Intronic hammerhead ribozymes in mRNA biogenesis

[EN] Small self-cleaving ribozymes are a group of natural RNAs that are capable of catalyzing their own and sequence-specific endonucleolytic cleavage. One of the most studied members is the hammerhead ribozyme (HHR), a catalytic RNA originally discovered in subviral plant pathogens but recently shown to reside in a myriad of genomes along the tree of life. In eukaryotes, most of the genomic HHRs seem to be related to short interspersed retroelements, with the main exception of a group of strikingly conserved ribozymes found in the genomes of all amniotes (reptiles, birds and mammals). These amniota HHRs occur in the introns of a few specific genes, and clearly point to a preserved biological role during pre-mRNA biosynthesis. More specifically, bioinformatic analysis suggests that these intronic ribozymes could offer a new form of splicing regulation of the mRNA of higher vertebrates. We review here the latest advances in the discovery and biological characterization of intronic HHRs of vertebrates, including new conserved examples in the genomes of the primitive turtle and coelacanth fishThis work was supported by the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad of Spain (BFU2011-23398) to MdlP.García Robles, I.; Sanchez Navarro, JA.; La Peña Del Rivero, MD. (2012). Intronic hammerhead ribozymes in mRNA biogenesis. Biological Chemistry. 393(11):1317-1326. https://doi.org/10.1515/hsz-2012-0223S131713263931

Simultaneous boron ion-channel/growth factor receptor activation for enhanced vascularization

