Browse
Submit Data
Databases
API
Help

Dataset Information

29 Views

0 Connections

0 Citations

0 Reanalyses

0 Downloads

Omics score: 0

Validating Urinary Neopterin as a Biomarker of Immune Response in Captive and Wild Capuchin Monkeys

ABSTRACT: Non-invasive health monitoring is advantageous for wild and captive primate populations because it reduces the need for traditional invasive techniques (i.e., anesthetization) that can be stressful and potentially harmful for individuals. The biomarker neopterin is an emerging tool in primatology to measure immune activation and immunosenescence, however, most neopterin studies have focused on catarrhine species with little comparative work examining neopterin and health in platyrrhines. To address this gap, we validated a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to measure urinary neopterin in two types of capuchin monkeys, a wild population of white-faced capuchins (Cebus imitator) and a socially housed captive colony of tufted capuchins (Sapajus apella). We analytically validated methods for measuring urinary neopterin in two capuchin populations and demonstrated that two commonly-used methods to control for urine concentration—creatinine and specific gravity (SG)—produced highly concordant results. We also biologically validated these methods by examining variation in neopterin levels based on environment (captive and wild) and age, and changes in levels associated with immune-response. We found that neopterin increased after immune perturbation (rabies vaccine booster), varied by environmental condition, and mirrored expected trends in immune system ontogeny. Our results improve understanding of the innate immune system in platyrrhine species and suggest neopterin may be useful for non-invasive health monitoring in both captive and wild primates.

SUBMITTER: Lucore J

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9326447 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Json Xml

Similar Datasets

Assessment of genetic variability in captive capuchin monkeys (Primates: Cebidae).

Project description:Capuchin monkeys (genera Cebus and Sapajus) show a wide range distribution, from Honduras to Argentina. The aim of this work was to evaluate the genetic and phenotypic variability of captive specimens putatively belonging to S. cay (SCY) and S. nigritus (SNI) at their southernmost distribution limit. Forty-four individuals held in five captive centers from Argentina were analyzed based on external morphology, karyology and DNA sequences of mitochondrial control region (mtDNA-CR). Three morphotypes associated with their probable geographical origin in SCY and a single morphotype in SNI were found. For SCY we could associate each morphotype with the most frequent karyotype. SNI showed a single phenotype and a homogenous karyotype. Heterochromatin showed geographical patterns within species. A 515-bp mtDNA-CR fragment was sequenced, defining fourteen haplotypes at 59 polymorphic sites. A network constructed with our 14 haplotypes and other 77 from S. apella, S. macrocephalus, S. cay and S. nigritus from bibliography revealed some phylogeographic signals. Our SCY and SNI samples rendered four groups that differed in multiple mutational steps, with SCY being more similar to S. apella than to S. macrocephalus. Also, we identified two genetic divergent SCY groups: samples from NOA and from NEA with high mitochondrial diversity. Our results highlight the relevance of using complementary genetic tools throughout the distribution ranges of SCY and SNI for a better assessment of their diversity.

| S-EPMC8012615 | biostudies-literature

Infant cannibalism in wild white-faced capuchin monkeys.

Project description:Cannibalism has been observed in a variety of animal taxa; however, it is relatively uncommon in primates. Thus, we rely heavily on case reports of this behavior to advance our understanding of the contexts under which it occurs. Here, we report the first observation of cannibalism in a group of wild white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus imitator). The subject was a dead infant, estimated to be 10 days old, and the probable victim of infanticide. Consumption of the corpse was initiated by a 2-year-old male (second cousin of the infant), though it was eventually taken over and monopolized by the group's alpha female (grandaunt of the infant). Although most group members expressed interest in the corpse (sniffing, touching, and threatening it), no others made an attempt to consume it. Given that this is the only observation of cannibalism recorded in over 37 years of study on this population, we consider it to be a rare behavior in this species. This detailed record contributes new data, which, when combined with other reports within and across species and contexts, enables the evaluation of adaptive explanations of cannibalism.

| S-EPMC7713969 | biostudies-literature

Digging up food: excavation stone tool use by wild capuchin monkeys.

Project description:Capuchin monkeys at Serra da Capivara National Park (SCNP) usually forage on the ground for roots and fossorial arthropods, digging primarily with their hands but also using stone tools to loosen the soil and aid the digging process. Here we describe the stone tools used for digging by two groups of capuchins on SCNP. Both groups used tools while digging three main food resources: Thiloa glaucocarpa tubers, Ocotea sp roots, and trapdoor spiders. One explanation for the occurrence of tool use in primates is the "necessity hypothesis", which states that the main function of tool use is to obtain fallback food. We tested for this, but only found a positive correlation between plant food availability and the frequency of stone tools' use. Thus, our data do not support the fallback food hypothesis for the use of tools to access burrowed resources.

| S-EPMC5524703 | biostudies-literature

Wild capuchin monkeys adjust stone tools according to changing nut properties.

