scholarly journals Becoming a better parent: mice learn sounds that improve a stereotyped maternal behavior

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexander G. Dunlap ◽  
Cristina Besosa ◽  
Leila M. Pascual ◽  
Kelly K. Chong ◽  
Hasse Walum ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Search Strategy ◽  
Parental Behavior ◽  
Infant Care ◽  
Retrieval Task ◽  
Care Experience ◽  
Sensory Learning ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Motivational Changes

AbstractWhile mothering is often instinctive and stereotyped in species-specific ways, evolution can favor genetically “open” behavior programs that allow experience to shape infant care. Among experience-dependent maternal behavioral mechanisms, sensory learning about infants has been hard to isolate from motivational changes arising from sensitization with infants. We developed a paradigm where sensory learning of an infant-associated cue improves a stereotypical maternal behavior in female mice. Mice instinctively employed a spatial memory-based strategy when engaged repetitively in a pup search and retrieval task. However, by playing a sound from a T-maze arm to signal where a pup will be delivered for retrieval, mice learned within 7 days and retained for at least 2 weeks the ability to use this specific cue to guide a more efficient search strategy. The motivation to retrieve pups also increased, but that alone did not sufficiently explain the shift in search strategy. Bilaterally silencing auditory cortical activity significantly impaired the new strategy without changing the motivation to retrieve pups. Finally, motherhood as compared to infant-care experience alone accelerated how quickly the new sensory-based strategy was acquired, suggesting a role for the maternal hormonal state. By rigorously establishing that newly formed sensory associations can improve the performance of a natural maternal behavior, this work facilitates future studies into the neurochemical and circuit mechanisms that mediate novel sensory learning in the maternal context, as well as more learning-based mechanisms of parental behavior in rodents.

Perceived Maternal Child-Rearing Behavior among Disabled and Non-Disabled Adolescents

1977 ◽  
Vol 44 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 1095-1105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis C. Harper
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Parental Behavior ◽  
Child Rearing ◽  
One Dimension ◽  
Severity Of Disability ◽  
The Disabled ◽  
Partial Correlations ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

The purposes of this study were (a) to contrast the reported perceptions of maternal rearing using the Child's Report of Parental Behavior Inventory of 70 disabled (cerebral palsied) and 70 non-disabled adolescents of similar sex, age, intelligence, and socioeconomic status and (b) to evaluate the impact of severity of physical impairment within the disabled group. Analyses of variance were completed using group (disabled/controls) as one dimension and sex as the within-groups source. Partial correlations were used to assess the relationship between severity of incapacitation and perceived maternal behavior. Of the 18 main effects, two were significant, suggesting that the non-disabled perceived their mothers as more possessive and intrusive than did the disabled. Males perceived their mothers as significantly more lax in discipline and allowing more autonomy than did females. Severity of disability was only modestly related to perceived maternal behavior. With this sample of disabled adolescents it was suggested that a physically handicapping condition and its severity may be of more limited influence in the maternal rearing process than assumed.

scholarly journals Shine: To explore specific, sensitive and conserved biomarkers from massive microbial genomic data within intrapopulations.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cong Ji ◽  
Junbin Jack Shao
Keyword(s):  
False Negative ◽  
Genomic Data ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Pcr Primers ◽  
Detection Sensitivity ◽  
Nucleic Acid Detection ◽  
Pathogenic Microorganisms ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Microbial Genomic ◽  
Species Specific

To improve the quality of nucleic acid detection reagents, we provided a new strategy, Shine, to explore specific, sensitive and conserved biomarkers from massive microbial genomic data within intrapopulations in order to improve detection sensitivity and accuracy. It is obvious that the more comprehensive genomic data are, the more effective the detection biomarkers. Here, we demonstrated that our method could detect undiscovered multicopy conserved species-specific or even subspecies-specific target fragments, according to several clinical projects. In particular, this approach was effective for any pathogenic microorganism even in incompletely assembled motifs. Based on our strategy, the detection device designed with quantitative PCR primers and probes for systematic and automated detection of pathogenic microorganisms in biological samples may cover all pathogenic microorganisms without limits based on genome annotation. On the website https://bioinfo.liferiver.com.cn, users may select different configuration parameters depending on the purpose of the project to realize routine clinical detection practices. Therefore, it is recommended that our strategy is suitable to identify shared universal phylogenetic markers with few false positive or false negative errors and to automate the design of minimal primers and probes to detect pathogenic communities with cost-effective predictive power.