[EN] Boron ion is essential in metabolism and its concentration is regulated by ion-channel NaBC1. NaBC1 mutations cause corneal dystrophies such as Harboyan syndrome. Here we propose a 3D molecular model for NaBC1 and show that simultaneous stimulation of NaBC1 and vascular growth factor receptors (VEGFR) promote angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo with ultra-low concentrations of VEGF. We show Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC) organization into tubular structures indicative of vascularization potential. Enhanced cell sprouting was found only in the presence of VEGF and boron, effect abrogated after blocking NaBC1. We demonstrate that stimulated NaBC1 promotes angiogenesis via PI3k-independent pathways and that ¿5ß1/¿vß3-integrin binding is not essential to enhanced HUVEC organization. We describe a novel vascularization mechanism that involves the crosstalk and colocalization between NaBC1/VEGFR receptors. This has important translational consequences: just by administering boron, taking advantage of endogenous VEGF, in vivo vascularization is shown in a chorioallantoic membrane assay.P.R. acknowledges support from the Ministerio de Economia, Industria y Competitividad, Gobierno de Espana (MINECO) (MAT2015-69315-C3-1-R), and European Regional Development Fund (FEDER). CIBER-BBN is an initiative funded by the VI National R&D&I Plan 2008-2011, Iniciativa Ingenio 2010, Consolider Program, CIBER Actions and financed by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III with assistance from the European Regional Development Fund. M. S. S. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC-HealInSynergy 306990) and the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC-EP/P001114/1). The authors are very grateful to Productos Florida farm for kindly providing chick embryos for CAM assay.Rico Tortosa, PM.; Rodrigo Navarro, A.; La Peña Del Rivero, MD.; Moulisova, V.; Costell, M.; Salmerón Sánchez, M. (2018). Simultaneous boron ion-channel/growth factor receptor activation for enhanced vascularization. Advanced Biosystems. 3(1):1-12. https://doi.org/10.1002/adbi.201800220S11231Yancopoulos, G. D., Davis, S., Gale, N. W., Rudge, J. S., Wiegand, S. J., & Holash, J. (2000). Vascular-specific growth factors and blood vessel formation. Nature, 407(6801), 242-248. doi:10.1038/35025215Carmeliet, P. (2005). Angiogenesis in life, disease and medicine. Nature, 438(7070), 932-936. doi:10.1038/nature04478Moulisová, V., Gonzalez-García, C., Cantini, M., Rodrigo-Navarro, A., Weaver, J., Costell, M., … Salmerón-Sánchez, M. (2017). Engineered microenvironments for synergistic VEGF – Integrin signalling during vascularization. Biomaterials, 126, 61-74. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2017.02.024Briquez, P. S., Clegg, L. E., Martino, M. M., Gabhann, F. M., & Hubbell, J. A. (2016). Design principles for therapeutic angiogenic materials. Nature Reviews Materials, 1(1). doi:10.1038/natrevmats.2015.6Hanft, J. R., Pollak, R. A., Barbul, A., Gils, C. va., Kwon, P. S., Gray, S. M., … Breen, T. J. (2008). Phase I trial on the safety of topical rhVEGF on chronic neuropathic diabetic foot ulcers. Journal of Wound Care, 17(1), 30-37. doi:10.12968/jowc.2008.17.1.27917Woo, E. J. (2012). Recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2: adverse events reported to the Manufacturer and User Facility Device Experience database. The Spine Journal, 12(10), 894-899. doi:10.1016/j.spinee.2012.09.052United States Food and Drug Administration Product Description Regranex https://www.fda.gov/downloads/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/UCM142821.avi (accessed: May2008).Carmeliet, P., & Jain, R. K. (2011). Molecular mechanisms and clinical applications of angiogenesis. Nature, 473(7347), 298-307. doi:10.1038/nature10144Hynes, R. O. (2002). Integrins. Cell, 110(6), 673-687. doi:10.1016/s0092-8674(02)00971-6Mahabeleshwar, G. H., Feng, W., Reddy, K., Plow, E. F., & Byzova, T. V. (2007). Mechanisms of Integrin–Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Receptor Cross-Activation in Angiogenesis. Circulation Research, 101(6), 570-580. doi:10.1161/circresaha.107.155655Olsson, A.-K., Dimberg, A., Kreuger, J., & Claesson-Welsh, L. (2006). VEGF receptor signalling ? in control of vascular function. Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology, 7(5), 359-371. doi:10.1038/nrm1911Alexander, R. A., Prager, G. W., Mihaly-Bison, J., Uhrin, P., Sunzenauer, S., Binder, B. R., … Breuss, J. M. (2012). VEGF-induced endothelial cell migration requires urokinase receptor (uPAR)-dependent integrin redistribution. Cardiovascular Research, 94(1), 125-135. doi:10.1093/cvr/cvs017Herkenne, S., Paques, C., Nivelles, O., Lion, M., Bajou, K., Pollenus, T., … Struman, I. (2015). The interaction of uPAR with VEGFR2 promotes VEGF-induced angiogenesis. Science Signaling, 8(403), ra117-ra117. doi:10.1126/scisignal.aaa2403Lauritzen, I., Chemin, J., Honoré, E., Jodar, M., Guy, N., Lazdunski, M., & Jane Patel, A. (2005). Cross‐talk between the mechano‐gated K 2P channel TREK‐1 and the actin cytoskeleton. EMBO reports, 6(7), 642-648. doi:10.1038/sj.embor.7400449Gasparski, A. N., & Beningo, K. A. (2015). Mechanoreception at the cell membrane: More than the