Relationship between Spatial Working Memory Performance and Diet Specialization in Two Sympatric Nectar Bats

Behavioural ecologists increasingly recognise spatial memory as one the most influential cognitive traits involved in evolutionary processes. In particular, spatial working memory (SWM), i.e. the ability of animals to store temporarily useful information for current foraging tasks, determines the foraging efficiency of individuals. As a consequence, SWM also has the potential to influence competitive abilities and to affect patterns of sympatric occurrence among closely related species. The present study aims at comparing the efficiency of SWM between generalist (Glossophaga soricina) and specialist (Leptonycteris yerbabuenae) nectarivorous bats at flowering patches. The two species differ in diet – the generalist diet including seasonally fruits and insects with nectar and pollen while the specialist diet is dominated by nectar and pollen yearlong – and in some morphological traits – the specialist being heavier and with proportionally longer rostrum than the generalist. These bats are found sympatrically within part of their range in the Neotropics. We habituated captive individuals to feed on artificial flower patches and we used infrared video recordings to monitor their ability to remember and avoid the spatial location of flowers they emptied in previous visits in the course of 15-min foraging sequences. Experiments revealed that both species rely on SWM as their foraging success attained significantly greater values than random expectations. However, the nectar specialist L. yerbabuenae was significantly more efficient at extracting nectar (+28% in foraging success), and sustained longer foraging bouts (+27% in length of efficient foraging sequences) than the generalist G. soricina. These contrasting SWM performances are discussed in relation to diet specialization and other life history traits

Is there a common water-activity limit for the three domains of life?

Archaea and Bacteria constitute a majority of life systems on Earth but have long been considered inferior to Eukarya in terms of solute tolerance. Whereas the most halophilic prokaryotes are known for an ability to multiply at saturated NaCl (water activity (a w) 0.755) some xerophilic fungi can germinate, usually at high-sugar concentrations, at values as low as 0.650-0.605 a w. Here, we present evidence that halophilic prokayotes can grow down to water activities of <0.755 for Halanaerobium lacusrosei (0.748), Halobacterium strain 004.1 (0.728), Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 and Halococcus morrhuae (0.717), Haloquadratum walsbyi (0.709), Halococcus salifodinae (0.693), Halobacterium noricense (0.687), Natrinema pallidum (0.681) and haloarchaeal strains GN-2 and GN-5 (0.635 a w). Furthermore, extrapolation of growth curves (prone to giving conservative estimates) indicated theoretical minima down to 0.611 a w for extreme, obligately halophilic Archaea and Bacteria. These were compared with minima for the most solute-tolerant Bacteria in high-sugar (or other non-saline) media (Mycobacterium spp., Tetragenococcus halophilus, Saccharibacter floricola, Staphylococcus aureus and so on) and eukaryotic microbes in saline (Wallemia spp., Basipetospora halophila, Dunaliella spp. and so on) and high-sugar substrates (for example, Xeromyces bisporus, Zygosaccharomyces rouxii, Aspergillus and Eurotium spp.). We also manipulated the balance of chaotropic and kosmotropic stressors for the extreme, xerophilic fungi Aspergillus penicilloides and X. bisporus and, via this approach, their established water-activity limits for mycelial growth (∼0.65) were reduced to 0.640. Furthermore, extrapolations indicated theoretical limits of 0.632 and 0.636 a w for A. penicilloides and X. bisporus, respectively. Collectively, these findings suggest that there is a common water-activity limit that is determined by physicochemical constraints for the three domains of life

Potassium and Sodium Transport in Yeast