Project description:Animals foraging in their natural environments need to be proficient at recognizing and responding to changes in food targets that affect accessibility or pose a risk. Wild bearded capuchin monkeys (Sapajus libidinosus) use stone tools to access a variety of nut species, including otherwise inaccessible foods. This study tests whether wild capuchins from Serra da Capivara National Park in Brazil adjust their tool selection when processing cashew (Anacardium spp.) nuts. During the ripening process of cashew nuts, the amount of caustic defensive substance in the nut mesocarp decreases. We conducted field experiments to test whether capuchins adapt their stone hammer selection to changing properties of the target nut, using stones of different weights and two maturation stages of cashew nuts. The results show that although fresh nuts are easier to crack, capuchin monkeys used larger stone tools to open them, which may help the monkeys avoid contact with the caustic hazard in fresh nuts. We demonstrate that capuchin monkeys are actively able to distinguish between the maturation stages within one nut species, and to adapt their foraging behaviour accordingly.

| S-EPMC5021971 | biostudies-literature

Behavioural variation and learning across the lifespan in wild white-faced capuchin monkeys.

Project description:Natural selection has evidently mediated many species characteristics relevant to the evolution of learning, including longevity, length of the juvenile period, social organization, timing of cognitive and motor development, and age-related shifts in behavioural propensities such as activity level, flexibility in problem-solving and motivation to seek new information. Longitudinal studies of wild populations can document such changes in behavioural propensities, providing critical information about the contexts in which learning strategies develop, in environments similar to those in which learning strategies evolved. The Lomas Barbudal Monkey Project provides developmental data for the white-faced capuchin, Cebus capucinus, a species that has converged with humans regarding many life-history and behavioural characteristics. In this dataset, focused primarily on learned aspects of foraging behaviour, younger capuchins are more active overall, more curious and opportunistic, and more prone to inventing new investigative and foraging-related behaviours. Younger individuals more often seek social information by watching other foragers (especially older foragers). Younger individuals are more creative, playful and inventive, and less neophobic, exhibiting a wider range of behaviours when engaged in extractive foraging. Whereas adults more often stick with old solutions, younger individuals often incorporate recently acquired experience (both social and asocial) when foraging. This article is part of the theme issue 'Life history and learning: how childhood, caregiving and old age shape cognition and culture in humans and other animals'.

| S-EPMC7293150 | biostudies-literature

Urinary neopterin of wild chimpanzees indicates that cell-mediated immune activity varies by age, sex, and female reproductive status.

Project description:The study of free-living animal populations is necessary to understand life history trade-offs associated with immune investment. To investigate the role of life history strategies in shaping proinflammatory cell-mediated immune function, we analyzed age, sex, and reproductive status as predictors of urinary neopterin in 70 sexually mature chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. In the absence of clinical signs of acute infectious disease, neopterin levels significantly increased with age in both male and female chimpanzees, as observed in humans and several other vertebrate species. Furthermore, males exhibited higher neopterin levels than females across adulthood. Finally, females with full sexual swellings, pregnant females, and post-reproductive females, the oldest individuals in our sample, exhibited higher neopterin levels than lactating females and cycling females without full swellings. Variation in females' neopterin levels by reproductive status is consistent with post-ovulatory and pregnancy-related immune patterns documented in humans. Together, our results provide evidence of ample variation in chimpanzee immune activity corresponding to biodemographic and physiological variation. Future studies comparing immune activity across ecological conditions and social systems are essential for understanding the life histories of primates and other mammals.

| S-EPMC8085242 | biostudies-literature

Urinary neopterin: A novel biomarker of disease progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

Project description:Background and purposeThe aim was to evaluate urinary neopterin, a marker of pro-inflammatory state, as a potential biomarker of disease prognosis and progression in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); and to compare its utility to urinary neurotrophin receptor p75 extracellular domain (p75ECD ).MethodsThis was an observational study including 21 healthy controls and 46 people with ALS, 29 of whom were sampled longitudinally. Neopterin and p75ECD were measured using enzyme-linked immunoassays. Baseline and longitudinal changes in clinical measures, neopterin and urinary p75ECD were examined, and prognostic utility was explored by survival analysis.ResultsAt baseline, urinary neopterin was higher in ALS compared to controls (181.7 ± 78.9 μmol/mol creatinine vs. 120.4 ± 60.8 μmol/mol creatinine, p = 0.002, Welch's t test) and correlated with the Revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (r = -0.36, p = 0.01). Combining previously published urinary p75ECD results from 22 ALS patients with a further 24 ALS patients, baseline urinary p75ECD was also higher compared to healthy controls (6.0 ± 2.7 vs. 3.2 ± 1.0 ng/mg creatinine, p < 0.0001) and correlated with the Revised ALS Functional Rating Scale (r = -0.36, p = 0.01). Urinary neopterin and p75ECD correlated with each other at baseline (r = 0.38, p = 0.009). In longitudinal analysis, urinary neopterin increased on average (±SE) by 6.8 ± 1.1 µmol/mol creatinine per month (p < 0.0001) and p75ECD by 0.19 ± 0.02 ng/mg creatinine per month (p < 0.0001) from diagnosis in 29 ALS patients.ConclusionUrinary neopterin holds promise as marker of disease progression in ALS and is worthy of future evaluation for its potential to predict response to anti-inflammatory therapies.

