Expressed Vomeronasal Type-1 Receptors (V1rs) in Bats Uncover Conserved Sequences Underlying Social Chemical Signaling

Abstract In mammals, social and reproductive behaviors are mediated by chemical cues encoded by hyperdiverse families of receptors expressed in the vomeronasal organ. Between species, the number of intact receptors can vary by orders of magnitude. However, the evolutionary processes behind variation in receptor number, and its link to fitness-related behaviors are not well understood. From vomeronasal transcriptomes, we discovered the first evidence of intact vomeronasal type-1 receptor (V1r) genes in bats, and we tested whether putatively functional bat receptors were orthologous to those of related taxa, or whether bats have evolved novel receptors. Instead of lineage-specific duplications, we found that bat V1rs show high levels of orthology to those of their relatives, and receptors are under comparative levels of purifying selection as non-bats. Despite widespread vomeronasal organ loss in bats, V1r copies have been retained for >65 million years. The highly conserved nature of bat V1rs challenges our current understanding of mammalian V1r function and suggests roles other than conspecific recognition or mating initiation in social behavior.

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Expressed vomeronasal type-1 receptors (V1rs) in bats uncover conserved mechanisms of social chemical signaling

10.1101/293472 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Laurel R. Yohe ◽

Kalina T. J. Davies ◽

Stephen J. Rossiter ◽

Liliana M. Dávalos

Keyword(s):

Social Behavior ◽

Chemical Cues ◽

Vomeronasal Organ ◽

Purifying Selection ◽

Current Understanding ◽

Chemical Signaling ◽

Reproductive Behaviors ◽

Conspecific Recognition ◽

Receptor Number

AbstractIn mammals, social and reproductive behaviors are mediated by chemical cues encoded by hyperdiverse families of receptors expressed in the vomeronasal organ. Between species, the number of intact receptors can vary by orders of magnitude. However, the evolutionary processes behind variation in receptor number, and also its link to fitness-related behaviors are not well understood. From vomeronasal transcriptomes, we discovered the first evidence of intact vomeronasal type-1 receptor (V1r) genes in bats, and we tested whether putatively functional bat receptors were orthologous to those of related taxa, or whether bats have evolved novel receptors. We found that V1rs in bats and show high levels of orthology to those of their relatives, as opposed to lineage-specific duplications, and receptors are under purifying selection. Despite widespread vomeronasal organ loss in bats, V1r copies have been retained for >65 million years. The highly conserved nature of bat V1rs challenges our current understanding of mammalian V1r function and suggest roles other than conspecific recognition or mating initiation in social behavior.

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Inactivation of ancV1R as a Predictive Signature for the Loss of Vomeronasal System in Mammals

Genome Biology and Evolution ◽

10.1093/gbe/evaa082 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (6) ◽

pp. 766-778 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zicong Zhang ◽

Masato Nikaido

Keyword(s):

Marker Gene ◽

Vomeronasal Organ ◽

Purifying Selection ◽

Predictive Marker ◽

Specific Gene ◽

Vomeronasal System ◽

Reproductive Behaviors ◽

Catarrhine Primates ◽

Sensing Systems ◽

Inactivating Mutations

Abstract The vomeronasal organ (VNO) plays a key role in sensing pheromonal cues, which elicits social and reproductive behaviors. Although the VNO is highly conserved across mammals, it has been lost in some species that have evolved alternate sensing systems during diversification. In this study, we investigate a newly identified VNO-specific gene, ancV1R, in the extant 261 species of mammals to examine the correlation between genotype (ancV1R) and phenotype (VNO). As a result, we found signatures for the relaxation of purifying selection (inactivating mutations and the elevation of dN/dS) on ancV1Rs in VNO-lacking mammals, such as catarrhine primates, cetaceans, the manatees, and several bat lineages, showing the distinct correlation between genotype and phenotype. Interestingly, we further revealed signatures for the relaxation of purifying selection on ancV1R in true seals, otters, the fossa, the owl monkey, and alcelaphine antelopes in which the existence of a functional VNO is still under debate. Our additional analyses on TRPC2, another predictive marker gene for the functional VNO, showed a relaxation of purifying selection, supporting the possibility of VNO loss in these species. The results of our present study invite more in-depth neuroanatomical investigation in mammals for which VNO function remains equivocal.