[EN] As the proper maintenance of intracellular potassium and sodium concentrations is vital for cell growth, all living organisms have developed a cohort of strategies to maintain proper monovalent cation homeostasis. In the model yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, potassium is accumulated to relatively high concentrations and is required for many aspects of cellular function, whereas high intracellular sodium/potassium ratios are detrimental to cell growth and survival. The fact that S. cerevisiae cells can grow in the presence of a broad range of concentrations of external potassium (10 M–2.5 M) and sodium (up to 1.5 M) indicates the existence of robust mechanisms that have evolved to maintain intracellular concentrations of these cations within appropriate limits. In this review, current knowledge regarding potassium and sodium transporters and their regulation will be summarized. The cellular responses to high sodium and potassium and potassium starvation will also be discussed, as well as applications of this knowledge to diverse fields, including antifungal treatments, bioethanol production and human disease.L.Y. is funded by grant BFU2011-30197-C03-03 from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Madrid, Spain) and EUI2009-04147 [Systems Biology of Microorganisms (SysMo2) European Research Area-Network (ERA-NET)].Yenush, L. (2016). Potassium and Sodium Transport in Yeast. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology. 892:187-228. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-25304-6_8S187228892Ahmed A, Sesti F, Ilan N, Shih TM, Sturley SL et al (1999) A molecular target for viral killer toxin: TOK1 potassium channels. Cell 99:283–291Albert A, Yenush L, Gil-Mascarell MR, Rodriguez PL, Patel S et al (2000) X-ray structure of yeast Hal2p, a major target of lithium and sodium toxicity, and identification of framework interactions determining cation sensitivity. J Mol Biol 295:927–938Albertyn J, Hohmann S, Thevelein JM, Prior BA (1994) GPD1, which encodes glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, is essential for growth under osmotic stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and its expression is regulated by the high-osmolarity glycerol response pathway. Mol Cell Biol 14:4135–4144Alepuz PM, Cunningham KW, Estruch F (1997) Glucose repression affects ion homeostasis in yeast through the regulation of the stress-activated ENA1 gene. Mol Microbiol 26:91–98Ali R, Brett CL, Mukherjee S, Rao R (2004) Inhibition of sodium/proton exchange by a Rab-GTPase-activating protein regulates endosomal traffic in yeast. J Biol Chem 279:4498–4506Alijo R, Ramos J (1993) Several routes of activation of the potassium uptake system of yeast. Biochim Biophys Acta 1179:224–228Anderson JA, Huprikar SS, Kochian LV, Lucas WJ, Gaber RF (1992) Functional expression of a probable Arabidopsis thaliana potassium channel in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 89:3736–3740Anderson JA, Nakamura RL, Gaber RF (1994) Heterologous expression of K+ channels in Saccharomyces cerevisiae: strategies for molecular analysis of structure and function. Symp Soc Exp Biol 48:85–97André B, Scherens B (1995) The yeast YBR235w gene encodes a homolog of the mammalian electroneutral Na(+)-(K+)-C1- cotransporter family. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 217:150–153Andrés MT, Viejo-Díaz M, Fierro JF (2008) Human lactoferrin induces apoptosis-like cell death in Candida albicans: critical role of K+-channel-mediated K+ efflux. Antimicrob Agents Chemother 52:4081–4088Anemaet IG, van Heusden GP (2014) Transcriptional response of Saccharomyces cerevisiae to potassium starvation. BMC Genomics 15:1040Arino J, Ramos J, Sychrova H (2010) Alkali metal cation transport and homeostasis in yeasts. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 74:95–120Babazadeh R, Furukawa T, Hohmann S, Furukawa K (2014) Rewiring yeast osmostress signalling through the MAPK network reveals essential and non-essential roles of Hog1 in osmoadaptation. Sci Rep 4:4697Baev D, Rivetta A, Li XS, Vylkova S, Bashi E et al (2003) Killing of Candida albicans by human salivary histatin 5 is modulated, but not determined, by the potassium channel TOK1. Infect Immun 71:3251–3260Baev D, Rivetta A, Vylkova S, Sun JN, Zeng GF et al (2004) The TRK1 potassium transporter is the critical effector for killing of Candida albicans by the cationic protein, Histatin 5. J Biol Chem 279:55060–55072Bagriantsev SN, Ang KH, Gallardo-Godoy A, Clark KA, Arkin MR et al (2013) A high-throughput functional screen identifies small molecule regulators of temperature- and mechano-sensitive K2P channels. ACS Chem Biol 8:1841–1851Bañuelos MA, Sychrová H, Bleykasten-Grosshans C, Souciet