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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Developmental Biology, The Stem Cell Of Biological Disciplines, Scott F. Gilbert Dec 2017

Developmental Biology, The Stem Cell Of Biological Disciplines, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

Developmental biology (including embryology) is proposed as "the stem cell of biological disciplines.” Genetics, cell biology, oncology, immunology, evolutionary mechanisms, neurobiology, and systems biology each has its ancestry in developmental biology. Moreover, developmental biology continues to roll on, budding off more disciplines, while retaining its own identity. While its descendant disciplines differentiate into sciences with a restricted set of paradigms, examples, and techniques, developmental biology remains vigorous, pluripotent, and relatively undifferentiated. In many disciplines, especially in evolutionary biology and oncology, the developmental perspective is being reasserted as an important research program.


Multiple Signaling Functions Of Song In A Polymorphic Species With Alternative Reproductive Strategies, M. L. Grunst, A. S. Grunst, Vincent A. Formica, R. A. Gonser, E. M. Tuttle Dec 2017

Multiple Signaling Functions Of Song In A Polymorphic Species With Alternative Reproductive Strategies, M. L. Grunst, A. S. Grunst, Vincent A. Formica, R. A. Gonser, E. M. Tuttle

Biology Faculty Works

Vocal traits can be sexually selected to reflect male quality, but may also evolve to serve additional signaling functions. We used a long-term dataset to examine the signaling potential of song in dimorphic white-throated sparrows (Zonotrichia albicollis). We investigated whether song conveys multifaceted information about the vocalizing individual, including fitness, species identity, individual identity, and morph. We also evaluated whether song traits correlate differently with fitness in the two morphs, as the more promiscuous strategy of white, relative to tan, morph males might impose stronger sexual selection. Males with high song rates achieved higher lifetime reproductive success, and this pattern …


Establishment Of Lateral Organ Asymmetries In The Invertebrate Chordate, Ciona Intestinalis, Karl Palmquist , '17, Bradley Justin Davidson , '91 Dec 2017

Establishment Of Lateral Organ Asymmetries In The Invertebrate Chordate, Ciona Intestinalis, Karl Palmquist , '17, Bradley Justin Davidson , '91

Biology Faculty Works

Background: The evolutionary emergence and diversification of the chordates appear to involve dramatic changes in organ morphogenesis along the left/right axis. However, the ancestral chordate mechanism for establishing lateral asymmetry remains ambiguous. Additionally, links between the initial establishment of lateral asymmetry and subsequent asymmetries in organ morphogenesis are poorly characterized. Results: To explore asymmetric organ morphogenesis during chordate evolution, we have begun to characterize left/right patterning of the heart and endodermal organs in an invertebrate chordate, Ciona intestinalis. Here, we show that Ciona has a laterally asymmetric, right-sided heart. Our data indicate that cardiac lateral asymmetry requires H+/K+ ion flux, …


Melanoblast Development Coincides With The Late Emerging Cells From The Dorsal Neural Tube In Turtle Trachemys Scripta, R. Rice, J. Cebra-Thomas, M. Haugas, J. Partanen, D. P. C. Rice, Scott F. Gilbert Sep 2017

Melanoblast Development Coincides With The Late Emerging Cells From The Dorsal Neural Tube In Turtle Trachemys Scripta, R. Rice, J. Cebra-Thomas, M. Haugas, J. Partanen, D. P. C. Rice, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

Ectothermal reptiles have internal pigmentation, which is not seen in endothermal birds and mammals. Here we show that the development of the dorsal neural tube-derived melanoblasts in turtle Trachemys scripta is regulated by similar mechanisms as in other amniotes, but significantly later in development, during the second phase of turtle trunk neural crest emigration. The development of melanoblasts coincided with a morphological change in the dorsal neural tube between stages mature G15 and G16. The melanoblasts delaminated and gathered in the carapacial staging area above the neural tube at G16, and differentiated into pigment-forming melanocytes during in vitro culture. The …


Novelty Induces Behavioural And Glucocorticoid Responses In A Songbird Artificially Selected For Divergent Personalities, Alexander T. Baugh, Kailyn Faye R. Witonsky , '16, S. C. Davidson, Laura P. Hyder , '16, M. Hau, K. Van Oers Aug 2017