| S-EPMC8901536 | biostudies-literature

Experimental evidence for heterospecific alarm signal recognition via associative learning in wild capuchin monkeys.

Project description:Many vertebrate taxa respond to heterospecific alarm calls with anti-predator behaviours. While it is unclear how apparent recognition is achieved, learned associations between the occurrence of the call and the presence of a predator are considered the most likely explanation. Conclusive evidence that this behaviour is indeed underpinned by learning, however, is scarce. This study tested whether wild black capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus) learn to associate novel sounds with predators through a two-phase field experiment. During an initial training phase, three study groups were each presented with a playback of one of the three novel sounds together with a simulated felid predator on four occasions over an 8- to 12-week period. This was followed by a test phase, wherein each of the three sounds was played back to individuals in all three groups, allowing each sound to serve as both a test stimulus for individuals trained with that sound, and a control stimulus for individuals trained with another sound. Antipredator responses were significantly stronger in response to test sounds than to controls. Limited observations suggest that antipredator responses persisted for at least 2 years without reinforcement of the predator-sound link. Additionally, responses to noisier sounds were typically stronger than were those to more tonal sounds, although the effect of sound type cannot be disentangled from potential effects of group. This study provides the strongest evidence to date that learning affects the responses of primates to sounds such as heterospecific alarm calls, and supports the contention that signals provide receivers with information.

| S-EPMC6687673 | biostudies-literature

Stone throwing as a sexual display in wild female bearded capuchin monkeys, Sapajus libidinosus.

Project description:Capuchin monkeys (Sapajus spp.) in captive settings frequently manipulate and throw objects. In the wild, they may push or drop stones and sticks toward targets during inter- or intraspecific threat displays. In addition, female capuchin monkeys exhibit a broad repertoire of behaviors during their proceptive period, including facial expressions, vocalizations, stereotyped body postures, and touch-and-run behavior. This study reports stone throwing as a newly-described communicative behavior during the proceptive display of females in a group of bearded capuchin monkeys (S. libidinosus) in Serra da Capivara National Park, Brazil. During a two-year study, three females from one group were seen throwing stones at males during their proceptive phase. After this period, three other females in the same group exhibited the same behavior. Although it may be possible that this pattern is the result of several independent innovations by each female, the apparent absence of this behavior in other groups leads us to suggest that we have documented the diffusion of a new behavioral trait or tradition within this capuchin social group.

| S-EPMC3836890 | biostudies-literature

Experimental testing of reciprocal effects of nutrition and parasitism in wild black capuchin monkeys.

Project description:Nutritional stress may predispose individuals to infection, which in turn can have further detrimental effects on physical condition, thus creating an opportunity for reciprocal effects between nutrition and parasitism. Little experimental investigation has been conducted on this "vicious circle" hypothesis in wild animals, especially under natural conditions. We evaluated the reciprocal effects of nutritional status and parasitism using an experimental approach in two groups of wild black capuchin monkeys (Sapajus nigritus). Across two consecutive winters, we collected faecal samples from identified capuchins to determine presence and load of gastrointestinal helminthes, and measured individual body mass as a proxy of physical condition. Food availability was manipulated by provisioning monkeys with bananas, and parasite burdens by applying antiparasitic drugs to selected individuals. We found no effect of antiparasitic drugs on physical condition, but parasite loads decreased in response to high levels of food availability. Our results represent the first experimental evidence that the nutritional status may drive parasite dynamics in a primate.

| S-EPMC5630591 | biostudies-literature

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

OmicsDI is an Elixir interoperability service. Learn more ›

Tweets

OmicsDI Databases

PRIDE
PeptideAtlas
MassIVE
JPOST Repository
Physiome Model Repository

EGA
EVA
ENA
LINCS
PAXDB
Cell Collective

MetaboLights
Metabolomics Workbench
MetabolomeExpress
GNPS
BioModels
FAIRDOMHub

ArrayExpress
dbGaP
ExpressionAtlas
GEO
NODE

Information

Databases
Help
API
Contact us
Code on GitHub
Terms of use
Submit Data