integrins. Archives of Biochemistry and Biophysics, 586, 20-26. doi:10.1016/j.abb.2015.07.017Munaron, L., Genova, T., Avanzato, D., Antoniotti, S., & Fiorio Pla, A. (2012). Targeting Calcium Channels to Block Tumor Vascularization. Recent Patents on Anti-Cancer Drug Discovery, 8(1), 27-37. doi:10.2174/1574892811308010027Yao, X., & Garland, C. J. (2005). Recent Developments in Vascular Endothelial Cell Transient Receptor Potential Channels. Circulation Research, 97(9), 853-863. doi:10.1161/01.res.0000187473.85419.3eRico, P., Rodrigo-Navarro, A., & Salmerón-Sánchez, M. (2015). Borax-Loaded PLLA for Promotion of Myogenic Differentiation. Tissue Engineering Part A, 21(21-22), 2662-2672. doi:10.1089/ten.tea.2015.0044Park, M., Li, Q., Shcheynikov, N., Zeng, W., & Muallem, S. (2004). NaBC1 Is a Ubiquitous Electrogenic Na+-Coupled Borate Transporter Essential for Cellular Boron Homeostasis and Cell Growth and Proliferation. Molecular Cell, 16(3), 331-341. doi:10.1016/j.molcel.2004.09.030Vithana, E. N., Morgan, P., Sundaresan, P., Ebenezer, N. D., Tan, D. T. H., Mohamed, M. D., … Aung, T. (2006). Mutations in sodium-borate cotransporter SLC4A11 cause recessive congenital hereditary endothelial dystrophy (CHED2). Nature Genetics, 38(7), 755-757. doi:10.1038/ng1824Lopez, I. A., Rosenblatt, M. I., Kim, C., Galbraith, G. C., Jones, S. M., Kao, L., … Kurtz, I. (2009). Slc4a11Gene Disruption in Mice. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 284(39), 26882-26896. doi:10.1074/jbc.m109.008102Parker, M. D., Ourmozdi, E. P., & Tanner, M. J. A. (2001). Human BTR1, a New Bicarbonate Transporter Superfamily Member and Human AE4 from Kidney. Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 282(5), 1103-1109. doi:10.1006/bbrc.2001.4692Zangi, R., & Filella, M. (2012). Transport routes of metalloids into and out of the cell: A review of the current knowledge. Chemico-Biological Interactions, 197(1), 47-57. doi:10.1016/j.cbi.2012.02.001Tanjore, H., Zeisberg, E. M., Gerami-Naini, B., & Kalluri, R. (2007). β1 integrin expression on endothelial cells is required for angiogenesis but not for vasculogenesis. Developmental Dynamics, 237(1), 75-82. doi:10.1002/dvdy.21385Gerber, H.-P., Dixit, V., & Ferrara, N. (1998). Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Induces Expression of the Antiapoptotic Proteins Bcl-2 and A1 in Vascular Endothelial Cells. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 273(21), 13313-13316. doi:10.1074/jbc.273.21.13313Tan, C., Cruet-Hennequart, S., Troussard, A., Fazli, L., Costello, P., Sutton, K., … Dedhar, S. (2004). Regulation of tumor angiogenesis by integrin-linked kinase (ILK). Cancer Cell, 5(1), 79-90. doi:10.1016/s1535-6108(03)00281-2George, E. L., Baldwin, H. S., & Hynes, R. O. (1997). Fibronectins Are Essential for Heart and Blood Vessel Morphogenesis But Are Dispensable for Initial Specification of Precursor Cells. Blood, 90(8), 3073-3081. doi:10.1182/blood.v90.8.3073Fassler, R., & Meyer, M. (1995). Consequences of lack of beta 1 integrin gene expression in mice. Genes & Development, 9(15), 1896-1908. doi:10.1101/gad.9.15.1896Soldi, R., Mitola, S., Strasly, M., Defilippi, P., Tarone, G., & Bussolino, F. (1999). Role of αvβ3 integrin in the activation of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2. The EMBO Journal, 18(4), 882-892. doi:10.1093/emboj/18.4.882Takahashi, S., Leiss, M., Moser, M., Ohashi, T., Kitao, T., Heckmann, D., … Fässler, R. (2007). The RGD motif in fibronectin is essential for development but dispensable for fibril assembly. Journal of Cell Biology, 178(1), 167-178. doi:10.1083/jcb.200703021Ribatti, D. (2008). Chapter 5 Chick Embryo Chorioallantoic Membrane as a Useful Tool to Study Angiogenesis. International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology, 181-224. doi:10.1016/s1937-6448(08)01405-6Novosel, E. C., Kleinhans, C., & Kluger, P. J. (2011). Vascularization is the key challenge in tissue engineering. Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews, 63(4-5), 300-311. doi:10.1016/j.addr.2011.03.004García, J. R., & García, A. J. (2015). Biomaterial-mediated strategies targeting vascularization for bone repair. Drug Delivery and Translational Research, 6(2), 77-95. doi:10.1007/s13346-015-0236-0Briquez, P. S., Hubbell, J. A., & Martino, M. M. (2015). Extracellular Matrix-Inspired Growth Factor Delivery Systems for Skin Wound Healing. Advances in Wound Care, 4(8), 479-489. doi:10.1089/wound.2014.0603Simón-Yarza, T., Formiga, F. R., Tamayo, E., Pelacho, B., Prosper, F., & Blanco-Prieto, M. J. (2012). Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor-Delivery Systems for Cardiac Repair: An Overview. Theranostics, 2(6), 541-552. doi:10.7150/thno.3682Kargozar, S., Baino, F., Hamzehlou, S., Hill, R. G., & Mozafari, M. (2018). Bioactive Glasses: Sprouting Angiogenesis in Tissue Engineering. Trends in Biotechnology, 36(4), 430-444. doi:10.1016/j.tibtech.2017.12.003Laplante, M., & Sabatini, D. M. (2009). mTOR signaling at a glance. Journal of Cell Science, 122(20), 3589-3594. doi:10.1242/jcs.051011Byzova, T. V., Goldman, C. K., Pampori, N., Thomas, K. A., Bett, A., Shattil, S. J., & Plow, E. F. (2000). A Mechanism for Modulation of Cellular Responses to VEGF. Molecular Cell, 6(4), 851-860. doi:10.1016/s1097-2765(05)00076-

