Article
Biology
Seyfullah Enes Kotil, Kalin Vetsigian
Summary: Diversity is abundant among microbial communities, and understanding the assembly of these communities is a challenge. In this study, agent-based models were used to analyze eco-evolutionary tunnels, which are important for the formation of cooperative evolutionary stable communities. The results suggest that higher order interactions are sufficient for these tunnels, and three distinct scenarios were identified. The findings shed light on the evolution of cooperation and provide insights into the importance of genetic drift and population limits in eco-evolutionary tunnels.
MATHEMATICAL BIOSCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biology
Louisiane Perrin, Elizaveta Belova, Battuya Bayarmagnai, Erkan Tuezel, Bojana Gligorijevic
Summary: Invasive and non-invasive cancer cells can invade together during cooperative invasion. A small number of invasive cells with invadopodia can drive the metastasis of heterogeneous cell clusters, and the formation of invadopodia in leader cells is essential for cooperative invasion.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lukasz Wojciech, Chin Wen Png, Eileen Y. Koh, Dorinda Yan Qin Kioh, Lei Deng, Ziteng Wang, Liang-zhe Wu, Maryam Hamidinia, Desmond W. H. Tung, Wei Zhang, Sven Pettersson, Eric Chun Yong Chan, Yongliang Zhang, Kevin S. W. Tan, Nicholas R. J. Gascoigne
Summary: The intestinal microbiome contains microorganisms that play important roles in host physiology. In a mouse model, infection with the protist Blastocystis ST7 led to ulcerative colitis-like changes in the large intestine, which were associated with a reduction in anti-inflammatory Treg cells and an increase in pro-inflammatory Th17 cells. These changes were mediated by the tryptophan metabolite indole-3-acetaldehyde (I3AA), which affected Treg cell development and recognition of self-flora antigens by conventional CD4+ T cells. The findings highlight the ability of Blastocystis and its metabolites to modulate the adaptive immune system in the context of gut inflammation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Alessandra L. Suzzi, Megan J. Huggett, Troy F. Gaston, Geoff R. MacFarlane, Md Rushna Alam, Jodie Gibb, Michael Stat
Summary: Metal contamination is a global issue that affects biodiversity in urban estuaries. Traditional methods of assessing biodiversity are expensive and time-consuming, and often miss small or hidden organisms. Metabarcoding approaches have been recognized as useful for monitoring, but have mainly been used in freshwater and marine systems, neglecting the ecological importance of estuaries. In this study, we targeted estuarine eukaryote communities in sediments of Australia's largest urban estuary, and identified specific eukaryote families that showed significant correlations with bioavailable metal concentrations. Polychaete families demonstrated tolerance to the contamination, while meiofaunal and microfaunal communities showed sensitivities that are often missed in traditional surveys.
MARINE POLLUTION BULLETIN
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Karna Gowda, Derek Ping, Madhav Mani, Seppe Kuehn
Summary: The metabolic activities of microbial communities are crucial for the evolution and persistence of life on Earth. This study shows that the dynamics of metabolites in a community can be predicted based on the genes possessed by each member of the community, providing insights into how genome evolution impacts metabolism.
Review
Biology
Michael J. Beran, Audrey E. Parrish
Summary: Non-human primates can understand tokens as currency and exchange them at optimal moments for rewards. They are also capable of accumulating rewards through delayed gratification or other exchange-based interactions.
PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kelsie Cracknell, Diego C. Garcia-Bellido, James G. Gehling, Martin J. Ankor, Simon A. F. Darroch, Imran A. Rahman
Summary: The study used three-dimensional modeling and computational fluid dynamics to investigate the suspension feeding mode of the Ediacaran pentaradial eukaryote Arkarua, revealing it as a passive suspension feeder and adding to the growing number of Ediacaran benthic suspension feeders. This suggests that the widespread suspension feeding in the early Cambrian may have played a key role in ecological innovation and escalation that led to the Cambrian explosion.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Limnology
Jun Xia, Sohiko Kameyama, Florian Prodinger, Takashi Yoshida, Kyoung-Ho Cho, Jinyoung Jung, Sung-Ho Kang, Eun-Jin Yang, Hiroyuki Ogata, Hisashi Endo
Summary: This study investigated the relationship between microbial eukaryotic communities and viruses in the northern Chukchi Sea. The results showed a significant correlation between the two communities, indicating that viruses have a strong impact on eukaryotic communities in this region of the Arctic Ocean.
