Little devil takes your breath away.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Koole MAC
PROVIDER: S-EPMC6890926 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Project description:Approximately 20% of sleeping sickness patients exhibit respiratory complications which are commonly attributed to secondary bacterial infections, with an unknown role of the parasite. Using a Glossina morsitans tsetse fly initiated Trypansoma brucei infection in mice we found that parasites rapidly and permanently colonize the lungs, representing one of the major target organs next to the adipose tissue. Trypanosomes were found by immunofluorescence staining and scanning electron microscopy to occupy the extravascular spaces surrounding the blood vessels of the alveoli and bronchi. Parasites were even found in the lung cartilage. Trypanosomes were often observed as nests of multiplying parasites exhibiting close interactions with collagen and highly active secretion of extracellular vesicles that are engaged in intercellular communication. The local immune response was analysed by flow cytometry after 10 and 21 days of infection and was characterized by a substantial increase of CD11b+ Ly6C+ monocytes, CD11b+ Ly6C+ F4/80+ macrophages and CD11b+ CD11c+ dendritic cells. CD11b+ Ly6G+ neutrophils only accumulated prominently at the late infection time point. Interestingly, parasite presence resulted in a significant reduction of B220+ IgM+ B cells, CD11b+ CD11clo/- SiglecF+ eosinophils and TcR-β- NK1.1+ natural killer cells. Digital transcriptomics revealed infection-induced upregulation of Il-10, IFN-ɣ- and IFN-α-responses, IL-2-, IL-6- and TNF-signalling, a Th1 pro-inflammatory signature, negative immune checkpoint regulators and a predominant M1 macrophage polarization. Il12a and genes associated with complement and the B cell receptor were downregulated. No infection-associated pulmonary dysfunction could be detected by in vivo lung function measurements, mirroring the limited pulmonary complications during sleeping sickness. However, the substantial reduction of eosinophils, B cells and NK cells may render individuals more susceptible to opportunistic infections. Collectively, these observations provide essential insights in the peculiar parasite biology, immunological reactions and physiological function of a largely overlooked target organ which may trigger new diagnostic approaches for sleeping sickness.
2022-10-25 | GSE212622 | GEO
Project description:BACKGROUND:Certainty of paternity is considered an important factor in the evolution of paternal care. Several meta-analyses across birds support this idea, particularly for species with altricial young. However, the role of certainty of paternity in the evolution and maintenance of exclusive paternal care in the black coucal (Centropus grillii), which is the only known altricial bird species with male-only care, is not well understood. Here we investigated whether the differences in levels of paternal care in the black coucal and its sympatric congener, the bi-parental white-browed coucal (Centropus superciliosus), are shaped by extra-pair paternity. RESULTS:We found that male black coucals experienced a substantially higher loss of paternity than white-browed coucals. Further, unlike any previously reported bird species, extra-pair offspring in black coucals represented mainly the last hatchlings of the broods, and these last hatchlings were more likely to disappear during partial-brood loss. CONCLUSION:The results suggest that exclusive paternal care in black coucals is not maintained by male certainty of parentage, and extra-pair fertilizations are unlikely to be a female strategy for seeking 'good genes'. Extra-pair paternity in black coucals may reflect the inability of males to guard and copulate with the female after the onset of incubation, and a female strategy to demonstrate her commitment to other males of her social group.
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Project description:Some South American poison frogs (Dendrobatidae) are chemically defended and use bright aposematic colors to warn potential predators of their unpalatability. Aposematic signals are often frequency-dependent where individuals deviating from a local model are at a higher risk of predation. However, extreme diversity in the aposematic signal has been documented in poison frogs, especially in Oophaga. Here, we explore the phylogeographic pattern among color-divergent populations of the Little Devil poison frog Oophaga sylvatica by analyzing population structure and genetic differentiation to evaluate which processes could account for color diversity within and among populations. With a combination of PCR amplicons (three mitochondrial and three nuclear markers) and genome-wide markers from a double-digested RAD (ddRAD) approach, we characterized the phylogenetic and genetic structure of 199 individuals from 13 populations (12 monomorphic and 1 polymorphic) across the O. sylvatica distribution. Individuals segregated into two main lineages by their northern or southern latitudinal distribution. A high level of genetic and phenotypic polymorphism within the northern lineage suggests ongoing gene flow. In contrast, low levels of genetic differentiation were detected among the southern lineage populations and support recent range expansions from populations in the northern lineage. We propose that a combination of climatic gradients and structured landscapes might be promoting gene flow and phylogenetic diversification. Alternatively, we cannot rule out that the observed phenotypic and genomic variations are the result of genetic drift on near or neutral alleles in a small number of genes.
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