Genome‐wide transcriptome signatures of ant‐farmed Squamellaria epiphytes reveal key functions in a unique symbiosis

Farming of fungi by ants, termites, or beetles has led to ecologically successful societies fueled by industrial‐scale food production. Another type of obligate insect agriculture in Fiji involves the symbiosis between the ant Philidris nagasau and epiphytes in the genus Squamellaria (Rubiaceae) that the ants fertilize, defend, harvest, and depend on for nesting. All farmed Squamellaria form tubers (domatia) with preformed entrance holes and complex cavity networks occupied by P. nagasau. The inner surface of the domatia consists of smooth‐surfaced walls where the ants nest and rear their brood, and warty‐surfaced walls where they fertilize their crop by defecation. Here, we use RNA sequencing to identify gene expression patterns associated with the smooth versus warty wall types. Since wall differentiation occurred in the most recent common ancestor of all farmed species of Squamellaria, our study also identifies genetic pathways co‐opted following the emergence of agriculture. Warty‐surfaced walls show many upregulated genes linked to auxin transport, root development, and nitrogen transport consistent with their root‐like function; their defense‐related genes are also upregulated, probably to protect these permeable areas from pathogen entry. In smooth‐surfaced walls, genes functioning in suberin and wax biosynthesis are upregulated, contributing to the formation of an impermeable ant‐nesting area in the domatium. This study throws light on a number of functional characteristics of plant farming by ants and illustrates the power of genomic studies of symbiosis.     

A novel β-thymosin from the sea urchin: extending the phylogenetic distribution of β-thymosins from mammals to echinoderms

The study of the phylogenetic distribution of the β-thymosin family is important to elucidate its biological function further. A new thymosin, designated as thymosin β₁₄, consisting of 40 amino acid residues and with a molecular weight of 4537 Da as determined by ion spray mass spectrometry, was isolated from the sea urchin. The N-terminus of this polypeptide is blocked by an acetyl group as found by matrix-assisted laser desorption mass spectrometric and amino acid analysis. The primary structure was elucidatd by Edman degradation of the HPLC-purified thymosin β₁₄ fragments produced by digestion with endoproteinase Asp-N and trypsin. Sequence comparison reveals that thymosin β₁₄ is 73% homologous to thymosin β₄, obtained from calf thymus. By isolating and characterising the structure of thymosin β₁₄ from the sea urchin, an invertebrate, substantial knowledge about the phylogenetic distribution and evolution of β-thymosins is gained. © 1997 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Phenylbenzenesulfonates and -sulfonamides as 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 inhibitors: Synthesis and SAR-analysis

17β-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (17β-HSD2) converts the potent estrogen estradiol into the weakly active keto form estrone. Because of its expression in bone, inhibition of 17β-HSD2 provides an attractive strategy for the treatment of osteoporosis, a condition that is often caused by a decrease of the active sex steroids. Currently, there are no drugs on the market targeting 17β-HSD2, but in multiple studies, synthesis and biological evaluation of promising 17β-HSD2 inhibitors have been reported. Our previous work led to the identification of phenylbenzenesulfonamides and -sulfonates as new 17β-HSD2 inhibitors by ligand-based pharmacophore modeling and virtual screening. In this study, new molecules representing this scaffold were synthesized and tested in vitro for their 17β-HSD2 activity to derive more profound structure-activity relationship rules.     

Gut microbiomes of free‐ranging and captive Namibian cheetahs: Diversity,putative functions and occurrence of potential pathogens

Although the significance of the gut microbiome for host health is well acknowledged, the impact of host traits and environmental factors on the interindividual variation of gut microbiomes of wildlife species is not well understood. Such information is essential; however, as changes in the composition of these microbial communities beyond the natural range might cause dysbiosis leading to increased susceptibility to infections. We examined the potential influence of sex, age, genetic relatedness, spatial tactics and the environment on the natural range of the gut microbiome diversity in free‐ranging Namibian cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus). We further explored the impact of an altered diet and frequent contact with roaming dogs and cats on the occurrence of potential bacterial pathogens by comparing free‐ranging and captive individuals living under the same climatic conditions. Abundance patterns of particular bacterial genera differed between the sexes, and bacterial diversity and richness were higher in older (>3.5 years) than in younger individuals. In contrast, male spatial tactics, which probably influence host exposure to environmental bacteria, had no discernible effect on the gut microbiome. The profound resemblance of the gut microbiome of kin in contrast to nonkin suggests a predominant role of genetics in shaping bacterial community characteristics and functional similarities. We also detected various Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) assigned to potential pathogenic bacteria known to cause diseases in humans and wildlife species, such as Helicobacter spp., and Clostridium perfringens. Captive individuals did not differ in their microbial alpha diversity but exhibited higher abundances of OTUs related to potential pathogenic bacteria and shifts in disease‐associated functional pathways. Our study emphasizes the need to integrate ecological, genetic and pathogenic aspects to improve our comprehension of the main drivers of natural variation and shifts in gut microbial communities possibly affecting host health. This knowledge is essential for in situ and ex situ conservation management.     

