The pattern of play behaviors in white-headed langurs from 1 to 12 months old in limestone forests, southwest China

Play behavior is a significant trait of immature nonhuman primates (hereafter primates), which may play important roles in sensory, locomotor, socio-cognitive, and developmental processes in primates. It has been suggested that function of play is to practice and improve motor skills related to foraging, avoiding predation, attracting mates, raising offspring, and also is to strength social skills concerning to cementing friendly relationships and defraying aggression among individuals. From September 2009 to August 2010, we investigated play behaviors of 1-12-month-old white-headed langur (Trachypithecus leucocephalus) which is a critically endangered primate endemic to China. During this study, we recorded 4,421 play bouts and 1,302 minutes of play time of 7 infants in total. We found that infants had different play behavior patterns at different ages. Specifically, non-social play behaviors appeared at 1 month of age, social play behaviors at 2 months, and all types of social and non-social play behaviors at 3 months. The frequency and duration of non-social play peaked at 5 months and then decreased, while social play appeared at 2 months and gradually increased with age. Non-social play did not differ between the sexes, whereas social play showed sex specificity, with higher frequency and duration of social play in male infants than in female infants. In addition, male and female white-headed langur infants appeared to prefer the individuals of same sex as social playmates. In conclusion, we first reported the pattern of play behavior of a critically endangered langur aged 1 to 12 months though the sample size is small, our results suggest they may have the adaptation of play behaviors in ages and sexes, which may help them adapt to their habitat and social system.

Ancestral smoking and developmental outcomes: A review of publications from a population birth cohort

The adverse effects on the child of maternal smoking in pregnancy is well-recognised, but little research has been carried out on the possible non-genetic effects of ancestral smoking prior to the pregnancy including parental initiation of cigarette smoking in their own childhoods or a grandmother smoking during pregnancy. Here we summarise the studies that have been published mainly using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). We demonstrate evidence that ancestral smoking prior to or during pregnancy can often be beneficial for offspring health and both ancestor- and sex-specific. More specifically, we report evidence of (i) adverse effects of the father starting to smoke pre-puberty on his son’s development; (ii) beneficial effects on the grandson if his maternal grandmother had smoked in pregnancy; and (iii) mainly adverse effects on the granddaughter when the paternal grandmother had smoked in pregnancy. The ancestor- and sex-specificity of these results is consistent with earlier studies reporting associations of health and mortality with ancestral food supply in their parents’ and grandparents’ pre-pubertal childhoods.

The Gene Expression Profile of the Song Control Nucleus HVC Shows Sex Specificity, Hormone Responsiveness, and Species Specificity Among Songbirds

Singing occurs in songbirds of both sexes, but some species show typical degrees of sex-specific performance. We studied the transcriptional sex differences in the HVC, a brain nucleus critical for song pattern generation, of the forest weaver (Ploceus bicolor), the blue-capped cordon-bleu (Uraeginthus cyanocephalus), and the canary (Serinus canaria), which are species that show low, medium, and high levels of sex-specific singing, respectively. We observed persistent sex differences in gene expression levels regardless of the species-specific sexual singing phenotypes. We further studied the HVC transcriptomes of defined phenotypes of canary, known for its testosterone-sensitive seasonal singing. By studying both sexes of canaries during both breeding and non-breeding seasons, non-breeding canaries treated with testosterone, and spontaneously singing females, we found that the circulating androgen levels and sex were the predominant variables associated with the variations in the HVC transcriptomes. The comparison of natural singing with testosterone-induced singing in canaries of the same sex revealed considerable differences in the HVC transcriptomes. Strong transcriptional changes in the HVC were detected during the transition from non-singing to singing in canaries of both sexes. Although the sex-specific genes of singing females shared little resemblance with those of males, our analysis showed potential functional convergences. Thus, male and female songbirds achieve comparable singing behaviours with sex-specific transcriptomes.

The gene expression profile of the song control nucleus HVC shows sex specificity, hormone responsiveness, and species specificity among songbirds

Singing occurs in songbirds of both sexes, but some species show typical degrees of sex-specific performance. We studied the transcriptional sex differences in the HVC, a brain nucleus critical for song pattern generation, of the forest weaver (Ploceus bicolor), the blue-capped cordon-bleu (Uraeginthus cyanocephalus), and the canary (Serinus canaria), which are species that show low, medium, and high levels of sex-specific singing, respectively. We observed persistent sex differences in gene expression levels regardless of the species-specific sexual singing phenotypes. We further studied the HVC transcriptomes of defined phenotypes of canary, known for its testosterone-sensitive seasonal singing. By studying both sexes of canaries during both breeding and nonbreeding seasons, nonbreeding canaries treated with testosterone, and spontaneously singing females, we found that the circulating androgen levels and sex were the predominant variables associated with the variations in the HVC transcriptomes. The comparison of natural singing with testosterone-induced singing in canaries of the same sex revealed considerable differences in the HVC transcriptomes. Strong transcriptional changes in the HVC were detected during the transition from nonsinging to singing in canaries of both sexes. Although the sex-specific genes of singing females shared little resemblance with those of males, our analysis showed potential functional convergences. Thus, male and female songbirds achieve comparable singing behaviours with sex-specific transcriptomes.

Association of Asthma and Rhinitis with Epigenetics of Coronavirus Related Genes

Introduction: Susceptibility factors for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) include sex and medical conditions such as asthma and rhinitis. DNA methylation (DNAm) is associated with asthma, rhinitis, and several viruses. We examined associations of asthma/rhinitis with DNAm at CpGs located on coronavirus related genes, and if these associations were sex-specific. Methods: In total, n = 242 subjects aged 26 years from the Isle of Wight Birth Cohort were included in the study. Linear regressions were used to examine sex specific and non-specific associations of DNAm at CpGs on coronavirus related genes with asthma/rhinitis status. Associations of DNAm with gene expression in blood were assessed for functional relevance of identified CpGs. Results: Statistically significant interaction effects of asthma or rhinitis with sex were identified at 40 CpGs for asthma and 27 CpGs for rhinitis. At 21 CpGs, DNAm was associated with asthma, and at 45 CpGs with rhinitis, regardless of sex. Assessment of functional relevance of the identified CpGs indicated a potential of epigenetic regulatory functionality on gene activity at 14 CpGs for asthma and 17 CpGs for rhinitis, and of those 6 CpGs for asthma and 7 CpGs for rhinitis were likely to be sex-specific. Conclusion: Subjects with asthma/rhinitis may have altered susceptibility to COVID-19 due to changes in their DNAm associated with these conditions. Sex specificity on association of asthma/rhinitis with DNAm at certain CpGs, and on the association of DNAm at asthma/rhinitis-linked CpGs with gene expression have the potential to explain the reported sex-specificity in COVID-19 morbidity and mortality.

Novel sex-specific influence of parental factors on small-for-gestational-age newborns

Since fetal programming is sex-specific, there may also be sex-specific in parental influences on newborn birth weight. We aimed to investigate the influence of parental factors on small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants of different sexes. Based on a pre-pregnancy cohort, multivariate logistic regression was used. 2275 couples were included for analysis. Significant associations were observed among paternal height, pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI), and SGA in male infants; among maternal height, pre-pregnancy BMI, and SGA in female infants, and among other maternal factors and SGA in both male and female infants. Such sex specificity may be related to genetic, epigenetic, or hormonal influences between parents and infants. In conclusion, there is a sex specificity in the effect of parental height and pre-pregnancy BMI on SGA. The data suggest that future studies on infants should consider the sex-specific differences between the effects of genetic or environmental factors and infants.