In memoriam of Ricardo Flores: The career, achievements, and legacy of an inspirational plant virologist

[EN] Ricardo Flores (1947-2020) focused his research on the identification, replication, pathogenesis, and evolution of viroids, the minimal non-protein-coding circular RNAs (250-400 nt) able to replicate and incite diseases in plants that are remarkable for being at the lowest step of the biological scale. He and his collaborators initially identified and characterized additional group members, adding six new ones to the family Pospiviroidae, and expanding the Avsunviroidae from one to four members. They showed that members of the second family "encode" ribozymes, a property that, together with others, makes them candidates for being the most primitive replicons that emerged on our planet 3500 million years ago. He also made important contributions regarding how viroids replicate, providing relevant data on the templates, enzymes, and ribozymes that mediate this process and on the mutation rate, which turned out to be the highest reported for any biological entity. More recently, he concentrated on the role that RNA silencing could play on viroid-host interactions, describing details of this process. Ricardo also worked on citrus tristeza virus, a widely different type of subcellular pathogen, and made important contributions on the structure, localization and functions of its unique p23 protein. His research has produced 170 original articles and reviews, according to Web of Science. He encouraged the scientific careers of a large number of researchers, and collaborated with many others, some of whom have recapitulated his scientific legacy in this review and contributed with other chapters in this special issue.This work was supported by the Spanish Agencia Estatal de Investigaci ' on (AEI) and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER), grant number PID2020-115571RB-100. We apologize to colleagues whose work was not cited in this review due to the page limit.Pallás Benet, V.; Hernandez Fort, C.; Marcos, JF.; Daròs, J.; Ambrós, S.; Navarro, B.; Navarro Bohigues, JA.... (2022). In memoriam of Ricardo Flores: The career, achievements, and legacy of an inspirational plant virologist. Virus Research. 312(198718):1-9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.virusres.2022.1987181931219871

