The Sodium/Proton Exchanger NHE8 Regulates Late Endosomal Morphology and Function

The pH and lumenal environment of intracellular organelles is considered essential for protein sorting and trafficking through the cell. We provide the first evidence that a mammalian NHE sodium (potassium)/proton exchanger, NHE8, plays a key role in the control of protein trafficking and endosome morphology. At steady state, the majority of epitope-tagged NHE8 was found in the trans-Golgi network of HeLa M-cells, but a proportion was also localized to multivesicular bodies (MVBs). Depletion of NHE8 in HeLa M-cells with siRNA resulted in the perturbation of MVB protein sorting, as shown by an increase in epidermal growth factor degradation. Additionally, NHE8-depleted cells displayed striking perinuclear clustering of endosomes and lysosomes, and there was a ninefold increase in the cellular volume taken up by LAMP1/LBPA-positive, dense MVBs. Our data points to a role for the ion exchange activity of NHE8 being required to maintain endosome morphology, as overexpression of a nonfunctional point mutant protein (NHE8 E225Q) resulted in phenotypes similar to those seen after siRNA depletion of endogenous NHE8. Interestingly, we found that depletion of NHE8, despite its function as a sodium (potassium)/proton antiporter, did not affect the overall pH inside dense MVBs.     

Strength and physical fitness predict the perception of looming sounds

Listeners consistently perceive approaching sounds to be closer than they actually are and perceptually underestimate the time to arrival of looming sound sources. In a natural environment, this underestimation results in more time than expected to evade or engage the source and affords a “margin of safety” that may provide a selective advantage. However, a key component in the proposed evolutionary origins of the perceptual bias is the appropriate timing of anticipatory motor behaviors. Here we show that listeners with poorer physical fitness respond sooner to looming sounds and with a larger margin of safety than listeners with better physical fitness. The anticipatory perceptual bias for looming sounds is negatively correlated with physical strength and positively correlated with recovery heart rate (a measure of aerobic fitness). The results suggest that the auditory perception of looming sounds may be modulated by the response capacity of the motor system.     

A conceptual framework for comparing species assemblages in native and exotic habitats

Exotic (nonnative) species are known to have a wide variety of impacts on native biota. One potential set of impacts that have been poorly studied are the effects of replacing native habitat-providing species with exotic ones, e.g. when native trees that compose a woodland are replaced by an exotic tree plantation. Here we develop a graphical model that can be used to explore how multiple taxonomic components (such as birds, mammals and plants) respond to such changes. We suggest that four categorical responses are possible, with respect to changes in species richness (or other quantitative measures) of taxonomic groups within species assemblages. First, that each taxonomic group compared between habitats will be relatively unchanged, e.g. have equivalent values of species richness. Second, that a decrease (for example in species richness) of one group will be compensated for by an increase (in species richness) of another group. Third, that one or more groups will decrease without any compensated increases in other groups. Fourth, that one or more groups will increase without any compensated decreases in other groups. We provide empirical support for 3 of these 4 responses, with respect to measures of species richness, with much evidence for equivalency between habitats. These types of comparisons should provide a valuable tool for evaluating 1) the efficacy of environmental mitigation efforts that artificially create or restore habitats and 2) the types of changes that have occurred over time or across space as native habitat-producing species are replaced by exotic ones. Finally, this conceptual framework should help to broaden the range of possible changes considered by ecologists who study the impacts of exotic species.     

Moving forward with the primate microbiome: Introduction to a special issue of the American Journal of Primatology

Primate microbiome research is a quickly growing field with exciting potential for informing our understanding of primate biology, ecology, and evolution as well as host‐microbe interactions more broadly. This introductory essay to a special section of the American Journal of Primatology provides a cross‐sectional snapshot of current activity in these areas by briefly summarizing the diversity of contributed papers and their relationships to key themes in host‐associated microbiome research. It then uses this survey as a foundation for consolidating a set of key research questions to broadly guide future research. It also argues for the importance of methods standardization to facilitate comparative analyses and the identification of generalizable patterns and relationships. While primatology will benefit greatly from the integration of microbial datasets, it is uniquely positioned to address important questions regarding microbiology and macro‐ecology and evolution more generally. We are eager to see where the primate microbiome leads us.     

Resolution of the conformational distribution and dynamics of a flexible molecule using frequency-domain fluorometry

We report the first resolution of both the conformational distribution and end-to-end diffusion coefficient of a flexible molecule. This molecular information was recovered using only the donor intensity decay in a single solvent at a single viscosity, as observed by the technique of frequency-domain fluorometry. This technique can be extended to measurements of structural fluctuations of biological macromolecules.     

Male-Driven Differences in Chimpanzee (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pan troglodytes</Emphasis>) Population Genetic Structure Across Three Habitats in Cameroon and Nigeria

Complex ecological pressures affect the social dynamics of many primate species, but it is unclear how they affect primate speciation. Molecular tools are often used to answer questions about the evolutionary histories and social systems of primates. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), in particular, is frequently used to answer many of these questions, but because it is passed from mothers to offspring it reveals only the histories of females. In many species, including chimpanzees, females generally disperse from their natal groups while males are philopatric, and thus differences in dispersal patterns likely leave different signatures in the genome. We previously analyzed samples from 187 unrelated male and female chimpanzees in Nigeria and Cameroon using 21 autosomal microsatellites and mtDNA sequences. Here, we examine the contributions of males and females in shaping the genetic history of these chimpanzees by genotyping a subset of 56 males at 12 Y-chromosome microsatellites. We found that Y-chromosome population structure differed from the results of analysis of mtDNA haplotypes. The results also revealed that males in rainforest habitats (Guinean and Congolian rainforests) are more closely related to one another than those inhabiting the savanna-woodland mosaic ecotone in central Cameroon. In contrast, the pattern of female relatedness did not differ across habitats. We hypothesize that these differences in population structure and patterns of relatedness among males in different habitat types may be due to differences in the community dynamics of chimpanzees in the ecotone vs. rainforests, and that these factors contribute to making Cameroon an engine of diversification for chimpanzees. Broadly, these results demonstrate the importance of habitat variation in shaping social systems, population genetics, and primate speciation.     

Evaluation of loss of active heparin in the peritoneal cavity during intermittent peritoneal dialysis]

Our studies aimed at determining a loss of active heparin from the peritoneal cavity after its intraperitoneal administration (250 JU/l of dialysis fluid) in 16 patients treated because of the end-stage renal failure with intermittent peritoneal dialysis and at comparing heparin influx clearance with that of glucose. It has been shown that heparin used in this dose loses 60-70% of its activity after 20-minute equilibration of dialysis fluid in the peritoneal cavity. Heparin influx clearance is higher than that of glucose but it depends on utilization of heparin in peritoneal cavity rather than on its penetration to the blood circulation.