Hurleyschmitt6363

New Guinea singing dogs (NGSD) are identifiable by their namesake vocalizations, which are unlike any other canid population. Their novel behaviors and potential singular origin during dog domestication make them an attractive, but elusive, subject for evolutionary and conservation study. Although once plentiful on the island of New Guinea (NG), they were presumed to currently exist only in captivity. This conclusion was based on the lack of sightings in the lowlands of the island and the concurrent expansion of European- and Asian-derived dogs. We have analyzed the first nuclear genomes from a canid population discovered during a recent expedition to the highlands of NG. The extreme altitude (>4,000 m) of the highland wild dogs' (HWD) observed range and confirmed vocalizations indicate their potential to be a wild NGSD population. Comparison of single-nucleotide polymorphism genotypes shows strong similarity between HWD and the homogeneous captive NGSD, with the HWD showing significantly higher genetic diversity. Admixture analyses and estimation of shared haplotypes with phylogenetically diverse populations also indicates the HWD is a novel population within the distinct evolutionary lineage of Oceanic canids. Taken together, these data indicate the HWD possesses a distinct potential to aid in the conservation of NGSD both in the wild and under human care.Many plants use environmental cues, including seasonal changes of day length (photoperiod), to control their flowering time. Under inductive conditions, FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) protein is synthesized in leaves, and FT protein is a mobile signal, which is able to travel to the shoot apex to induce flowering. Dodders (Cuscuta, Convolvulaceae) are root- and leafless plants that parasitize a large number of autotrophic plant species with varying flowering time. Remarkably, some dodder species, e.g., Cuscuta australis, are able to synchronize their flowering with the flowering of their hosts. Detailed sequence inspection and expression analysis indicated that the FT gene in dodder C. australis very likely does not function in activating flowering. Using soybean host plants cultivated under inductive and noninductive photoperiod conditions and soybean and tobacco host plants, in which FT was overexpressed and knocked out, respectively, we show that FT-induced flowering of the host is likely required for both host and parasite flowering. Biochemical analysis revealed that host-synthesized FT signals are able to move into dodder stems, where they physically interact with a dodder FD transcription factor to activate dodder flowering. This study demonstrates that FTs can function as an important interplant flowering signal in host-dodder interactions. The unique means of flowering regulation of dodder illustrates how regressive evolution, commonly found in parasites, may facilitate the physiological synchronization of parasite and host, here allowing the C. australis parasite to time reproduction exactly with that of their hosts, likely optimizing parasite fitness.An epidemiological connection exists between Parkinson's disease (PD) and melanoma. α-Synuclein (α-syn), the hallmark pathological amyloid observed in PD, is also elevated in melanoma, where its expression is inversely correlated with melanin content. We present a hypothesis that there is an amyloid link between α-syn and Pmel17 (premelanosomal protein), a functional amyloid that promotes melanogenesis. Using SK-MEL 28 human melanoma cells, we show that endogenous α-syn is present in melanosomes, the organelle where melanin polymerization occurs. Using in vitro cross-seeding experiments, we show that α-syn fibrils stimulate the aggregation of a Pmel17 fragment constituting the repeat domain (RPT), an amyloidogenic domain essential for fibril formation in melanosomes. The cross-seeded fibrils exhibited α-syn-like ultrastructural features that could be faithfully propagated over multiple generations. This cross-seeding was unidirectional, as RPT fibrils did not influence α-syn aggregation. These results support our hypothesis that α-syn, a pathogenic amyloid, modulates Pmel17 aggregation in the melanosome, defining a molecular link between PD and melanoma.Information coding strategies are becoming increasingly crucial due to the storage demand brought by the information explosion. In particular, bioinformation coding has attracted great attention for its advantages of excellent storage capacity and long lifetime. Herein, we present an innovative bioinspired MXene-integrated photonic crystal (PhC) array for multichannel bioinformation coding. PhC arrays with similar structure to Stenocara beetle's back are utilized as the substrate, exhibiting properties of high throughput and stability. MXene nanosheets are further integrated on the PhC array's substrate with the assistance of the adhesion capacity of mussel-inspired dopamine (DA). Benefitting from their fluorescence resonance energy transfer effect, MXene nanosheets can quench the fluorescence signals of quantum dot (QD) modified DNA probes unless the corresponding targets exist. Additionally, these black MXene nanosheets can enhance the contrast of structural color. In this case, the encrypted information can be easily read out by simply observing the fluorescence signal of DNA probes. It is demonstrated that this strategy based on bioinspired MXene-integrated PhC arrays can realize high-throughput information encoding and encryption, which opens a chapter of bioinformation coding.Does being disagreeable-that is, behaving in aggressive, selfish, and manipulative ways-help people attain power? This question has long captivated philosophers, scholars, and laypeople alike, and yet prior empirical findings have been