Local adaptation to different phytogeographic regions: habitat‐related variations in seed germination in response to temperature and salinity for two medicinal Salvia species from Jordan

Salvia spinosa L. and Salvia syriaca L. are perennial medicinal herbs that occur in the Mediterranean, Irano‐Turanian and Saharo‐Arabian phytogeographic regions of Jordan. With respect to the seed germination requirements, prevailing environmental conditions in each phytogeographic region may promote local adaptation and consequently affect the distribution range of the species. Using seeds of both species collected from populations across the three regions, we tested responses to variations in temperature and salinity under laboratory conditions. Both species showed significant differences in cumulative germination percentages and germination rates (modified Timson Index) with temperature, while origin only significantly affected S. spinosa seeds. Both species germinated best under the highest temperature regime (32/20°C). The low temperature regime (8/4°C) completely inhibited germination in S. syriaca, wheras it led to 80% to 95% germination in S. spinosa, with significant variation being recorded between the phytogeographic regions. For both species, salt solutions of 0, 25 and 50 mM NaCl yielded the highest germination percentages and rates, which sharply and significantly declined at higher concentrations (100 and 200 mM NaCl). Our results provide evidence of local adaptation of the study species to salinity and temperature in the respective maternal environments, particularly in the Irano‐Turanian and Saharo‐Arabian regions. Such differentiation should be accounted for in future conservation planning.     

Novel insights into biosynthesis and uptake of rhamnolipids and their precursors

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology - The human pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces rhamnolipids, glycolipids with functions for bacterial motility, biofilm formation, and...     

The ultimate and proximate mechanisms driving the evolution of long tails in forest deer mice

Understanding both the role of selection in driving phenotypic change and its underlying genetic basis remain major challenges in evolutionary biology. Here, we use modern tools to revisit a classic system of local adaptation in the North American deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus, which occupies two main habitat types: prairie and forest. Using historical collections, we find that forest‐dwelling mice have longer tails than those from nonforested habitat, even when we account for individual and population relatedness. Using genome‐wide SNP data, we show that mice from forested habitats in the eastern and western parts of their range form separate clades, suggesting that increased tail length evolved independently. We find that forest mice in the east and west have both more and longer caudal vertebrae, but not trunk vertebrae, than nearby prairie forms. By intercrossing prairie and forest mice, we show that the number and length of caudal vertebrae are not correlated in this recombinant population, indicating that variation in these traits is controlled by separate genetic loci. Together, these results demonstrate convergent evolution of the long‐tailed forest phenotype through two distinct genetic mechanisms, affecting number and length of vertebrae, and suggest that these morphological changes—either independently or together—are adaptive.     

Phylogenetic signals in thermal traits remain stronger in the tropics if we can believe published physiological data. A reply to McKechnie et al., “Data quality problems undermine analyses of endotherm upper critical temperatures”

Due to concerns about data quality, McKechnie, Coe, Gerson, and Wolf ( 2016 ) questioned the conclusions of our study (Khaliq et al., 2015 ) published in this journal. Here, we argue that most of the questioned data points are in fact useful for macrophysiological analyses, mostly because the vast majority of data are explicitly reported in the peer‐reviewed physiological literature. Furthermore, we show that our conclusions remain largely robust irrespective of the data inclusion criterion. While we think that constructive debates about the adequate use of primary data in meta‐studies as well as more transparency in data inclusion criteria are indeed useful, we also emphasize that data suitability should be evaluated in the light of the scope and scale of the study in which they are used. We hope that this discussion will not discourage the exchange between disciplines such as biogeography and physiology, as this integration is needed to address some of the most urgent scientific challenges.