Maternal Behavior and Family Constellation as Predictors of Social Competence in Learning Disabled Children

1978 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 80-86 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judith Horen Freund ◽  
Richard Elardo
Keyword(s):  
Learning Disabilities ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Preliminary Data ◽  
Social Relationship ◽  
Parental Behavior ◽  
Learning Disabled ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Disabled Children ◽  
Family Constellation ◽  
The Social

The extent to which the social relationship deficits exhibited by some learning disabled children might be associated with parental behavior is largely undetermined. This study is an attempt to analyze a variety of factors related to maternal behavior and family constellations in a learning disabled population. While the study suffers from a small number of subjects, the results provide preliminary data in a research area largely neglected in learning disabilities.

scholarly journals Introduction of the Aspergillus fumigatus α-1,2-mannosidase MsdS into Trichoderma reesei leads to abnormal polarity and improves the ligno-cellulose degradation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prakriti Sharma Ghimire ◽  
Haomiao Ouyang ◽  
Guangya Zhao ◽  
Mingming Xie ◽  
Hui Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽  
Trichoderma Reesei ◽  
Protein Secretion ◽  
Cellulose Degradation ◽  
Fungal Cell ◽  
Wall Defect ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
First Time

ABSTRACTα-1,2-Mannosidase is an important enzyme essential for N-glycan processing and plays a significant role in the biosynthesis and organization of fungal cell wall. Lacking of α-1,2-mannosidase leads to cell wall defect in yeast and filamentous fungi. Trichoderma reesei is known to be non-toxic to human, and its N-glycan on secreted glycoprotein is Man8GlcNAc2. To evaluate the significance of the N-glycan processing in T. reesei, in this study Aspergillus fumigatus α-1, 2-mannosidase MsdS, an enzyme that cleaves N-linked Man8GlcNAc2 in Golgi to produce Man6GlcNAc2 on secreted glycoprotein, was introduced into T. reesei. The msdS-expressing strain Tr-MsdS produced a major glycoform of Man6GlcNAc2 on its secreted glycoproteins, instead of Man8GlcNAc2 in the parent strain. Although the cell wall content of msdS-expressing strain Tr-MsdS was changed, it appeared that the cell wall integrity was not affected. However, phenotypes such as increased conidiation, multiple budding and random branching were observed in strain Tr-MsdS. In addition, expression of MsdS into T. ressei also affected protein secretion and improved the ligno-cellulose degradation of T. reesei. Our results indicate that processing of the N-glycan is species-specific and plays an important role in protein secretion in T. reesei, specially cellulases. Also, our results provide a new strategy to improve cellulases production by interfering the N-glycan processing in T. reesei.ImportanceFor the first time, the N-glycan processing is shown to play an important role in polarized growth and protein secretion in T. reesei. In addition, our results show that alterated N-glycan processing enhances cellulose degradation, which provides a strategy to improve cellulases production in T. reesei.

Introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-3
Author(s):  
Michael Numan
Keyword(s):  
Natural Selection ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Parental Behavior ◽  
Evolutionary Perspective ◽  
Parental Cognitions ◽  
Caregiving System ◽  
Intergenerational Continuity ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
The Brain ◽  
Parental Brain

The introduction provides a brief overview of the book, describing its three major themes: (a) the mechanisms through which the brain regulates parental behavior in nonhuman mammals and parental cognitions, emotions, and behavior in humans; (b) the experiential and genetic factors that affect the development of the parental brain, with a focus on the intergenerational continuity of normal and abnormal parental behavior; and (c) an evolutionary perspective based on the fact that maternal behavior is the most basic mammalian caregiving system. It is proposed that the parental brain served as a foundation upon which natural selection acted to result in the evolution of other forms of strong prosocial behaviors in mammals, including humans.