inconclusive. CRA-024781 In the current research, we conducted two preregistered prospective longitudinal studies in which we measured participants' disagreeableness prior to entering the labor market and then assessed the power they attained in the context of their work organization ∼14 y later when their professional careers had unfolded. Both studies found disagreeable individuals did not attain higher power as opposed to extraverted individuals who did gain higher power in their organizations. Furthermore, the null relationship between disagreeableness and power was not moderated by individual differences, such as gender or ethnicity, or by contextual variables, such as organizational culture. What can account for this null relationship? A close examination of behavior patterns in the workplace found that disagreeable individuals engaged in two distinct patterns of behavior that offset each other's effects on power attainment They engaged in more dominant-aggressive behavior, which positively predicted attaining higher power, but also engaged in less communal and generous behavior, which predicted attaining less power. These two effects, when combined, appeared to cancel each other out and led to a null correlation between disagreeableness and power.P2X7 receptor (P2X7R) is highly expressed on immune cells, triggering the release of cytokines and regulating autoimmune responses. To investigate P2X7R surface expression on T helper (Th) 1, Th17, and regulatory T (Treg) cells in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and correlations with disease activity, 29 SLE and 29 RA patients and 18 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled. We showed that SLE and RA patients had significantly higher levels of plasma cytokines (IFN-γ, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-17A, and IL-23), frequencies of Th1 and Th17 cells, and expression of P2X7R on Th1 and Th17 than HCs, and the Th17/Treg ratio was significantly increased, whereas Treg cell levels were significantly decreased. The Ca2+ influx increase following BzATP stimulation was significantly higher in CD4+PBMCs from SLE and RA patients than in HCs. Blood levels of shed P2X7R were increased in SLE and RA patients. Furthermore, 28-joint Disease Activity Score and SLE Disease Activity Index score showed negative correlations with Treg cell levels and positive correlations with Th17/Treg ratio and Th17 cell P2X7R expression. Interestingly, Th17 cell P2X7R expression was closely correlated with IL-1β, C-reactive protein, the erythrocyte sedimentation rate, anticyclic citrullinated peptide Abs, albumin, and C4. These data indicate that increased Th17 cell P2X7R expression is functionally and positively related to disease activity and some inflammatory mediators in SLE and RA patients, and P2X7R could be critical in promoting the Th17 immune response and contributing to the complex pathogenesis of SLE and RA.Sialyl Lewis X (sLeX) regulates T cell trafficking from the vasculature into skin and sites of inflammation, thereby playing a critical role in immunity. In healthy persons, only a small proportion of human blood T cells express sLeX, and their function is not fully defined. Using a combination of biochemical and functional studies, we find that human blood sLeX+CD4+T cells comprise a subpopulation expressing high levels of Th2 and Th17 cytokines, chemokine receptors CCR4 and CCR6, and the transcription factors GATA-3 and RORγT. Additionally, sLeX+CD4+T cells exclusively contain the regulatory T cell population (CD127lowCD25high and FOXP3+) and characteristically display immune-suppressive molecules, including the coinhibitor receptors PD-1 and CTLA-4. Among CD8+T cells, sLeX expression distinguishes a subset displaying low expression of cytotoxic effector molecules, perforin and granzyme β, with reduced degranulation and CD57 expression and, consistently, marginal cytolytic capacity after TCR engagement. Furthermore, sLeX+CD8+T cells present a pattern of features consistent with Th cell-like phenotype, including release of pertinent Tc2 cytokines and elevated expression of CD40L. Together, these findings reveal that sLeX display is associated with unique functional specialization of both CD4+ and CD8+T cells and indicate that circulating T cells that are primed to migrate to lesional sites at onset of inflammation are not poised for cytotoxic function.The presentation of pathogen-derived peptides on MHC class I molecules is essential for the initiation of adaptive CD8+ T cell immunity, which in turn is critical for effective control of many significant human infections. The identification of immunogenic pathogen-derived epitopes and a detailed understanding of how they are recognized by TCRs is essential for the design of effective T cell-based vaccines. In this study, we have characterized the T cell recognition and immune responses in mice to two naturally presented influenza A virus-derived peptides previously identified from virally infected cells via mass spectrometry. These neuraminidase-derived peptides, NA181-190 (SGPDNGAVAV) and NA181-191 (SGPDNGAVAVL), are completely overlapping with the exception of a 1 aa extension at the C terminus of the longer peptide. This minor peptidic difference results in the induction of two completely independent and non-cross-reactive T cell populations that show distinct functional characteristics after influenza A virus infection of B6 mice. We show that the unique TCR reactivity to the overlapping peptides is present in the naive repertoire prior to immune expansion in B6 mice. Moreover, we provide a structural explanation underlying the distinct CD8+ T cell reactivities, which reinforces the concept that peptide length is a key determinant of Ag specificity in CD8+ T cell responses.