JL, Potier S (1998) The Nha1 antiporter of Saccharomyces cerevisiae mediates sodium and potassium efflux. Microbiology 144(Pt 10):2749–2758Bañuelos MA, Ruiz MC, Jiménez A, Souciet JL, Potier S et al (2002) Role of the Nha1 antiporter in regulating K(+) influx in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast 19:9–15Barnett JA (2008) A history of research on yeasts 13. Active transport and the uptake of various metabolites. Yeast 25:689–731Barreto L, Canadell D, Petrezselyova S, Navarrete C, Maresova L et al (2011) A genomewide screen for tolerance to cationic drugs reveals genes important for potassium homeostasis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Eukaryot Cell 10:1241–1250Barreto L, Canadell D, Valverde-Saubí D, Casamayor A, Ariño J (2012) The short-term response of yeast to potassium starvation. Environ Microbiol 14:3026–3042Benito B, Moreno E, Lagunas R (1991) Half-life of the plasma membrane ATPase and its activating system in resting yeast cells. Biochim Biophys Acta 1063:265–268Benito B, Quintero FJ, Rodríguez-Navarro A (1997) Overexpression of the sodium ATPase of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: conditions for phosphorylation from ATP and Pi. Biochim Biophys Acta 1328:214–226Benito B, Garciadeblás B, Rodríguez-Navarro A (2002) Potassium- or sodium-efflux ATPase, a key enzyme in the evolution of fungi. Microbiology 148:933–941Benito B, Garciadeblás B, Schreier P, Rodríguez-Navarro A (2004) Novel p-type ATPases mediate high-affinity potassium or sodium uptake in fungi. Eukaryot Cell 3:359–368Bernardi P (1999) Mitochondrial transport of cations: channels, exchangers, and permeability transition. Physiol Rev 79:1127–1155Bertl A, Slayman CL, Gradmann D (1993) Gating and conductance in an outward-rectifying K+ channel from the plasma membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Membr Biol 132:183–199Bertl A, Bihler H, Reid JD, Kettner C, Slayman CL (1998) Physiological characterization of the yeast plasma membrane outward rectifying K+ channel, DUK1 (TOK1), in situ. J Membr Biol 162:67–80Bertl A, Ramos J, Ludwig J, Lichtenberg-Fraté H, Reid J et al (2003) Characterization of potassium transport in wild-type and isogenic yeast strains carrying all combinations of trk1, trk2 and tok1 null mutations. Mol Microbiol 47:767–780Bihler H, Slayman CL, Bertl A (1998) NSC1: a novel high-current inward rectifier for cations in the plasma membrane of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. FEBS Lett 432:59–64Bihler H, Slayman CL, Bertl A (2002) Low-affinity potassium uptake by Saccharomyces cerevisiae is mediated by NSC1, a calcium-blocked non-specific cation channel. Biochim Biophys Acta 1558:109–118Blomberg A (1995) Global changes in protein synthesis during adaptation of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae to 0.7 M NaCl. J Bacteriol 177:3563–3572Blomberg A (2000) Metabolic surprises in Saccharomyces cerevisiae during adaptation to saline conditions: questions, some answers and a model. FEMS Microbiol Lett 182:1–8Borst-Pauwels GW (1981) Ion transport in yeast. Biochim Biophys Acta 650:88–127Botstein D, Fink GR (2011) Yeast: an experimental organism for 21st Century biology. Genetics 189:695–704Bouillet LE, Cardoso AS, Perovano E, Pereira RR, Ribeiro EM et al (2012) The involvement of calcium carriers and of the vacuole in the glucose-induced calcium signaling and activation of the plasma membrane H(+)-ATPase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells. Cell Calcium 51:72–81Bowers K, Levi BP, Patel FI, Stevens TH (2000) The sodium/proton exchanger Nhx1p is required for endosomal protein trafficking in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Biol Cell 11:4277–4294Breinig F, Tipper DJ, Schmitt MJ (2002) Kre1p, the plasma membrane receptor for the yeast K1 viral toxin. Cell 108:395–405Brett CL, Tukaye DN, Mukherjee S, Rao R (2005) The yeast endosomal Na+K+/H+ exchanger Nhx1 regulates cellular pH to control vesicle trafficking. Mol Biol Cell 16:1396–1405Cagnac O, Leterrier M, Yeager M, Blumwald E (2007) Identification and characterization of Vnx1p, a novel type of vacuolar monovalent cation/H+ antiporter of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Biol Chem 282:24284–24293Cagnac O, Aranda-Sicilia MN, Leterrier M, Rodriguez-Rosales MP, Venema K (2010) Vacuolar cation/H+ antiporters of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Biol