scholarly journals Conserved Interaction of Lentiviral Vif Molecules with HIV-1 Gag and Differential Effects of Species-Specific Vif on Virus Production

2017 ◽  
Vol 91 (7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenwen Zheng ◽  
Limian Ling ◽  
Zhaolong Li ◽  
Hong Wang ◽  
Yajuan Rui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Virus Assembly ◽  
Virus Production ◽  
Bovine Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
Reading Frame ◽  
Virion Infectivity Factor ◽  
Immunodeficiency Virus ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Hiv 1

ABSTRACT The virion infectivity factor (Vif) open reading frame is conserved among most lentiviruses. Vif molecules contribute to viral replication by inactivating host antiviral factors, the APOBEC3 cytidine deaminases. However, various species of lentiviral Vif proteins have evolved different strategies for overcoming host APOBEC3. Whether different species of lentiviral Vif proteins still preserve certain common features has not been reported. Here, we show for the first time that diverse lentiviral Vif molecules maintain the ability to interact with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) Gag precursor (Pr55Gag) polyprotein. Surprisingly, bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) Vif, but not HIV-1 Vif, interfered with HIV-1 production and viral infectivity even in the absence of APOBEC3. Further analysis revealed that BIV Vif demonstrated an enhanced interaction with Pr55Gag compared to that of HIV-1 Vif, and BIV Vif defective for the Pr55Gag interaction lost its ability to inhibit HIV-1. The C-terminal region of capsid (CA) and the p2 region of Pr55Gag, which are important for virus assembly and maturation, were involved in the interaction. Transduction of CD4+ T cells with BIV Vif blocked HIV-1 replication. Thus, the conserved Vif-Pr55Gag interaction provides a potential target for the future development of antiviral strategies. IMPORTANCE The conserved Vif accessory proteins of primate lentiviruses HIV-1, simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV), and BIV all form ubiquitin ligase complexes to target host antiviral APOBEC3 proteins for degradation, with different cellular requirements and using different molecular mechanisms. Here, we demonstrate that BIV Vif can interfere with HIV-1 Gag maturation and suppress HIV-1 replication through interaction with the precursor of the Gag (Pr55Gag) of HIV-1 in virus-producing cells. Moreover, the HIV-1 and SIV Vif proteins are conserved in terms of their interactions with HIV-1 Pr55Gag although HIV-1 Vif proteins bind Pr55Gag less efficiently than those of BIV Vif. Our research not only sheds new light on this feature of these conserved lentiviral Vif proteins but also provides a formerly unrecognized target for the development of antiviral strategies. Since increasing the Vif-Pr55Gag interaction could potentially suppress virus proliferation, this approach could offer a new strategy for the development of HIV inhibitors.

scholarly journals Introduction of the Aspergillus fumigatus α-1,2-mannosidase MsdS into Trichoderma reesei improves the ligno-cellulose degradation

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prakriti Sharma Ghimire ◽  
Haomiao Ouyang ◽  
Guangya Zhao ◽  
Mingming Xie ◽  
Hui Zhou ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Wall ◽  
Aspergillus Fumigatus ◽  
Trichoderma Reesei ◽  
Protein Secretion ◽  
Cellulose Degradation ◽  
Fungal Cell ◽  
Wall Defect ◽  
New Strategy ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Important Enzyme

Abstract Background: a-1,2-Mannosidase is an important enzyme essential for N-glycan processing and plays a significant role in the biosynthesis and organization of fungal cell wall. Lacking of α-1,2-mannosidase leads to cell wall defect in yeast and filamentous fungi. In Trichoderma reesei, a fungus known to be non-toxic to human, its N-glycan on secreted glycoprotein is Man8GlcNAc2, which is different from that in Aspergillus fumigatus. To evaluate the significance of the N-glycan processing in T. reesei, in this study A. fumigatus α-1, 2-mannosidase MsdS, an enzyme that cleaves N-linked Man8GlcNAc2 in Golgi to produce Man6GlcNAc2 on secreted glycoprotein, was introduced into T. reesei.Results: The msdS-expressing strain Tr-MsdS produced a major glycoform of Man6GlcNAc2 on its secreted glycoproteins, instead of Man8GlcNAc2 in the parent strain. Although the cell wall content of msdS-expressing strain Tr-MsdS was changed, it appeared that the cell wall integrity was not affected. However, phenotypes such as increased conidiation, multiple budding and random branching were observed in strain Tr-MsdS. In addition, expression of MsdS into T. ressei also affected protein secretion and improved the ligno-cellulose degradation of T. reesei.Conclusions: Our results indicate that processing of the N-glycan is species-specific and plays an important role in protein secretion in T. reesei, specially cellulases. Also, our results provide a new strategy to improve cellulases production by interfering the N-glycan processing in T. reesei.