Viroids: the minimal non-coding RNAs with autonomous replication

[EN] Viroids are small (246¿401 nucleotides), non-coding, circular RNAs able to replicate autonomously in certain plants. Viroids are classified into the families Pospiviroidae and Avsunviroidae, whose members replicate in the nucleus and chloroplast, respectively. Replication occurs by an RNA-based rolling-circle mechanism in three steps: (1) synthesis of longerthan-unit strands catalyzed by host DNA-dependent RNA polymerases forced to transcribe RNA templates, (2) processing to unit-length, which in family Avsunviroidae is mediated by hammerhead ribozymes, and (3) circularization either through an RNA ligase or autocatalytically. Disease induction might result from the accumulation of viroid-specific small interfering RNAs that, via RNA silencing, could interfere with normal developmental pathways.This work was partially supported by grants from the Ministerio de Ciencia y Tecnologia (BMC2002-03694) and from the Generalidad Valenciana (Spain).Flores Pedauye, R.; Delgado Villar, SG.; Gas, M.; Carbonell, A.; Molina, D.; Gago, S.; La Peña Del Rivero, MD. (2004). Viroids: the minimal non-coding RNAs with autonomous replication. FEBS Letters. 567(1):42-48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.febslet.2004.03.1184248567

COVID-19 in hospitalized HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients : A matched study

CatedresObjectives: We compared the characteristics and clinical outcomes of hospitalized individuals with COVID-19 with [people with HIV (PWH)] and without (non-PWH) HIV co-infection in Spain during the first wave of the pandemic. Methods: This was a retrospective matched cohort study. People with HIV were identified by reviewing clinical records and laboratory registries of 10 922 patients in active-follow-up within the Spanish HIV Research Network (CoRIS) up to 30 June 2020. Each hospitalized PWH was matched with five non-PWH of the same age and sex randomly selected from COVID-19@Spain, a multicentre cohort of 4035 patients hospitalized with confirmed COVID-19. The main outcome was all-cause in-hospital mortality. Results: Forty-five PWH with PCR-confirmed COVID-19 were identified in CoRIS, 21 of whom were hospitalized. A total of 105 age/sex-matched controls were selected from the COVID-19@Spain cohort. The median age in both groups was 53 (Q1-Q3, 46-56) years, and 90.5% were men. In PWH, 19.1% were injecting drug users, 95.2% were on antiretroviral therapy, 94.4% had HIV-RNA < 50 copies/mL, and the median (Q1-Q3) CD4 count was 595 (349-798) cells/μL. No statistically significant differences were found between PWH and non-PWH in number of comorbidities, presenting signs and symptoms, laboratory parameters, radiology findings and severity scores on admission. Corticosteroids were administered to 33.3% and 27.4% of PWH and non-PWH, respectively (P = 0.580). Deaths during admission were documented in two (9.5%) PWH and 12 (11.4%) non-PWH (P = 0.800). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that well-controlled HIV infection does not modify the clinical presentation or worsen clinical outcomes of COVID-19 hospitalization

How do women living with HIV experience menopause? Menopausal symptoms, anxiety and depression according to reproductive age in a multicenter cohort