LIMNOLOGY AND OCEANOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Inorganic & Nuclear
Yohei Takashima, Yuya Suwaki, Takaaki Tsuruoka, Kensuke Akamatsu
Summary: In this study, we have successfully generated a series of cooperative catalysts by immobilizing a Co(salen) complex in a metal-organic framework (MOF). The cooperative catalytic activities were optimized by tuning the amount of Co(salen) in the MOF.
DALTON TRANSACTIONS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Thanga Bhuvanesh, Yan Nie, Rainhard Machatschek, Nan Ma, Andreas Lendlein
Summary: In this study, self-assembly of laminin-111 into ultrathin films at the air-water interface is investigated. The films exhibit self-healing, self-renewal, growth, and mechanical support capabilities. Furthermore, the assembly of laminin-111 on preformed collagen-IV sheets results in a bilayer mimicking the basal lamina. These findings contribute to the understanding of the assembly, maintenance, and functioning of complex material systems in natural tissues.
ADVANCED FUNCTIONAL MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Biology
Ye Li, Shiqi Liu, Yingdan Zhang, Zi Jing Seng, Haoran Xu, Liang Yang, Yilin Wu
Summary: This study reports a unique form of actively regulated long-range directed material transport in structured bacterial communities, mediated by biosurfactants secreted by cells. This mechanism helps to eradicate colonies of a competing species.
Article
Computer Science, Information Systems
Liana Toderean, Viorica Rozina Chifu, Tudor Cioara, Ionut Anghel, Cristina Bianca Pop
Summary: The decentralized cooperation and aggregation of household prosumers in energy communities are crucial for increasing renewable energy penetration and ensuring successful energy transition. However, prosumers are not sufficiently motivated to participate in local energy value chains due to the lack of trust and decentralized cooperation models. Existing innovation efforts focus mainly on low financial incentives. In this paper, we propose a solution that utilizes cooperative games on a blockchain overlay to facilitate decentralized coordination among prosumers in self-sufficient energy communities. The proposed model considers complementary energy features and flexibility mobilization. Evaluation results demonstrate the effectiveness of our solution in promoting prosumers' cooperation and achieving energy self-sufficiency with minimal difference between consumption and production in the community.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jamie M. Newton, Emma L. Betts, Lyto Yiangou, Jose Ortega Roldan, Anastasios D. Tsaousis, Gary S. Thompson
Summary: Blastocystis is an opportunistic parasite commonly found in the intestines of humans and other animals, but there is limited knowledge about its biology. Analyzing its metabolites can reveal its role in health and disease. Using methanol as an extraction solvent and bead bashing as a lysis technique, carrying out the procedure at room temperature provides a consistent and efficient method to extract metabolites from Blastocystis for NMR analysis.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Yeji Lee, Vineeth Kumar Bandari, Zhe Li, Mariana Medina-Sanchez, Manfred F. Maitz, Daniil Karnaushenko, Mikhail Tsurkan, Dmitriy D. Karnaushenko, Oliver G. Schmidt
Summary: The researchers have developed a tiny but powerful tubular biosupercapacitor that can deliver up to 1.6 V in blood, effectively solving the self-discharging issue of miniaturized supercapacitors. This technology holds promise for next-generation implants and microrobotic systems to achieve autonomous operation in hard-to-reach spaces within the human body.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Industrial
Fereshteh Mafakheri, Dotun Adebanjo, Audley Genus
