Predicting the virulence of future emerging zoonotic viruses
This study explores a new study in PLOS Biology which uses evolutionary epidemiology models to show that the life-history of the reservoir mammal hosts of zoonotic viruses might be the key to predicting their virulence in humans. (Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents)
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - September 8, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Samuel Alizon Source Type: research

Fluctuating temperatures have a surprising effect on disease transmission
by Marta S. Shocket Theory predicts that temperature fluctuations should reduce performance near an organism ’s thermal optimum. A new study in PLOS Biology found fluctuations increased parasite transmission instead, highlighting questions about how climate change will impact infectious diseases. Theory predicts that temperature fluctuations should reduce performance near an organism’s thermal optimum . This Primer explores a new study in PLOS Biology showing that fluctuations increased parasite transmission instead, highlighting questions about how climate change will impact infectious diseases. (Source: PLoS Biolog...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - September 8, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Marta S. Shocket Source Type: research

Reservoir host immunology and life history shape virulence evolution in zoonotic viruses
by Cara E. Brook, Carly Rozins, Sarah Guth, Mike Boots The management of future pandemic risk requires a better understanding of the mechanisms that determine the virulence of emerging zoonotic viruses. Meta-analyses suggest that the virulence of emerging zoonoses is correlated with but not completely predictable from reservoir host phylogeny, indicating that specific characteristics of reservoir host immunology and life history may drive the evolution of viral traits responsible for cross-species virulence. In particular, bats host viruses that cause higher case fatality rates upon spillover to humans than those derived ...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - September 7, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Cara E. Brook Source Type: research

Bright light treatment counteracts stress-induced sleep alterations in mice, via a visual circuit related to the rostromedial tegmental nucleus
by Lu Huang, Xi Chen, Qian Tao, Xiaoli Wang, Xiaodan Huang, Yunwei Fu, Yan Yang, Shijie Deng, Song Lin, Kwok-Fai So, Xingrong Song, Chaoran Ren Light in the environment greatly impacts a variety of brain functions, including sleep. Clinical evidence suggests that bright light treatment has a beneficial effect on stress –related diseases. Although stress can alter sleep patterns, the effect of bright light treatment on stress–induced sleep alterations and the underlying mechanism are poorly understood. Here, we show that bright light treatment reduces the increase in nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep induced b y chron...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - September 7, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Lu Huang Source Type: research

Key attributes of successful research institutes
by Frank Bradke, Aidan Maartens, Sarah A. Teichmann Science does not take place in a vacuum: The physical and social workplace has a profound influence on scientific discoveries. Everyone at a research institute can contribute to its scientific output and productivity, from faculty research groups to facilities and platforms staff to administration and corporate services. Although the researchers addressing exciting scientific questions are key, their efforts can be fostered and directed by the overarching strategy of the institute, interconnection with facilities and platforms, and strong and directed support of the admi...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - September 5, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Frank Bradke Source Type: research

Morphological evolution of language-relevant brain areas
by Guillermo Gallardo, Cornelius Eichner, Chet C. Sherwood, William D. Hopkins, Alfred Anwander, Angela D. Friederici Human language is supported by a cortical network involving Broca ’s area, which comprises Brodmann Areas 44 and 45 (BA44 and BA45). While cytoarchitectonic homolog areas have been identified in nonhuman primates, it remains unknown how these regions evolved to support human language. Here, we use histological data and advanced cortical registration methods to p recisely compare the morphology of BA44 and BA45 in humans and chimpanzees. We found a general expansion of Broca’s areas in humans, with the ...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - September 1, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Guillermo Gallardo Source Type: research

Human neuronal excitation/inhibition balance explains and predicts neurostimulation induced learning benefits
We examined the E/I as a potential mechanism and studied whether tRNS effect on learning depends on E/I as measured by the aperiodic exponent as its putative marker. In addition to manipulating E/I using tRNS, we also manipulated the level of learning (learning/overlearning) that has been shown to influence E/I. Participants (n = 102) received either sham stimulation or 20-minute tRNS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during a mathematical learning task. We showed that tRNS increased E/I, as reflected by the aperiodic exponent, and that lower E/I predicted greater benefit from tRNS specifically for the learni...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - August 31, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Nienke E. R. van Bueren Source Type: research

Functional geometry of auditory cortical resting state networks derived from intracranial electrophysiology
by Matthew I. Banks, Bryan M. Krause, D. Graham Berger, Declan I. Campbell, Aaron D. Boes, Joel E. Bruss, Christopher K. Kovach, Hiroto Kawasaki, Mitchell Steinschneider, Kirill V. Nourski Understanding central auditory processing critically depends on defining underlying auditory cortical networks and their relationship to the rest of the brain. We addressed these questions using resting state functional connectivity derived from human intracranial electroencephalography. Mapping recording sites into a low-dimensional space where proximity represents functional similarity revealed a hierarchical organization. At a fine s...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - August 31, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Matthew I. Banks Source Type: research