CatedresBackground: To estimate the prevalence and severity of menopausal symptoms and anxiety/depression and to assess the differences according to menopausal status among women living with HIV aged 45-60 years from the cohort of Spanish HIV/AIDS Research Network (CoRIS). Methods: Women were interviewed by phone between September 2017 and December 2018 to determine whether they had experienced menopausal symptoms and anxiety/depression. The Menopause Rating Scale was used to evaluate the prevalence and severity of symptoms related to menopause in three subscales: somatic, psychologic and urogenital; and the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire was used for anxiety/depression. Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) of association between menopausal status, and other potential risk factors, the presence and severity of somatic, psychological and urogenital symptoms and of anxiety/depression. Results: Of 251 women included, 137 (54.6%) were post-, 70 (27.9%) peri- and 44 (17.5%) pre-menopausal, respectively. Median age of onset menopause was 48 years (IQR 45-50). The proportions of pre-, peri- and post-menopausal women who had experienced any menopausal symptoms were 45.5%, 60.0% and 66.4%, respectively. Both peri- and post-menopause were associated with a higher likelihood of having somatic symptoms (aOR 3.01; 95% CI 1.38-6.55 and 2.63; 1.44-4.81, respectively), while post-menopause increased the likelihood of having psychological (2.16; 1.13-4.14) and urogenital symptoms (2.54; 1.42-4.85). By other hand, post-menopausal women had a statistically significant five-fold increase in the likelihood of presenting severe urogenital symptoms than pre-menopausal women (4.90; 1.74-13.84). No significant differences by menopausal status were found for anxiety/depression. Joint/muscle problems, exhaustion and sleeping disorders were the most commonly reported symptoms among all women. Differences in the prevalences of vaginal dryness (p = 0.002), joint/muscle complaints (p = 0.032), and sweating/flush (p = 0.032) were found among the three groups. Conclusions: Women living with HIV experienced a wide variety of menopausal symptoms, some of them initiated before women had any menstrual irregularity. We found a higher likelihood of somatic symptoms in peri- and post-menopausal women, while a higher likelihood of psychological and urogenital symptoms was found in post-menopausal women. Most somatic symptoms were of low or moderate severity, probably due to the good clinical and immunological situation of these women

Down syndrome as risk factor for respiratory syncytial virus hospitalization : A prospective multicenter epidemiological study

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection in childhood, particularly in premature infants, is associated with significant morbidity and mortality. To compare the hospitalization rates due to RSV infection and severity of disease between infants with and without Down syndrome (DS) born at term and without other associated risk factors for severe RSV infection. In a prospective multicentre epidemiological study, 93 infants were included in the DS cohort and 68 matched by sex and data of birth (±1 week) and were followed up to 1 year of age and during a complete RSV season. The hospitalization rate for all acute respiratory infection was significantly higher in the DS cohort than in the non-DS cohort (44.1% vs 7.7%, P<.0001). Hospitalizations due to RSV were significantly more frequent in the DH cohort than in the non-DS cohort (9.7% vs 1.5%, P=.03). RSV prophylaxis was recorded in 33 (35.5%) infants with DS. The rate of hospitalization according to presence or absence of RSV immunoprophylaxis was 3.0% vs 15%, respectively. Infants with DS showed a higher rate of hospitalization due to acute lower respiratory tract infection and RSV infection compared to non-DS infants. Including DS infants in recommendations for immunoprophylaxis of RSV disease should be considered

NEOTROPICAL ALIEN MAMMALS: a data set of occurrence and abundance of alien mammals in the Neotropics

Biological invasion is one of the main threats to native biodiversity. For a species to become invasive, it must be voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into a nonnative habitat. Mammals were among first taxa to be introduced worldwide for game, meat, and labor, yet the number of species introduced in the Neotropics remains unknown. In this data set, we make available occurrence and abundance data on mammal species that (1) transposed a geographical barrier and (2) were voluntarily or involuntarily introduced by humans into the Neotropics. Our data set is composed of 73,738 historical and current georeferenced records on alien mammal species of which around 96% correspond to occurrence data on 77 species belonging to eight orders and 26 families. Data cover 26 continental countries in the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico and its frontier regions (southern Florida and coastal-central Florida in the southeast United States) to Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay, and the 13 countries of Caribbean islands. Our data set also includes neotropical species (e.g., Callithrix sp., Myocastor coypus, Nasua nasua) considered alien in particular areas of Neotropics. The most numerous species in terms of records are from Bos sp. (n = 37,782), Sus scrofa (n = 6,730), and Canis familiaris (n = 10,084); 17 species were represented by only one record (e.g., Syncerus caffer, Cervus timorensis, Cervus unicolor, Canis latrans). Primates have the highest number of species in the data set (n = 20 species), partly because of uncertainties regarding taxonomic identification of the genera Callithrix, which includes the species Callithrix aurita, Callithrix flaviceps, Callithrix geoffroyi, Callithrix jacchus, Callithrix kuhlii, Callithrix penicillata, and their hybrids. This unique data set will be a valuable source of information on invasion risk assessments, biodiversity redistribution and conservation-related research. There are no copyright restrictions. Please cite this data paper when using the data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us on how they are using the data