Novelty Induces Behavioural And Glucocorticoid Responses In A Songbird Artificially Selected For Divergent Personalities, Alexander T. Baugh, Kailyn Faye R. Witonsky , '16, S. C. Davidson, Laura P. Hyder , '16, M. Hau, K. Van Oers

Biology Faculty Works

Stress physiology is thought to contribute to individual differences in behaviour. In part this reflects the fact that canonical personality measures consist of responses to challenges, including novel objects and environments. Exposure to novelty is typically assumed to induce a moderate increase in glucocorticoids (CORT), although this has rarely been tested. We tested this assumption using great tits, Parus major, selected for divergent personalities (bold-fast and shy-slow explorers), predicting that the shy birds would exhibit higher CORT following exposure to a novel object. We also scored behavioural responses to the novel object, predicting that bold birds would more frequently approach …


Risk-Averse Personalities Have A Systemically Potentiated Neuroendocrine Stress Axis: A Multilevel Experiment In Parus Major, Alexander T. Baugh, Rebecca A. Senft , '15, Marian L. Firke , '14, Abigail P. Lauder , '15, J. Schroeder, S. L. Meddle, Kees Van Oers, M. Hau Jul 2017

Risk-Averse Personalities Have A Systemically Potentiated Neuroendocrine Stress Axis: A Multilevel Experiment In Parus Major, Alexander T. Baugh, Rebecca A. Senft , '15, Marian L. Firke , '14, Abigail P. Lauder , '15, J. Schroeder, S. L. Meddle, Kees Van Oers, M. Hau

Biology Faculty Works

Hormonal pleiotropy—the simultaneous influence of a single hormone on multiple traits—has been hypothesized as an important mechanism underlying personality, and circulating glucocorticoids are central to this idea. A major gap in our understanding is the neural basis for this link. Here we examine the stability and structure of behavioral, endocrine and neuroendocrine traits in a population of songbirds (Parus major). Upon identifying stable and covarying behavioral and endocrine traits, we test the hypothesis that risk-averse personalities exhibit a neuroendocrine stress axis that is systemically potentiated—characterized by stronger glucocorticoid reactivity and weaker negative feedback. We show high among-individual variation and covariation …


Higher Predation Risk For Insect Prey At Low Latitudes And Elevations, T. Roslin, B. Hardwick, V. Novotny, W. K. Petry, N. R. Andrew, A. Asmus, I. C. Barrio, Y. Basset, A. L. Boesing, T. C. Bonebrake, E. K. Cameron, W. Dáttilo, D. A. Donoso, P. Drozd, C. L. Gray, D. S. Hik, S. J. Hill, T. Hopkins, S. Huang, B. Koane, B. Laird-Hopkins, L. Laukkanen, O. T. Lewis, S. Milne, I. Mwesige, A. Nakamura, C. S. Nell, Elizabeth Nichols, A. Prokurat, K. Sam, N. M. Schmidt, A. Slade, V. Slade, A. Suchanková, T. Teder, S. Van Nouhuys, V. Vandvik, A. Weissflog, V. Zhukovich, E. M. Slade May 2017

Higher Predation Risk For Insect Prey At Low Latitudes And Elevations, T. Roslin, B. Hardwick, V. Novotny, W. K. Petry, N. R. Andrew, A. Asmus, I. C. Barrio, Y. Basset, A. L. Boesing, T. C. Bonebrake, E. K. Cameron, W. Dáttilo, D. A. Donoso, P. Drozd, C. L. Gray, D. S. Hik, S. J. Hill, T. Hopkins, S. Huang, B. Koane, B. Laird-Hopkins, L. Laukkanen, O. T. Lewis, S. Milne, I. Mwesige, A. Nakamura, C. S. Nell, Elizabeth Nichols, A. Prokurat, K. Sam, N. M. Schmidt, A. Slade, V. Slade, A. Suchanková, T. Teder, S. Van Nouhuys, V. Vandvik, A. Weissflog, V. Zhukovich, E. M. Slade

Biology Faculty Works

Biotic interactions underlie ecosystem structure and function, but predicting interaction outcomes is difficult. We tested the hypothesis that biotic interaction strength increases toward the equator, using a global experiment with model caterpillars to measure predation risk. Across an 11,660-kilometer latitudinal gradient spanning six continents, we found increasing predation toward the equator, with a parallel pattern of increasing predation toward lower elevations. Patterns across both latitude and elevation were driven by arthropod predators, with no systematic trend in attack rates by birds or mammals. These matching gradients at global and regional scales suggest consistent drivers of biotic interaction strength, a finding …