Chem 285:33914–33922Calahorra M, Lozano C, Sánchez NS, Peña A (2011) Ketoconazole and miconazole alter potassium homeostasis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biochim Biophys Acta 1808:433–445Canadell D, González A, Casado C, Ariño J (2015) Functional interactions between potassium and phosphate homeostasis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Microbiol 95:555–572Casado C, Yenush L, Melero C, del Carmen Ruiz M, Serrano R et al (2010) Regulation of Trk-dependent potassium transport by the calcineurin pathway involves the Hal5 kinase. FEBS Lett 584:2415–2420Causton HC, Ren B, Koh SS, Harbison CT, Kanin E et al (2001) Remodeling of yeast genome expression in response to environmental changes. Mol Biol Cell 12:323–337Clotet J, Posas F (2007) Control of cell cycle in response to osmostress: lessons from yeast. Methods Enzymol 428:63–76Cornet M, Gaillardin C (2014) pH signaling in human fungal pathogens: a new target for antifungal strategies. Eukaryot Cell 13:342–352Courchesne WE (2002) Characterization of a novel, broad-based fungicidal activity for the antiarrhythmic drug amiodarone. J Pharmacol Exp Ther 300:195–199Courchesne WE, Ozturk S (2003) Amiodarone induces a caffeine-inhibited, MID1-dependent rise in free cytoplasmic calcium in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Microbiol 47:223–234Crespo JL, Daicho K, Ushimaru T, Hall MN (2001) The GATA transcription factors GLN3 and GAT1 link TOR to salt stress in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. J Biol Chem 276:34441–34444Cunningham KW, Fink GR (1996) Calcineurin inhibits VCX1-dependent H+/Ca2+ exchange and induces Ca2+ ATPases in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Cell Biol 16:2226–2237Curto M, Valledor L, Navarrete C, Gutiérrez D, Sychrova H et al (2010) 2-DE based proteomic analysis of Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild and K+ transport-affected mutant (trk1,2) strains at the growth exponential and stationary phases. J Proteomics 73:2316–2335D’Avanzo N, Cheng WW, Xia X, Dong L, Savitsky P et al (2010) Expression and purification of recombinant human inward rectifier K+ (KCNJ) channels in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Protein Expr Purif 71:115–121Daran-Lapujade P, Daran JM, Luttik MA, Almering MJ, Pronk JT et al (2009) An atypical PMR2 locus is responsible for hypersensitivity to sodium and lithium cations in the laboratory strain Saccharomyces cerevisiae CEN.PK113-7D. FEMS Yeast Res 9:789–792Davis DA (2009) How human pathogenic fungi sense and adapt to pH: the link to virulence. Curr Opin Microbiol 12:365–370de Nadal E, Posas F (2011) Elongating under stress. Genet Res Int 2011:326286de Nadal E, Clotet J, Posas F, Serrano R, Gomez N et al (1998) The yeast halotolerance determinant Hal3p is an inhibitory subunit of the Ppz1p Ser/Thr protein phosphatase. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 95:7357–7362de Nadal E, Calero F, Ramos J, Ariño J (1999) Biochemical and genetic analyses of the role of yeast casein kinase 2 in salt tolerance. J Bacteriol 181:6456–6462de Nadal E, Alepuz PM, Posas F (2002) Dealing with osmostress through MAP kinase activation. EMBO Rep 3:735–740De Nadal E, Zapater M, Alepuz PM, Sumoy L, Mas G et al (2004) The MAPK Hog1 recruits Rpd3 histone deacetylase to activate osmoresponsive genes. Nature 427:370–374Dimmer KS, Fritz S, Fuchs F, Messerschmitt M, Weinbach N et al (2002) Genetic basis of mitochondrial function and morphology in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Biol Cell 13:847–853Durell SR, Guy HR (1999) Structural models of the KtrB, TrkH, and Trk1,2 symporters based on the structure of the KcsA K(+) channel. Biophys J 77:789–807Eide DJ, Clark S, Nair TM, Gehl M, Gribskov M et al (2005) Characterization of the yeast ionome: a genome-wide analysis of nutrient mineral and trace element homeostasis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genome Biol 6:R77Elicharova H, Sychrova H (2014) Fluconazole affects the alkali-metal-cation homeostasis and susceptibility to cationic toxic compounds of Candida glabrata. Microbiology 160:1705–1713Endele S, Fuhry M, Pak SJ, Zabel BU, Winterpacht A (1999) LETM1, a novel gene encoding a putative EF-hand Ca(2+)-binding protein, flanks the Wolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS) critical region and is deleted in most WHS patients. Genomics 60:218–225Eraso P, Mazón MJ, Portillo F (2006) Yeast protein kinase Ptk2 localizes at the plasma membrane and phosphorylates in vitro the C-terminal peptide of the H+-ATPase. Biochim Biophys Acta 1758:164–170Erez O, Kahana C (2002) Deletions of SKY1 or PTK2 in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae trk1Deltatrk2Delta mutant cells exert dual effect on ion homeostasis. