Bioactive glasses have been developed for medical applications in the body for bone and tissue repair and regeneration. We have developed a borate-containing bioactive glass (13-93B3, referred to as B3), which is unde...Bioactive glasses have been developed for medical applications in the body for bone and tissue repair and regeneration. We have developed a borate-containing bioactive glass (13-93B3, referred to as B3), which is undergoing clinical trials to assess its wound-healing properties. To complement the healing properties of B3, metal ion dopants have been added to enhance its antimicrobial properties. Bioactive glasses doped with silver, gallium or iodine ions were found to have broad spectrum antimicrobial effects on clinically relevant bacteria including MRSA. While the B3 glass alone was sufficient to produce antibacterial effects on select bacteria, adding dopants enhanced the broad-spectrum antibacterial properties: Live-Dead staining fluorescence microscopy suggests cell membrane integrity is disrupted in gram positive bacteria exposed to the glass compounds, but not gram negative bacteria, indicating multiple mechanisms of action for each glass formulation.展开更多
Coordinated morphogenic adaptation of growing plants is critical for their survival and propagation under fluctuating environments.Plant morphogenic responses to light and warm temperatures,termed photomorphogenesis a...Coordinated morphogenic adaptation of growing plants is critical for their survival and propagation under fluctuating environments.Plant morphogenic responses to light and warm temperatures,termed photomorphogenesis and thermomorphogenesis,respectively,have been extensively studied in recent decades.During photomorphogenesis,plants actively reshape their growth and developmental patterns to cope with changes in light regimes.Accordingly,photomorphogenesis is closely associated with diverse growth hormonal cues.Notably,accumulating evidence indicates that light-directed morphogenesis is profoundly affected by two recently identified phytochemicals,karrikins(KARs)and strigolactones(SLs).KARs and SLs are structurally related butenolides acting as signaling molecules during a variety of developmental steps,including seed germination.Their receptors and signaling mediators have been identified,and associated working mechanisms have been explored using gene-deficient mutants in various plant species.Of particular interest is that the KAR and SL signaling pathways play important roles in environmental responses,among which their linkages with photomorphogenesis are most comprehensively studied during seedling establishment.In this review,we focus on how the phytochemical and light signals converge on the optimization of morphogenic fitness.We also discuss molecular mechanisms underlying the signaling crosstalks with an aim of developing potential ways to improve crop productivity under climate changes.展开更多
A core assumption of sexual selection theory is that sexually selected weapons,specialized morphological structures used directly in male con-tests,can improve an individual's reproductive success but only if the ...A core assumption of sexual selection theory is that sexually selected weapons,specialized morphological structures used directly in male con-tests,can improve an individual's reproductive success but only if the bearer can overcome associated costs,the negative effects on the bear-er's fitness components.However,recent studies have shown that producing and wielding exaggerated weapons may not necessarily be costly.Rather,some traits can be selected for supporting,or compensating for,the expense of producing and wielding such exaggerated weapons.n the ant-mimicking jumping spider Myrmarachne gisti,exaggerated chelicerae are borne only by adult males and not females,showing sexual dimorphism and steep positive allometry with body size.Here,we determine the potential benefits of bearing exaggerated chelicerae during male contests and explore the potential for costs in terms of prey-capture efficiency and compensation between chelicera size and neighboring trait size.While males with longer chelicerae won most of their male-male contests,we found no significant differences in prey-capture effi-ciency between males and females regardless of whether prey was winged or flightless.Males'elongated chelicerae thus do not impede their efficiency at capturing prey.Furthermore,we found that the sizes of all neighboring traits are positively correlated with chelicera size,suggesting that these traits may be under correlational selection.Taken together,our findings suggest that M.gisti males armed with the exaggerated chelicerae that function as weapons win more fights at limited cost for performance in prey capture and compensate for neighboring structures.展开更多
