Temporal dynamics of a subtropical floodplain pool after 2 years of supra-seasonal drought: a mesocosm study

Hydrobiologia - A need exists to understand how drought and its linked consequences threaten aquatic ecosystems and their associated biota in semi-arid countries, as climate change is predicted to...     

Global malnutrition overlaps with pollinator-dependent micronutrient production

Pollinators contribute around 10% of the economic value of crop production globally, but the contribution of these pollinators to human nutrition is potentially much higher. Crops vary in the degree to which they benefit from pollinators, and many of the most pollinator-dependent crops are also among the richest in micronutrients essential to human health. This study examines regional differences in the pollinator dependence of crop micronutrient content and reveals overlaps between this dependency and the severity of micronutrient deficiency in people around the world. As much as 50% of the production of plant-derived sources of vitamin A requires pollination throughout much of Southeast Asia, whereas other essential micronutrients such as iron and folate have lower dependencies, scattered throughout Africa, Asia and Central America. Micronutrient deficiencies are three times as likely to occur in areas of highest pollination dependence for vitamin A and iron, suggesting that disruptions in pollination could have serious implications for the accessibility of micronutrients for public health. These regions of high nutritional vulnerability are understudied in the pollination literature, and should be priority areas for research related to ecosystem services and human well-being.     

A genome‐wide association study for equine recurrent airway obstruction in European Warmblood horses reveals a suggestive new quantitative trait locus on chromosome 13

Recurrent airway obstruction (RAO), also known as heaves, is an asthma‐like respiratory disease. Its development is strongly influenced by environmental risk factors such as sensitization and exposure to moldy hay, straw bedding and stabling indoors. A hereditary component has been documented in previous studies; however, so far no causative genetic variant that influences the risk of developing RAO has been identified. In this study, we revised an existing dataset and selected 384 horses for genotyping on the Affymetrix high‐density equine SNP array. We performed an allelic case–control genome‐wide association study, which revealed a suggestively significant association on equine chromosome 13 at 32 843 309 bp. This SNP is located in the protein‐coding gene TXNDC11, which is possibly involved in the folding process of the multiprotein complexes DUOX1 and DUOX2. In humans, these proteins are known to take part in regulating the production of H₂O₂ in the respiratory tract epithelium as well as in MUC5AC mucin expression. Therefore, TXNDC11 may be considered a functional candidate gene, and further research is needed to explore its potential role in RAO‐affected horses.     

Live Imaging of Influenza Infection of the Trachea Reveals Dynamic Regulation of CD8+ T Cell Motility by Antigen

During a primary influenza infection, cytotoxic CD8+ T cells need to infiltrate the infected airways and engage virus-infected epithelial cells. The factors that regulate T cell motility in the infected airway tissue are not well known. To more precisely study T cell infiltration of the airways, we developed an experimental model system using the trachea as a site where live imaging can be performed. CD8+ T cell motility was dynamic with marked changes in motility on different days of the infection. In particular, significant changes in average cell velocity and confinement were evident on days 8–10 during which the T cells abruptly but transiently increase velocity on day 9. Experiments to distinguish whether infection itself or antigen affect motility revealed that it is antigen, not active infection per se that likely affects these changes as blockade of peptide/MHC resulted in increased velocity. These observations demonstrate that influenza tracheitis provides a robust experimental foundation to study molecular regulation of T cell motility during acute virus infection.     

Comprehensive characterization of horse genome variation by whole‐genome sequencing of 88 horses

Whole‐genome sequencing studies are vital to gain a thorough understanding of genomic variation. Here, we summarize the results of a whole‐genome sequencing study comprising 88 horses and ponies from diverse breeds at 19.1× average coverage. The paired‐end reads were mapped to the current EquCab3.0 horse reference genome assembly, and we identified approximately 23.5 million single nucleotide variants and 2.3 million short indel variants. Our dataset included at least 7 million variants that were not previously reported. On average, each individual horse genome carried ～5.7 million single nucleotides and 0.8 million small indel variants with respect to the reference genome assembly. The variants were functionally annotated. We provide two examples for potentially deleterious recessive alleles that were identified in a heterozygous state in individual genome sequences. Appropriate management of such deleterious recessive alleles in horse breeding programs should help to improve fertility and reduce the prevalence of heritable diseases. This comprehensive dataset has been made publicly available, will represent a valuable resource for future horse genetic studies and supports the goal of accelerating the rates of genetic gain in domestic horse.     

Radiosensitivity of murine T-lymphocyte cytotoxicity

A biphasic curve was observed when surviving allogeneic lytic activity was plotted as a function of irradiation delivered before sensitization. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated that the number of cells was reduced in response to increasing dose and that subset precursors Lyt 1+2+ were proportionally more radiosensitive than the other subsets. Paradoxically, the presence of exogenous T-cell growth factor (TCGF) in limiting dilution analysis changed the shape of the survival curve, and the mere addition of TCGF or Lyt 2- TCGF-producing cells abrogated the irradiation effect even though they were not shown to be the target of low dose irradiation in flow cytometry analysis. It is proposed that TCGF acted by enhancing the proliferation of surviving cells. This effect may be responsible for the relative radioresistance at higher doses due to enhanced availability of TCGF for the remaining cells.