Summary: The absence of economies of scale is a major barrier in using renewable energy sources in small and dispersed off-grid remote communities. Coordinating biomass supply chains can improve cost efficiency and reliability of bioenergy generation in these communities.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Felicity Liew, Shubha Talwar, Andy Cross, Brian J. Willett, Sam Scott, Nicola Logan, Matthew K. Siggins, Dawid Swieboda, Jasmin K. Sidhu, Claudia Efstathiou, Shona C. Moore, Chris Davis, Noura Mohamed, Jose Nunag, Clara King, A. A. Roger Thompson, Sarah L. Rowland-Jones, Annemarie B. Docherty, James D. Chalmers, Ling-Pei Ho, Alexander Horsley, Betty Raman, Krisnah Poinasamy, Michael Marks, Onn Min Kon, Luke Howard, Daniel G. Wootton, Susanna Dunachie, Jennifer K. Quint, Rachael A. Evans, Louise V. Wain, Sara Fontanella, Thushan I. de Silva, Antonia Ho, Ewen Harrison, J. Kenneth Baillie, Malcolm G. Semple, Christopher Brightling, Ryan S. Thwaites, Lance Turtle, Peter J. M. Openshaw
Summary: This study examined the nasal and plasma antibody responses in COVID-19 hospitalized patients one year after discharge and vaccination. The findings showed sustained elevated antibody responses in both nasal and plasma samples for at least 12 months, but the nasal antibody response was minimally influenced by vaccination. These findings highlight the importance of developing vaccines that enhance nasal immunity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Christoph B. Messner, Vadim Demichev, Julia Muenzner, Simran K. Aulakh, Natalie Barthel, Annika Roehl, Lucia Herrera-Dominguez, Anna-Sophia Egger, Stephan Kamrad, Jing Hou, Guihong Tan, Oliver Lemke, Enrica Calvani, Lukasz Szyrwiel, Michael Muelleder, Kathryn S. Lilley, Charles Boone, Georg Kustatscher, Markus Ralser
Summary: Functional genomic strategies are crucial for gene function annotation and regulatory network analysis. In this study, we integrated functional genomics with proteomics to quantify protein abundances in a large-scale knockout library of Saccharomyces cerevisiae using data-independent acquisition mass spectrometry. Our findings indicate that global protein expression is influenced by a complex interplay of biological and functional properties, and functional proteomics can complement current gene annotation strategies. This study provides insights into the principles governing protein expression and offers a valuable resource for functional annotation.
Editorial Material
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Johannes Hartl, Florian Kurth, Kai Kappert, David Horst, Michael Muelleder, Gunther Hartmann, Markus Ralser
Summary: The use of protein biomarker panels in precision medicine has the potential to improve diagnosis, prognosis, and differentiation between responders and nonresponders. However, the integration of proteomics into clinical practice has been limited. This article highlights the significance of quantitative protein biomarker panels in clinical medicine and discusses the challenges that need to be addressed in order to fully utilize their medical potential.
EMBO MOLECULAR MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Dirk Reinhold, Vadim Farztdinov, Yan Yan, Christian Meisel, Henrik Sadlowski, Joachim Kuehn, Frank H. Perschel, Matthias Endres, Emrah Duezel, Stefan Vielhaber, Karina Guttek, Alexander Goihl, Morten Veno, Bianca Teegen, Winfried Stoecker, Paula Stubbemann, Florian Kurth, Leif E. Sander, Markus Ralser, Carolin Otto, Simon Streit, Sven Jarius, Klemens Ruprecht, Helena Radbruch, Jorgen Kjems, Michael Muelleder, Frank Heppner, Peter Koertvelyessy
Summary: Patients with COVID-19 may experience various neurological symptoms, but the role of the central nervous system (CNS) in COVID-19 is still unclear. The inflammatory response in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of COVID-19 patients was studied, and it was found that there were attenuated inflammatory changes compared to patients with herpes simplex virus encephalitis (HSVE). The inflammatory mediators in the CSF of COVID-19 patients were likely derived from the systemic circulation rather than produced within the CNS. Further investigation is needed to understand the relevance of blood-derived mediators of inflammation in the CSF for neurological COVID-19 and post-COVID-19 symptoms.