Tarantula venoms provide a model system for studying toxin selectivity, structure-activity relationships and molecular evolution ofpeptide toxins. Previous studies have identified a large number of peptide toxins in t...Tarantula venoms provide a model system for studying toxin selectivity, structure-activity relationships and molecular evolution ofpeptide toxins. Previous studies have identified a large number of peptide toxins in the venom of the Chinese bird spider Haplopelma hainanum, generally regarded as a highly venomous spider. However, the lack of available RNA-seq transcriptomic and genomic data is an obstacle to understanding its venom at the molecular level. In this study, we investigated the venom gland transcriptome of/-/, hainanum by RNA-seq, in the absence of an available genomic sequence. We identi- fied 201 potential toxins among 57 18 l de novo assembled transcripts, including knottins, Kunitz-type toxins, enzymes and other proteins. We systematically identified most of the knottins and Kunitz-type toxins, some of which showed strongly biased expression in the venom gland, including members of the huwentoxin-1, huwentoxin-2 and magi-1 families. We also discovered several novel potential toxins. These data demonstrate the high molec- ular and structural diversity in the venom toxins ofH. hainanum. This study offers a useful strategy for exploring the complex components of spider venoms.展开更多
Rapid technical advances in the field of computeropened new avenues in animal behavior research.animation （CA） and virtual reality （VR） haveAnimated stimuli are powerful tools as theyoffer standardization, repeata...Rapid technical advances in the field of computeropened new avenues in animal behavior research.animation （CA） and virtual reality （VR） haveAnimated stimuli are powerful tools as theyoffer standardization, repeatability, and complete control over the stimulus presented, thereby＂reducing＂ and ＂replacing＂ the animals used, and ＂refining＂ the experimental design in line withthe 3Rs. However, appropriate use of these technologies raises conceptual and technical questions.In this review, we offer guidelines for common technical and conceptual considerations related tothe use of animated stimuli in animal behavior research. Following the steps required to create ananimated stimulus, we discuss （I） the creation, （11） the presentation, and （111） the validation of CAsand VRs. Although our review is geared toward computer-graphically designed stimuli, consider-ations on presentation and validation also apply to video playbacks. CA and VR allow both new be-havioral questions to be addressed and existing questions to be addressed in new ways, thus weexpect a rich future for these methods in both ultimate and proximate studies of animal behavior.展开更多
文摘Bioactive glasses have been developed for medical applications in the body for bone and tissue repair and regeneration. We have developed a borate-containing bioactive glass (13-93B3, referred to as B3), which is undergoing clinical trials to assess its wound-healing properties. To complement the healing properties of B3, metal ion dopants have been added to enhance its antimicrobial properties. Bioactive glasses doped with silver, gallium or iodine ions were found to have broad spectrum antimicrobial effects on clinically relevant bacteria including MRSA. While the B3 glass alone was sufficient to produce antibacterial effects on select bacteria, adding dopants enhanced the broad-spectrum antibacterial properties: Live-Dead staining fluorescence microscopy suggests cell membrane integrity is disrupted in gram positive bacteria exposed to the glass compounds, but not gram negative bacteria, indicating multiple mechanisms of action for each glass formulation.
基金supported by the Leaping Research Program(NRF-2021R1A2B5B03001476 to C.M.P.)provided by the National Research Foundation(NRF)of Koreaa grant from Kyung Hee University in 2023(KHU-20230886 to Y.J.P.).
文摘Coordinated morphogenic adaptation of growing plants is critical for their survival and propagation under fluctuating environments.Plant morphogenic responses to light and warm temperatures,termed photomorphogenesis and thermomorphogenesis,respectively,have been extensively studied in recent decades.During photomorphogenesis,plants actively reshape their growth and developmental patterns to cope with changes in light regimes.Accordingly,photomorphogenesis is closely associated with diverse growth hormonal cues.Notably,accumulating evidence indicates that light-directed morphogenesis is profoundly affected by two recently identified phytochemicals,karrikins(KARs)and strigolactones(SLs).KARs and SLs are structurally related butenolides acting as signaling molecules during a variety of developmental steps,including seed germination.Their receptors and signaling mediators have been identified,and associated working mechanisms have been explored using gene-deficient mutants in various plant species.Of particular interest is that the KAR and SL signaling pathways play important roles in environmental responses,among which their linkages with photomorphogenesis are most comprehensively studied during seedling establishment.In this review,we focus on how the phytochemical and light signals converge on the optimization of morphogenic fitness.We also discuss molecular mechanisms underlying the signaling crosstalks with an aim of developing potential ways to improve crop productivity under climate changes.