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Purifying selection of CCR5-tropic human immunodeficiency virus type 1 variants in AIDS subjects that have developed syncytium-inducing, CXCR4-tropic viruses

Journal of General Virology ◽

10.1099/vir.0.81722-0 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 87 (5) ◽

pp. 1285-1294 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Guerau Fernàndez ◽

Anuska Llano ◽

Miriam Esgleas ◽

Bonaventura Clotet ◽

José A. Esté ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Human Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

T Cell ◽

Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type ◽

Virus Type ◽

Purifying Selection ◽

Selective Pressures ◽

Cell Counts ◽

Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

Hiv 1

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection is established by virus variants that use the CCR5 co-receptor for entry (CCR5-tropic or R5 variants), whereas viruses that use CXCR4 as co-receptor (CXCR4-tropic or X4 variants) emerge during disease progression in approximately 50 % of infected subjects. X4 variants may have a higher fitness ex vivo and their detection is usually accompanied by faster T-cell depletion and the onset of AIDS in HIV-1-positive individuals. Here, the relationship between the sequence variation of the HIV-1 env V3–V5 region and positive selective pressure on R5 and X4 variants from infected subjects with CD4 T cell counts below 200 cells μl−1 was studied. A correlation was found between genetic distance and CD4+ cell count at late stages of the disease. R5 variants that co-existed with X4 variants were significantly less heterogeneous than R5 variants from subjects without X4 variants (P<0·0001). Similarly, X4 variants had a significantly higher diversity than R5 variants (P<0·0001), although residues under positive selection had a similar distribution pattern in both variants. Therefore, both X4 and R5 variants were subjected to high selective pressures from the host. Furthermore, the interaction between X4 and R5 variants within the same subject resulted in a purifying selection on R5 variants, which only survived as a homogeneous virus population. These results indicate that R5 variants from X4 phenotype samples were highly homogeneous and under weakly positive selective pressures. In contrast, R5 variants from R5 phenotype samples were highly heterogeneous and subject to positive selective pressures.

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Current understanding of autoantibody against angiotensin II type 1 receptor in preeclampsia

The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine ◽

10.1080/14767058.2020.1846709 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 1-6

Author(s):

Zheng Wang ◽

Weiyi Feng ◽

Jinjun Liu

Keyword(s):

Angiotensin Ii ◽

Current Understanding

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Patterns of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Recombination Ex Vivo Provide Evidence for Coadaptation of Distant Sites, Resulting in Purifying Selection for Intersubtype Recombinants during Replication

Journal of Virology ◽

10.1128/jvi.00276-10 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 84 (15) ◽

pp. 7651-7661 ◽

Cited By ~ 28

Author(s):

Andrea Galli ◽

Mary Kearney ◽

Olga A. Nikolaitchik ◽

Sloane Yu ◽

Mario P. S. Chin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ex Vivo ◽

Purifying Selection ◽

Human Populations ◽

Major Barrier ◽

Subtype B ◽

Single Genome ◽

Immunodeficiency Virus ◽

Multiple Cycle ◽

Hiv 1

ABSTRACT High-frequency recombination is a hallmark of HIV-1 replication. Recombination can occur between two members of the same subtype or between viruses from two different subtypes, generating intra- or intersubtype recombinants, respectively. Many intersubtype recombinants have been shown to circulate in human populations. We hypothesize that sequence diversity affects the emergence of viable recombinants by decreasing recombination events and reducing the ability of the recombinants to replicate. To test our hypothesis, we compared recombination between two viruses containing subtype B pol genes (B/B) and between viruses with pol genes from subtype B or F (B/F). Recombination events generated during a single cycle of infection without selection pressure on pol gene function were analyzed by single-genome sequencing. We found that recombination occurred slightly (∼30%) less frequently in B/F than in B/B viruses, and the overall distribution of crossover junctions in pol was similar for the two classes of recombinants. We then examined the emergence of recombinants in a multiple cycle assay, so that functional pol gene products were selected. We found that the emerging B/B recombinants had complex patterns, and the crossover junctions were distributed throughout the pol gene. In contrast, selected B/F recombinants had limited recombination patterns and restricted crossover junction distribution. These results provide evidence for the evolved coadapted sites in variants from different subtypes; these sites may be segregated by recombination events, causing the newly generated intersubtype recombinants to undergo purifying selection. Therefore, the ability of the recombinants to replicate is the major barrier for many of these viruses.

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Calibration of Multiple Poliovirus Molecular Clocks Covering an Extended Evolutionary Range

Journal of Virology ◽

10.1128/jvi.02354-07 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 82 (9) ◽

pp. 4429-4440 ◽

Cited By ~ 118

Author(s):

Jaume Jorba ◽

Ray Campagnoli ◽

Lina De ◽

Olen Kew

Keyword(s):