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 295:1142–1149Estrada E, Agostinis P, Vandenheede JR, Goris J, Merlevede W et al (1996) Phosphorylation of yeast plasma membrane H+-ATPase by casein kinase I. J Biol Chem 271:32064–32072Fairman C, Zhou X, Kung C (1999) Potassium uptake through the TOK1 K+ channel in the budding yeast. J Membr Biol 168:149–157Farnaud S, Evans RW (2003) Lactoferrin – a multifunctional protein with antimicrobial properties. Mol Immunol 40:395–405Fell GL, Munson AM, Croston MA, Rosenwald AG (2011) Identification of yeast genes involved in k homeostasis: loss of membrane traffic genes affects k uptake. G3 (Bethesda) 1:43–56Fernandes AR, Sá-Correia I (2003) Transcription patterns of PMA1 and PMA2 genes and activity of plasma membrane H+-ATPase in Saccharomyces cerevisiae during diauxic growth and stationary phase. Yeast 20:207–219Ferrando A, Kron SJ, Rios G, Fink GR, Serrano R (1995) Regulation of cation transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by the salt tolerance gene HAL3. Mol Cell Biol 15:5470–5481Ferrigno P, Posas F, Koepp D, Saito H, Silver PA (1998) Regulated nucleo/cytoplasmic exchange of HOG1 MAPK requires the importin beta homologs NMD5 and XPO1. EMBO J 17:5606–5614Flegelova H, Haguenauer-Tsapis R, Sychrova H (2006) Heterologous expression of mammalian Na/H antiporters in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biochim Biophys Acta 1760:504–516Flis K, Hinzpeter A, Edelman A, Kurlandzka A (2005) The functioning of mammalian ClC-2 chloride channel in Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells requires an increased level of Kha1p. Biochem J 390:655–664Forment J, Mulet JM, Vicente O, Serrano R (2002) The yeast SR protein kinase Sky1p modulates salt tolerance, membrane potential and the Trk1,2 potassium transporter. Biochim Biophys Acta 1565:36–40Froschauer E, Nowikovsky K, Schweyen RJ (2005) Electroneutral K+/H+ exchange in mitochondrial membrane vesicles involves Yol027/Letm1 proteins. Biochim Biophys Acta 1711:41–48Fukuda A, Nakamura A, Tagiri A, Tanaka H, Miyao A et al (2004) Function, intracellular localization and the importance in salt tolerance of a vacuolar Na(+)/H(+) antiporter from rice. Plant Cell Physiol 45:146–159Gaber RF (1992) Molecular genetics of yeast ion transport. Int Rev Cytol 137:299–353Gaber RF, Styles CA, Fink GR (1988) TRK1 encodes a plasma membrane protein required for high-affinity potassium transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Cell Biol 8:2848–2859Gaxiola RA, Rao R, Sherman A, Grisafi P, Alper SL et al (1999) The Arabidopsis thaliana proton transporters, AtNhx1 and Avp1, can function in cation detoxification in yeast. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 96:1480–1485Gelis S, Curto M, Valledor L, González A, Ariño J et al (2012) Adaptation to potassium starvation of wild-type and K(+)-transport mutant (trk1,2) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae: 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis-based proteomic approach. Microbiologyopen 1:182–193Gómez MJ, Luyten K, Ramos J (1996) The capacity to transport potassium influences sodium tolerance in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. FEMS Microbiol Lett 135:157–160González A, Casado C, Petrezsélyová S, Ruiz A, Ariño J (2013) Molecular analysis of a conditional hal3 vhs3 yeast mutant links potassium homeostasis with flocculation and invasiveness. Fungal Genet Biol 53:1–9Goossens A, de La Fuente N, Forment J, Serrano R, Portillo F (2000) Regulation of yeast H(+)-ATPase by protein kinases belonging to a family dedicated to activation of plasma membrane transporters. Mol Cell Biol 20:7654–7661Gupta SS, Canessa CM (2000) Heterologous expression of a mammalian epithelial sodium channel in yeast. FEBS Lett 481:77–80Gustin MC, Martinac B, Saimi Y, Culbertson MR, Kung C (1986) Ion channels in yeast. Science 233:1195–1197Haass FA, Jonikas M, Walter P, Weissman JS, Jan YN et al (2007) Identification of yeast proteins necessary for cell-surface function of a potassium channel. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 104:18079–18084Haro R, Rodríguez-Navarro A (2002) Molecular analysis of the mechanism of potassium uptake through the TRK1 transporter of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biochim Biophys Acta 1564:114–122Haro R, Rodríguez-Navarro A (2003) Functional analysis of the M2(D) helix of the TRK1 potassium transporter of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Biochim Biophys Acta 1613:1–6Haro R, Garciadeblas B, Rodríguez-Navarro A (1991) A novel P-type ATPase from yeast involved in sodium transport. FEBS Lett 291:189–191Hasenbrink G, Schwarzer S, Kolacna L, Ludwig J, Sychrova H et al (2005) Analysis of the mKir2.1 channel activity in potassium influx defective Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains determined as changes in growth characteristics. FEBS Lett 579:1723–1731Herrera R, Álvarez MC, Gelis S, Ramos J (2013) Subcellular potassium and sodium distribution in Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild-type and vacuolar mutants. Biochem J 454:525–532Herrera R, Alvarez MC, Gelis S, Kodedová M, Sychrová H et al (2014) Role of Saccharomyces cerevisiae Trk1 in stabilization of intracellular potassium content upon changes in external potassium levels. Biochim Biophys Acta 1838:127–133Hess DC, Lu W, Rabinowitz JD, Botstein D (2006) Ammonium toxicity and potassium limitation in yeast. PLoS Biol 4:e351Hoeberichts FA, Perez-Valle J, Montesinos C, Mulet JM, Planes MD et al (2010) The role of K+ and H+ transport systems during glucose- and H2O2-induced cell death in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Yeast 27:713–725Hohmann S (2002) Osmotic stress signaling and osmoadaptation in yeasts. Microbiol Mol Biol Rev 66:300–372Hohmann S, Krantz M, Nordlander B (2007) Yeast osmoregulation. Methods Enzymol 428:29–45Idnurm A, Walton FJ, Floyd A, Reedy JL, Heitman J (2009) Identification of ENA1 as a virulence gene of the human pathogenic fungus Cryptococcus neoformans through signature-tagged insertional mutagenesis. Eukaryot Cell 8:315–326Jung KW, Strain AK, Nielsen K, Jung KH, Bahn YS (2012) Two cation transporters Ena1 and Nha1 cooperatively modulate ion homeostasis, antifungal drug resistance, and virulence of Cryptococcus neoformans via the HOG pathway. Fungal Genet Biol 49:332–345Kafadar KA, Cyert MS (2004) Integration of stress responses: modulation of calcineurin signaling in Saccharomyces cerevisiae by protein kinase A. Eukaryot Cell 3:1147–1153Kahm M, Navarrete C, Llopis-Torregrosa V, Herrera R, Barreto L et al (2012) Potassium starvation in yeast: mechanisms of homeostasis revealed by mathematical modeling. PLoS Comput Biol 8:e1002548Kallay LM, Brett CL, Tukaye DN, Wemmer MA, Chyou A et al (2011) Endosomal Na+(K+)/H+ exchanger Nhx1/Vps44 functions independently and downstream of multivesicular body formation. J Biol Chem 286:44067–44077Kane PM (2007) The long physiological reach of the yeast vacuolar H+-ATPase. J Bioenerg Biomembr 39:415–421Kane PM (2012) Targeting reversible disassembly as a mechanism of controlling V-ATPase activity. Curr Protein Pept Sci 13:117–123Ke R, Ingram PJ, Haynes K (2013) An integrative model of ion regulation in yeast. PLoS Comput Biol 9:e1002879Ketchum KA, Joiner WJ, Sellers AJ, Kaczmarek LK, Goldstein SA (1995) A new family of outwardly rectifying potassium channel proteins with two pore domains in tandem. Nature 376:690–695Kinclová O, Ramos J, Potier S, Sychrová H (2001) Functional study of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae Nha1p C-terminus. Mol Microbiol 40:656–668Kinclova-Zimmermannova O, Sychrova H (2006) Functional study of the Nha1p C-terminus: involvement in cell response to changes in external osmolarity. Curr Genet 49:229–236Kinclová-Zimmermannová O, Flegelová H, Sychrová H (2004) Rice Na+/H+-antiporter Nhx1 partially complements the alkali-metal-cation sensitivity of yeast strains lacking three sodium transporters. Folia Microbiol (Praha) 49:519–525Kinclova-Zimmermannova O, Gaskova D, Sychrova H (2006) The Na+, K+/H+ -antiporter Nha1 influences the plasma membrane potential of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. FEMS Yeast Res 6:792–800Klee CB, Draetta GF, Hubbard MJ (1988) Calcineurin. Adv Enzymol Relat Areas Mol Biol 61:149–200Klipp E, Nordlander B, Krüger R, Gennemark P, Hohmann S (2005) Integrative model of the response of yeast to osmotic shock. Nat Biotechnol 23:975–982Ko CH, Gaber RF (1991) TRK1 and TRK2 encode structurally related K+ transporters in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Cell Biol 11:4266–4273Ko CH, Buckley AM, Gaber RF (1990) TRK2 is required for low affinity K+ transport in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Genetics 125:305–312Ko CH, Liang H, Gaber RF (1993) Roles of multiple glucose transporters in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Mol Cell Biol 13:638–648Kojima A, To