Demethylated Hsatii Dna And Hsatii Rna Foci Sequester Prc1 And Mecp2 Into Cancer-Specific Nuclear Bodies, L. L. Hall, M. Byron, Dawn M. Carone, T. W. Whitfield, G. P. Pouliot, A. Fischer, P. Jones, J. B. Lawrence Mar 2017

Demethylated Hsatii Dna And Hsatii Rna Foci Sequester Prc1 And Mecp2 Into Cancer-Specific Nuclear Bodies, L. L. Hall, M. Byron, Dawn M. Carone, T. W. Whitfield, G. P. Pouliot, A. Fischer, P. Jones, J. B. Lawrence

Biology Faculty Works

This study reveals that high-copy satellite II (HSATII) sequences in the human genome can bind and impact distribution of chromatin regulatory proteins and that this goes awry in cancer. In many cancers, master regulatory proteins form two types of cancer-specific nuclear bodies, caused by locus-specific deregulation of HSATII. DNA demethylation at the 1q12 mega-satellite, common in cancer, causes PRC1 aggregation into prominent Cancer-Associated Polycomb (CAP) bodies. These loci remain silent, whereas HSATII loci with reduced PRC1 become derepressed, reflecting imbalanced distribution of UbH2A on these and other PcG-regulated loci. Large nuclear foci of HSATII RNA form and sequester copious MeCP2 …


Wfs1 Is Expressed In Dopaminoceptive Regions Of The Amniote Brain And Modulates Levels Of D1-Like Receptors, T. Tekko, T. Lakspere, A. Allikalt, J. End, K. R. Kõlvart, T. Jagomäe, A. Terasmaa, M.-A. Philips, T. Visnapuu, F. Väärtnõu, Scott F. Gilbert, A. Rinken, E. Vasar, K. Lilleväli Mar 2017

Wfs1 Is Expressed In Dopaminoceptive Regions Of The Amniote Brain And Modulates Levels Of D1-Like Receptors, T. Tekko, T. Lakspere, A. Allikalt, J. End, K. R. Kõlvart, T. Jagomäe, A. Terasmaa, M.-A. Philips, T. Visnapuu, F. Väärtnõu, Scott F. Gilbert, A. Rinken, E. Vasar, K. Lilleväli

Biology Faculty Works

During amniote evolution, the construction of the forebrain has diverged across different lineages, and accompanying the structural changes, functional diversification of the homologous brain regions has occurred. This can be assessed by studying the expression patterns of marker genes that are relevant in particular functional circuits. In all vertebrates, the dopaminergic system is responsible for the behavioral responses to environmental stimuli. Here we show that the brain regions that receive dopaminergic input through dopamine receptor D1 are relatively conserved, but with some important variations between three evolutionarily distant vertebrate lines–house mouse (Mus musculus), domestic chick (Gallus gallus domesticus) / common …


Osm1 Facilitates The Transfer Of Electrons From Erv1 To Fumarate In The Redox-Regulated Import Pathway In The Mitochondrial Intermembrane Space, Deepa V. Dabir Jan 2017

Osm1 Facilitates The Transfer Of Electrons From Erv1 To Fumarate In The Redox-Regulated Import Pathway In The Mitochondrial Intermembrane Space, Deepa V. Dabir

Biology Faculty Works

Prokaryotes have aerobic and anaerobic electron acceptors for oxidative folding of periplasmic proteins. The mitochondrial intermembrane space has an analogous pathway with the oxidoreductase Mia40 and sulfhydryl oxidase Erv1, termed the mitochondrial intermembrane space assembly (MIA) pathway. The aerobic electron acceptors include oxygen and cytochrome c, but an acceptor that can function under anaerobic conditions has not been identified. Here we show that the fumarate reductase Osm1, which facilitates electron transfer from fumarate to succinate, fills this gap as a new electron acceptor. In addition to microsomes, Osm1 localizes to the mitochondrial intermembrane space and assembles with Erv1 in a …


Effect Of Fuel Deposition Rate On Departure Fuel Load Of Migratory Songbirds During Spring Stopover Along The Northern Coast Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Kristen M. Covino Jan 2017

