DSB responses independently of the MRE11 complex. Here we examine the genetic relationship of the MRE11 complex and EXO1 during mammalian development and in response to DNA damage. Deletion of Exo1 in mice expressing a hypomorphic allele of Nbs1 leads to severe developmental impairment, embryonic death and chromosomal instability. While EXO1 plays a minimal role in normal cells, its loss strongly influences DNA replication, DNA repair, checkpoint signaling and damage sensitivity in NBS1 hypomorphic cells. Collectively, our results establish a key role for EXO1 in modulating the severity of hypomorphic MRE11 complex mutations.     

Regulation of hedgehog Ligand Expression by the N-End Rule Ubiquitin-Protein Ligase Hyperplastic Discs and the Drosophila GSK3β Homologue,Shaggy

Hedgehog (Hh) morphogen signalling plays an essential role in tissue development and homeostasis. While much is known about the Hh signal transduction pathway, far less is known about the molecules that regulate the expression of the hedgehog (hh) ligand itself. Here we reveal that Shaggy (Sgg), the Drosophila melanogaster orthologue of GSK3β, and the N-end Rule Ubiquitin-protein ligase Hyperplastic Discs (Hyd) act together to co-ordinate Hedgehog signalling through regulating hh ligand expression and Cubitus interruptus (Ci) expression. Increased hh and Ci expression within hyd mutant clones was effectively suppressed by sgg RNAi, placing sgg downstream of hyd. Functionally, sgg RNAi also rescued the adult hyd mutant head phenotype. Consistent with the genetic interactions, we found Hyd to physically interact with Sgg and Ci. Taken together we propose that Hyd and Sgg function to co-ordinate hh ligand and Ci expression, which in turn influences important developmental signalling pathways during imaginal disc development. These findings are important as tight temporal/spatial regulation of hh ligand expression underlies its important roles in animal development and tissue homeostasis. When deregulated, hh ligand family misexpression underlies numerous human diseases (e.g., colorectal, lung, pancreatic and haematological cancers) and developmental defects (e.g., cyclopia and polydactyly). In summary, our Drosophila-based findings highlight an apical role for Hyd and Sgg in initiating Hedgehog signalling, which could also be evolutionarily conserved in mammals.