基金supported by the grants from the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China(NSFC)(31572276,31872229,32270531,31801979)the Singapore Ministry of Education AcRF Tier 1(A-0004443-00-00,A-0008516-00-00).
文摘A core assumption of sexual selection theory is that sexually selected weapons,specialized morphological structures used directly in male con-tests,can improve an individual's reproductive success but only if the bearer can overcome associated costs,the negative effects on the bear-er's fitness components.However,recent studies have shown that producing and wielding exaggerated weapons may not necessarily be costly.Rather,some traits can be selected for supporting,or compensating for,the expense of producing and wielding such exaggerated weapons.n the ant-mimicking jumping spider Myrmarachne gisti,exaggerated chelicerae are borne only by adult males and not females,showing sexual dimorphism and steep positive allometry with body size.Here,we determine the potential benefits of bearing exaggerated chelicerae during male contests and explore the potential for costs in terms of prey-capture efficiency and compensation between chelicera size and neighboring trait size.While males with longer chelicerae won most of their male-male contests,we found no significant differences in prey-capture effi-ciency between males and females regardless of whether prey was winged or flightless.Males'elongated chelicerae thus do not impede their efficiency at capturing prey.Furthermore,we found that the sizes of all neighboring traits are positively correlated with chelicera size,suggesting that these traits may be under correlational selection.Taken together,our findings suggest that M.gisti males armed with the exaggerated chelicerae that function as weapons win more fights at limited cost for performance in prey capture and compensate for neighboring structures.
文摘Tarantula venoms provide a model system for studying toxin selectivity, structure-activity relationships and molecular evolution ofpeptide toxins. Previous studies have identified a large number of peptide toxins in the venom of the Chinese bird spider Haplopelma hainanum, generally regarded as a highly venomous spider. However, the lack of available RNA-seq transcriptomic and genomic data is an obstacle to understanding its venom at the molecular level. In this study, we investigated the venom gland transcriptome of/-/, hainanum by RNA-seq, in the absence of an available genomic sequence. We identi- fied 201 potential toxins among 57 18 l de novo assembled transcripts, including knottins, Kunitz-type toxins, enzymes and other proteins. We systematically identified most of the knottins and Kunitz-type toxins, some of which showed strongly biased expression in the venom gland, including members of the huwentoxin-1, huwentoxin-2 and magi-1 families. We also discovered several novel potential toxins. These data demonstrate the high molec- ular and structural diversity in the venom toxins ofH. hainanum. This study offers a useful strategy for exploring the complex components of spider venoms.
文摘Rapid technical advances in the field of computeropened new avenues in animal behavior research.animation （CA） and virtual reality （VR） haveAnimated stimuli are powerful tools as theyoffer standardization, repeatability, and complete control over the stimulus presented, thereby＂reducing＂ and ＂replacing＂ the animals used, and ＂refining＂ the experimental design in line withthe 3Rs. However, appropriate use of these technologies raises conceptual and technical questions.In this review, we offer guidelines for common technical and conceptual considerations related tothe use of animated stimuli in animal behavior research. Following the steps required to create ananimated stimulus, we discuss （I） the creation, （11） the presentation, and （111） the validation of CAsand VRs. Although our review is geared toward computer-graphically designed stimuli, consider-ations on presentation and validation also apply to video playbacks. CA and VR allow both new be-havioral questions to be addressed and existing questions to be addressed in new ways, thus weexpect a rich future for these methods in both ultimate and proximate studies of animal behavior.