Effect Of Fuel Deposition Rate On Departure Fuel Load Of Migratory Songbirds During Spring Stopover Along The Northern Coast Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Kristen M. Covino

Biology Faculty Works

Migrants are generally assumed to minimize their overall migration time by adjusting their departure fuel loads (DFL) in relation to anticipated and experienced fuel deposition rates (FDRs). We utilized a 21-yr long migration banding station dataset to examine the relationship between FDR and DFL during spring migration in six Nearctic-Neotropical migratory songbird species during stopover along the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico (GOM) following trans-gulf flight. Estimates of fuel stores, stopover durations, and FDRs from our long term migration data set were combined to determine DFL. We expected and found that migrants across all six species adjust their …


Mechanical Properties Of Sediment Determine Burrowing Success And Influence Distribution Of Two Lugworm Species, R. L. Crane, Rachel Merz Jan 2017

Mechanical Properties Of Sediment Determine Burrowing Success And Influence Distribution Of Two Lugworm Species, R. L. Crane, Rachel Merz

Biology Faculty Works

We apply new perspectives on how organisms burrow by examining the association of in situ variation in sediment mechanical properties with burrowing ability and species distribution of two sympatric lugworms, Abarenicola pacifica and Abarenicola claparedi. We quantified the sediment's resistance to penetration and its grain size distribution at sites inhabited by each species. Abarenicola pacifica individuals were found in significantly harder to penetrate, more heterogeneous sediments. We compared worm burrowing ability using reciprocal transplant experiments. Worms from firmer sediments, A. pacifica, were able to make successful steep burrows in sediments characteristic of either species. In contrast, A. claparedi individuals often …


Biological Individuality: A Relational Reading, Scott F. Gilbert Jan 2017

Biological Individuality: A Relational Reading, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

No abstract provided.


Clinical Implications Of Augmenter Of Liver Regeneration In Cancer: A Systematic Review, Deepa V. Dabir Jan 2017

Clinical Implications Of Augmenter Of Liver Regeneration In Cancer: A Systematic Review, Deepa V. Dabir

Biology Faculty Works

Background/Aim: Hepatocellular carcinoma is a substantial healthcare burden with high prevalence and poor prognosiS. As such, efforts are continually made to uncover molecules relevant in cancer biology, that are exploitable as targets for therapy. The mitochondrion is the powerhouse of the cell and exhibits altered functionality in the malignant state, including aberrant regulation of apoptosis and cellular respiration. Augmenter of liver regeneration (ALR) is a multifunctional mitochondrial protein that demonstrates antioxidative and anti-apoptotic properties and plays a key role in liver regeneration. Materials and Methods: The present study systematically reviews the available literature on the role of ALR in cancer. …


Simultaneous Synergist, Antagonistic, And Additive Interactions Between Multiple Local Stressors All Degrade Algal Turf Communities On Coral Reefs, Sarah Joy Bittick Jan 2017

Simultaneous Synergist, Antagonistic, And Additive Interactions Between Multiple Local Stressors All Degrade Algal Turf Communities On Coral Reefs, Sarah Joy Bittick

Biology Faculty Works

1. Ecological communities are subjected to multiple anthropogenic stressors at both global and local scales that are increasing in number and magnitude. Stressors can interact in complex ways and are classified as additive, synergistic or antagonistic; the nature of the interaction is key to predicting changes and understanding community resilience. Coral reefs are among the most impacted communities and have shifted from coral to algal-dominated states, and overfishing, nutrient enrichment and sedimentation are local stressors that often cooccur and may support degraded algal states. Short algal turfs are abundant benthic space holders on healthy reefs that may be pushed by …


Neuroembryology, D. Darnell, Scott F. Gilbert Jan 2017

Neuroembryology, D. Darnell, Scott F. Gilbert

Biology Faculty Works

How is it that some cells become neurons? And how is it that neurons become organized in the spinal cord and brain to allow us to walk and talk, to see, recall events in our lives, feel pain, keep our balance, and think? The cells that are specified to form the brain and spinal cord are originally located on the outside surface of the embryo. They loop inward to form the neural tube in a process called neurulation. Structures that are nearby send signals to the posterior neural tube to form and pattern the spinal cord so that the dorsal …