Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape

Wildlife must adapt to human presence to survive in the Anthropocene, so it is critical to understand species responses to humans in different contexts. We used camera trapping as a lens to view mammal responses to changes in human activity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across 163 species sampled in 102 projects around the world, changes in the amount and timing of animal activity varied widely. Under higher human activity, mammals were less active in undeveloped areas but unexpectedly more active in developed areas while exhibiting greater nocturnality. Carnivores were most sensitive, showing the strongest decreases in activity and greatest increases in nocturnality. Wildlife managers must consider how habituation and uneven sensitivity across species may cause fundamental differences in human–wildlife interactions along gradients of human influence.Peer reviewe

A multicopy suppressor screening approach as a means to identify antibiotic resistance determinant candidates in <it>Yersinia pestis</it>

Abstract Background Yersinia pestis is the causative agent of plague and a potential agent of bioterrorism and biowarfare. The plague biothreat and the emergence of multidrug-resistant plague underscore the need to increase our understanding of the intrinsic potential of Y. pestis for developing antimicrobial resistance and to anticipate the mechanisms of resistance that may emerge in Y. pestis. Identification of Y. pestis genes that, when overexpressed, are capable of reducing antibiotic susceptibility is a useful strategy to expose genes that this pathogen may rely upon to evolve antibiotic resistance via a vertical modality. In this study, we explored the use of a multicopy suppressor, Escherichia coli host-based screening approach as a means to expose antibiotic resistance determinant candidates in Y. pestis. Results We constructed a multicopy plasmid-based, Y. pestis genome-wide expression library of nearly 16,000 clones in E. coli and screened the library for suppressors of the antimicrobial activity of ofloxacin, a fluoroquinolone antibiotic. The screen permitted the identification of a transcriptional regulator-encoding gene (robAYp) that increased the MIC99 of ofloxacin by 23-fold when overexpressed from a multicopy plasmid in Y. pestis. Additionally, we found that robAYp overexpression in Y. pestis conferred low-level resistance to many other antibiotics and increased organic solvent tolerance. Overexpression of robAYp also upregulated the expression of several efflux pumps in Y. pestis. Conclusion Our study provides proof of principle for the use of multicopy suppressor screening based on the tractable and easy-to-manipulate E. coli host as a means to identify antibiotic resistance determinant candidates of Y. pestis.</p

Pseudomonas aeruginosa SoxR Does Not Conform to the Archetypal Paradigm for SoxR-Dependent Regulation of the Bacterial Oxidative Stress Adaptive Response

SoxR is a transcriptional regulator that controls an oxidative stress response in Escherichia coli. The regulator is primarily activated by superoxide anion-dependent oxidation. Activated SoxR turns on transcription of a single gene, soxS, which encodes a transcriptional regulator that activates a regulon that includes dozens of oxidative stress response genes. SoxR homologues have been identified in many bacterial species, including the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. However, the expected SoxR partner, SoxS, has not been found in P. aeruginosa. Thus, the primary gene target(s) of P. aeruginosa SoxR is unknown and the involvement of this regulator in the oxidative stress response of the bacterium remains unclear. We utilized transcriptome profiling to identify the P. aeruginosa SoxR regulon and constructed and characterized an unmarked P. aeruginosa ΔsoxR mutant. We provide evidence indicating that P. aeruginosa SoxR activates a six-gene regulon in response to O(2)(·−)-induced stress. The regulon includes three transcriptional units: (i) the recently identified mexGHI-ompD four-gene operon, which encodes a multidrug efflux pump system involved in quorum-sensing signal homeostasis; (ii) gene PA3718, encoding a probable efflux pump; and (iii) gene PA2274, encoding a probable monooxygenase. We also demonstrate that P. aeruginosa SoxR is not a key regulatory player in the oxidative stress response. Finally, we show that P. aeruginosa SoxR is required for virulence in a mouse model of intrapulmonary infection. These results demonstrate that the E. coli-based SoxRS paradigm does not hold in P. aeruginosa and foster new hypotheses for the possible physiological role of P. aeruginosa SoxR

A multicopy suppressor screening approach as a means to identify antibiotic resistance determinant candidates in -4

Or T, W = A or T, and N = A, T, G, C. Column C is the number of bp's in agreement with the 20-bp consensus sequence. The location of each RobA binding site with respect to the first codon of its cognate gene is indicated by the numbers flanking the putative binding site.<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "A multicopy suppressor screening approach as a means to identify antibiotic resistance determinant candidates in "</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2180/8/122</p><p>BMC Microbiology 2008;8():122-122.</p><p>Published online 21 Jul 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2500020.</p><p></p

A multicopy suppressor screening approach as a means to identify antibiotic resistance determinant candidates in -2

E means of triplicate treated cultures were plotted and standard error bars are shown.<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "A multicopy suppressor screening approach as a means to identify antibiotic resistance determinant candidates in "</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2180/8/122</p><p>BMC Microbiology 2008;8():122-122.</p><p>Published online 21 Jul 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2500020.</p><p></p

Genetic map of the -containing region of the KIM chromosome and inserts of pGEM-OFXr1 and pGEM-Rob

<p><b>Copyright information:</b></p><p>Taken from "A multicopy suppressor screening approach as a means to identify antibiotic resistance determinant candidates in "</p><p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2180/8/122</p><p>BMC Microbiology 2008;8():122-122.</p><p>Published online 21 Jul 2008</p><p>PMCID:PMC2500020.</p><p></p