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We demonstrated the antiapoptotic role of these five IAPs using heterologous expression in a tractable in vivo model, the Drosophila melanogaster developing eye. Interestingly, IAPs with the strongest antiapoptotic potential contain two BIR and two RING domains, a domain association that has not been observed in any other species. We finally analyzed all available aphid genomes and found that they all show large IAP expansion, with new combinations of protein domains, suggestive of evolutionarily novel aphid-specific functions.Acute HIV infection is characterized by rapid viral seeding of immunologic inductive sites in the gut followed by the severe depletion of gut CD4+ T cells. Trafficking of α4β7-expressing lymphocytes to the gut is mediated by MAdCAM, the natural ligand of α4β7 that is expressed on gut endothelial cells. MAdCAM signaling through α4β7 costimulates CD4+ T cells and promotes HIV replication. Similar to MAdCAM, the V2 domain of the gp120 HIV envelope protein binds to α4β7 In this study, we report that gp120 V2 shares with MAdCAM the capacity to signal through α4β7 resulting in CD4+ T cell activation and proliferation. As with MAdCAM-mediated costimulation, cellular activation induced by gp120 V2 is inhibited by anti-α4β7 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). learn more It is also inhibited by anti-V2 domain antibodies including nonneutralizing mAbs that recognize an epitope in V2 that has been linked to reduced risk of acquisition in the RV144 vaccine trial. The capacity of the V2 domain of gp120 to mediate signaling through α4β7 likely impacts early events in HIV infection. The capacity of nonneutralizing V2 antibodies to block this activity reveals a previously unrecognized mechanism whereby such antibodies might impact HIV transmission and pathogenesis.In plant cells, cortical microtubules (CMTs) generally control morphogenesis by guiding cellulose synthesis. CMT alignment has been proposed to depend on geometrical cues, with microtubules aligning with the cell long axis in silico and in vitro. Yet, CMTs are usually transverse in vivo, i.e., along predicted maximal tension, which is transverse for cylindrical pressurized vessels. Here, we adapted a microwell setup to test these predictions in a single-cell system. We confined protoplasts laterally to impose a curvature ratio and modulated pressurization through osmotic changes. We find that CMTs can be longitudinal or transverse in wallless protoplasts and that the switch in CMT orientation depends on pressurization. In particular, longitudinal CMTs become transverse when cortical tension increases. link2 This explains the dual behavior of CMTs in planta CMTs become longitudinal when stress levels become low, while stable transverse CMT alignments in tissues result from their autonomous response to tensile stress fluctuations.The role of phenotypic plasticity in adaptive evolution has been debated for decades. This is because the strength of natural selection is dependent on the direction and magnitude of phenotypic responses to environmental signals. Therefore, the connection between plasticity and adaptation will depend on the patterns of plasticity harbored by ancestral populations before a change in the environment. Yet few studies have directly assessed ancestral variation in plasticity and tracked phenotypic changes over time. Here we resurrected historic propagules of Daphnia spanning multiple species and lakes in Wisconsin following the invasion and proliferation of a novel predator (spiny waterflea, Bythotrephes longimanus). This approach revealed extensive genetic variation in predator-induced plasticity in ancestral populations of Daphnia It is unlikely that the standing patterns of plasticity shielded Daphnia from selection to permit long-term coexistence with a novel predator. Instead, this variation in plasticity provided the raw materials for Bythotrephes-mediated selection to drive rapid shifts in Daphnia behavior and life history. Surprisingly, there was little evidence for the evolution of trait plasticity as genetic variation in plasticity was maintained in the face of a novel predator. Such results provide insight into the link between plasticity and adaptation and highlight the importance of quantifying genetic variation in plasticity when evaluating the drivers of evolutionary change in the wild.The plant growth hormone auxin controls cell identity, cell division, and expansion. In the primary root of Arabidopsis there is a robust auxin gradient with a peak concentration at the tip of the meristem and a significant decrease throughout the elongation zone. The molecular mechanisms of how such a steep auxin gradient is established and maintained, and how this auxin gradient within the root dynamically adjusts in response to environmental stimuli are still largely unknown. Here, using a large-scale Arabidopsis mutant screening, we described the identification of PIN2 (PIN-FORMED 2), an auxin efflux facilitator, as a key downstream regulator in glucose-TOR (target of rapamycin) energy signaling. We demonstrate that glucose-activated TOR phosphorylates and stabilizes PIN2 and therefore influences the gradient distribution of PIN2 in the Arabidopsis primary root. Interestingly, dysregulation of TOR or PIN2 disrupts the glucose-promoted low auxin region located in the elongation zone that is essential for cell elongation. Taken together, our results shed light on how carbon and metabolic status can be tightly integrated with the hormone-driven processes to orchestrate complex plant growth programs.This paper studies the cathodic corrosion of a spherical single crystal of platinum in an aqueous alkaline electrolyte, to map out the detailed facet dependence of the corrosion structures forming during this still largely unexplored