An interactive deep learning-based approach reveals mitochondrial cristae topologies
by Shogo Suga, Koki Nakamura, Yu Nakanishi, Bruno M. Humbel, Hiroki Kawai, Yusuke Hirabayashi The convolution of membranes called cristae is a critical structural and functional feature of mitochondria. Crista structure is highly diverse between different cell types, reflecting their role in metabolic adaptation. However, their precise three-dimensional (3D) arrangement requires volumetric analysis of serial electron microscopy and has therefore been limiting for unbiased quantitative assessment. Here, we developed a novel, publicly available, deep learning (DL)-based image analysis platform called Python-based human-in-t...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - August 31, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Shogo Suga Source Type: research

The microbiota conditions a gut milieu that selects for wild-type < i > Salmonella < /i > Typhimurium virulence
by Ersin G ül, Erik Bakkeren, Guillem Salazar, Yves Steiger, Andrew Abi Younes, Melanie Clerc, Philipp Christen, Stefan A. Fattinger, Bidong D. Nguyen, Patrick Kiefer, Emma Slack, Martin Ackermann, Julia A. Vorholt, Shinichi Sunagawa, Médéric Diard, Wolf-Dietrich HardtSalmonella Typhimurium elicits gut inflammation by the costly expression of HilD-controlled virulence factors. This inflammation alleviates colonization resistance (CR) mediated by the microbiota and thereby promotes pathogen blooms. However, the inflamed gut-milieu can also select forhilD mutants, which cannot elicit or maintain inflammation, therefore ca...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - August 31, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Ersin G ül Source Type: research

Rapid structural remodeling of peripheral taste neurons is independent of taste cell turnover
by Zachary D. Whiddon, Jaleia B. Marshall, David C. Alston, Aaron W. McGee, Robin F. Krimm Taste bud cells are constantly replaced in taste buds as old cells die and new cells migrate into the bud. The perception of taste relies on new taste bud cells integrating with existing neural circuitry, yet how these new cells connect with a taste ganglion neuron is unknown. Do taste ganglion neurons remodel to accommodate taste bud cell renewal? If so, how much of the structure of taste axons is fixed and how much remodels? Here, we measured the motility and branching of individual taste arbors (the portion of the axon innervatin...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - August 31, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Zachary D. Whiddon Source Type: research

Autism-related KLHL17 and SYNPO act in concert to control activity-dependent dendritic spine enlargement and the spine apparatus
In conclusion, our findings unravel a role for KLHL17 in controlling synaptic plasticity via its regulation of SYNPO and synaptic ER clustering and imply that impaired synaptic plasticity contributes to the etiology of KLHL17-related disorders. (Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents)
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - August 31, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Hsiao-Tang Hu Source Type: research

Inhibition of ribosome biogenesis in the epidermis is sufficient to trigger organism-wide growth quiescence independently of nutritional status in < i > C < /i > . < i > elegans < /i >
In conclusion, these findings suggest a novel mechanism of nutrition-independent multicellular growth coordination initiated from the epidermis tissue upon ribosome biogenesis inhibition. (Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents)
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - August 31, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Qiuxia Zhao Source Type: research

Auditory cortex ensembles jointly encode sound and locomotion speed to support sound perception during movement
by Carlos Arturo Vivaldo, Joonyeup Lee, MaryClaire Shorkey, Ajay Keerthy, Gideon Rothschild The ability to process and act upon incoming sounds during locomotion is critical for survival and adaptive behavior. Despite the established role that the auditory cortex (AC) plays in behavior- and context-dependent sound processing, previous studies have found that auditory cortical activity is on average suppressed during locomotion as compared to immobility. While suppression of auditory cortical responses to self-generated sounds results from corollary discharge, which weakens responses to predictable sounds, the functional r...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - August 31, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Carlos Arturo Vivaldo Source Type: research

TOR complex 1 negatively regulates NDR kinase Cbk1 to control cell separation in budding yeast
by Magdalena Foltman, Iv án Mendez, Joan J. Bech-Serra, Carolina de la Torre, Jennifer L. Brace, Eric L. Weiss, María Lucas, Ethel Queralt, Alberto Sanchez-Diaz The target of rapamycin (TOR) signalling pathway plays a key role in the coordination between cellular growth and the cell cycle machinery in eukaryotes. The underlying molecular mechanisms by which TOR might regulate events after anaphase remain unknown. We show for the first time that one of the 2 TOR complexes in budding yeast, TORC1, blocks the separation of cells following cytokinesis by phosphorylation of a member of the NDR (nuclear Dbf2-related) protein-...
Source: PLoS Biology: Archived Table of Contents - August 30, 2023 Category: Biology Authors: Magdalena Foltman Source Type: research