Rapid Evolution ◽

Purifying Selection ◽

Molecular Clocks ◽

Capsid Region ◽

Synonymous Substitutions ◽

Wild Poliovirus ◽

Nonsynonymous Substitutions ◽

Antigenic Sites ◽

Codon Positions

ABSTRACT We have calibrated five different molecular clocks for circulating poliovirus based upon the rates of fixation of total substitutions (K t ), synonymous substitutions (K s ), synonymous transitions (A s ), synonymous transversions (B s ), and nonsynonymous substitutions (K a ) into the P1/capsid region (2,643 nucleotides). Rates were determined over a 10-year period by analysis of sequences of 31 wild poliovirus type 1 isolates representing a well-defined phylogeny derived from a common imported ancestor. Similar rates were obtained by linear regression, the maximum likelihood/single-rate dated-tip method, and Bayesian inference. The very rapid K t [(1.03 ± 0.10) × 10−2 substitutions/site/year] and K s [(1.00 ± 0.08) × 10−2] clocks were driven primarily by the A s clock [(0.96 ± 0.09) × 10−2], the B s clock was ∼10-fold slower [(0.10 ± 0.03) × 10−2], and the more stochastic K a clock was ∼30-fold slower [(0.03 ± 0.01) × 10−2]. Nonsynonymous substitutions at all P1/capsid sites, including the neutralizing antigenic sites, appeared to be constrained by purifying selection. Simulation of the evolution of third-codon positions suggested that saturation of synonymous transitions would be evident at 10 years and complete at ∼65 years of independent transmission. Saturation of synonymous transversions was predicted to be minimal at 20 years and incomplete at 100 years. The rapid evolution of the K t , K s , and A s clocks can be used to estimate the dates of divergence of closely related viruses, whereas the slower B s and K a clocks may be used to explore deeper evolutionary relationships within and across poliovirus genotypes.

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Multimodal Learning of Pheromone Locations

10.1101/2019.12.22.886564 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Meenakshi Pardasani ◽

Shruti D. Marathe ◽

Urvashi Dalvi ◽

Nixon M. Abraham

Keyword(s):

Mammalian Species ◽

Vomeronasal Organ ◽

Long Term Memory ◽

Multimodal Learning ◽

Reproductive Behaviors ◽

Male Urine ◽

Female Mice ◽

Main Olfactory Epithelium ◽

Opposite Sex

AbstractMemorizing pheromonal locations is critical for many mammalian species as it involves finding mates and avoiding competitors. In rodents, pheromonal sensing happens through both vomeronasal organ (VNO) and main olfactory epithelium (MOE). It remains unclear as to which modalities and cues are used by rodents to form these long-term memories efficiently. Here, we addressed this problem by training female mice on a multimodal task to locate pheromones by sampling volatiles emanating from male urine and associating with the dimensions of certain shapes sensed by their vibrissae. In this novel pheromone location assay, female mice’ preference towards male urine scent decayed over time while permitting them to explore pheromones versus neutral stimuli, water. On training the animals for associations involving olfactory and whisker systems, they were able to memorize the location of opposite sex pheromones, when tested 15 days later. This memory was not formed either when the somatosensory inputs through whisker pad were blocked or pheromonal cues were replaced by that of same sex. On investigating the neural correlates of volatile pheromone information processing, we observed increased neurogenesis in the main olfactory bulb (MOB) after two weeks of learning. However, the pheromonal exposure induced Whitten effect, the estrous cycle synchronization, did not cause any differences in the MOB mediated discrimination learning pace for various non-pheromonal volatiles. Our study thus provides the evidence for associations formed between different sensory modalities facilitating the long-term memory formation in social and reproductive behaviors.

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Albert Bandura: December 4, 1925–July 26, 2021

Social Behavior and Personality An International Journal ◽

10.2224/sbp.11082 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (9) ◽

pp. 1-2

Author(s):

Robert A. C. Stewart ◽

Sarah L. Krivan

Keyword(s):

Social Behavior ◽

Social Learning ◽

Human Behavior ◽

Self Efficacy ◽

Moral Disengagement ◽

Current Understanding ◽

Albert Bandura

We note, with sadness, the passing of Dr Albert Bandura, pioneer of the theories of social learning and of self-efficacy, and of the concept of moral disengagement, whose research contributions informed current understanding of human behavior. Since 1992, Dr Bandura was a member of the Board of Consulting Editors of Social Behavior and Personality: an international journal.

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Macrophage-Mediated Immune Responses: From Fatty Acids to Oxylipins

Molecules ◽

10.3390/molecules27010152 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 152

Author(s):

Barbara Balestrieri ◽

David Di Costanzo ◽

Daniel F. Dwyer

Keyword(s):

Fatty Acids ◽

Immune Responses ◽

Macrophage Polarization ◽

Current Understanding ◽

Activated Macrophages ◽

Bioactive Lipids ◽

Inflammatory Processes

Macrophages have diverse functions in the pathogenesis, resolution, and repair of inflammatory processes. Elegant studies have elucidated the metabolomic and transcriptomic profiles of activated macrophages. However, the versatility of macrophage responses in inflammation is likely due, at least in part, to their ability to rearrange their repertoire of bioactive lipids, including fatty acids and oxylipins. This review will describe the fatty acids and oxylipins generated by macrophages and their role in type 1 and type 2 immune responses. We will highlight lipidomic studies that have shaped the current understanding of the role of lipids in macrophage polarization.

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