scholarly journals Sex-Specific Differences in Oxytocin Receptor Expression and Function for Parental Behavior

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 1-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariela Mitre ◽  
Thorsten M. Kranz ◽  
Bianca J. Marlin ◽  
Jennifer K. Schiavo ◽  
Hediye Erdjument-Bromage ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Auditory Cortex ◽  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Parental Behavior ◽  
Oxytocin Receptor ◽  
Receptor Expression ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Female Mice ◽  
Oxytocin Receptors ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
And Function

Parental care is among the most profound behavior expressed by humans and other animals. Despite intense interest in understanding the biological basis of parental behaviors, it remains unknown how much of parenting is encoded by the genome and which abilities instead are learned or can be refined by experience. One critical factor at the intersection between innate behaviors and experience-dependent learning is oxytocin, a neurohormone important for maternal physiology and neuroplasticity. Oxytocin acts throughout the body and brain to promote prosocial and maternal behaviors and modulates synaptic transmission to affect neural circuit dynamics. Recently we developed specific antibodies to mouse oxytocin receptors, found that oxytocin receptors are left lateralized in female auditory cortex, and examined how oxytocin enables maternal behavior by sensitizing the cortex to infant distress sounds. In this study we compare oxytocin receptor expression and function in male and female mice. Receptor expression is higher in adult female left auditory cortex than in right auditory cortex or males. Developmental profiles and mRNA expression were comparable between males and females. Behaviorally, male and female mice began expressing parental behavior similarly after cohousing with experienced females; however, oxytocin enhanced parental behavior onset in females but not males. This suggests that left lateralization of oxytocin receptor expression in females provides a mechanism for accelerating maternal behavior onset, although male mice can also effectively co-parent after experience with infants. The sex-specific pattern of oxytocin receptor expression might genetically predispose female cortex to respond to infant cues, which both males and females can also rapidly learn.

The Parental Brain

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Numan
Keyword(s):  
Maternal Behavior ◽  
Parental Behavior ◽  
Mammalian Species ◽  
Cortical Circuits ◽  
Paternal Behavior ◽  
Feeling States ◽  
Alloparental Behavior ◽  
Parental Brain ◽  
Development And Evolution ◽  
Epigenetic Processes

The Parental Brain: Mechanisms, Development, and Evolution takes a three-pronged approach to the parental brain. The first part of the book deals with neural mechanisms. Subcortical circuits are crucially involved in parental behavior, and, for most mammals, the physiological events of pregnancy and parturition prime these circuits so that they become responsive to infant stimuli, allowing for the onset of maternal behavior at parturition. However, since paternal behavior and alloparental behavior occur in some mammalian species, alternate mechanisms are shown to exist that regulate the access of infant stimuli to these circuits. In humans, cortical circuits interact with subcortical circuits so that parental feeling states (emotions) and cognitions can be translated into parental behavior. The section on development emphasizes the experiential basis of the intergenerational continuity of normal and abnormal maternal behavior in animals and humans: The way a mother treats her infant affects the development of the infant’s brain and subsequent maternal behavior. Genetic factors, including epigenetic processes and gene by environment (G × E) interactions, are also involved. The chapter on evolution presents evidence that the parental brain most likely provided the foundation or template for other strong prosocial bonds. In particular, cortical and subcortical parental brain circuits have probably been utilized by natural selection to promote the evolution of the hyper-cooperation and hyper-prosociality that exist in human social groups. A unique aspect of this book is its integration of animal and human research to create a complete understanding of the parental brain.

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