The V471A polymorphism in autophagy-related gene ATG7 modifies age at onset specifically in Italian Huntington disease patients

The cause of Huntington disease (HD) is a polyglutamine repeat expansion of more than 36 units in the huntingtin protein, which is inversely correlated with the age at onset of the disease. However, additional genetic factors are believed to modify the course and the age at onset of HD. Recently, we identified the V471A polymorphism in the autophagy-related gene ATG7, a key component of the autophagy pathway that plays an important role in HD pathogenesis, to be associated with the age at onset in a large group of European Huntington disease patients. To confirm this association in a second independent patient cohort, we analysed the ATG7 V471A polymorphism in additional 1,464 European HD patients of the “REGISTRY” cohort from the European Huntington Disease Network (EHDN). In the entire REGISTRY cohort we could not confirm a modifying effect of the ATG7 V471A polymorphism. However, analysing a modifying effect of ATG7 in these REGISTRY patients and in patients of our previous HD cohort according to their ethnic origin, we identified a significant effect of the ATG7 V471A polymorphism on the HD age at onset only in the Italian population (327 patients). In these Italian patients, the polymorphism is associated with a 6-years earlier disease onset and thus seems to have an aggravating effect. We could specify the role of ATG7 as a genetic modifier for HD particularly in the Italian population. This result affirms the modifying influence of the autophagic pathway on the course of HD, but also suggests population-specific modifying mechanisms in HD pathogenesis

Diminishing benefits of urban living for children and adolescents’ growth and development

AbstractOptimal growth and development in childhood and adolescence is crucial for lifelong health and well-being1–6. Here we used data from 2,325 population-based studies, with measurements of height and weight from 71 million participants, to report the height and body-mass index (BMI) of children and adolescents aged 5–19 years on the basis of rural and urban place of residence in 200 countries and territories from 1990 to 2020. In 1990, children and adolescents residing in cities were taller than their rural counterparts in all but a few high-income countries. By 2020, the urban height advantage became smaller in most countries, and in many high-income western countries it reversed into a small urban-based disadvantage. The exception was for boys in most countries in sub-Saharan Africa and in some countries in Oceania, south Asia and the region of central Asia, Middle East and north Africa. In these countries, successive cohorts of boys from rural places either did not gain height or possibly became shorter, and hence fell further behind their urban peers. The difference between the age-standardized mean BMI of children in urban and rural areas was &lt;1.1 kg m–2 in the vast majority of countries. Within this small range, BMI increased slightly more in cities than in rural areas, except in south Asia, sub-Saharan Africa and some countries in central and eastern Europe. Our results show that in much of the world, the growth and developmental advantages of living in cities have diminished in the twenty-first century, whereas in much of sub-Saharan Africa they have amplified.</jats:p

Worldwide trends in underweight and obesity from 1990 to 2022: a pooled analysis of 3663 population-representative studies with 222 million children, adolescents, and adults