JOURNAL OF NEUROINFLAMMATION
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Carmen Scheibenbogen, Judith Theresia Bellmann-Strobl, Cornelia Heindrich, Kirsten Wittke, Elisa Stein, Christiana Franke, Harald Pruess, Hannah Pressler, Marie-Luise Machule, Heinrich Audebert, Carsten Finke, Hanna Gwendolyn Zimmermann, Birgit Sawitzki, Christian Meisel, Markus Toelle, Anne Krueger, Anna C. Aschenbrenner, Joachim L. Schultze, Marc D. Beyer, Markus Ralser, Michael Muelleder, Leif Erik Sander, Frank Konietschke, Friedemann Paul, Silvia Stojanov, Lisa Bruckert, Dennis M. Hedderich, Franziska Knolle, Gabriela Riemekasten, Maria J. G. T. Vehreschild, Oliver A. Cornely, Uta Behrends, Susen Burock
Summary: The sequela of COVID-19, known as post-COVID-19 condition or syndrome (PCS), encompasses a range of symptoms caused by immune dysregulation, autoimmunity, endothelial dysfunction, viral persistence, and viral reactivation. However, it is unclear whether different clinical subgroups of PCS can be distinguished based on the expression of biomarkers. There is an overlap between symptoms and mechanisms of PCS and postinfectious myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Currently, there are no curative therapies available for ME/CFS or PCS, but the identified mechanisms provide targets for therapeutic interventions. To accelerate the development of therapies, it is proposed to evaluate drugs targeting different mechanisms in clinical trial networks using harmonized diagnostic and outcome criteria and subgroup patients based on comprehensive clinical profiling, including diagnostic and biomarker phenotyping.
FRONTIERS IN MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Deepti Talwar, Colin G. G. Miller, Justus Grossmann, Lukasz Szyrwiel, Torsten Schwecke, Vadim Demichev, Ana-Matea Mikecin Drazic, Anand Mayakonda, Pavlo Lutsik, Carmen Veith, Michael D. D. Milsom, Karin Mueller-Decker, Michael Muelleder, Markus Ralser, Tobias P. P. Dick
Summary: This study reveals that human and mouse cells expressing a redox-insensitive GAPDH mutant are unable to upregulate the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in response to oxidative stress. The redox switch of GAPDH plays a crucial role in anchorage-independent growth of cells and spheroids as well as tumor growth, and disabling this switch can suppress tumor growth. The findings demonstrate the physiological and pathophysiological relevance of oxidative GAPDH inactivation in mammals.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Hamish J. C. McAuley, Rachael A. Evans, Charlotte E. Bolton, Christopher E. Brightling, James D. Chalmers, Annemarie B. Docherty, Omer Elneima, Paul L. Greenhaff, Ayushman Gupta, Victoria C. Harris, Ewen M. Harrison, Ling-Pei Ho, Alex Horsley, Linzy Houchen-Wolloff, Caroline J. Jolley, Olivia C. Leavy, Nazir I. Lone, William D. C. Man, Michael Marks, Dhruv Parekh, Krisnah Poinasamy, Jennifer K. Quint, Betty Raman, Matthew Richardson, Ruth M. Saunders, Marco Sereno, Aarti Shikotra, Amisha Singapuri, Sally J. Singh, Michael Steiner, Ai Lyn Tan, Louise Wain, Carly Welch, Julie Whitney, Miles D. Witham, Janet Lord, Neil J. Greening, HOSP-COVID Study Collaborat Grp
Summary: This study recruited COVID-19 survivors in the UK and objectively measured frailty using FFP. The results showed that frailty and pre-frailty are common after hospitalization with COVID-19, and comprehensive assessment and interventions targeting frailty are needed beyond the initial illness.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Bang Zheng, Giulia Vivaldi, Luke Daines, Olivia C. Leavy, Matthew Richardson, Omer Elneima, Hamish J. C. McAuley, Aarti Shikotra, Amisha Singapuri, Marco Sereno, Ruth M. Saunders, Victoria C. Harris, Linzy Houchen-Wolloff, Neil J. Greening, Paul E. Pfeffer, John R. Hurst, Jeremy S. Brown, Manu Shankar-Hari, Carlos Echevarria, Anthony De Soyza, Ewen M. Harrison, Annemarie B. Docherty, Nazir Lone, Jennifer K. Quint, James D. Chalmers, Ling-Pei Ho, Alex Horsley, Michael Marks, Krishna Poinasamy, Betty Raman, Liam G. Heaney, Louise V. Wain, Rachael A. Evans, Christopher E. Brightling, Adrian Martineau, Aziz Sheikh
Summary: This study investigated the determinants of recovery from dyspnoea in adults with COVID-19 and compared them to non-COVID-19 patients. The results showed that the factors associated with dyspnoea recovery in COVID-19 patients were similar to those in non-COVID-19 patients. These factors included age, gender, obesity status, mental health, cardiovascular disease, and length of hospital admission.
LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH-EUROPE
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Lisa J. Kahl, Nina Stremmel, M. Alejandra Esparza-Mora, Rachel M. Wheatley, R. Craig Maclean, Markus Ralser
Summary: This review focuses on the co-occurrence and co-infections of Candida albicans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, two pathogens that occupy multiple infection niches in the human body. The interaction between these pathogens influences microbe-host interactions, antimicrobial effectiveness, and infection outcomes, thus requiring adapted treatment strategies.
CURRENT OPINION IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Matthew E. H. White, Ludwig R. Sinn, D. Marc Jones, Joost de Folter, Simran Kaur Aulakh, Ziyue Wang, Helen R. Flynn, Lynn Krueger, Pinkus Tober-Lau, Vadim Demichev, Florian Kurth, Michael Muelleder, Veronique Blanchard, Christoph B. Messner, Markus Ralser
Summary: A technique named 'OxoScan-MS' allows for the large-scale quantification of glycopeptides in plasma samples. By applying this technique, the study identified differential glycosylation in COVID-19 patients compared to healthy controls in various disease-relevant plasma glycoproteins. This technique has the potential for the quantitative mapping of glycoproteomes in a large number of samples.
NATURE BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING
(2023)
Book Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Markus Ralser, Nick Lane
NATURE REVIEWS CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Tara Teslaa, Markus Ralser, Jing Fan, Joshua D. Rabinowitz
Summary: The pentose phosphate pathway (PPP) is a glucose-oxidizing pathway that produces ribose 5-phosphate and NADPH. It plays a critical role in suppressing oxidative stress and supports the generation of reactive species for signaling and pathogen killing. Genetic deficiencies in the PPP, particularly in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD), can lead to hemolytic anemia and infections. This review comprehensively discusses the role of PPP in biochemistry, physiology, and disease.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Laure Bosquillon de Jarcy, Bengisu Akbil, Baxolele Mhlekude, Johanna Leyens, Dylan Postmus, Greta Harnisch, Jenny Jansen, Marie L. Schmidt, Annette Aigner, Fabian Pott, Robert Lorenz Chua, Lilian Krist, Roberta Gentile, Barbara Muehlemann, Terence C. Jones, Daniela Niemeyer, Julia Fricke, Thomas Keil, Tobias Pischon, Juergen Janke, Christian Conrad, Stefano Iacobelli, Christian Drosten, Victor M. Corman, Markus Ralser, Roland Eils, Florian Kurth, Leif Sander, Christine Goffinet
Summary: The expression levels of 90K/LGALS3BP protein were found to be elevated in COVID-19 patients. The SARS-CoV-2 infection inhibited the levels of PBMC-associated 90K protein, suggesting increased release into the extracellular space. Monocyte-specific induction of LGALS3BP mRNA expression was also observed in COVID-19 patients.
CLINICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Review
Microbiology
Christian Kost, Kiran Raosaheb Patil, Jonathan Friedman, Sarahi L. Garcia, Markus Ralser
Summary: Microbial communities are shaped by ecological and environmental interactions, where antagonistic and synergistic interactions play important roles in driving their structure and dynamics.
NATURE MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)