electrochemical phenomenon. We find that anisotropic corrosion of the platinum electrode takes place in different stages. Initially, corrosion etch pits are formed, which reflect the local symmetry of the surface square pits on (100) facets, triangular pits on (111) facets, and rectangular pits on (110) facets. We hypothesize that these etch pits are formed through a ternary metal hydride corrosion intermediate. In contrast to anodic corrosion, the (111) facet corrodes the fastest, and the (110) facet corrodes the slowest. For cathodic corrosion on the (100) facet and on higher-index surfaces close to the (100) plane, the etch pit destabilizes in a second growth stage, by etching faster in the (111) direction, leading to arms in the etch pit, yielding a concave octagon-shaped pit. In a third growth stage, these arms develop side arms, leading to a structure that strongly resembles a self-similar diffusion-limited growth pattern, with strongly preferred growth directions.Recent estimates indicate that ∼70% of the world's seabird populations have declined since the 1950s due to human activities. However, for almost all bird populations, there is insufficient long-term monitoring to understand baseline (i.e., preindustrial) conditions, which are required to distinguish natural versus anthropogenically driven changes. Here, we address this lack of long-term monitoring data with multiproxy paleolimnological approaches to examine the long-term population dynamics of a major colony of Leach's Storm-petrel (Hydrobates leucorhous) on Grand Colombier Island in the St. Pierre and Miquelon archipelago-an overseas French territory in the northwest Atlantic Ocean. By reconstructing the last ∼5,800 y of storm-petrel dynamics, we demonstrate that this colony underwent substantial natural fluctuations until the start of the 19th century, when population cycles were disrupted, coinciding with the establishment and expansion of a European settlement. Our paleoenvironmental data, coupled with on-the-ground population surveys, indicate that the current colony is only ∼16% of the potential carrying capacity, reinforcing concerning trends of globally declining seabird populations. As seabirds are sentinel species of marine ecosystem health, such declines provide a call to action for global conservation. In response, we emphasize the need for enlarged protected areas and the rehabilitation of disturbed islands to protect ecologically critical seabird populations. Furthermore, long-term data, such as those provided by paleoecological approaches, are required to better understand shifting baselines in conservation to truly recognize current rates of ecological loss.When a fluid interface is subjected to a strong viscous flow, it tends to develop near-conical ends with pointed tips so sharp that their radius of curvature is undetectable. In microfluidic applications, tips can be made to eject fine jets, from which micrometer-sized drops can be produced. Here we show theoretically that the opening angle of the conical interface varies on a logarithmic scale as a function of the distance from the tip, owing to nonlocal coupling between the tip and the external flow. Using this insight we are able to show that the tip curvature grows like the exponential of the square of the strength of the external flow and to calculate the universal shape of the interface near the tip. Our experiments confirm the scaling of the tip curvature as well as of the interface's universal shape. Our analytical technique, based on an integral over the surface, may also have far wider applications, for example treating problems with electric fields, such as electrosprays.Attraction to feces in wild mammalian species is extremely rare. Here we introduce the horse manure rolling (HMR) behavior of wild giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca). Pandas not only frequently sniffed and wallowed in fresh horse manure, but also actively rubbed the fecal matter all over their bodies. The frequency of HMR events was highly correlated with an ambient temperature lower than 15 °C. BCP/BCPO (beta-caryophyllene/caryophyllene oxide) in fresh horse manure was found to drive HMR behavior and attenuated the cold sensitivity of mice by directly targeting and inhibiting transient receptor potential melastatin 8 (TRPM8), an archetypical cold-activated ion channel of mammals. Therefore, horse manure containing BCP/BCPO likely bestows the wild giant pandas with cold tolerance at low ambient temperatures. Together, our study described an unusual behavior, identified BCP/BCPO as chemical inhibitors of TRPM8 ion channel, and provided a plausible chemistry-auxiliary mechanism, in which animals might actively seek and utilize potential chemical resources from their habitat for temperature acclimatization.The fundamental biological process of electron transfer (ET) takes place across proteins with common ET pathways of several nanometers. Recent discoveries push this limit and show long-range extracellular ET over several micrometers. Here, we aim in deciphering how protein-bound intramolecular cofactors can facilitate such long-range ET. In contrast to natural systems, our protein-based platform enables us to modulate important factors associated with ET in a facile manner, such as the type of the cofactor and its quantity within the protein. We choose here the biologically relevant protoporphyrin molecule as the electron mediator. link3 Unlike natural systems having only Fe-containing protoporphyrins, i.e., heme, as electron mediators, we use here porphyrins with different metal centers, or lacking a metal center. We show that the metal redox center has no role in ET and that ET is mediated solely by the conjugated backbone of the molecule. We further discuss several ET mechanisms, accounting to our observations with possible contribution of coherent processes.