Background Underweight and obesity are associated with adverse health outcomes throughout the life course. We estimated the individual and combined prevalence of underweight or thinness and obesity, and their changes, from 1990 to 2022 for adults and school-aged children and adolescents in 200 countries and territories. Methods We used data from 3663 population-based studies with 222 million participants that measured height and weight in representative samples of the general population. We used a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate trends in the prevalence of different BMI categories, separately for adults (age ≥20 years) and school-aged children and adolescents (age 5–19 years), from 1990 to 2022 for 200 countries and territories. For adults, we report the individual and combined prevalence of underweight (BMI 2 SD above the median). Findings From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity in adults decreased in 11 countries (6%) for women and 17 (9%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 that the observed changes were true decreases. The combined prevalence increased in 162 countries (81%) for women and 140 countries (70%) for men with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. In 2022, the combined prevalence of underweight and obesity was highest in island nations in the Caribbean and Polynesia and Micronesia, and countries in the Middle East and north Africa. Obesity prevalence was higher than underweight with posterior probability of at least 0·80 in 177 countries (89%) for women and 145 (73%) for men in 2022, whereas the converse was true in 16 countries (8%) for women, and 39 (20%) for men. From 1990 to 2022, the combined prevalence of thinness and obesity decreased among girls in five countries (3%) and among boys in 15 countries (8%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80, and increased among girls in 140 countries (70%) and boys in 137 countries (69%) with a posterior probability of at least 0·80. The countries with highest combined prevalence of thinness and obesity in school-aged children and adolescents in 2022 were in Polynesia and Micronesia and the Caribbean for both sexes, and Chile and Qatar for boys. Combined prevalence was also high in some countries in south Asia, such as India and Pakistan, where thinness remained prevalent despite having declined. In 2022, obesity in school-aged children and adolescents was more prevalent than thinness with a posterior probability of at least 0·80 among girls in 133 countries (67%) and boys in 125 countries (63%), whereas the converse was true in 35 countries (18%) and 42 countries (21%), respectively. In almost all countries for both adults and school-aged children and adolescents, the increases in double burden were driven by increases in obesity, and decreases in double burden by declining https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/images/research_banner_face_lab_290.jpgunderweight or thinness. Interpretation The combined burden of underweight and obesity has increased in most countries, driven by an increase in obesity, while underweight and thinness remain prevalent in south Asia and parts of Africa. A healthy nutrition transition that enhances access to nutritious foods is needed to address the remaining burden of underweight while curbing and reversing the increase in obesity

Smart monitoring of crops using generative adversarial networks

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are used in precision agriculture (PA) to enable aerial monitoring of farmlands. Intelligent methods are required to pinpoint weed infestations and make optimal choice of pesticide. UAV can fly a multispectral camera and collect data. However, the classification of multispectral images using supervised machine learning algorithms such as convolutional neural networks (CNN) requires a large amount of training data. This is a common drawback in deep learning. Our method makes use of a semi-supervised generative adversarial networks (GAN), providing a pixel-wise classification for all the acquired multispectral images. It consists of a generator network to provide photo-realistic images as extra training data to a multi-class classifier acting as a discriminator and trained on small amounts of labeled data. The performance of the proposed semi-supervised GAN is evaluated on the weedNet dataset consisting of multispectral crop and weed images collected by a micro aerial vehicle (MAV). Results indicate high classification accuracy can be achieved and show the potential of GAN-based methods for the challenging task of multispectral image classification