NEOTROPICAL XENARTHRANS: a data set of occurrence of xenarthran species in the Neotropics

Xenarthrans—anteaters, sloths, and armadillos—have essential functions for ecosystem maintenance, such as insect control and nutrient cycling, playing key roles as ecosystem engineers. Because of habitat loss and fragmentation, hunting pressure, and conflicts with domestic dogs, these species have been threatened locally, regionally, or even across their full distribution ranges. The Neotropics harbor 21 species of armadillos, 10 anteaters, and 6 sloths. Our data set includes the families Chlamyphoridae (13), Dasypodidae (7), Myrmecophagidae (3), Bradypodidae (4), and Megalonychidae (2). We have no occurrence data on Dasypus pilosus (Dasypodidae). Regarding Cyclopedidae, until recently, only one species was recognized, but new genetic studies have revealed that the group is represented by seven species. In this data paper, we compiled a total of 42,528 records of 31 species, represented by occurrence and quantitative data, totaling 24,847 unique georeferenced records. The geographic range is from the southern United States, Mexico, and Caribbean countries at the northern portion of the Neotropics, to the austral distribution in Argentina, Paraguay, Chile, and Uruguay. Regarding anteaters, Myrmecophaga tridactyla has the most records (n = 5,941), and Cyclopes sp. have the fewest (n = 240). The armadillo species with the most data is Dasypus novemcinctus (n = 11,588), and the fewest data are recorded for Calyptophractus retusus (n = 33). With regard to sloth species, Bradypus variegatus has the most records (n = 962), and Bradypus pygmaeus has the fewest (n = 12). Our main objective with Neotropical Xenarthrans is to make occurrence and quantitative data available to facilitate more ecological research, particularly if we integrate the xenarthran data with other data sets of Neotropical Series that will become available very soon (i.e., Neotropical Carnivores, Neotropical Invasive Mammals, and Neotropical Hunters and Dogs). Therefore, studies on trophic cascades, hunting pressure, habitat loss, fragmentation effects, species invasion, and climate change effects will be possible with the Neotropical Xenarthrans data set. Please cite this data paper when using its data in publications. We also request that researchers and teachers inform us of how they are using these data

NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES: a data set on carnivore distribution in the Neotropics

Mammalian carnivores are considered a key group in maintaining ecological health and can indicate potential ecological integrity in landscapes where they occur. Carnivores also hold high conservation value and their habitat requirements can guide management and conservation plans. The order Carnivora has 84 species from 8 families in the Neotropical region: Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Otariidae; Phocidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae. Herein, we include published and unpublished data on native terrestrial Neotropical carnivores (Canidae; Felidae; Mephitidae; Mustelidae; Procyonidae; and Ursidae). NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES is a publicly available data set that includes 99,605 data entries from 35,511 unique georeferenced coordinates. Detection/non-detection and quantitative data were obtained from 1818 to 2018 by researchers, governmental agencies, non-governmental organizations, and private consultants. Data were collected using several methods including camera trapping, museum collections, roadkill, line transect, and opportunistic records. Literature (peer-reviewed and grey literature) from Portuguese, Spanish and English were incorporated in this compilation. Most of the data set consists of detection data entries (n = 79,343; 79.7%) but also includes non-detection data (n = 20,262; 20.3%). Of those, 43.3% also include count data (n = 43,151). The information available in NEOTROPICAL CARNIVORES will contribute to macroecological, ecological, and conservation questions in multiple spatio-temporal perspectives. As carnivores play key roles in trophic interactions, a better understanding of their distribution and habitat requirements are essential to establish conservation management plans and safeguard the future ecological health of Neotropical ecosystems. Our data paper, combined with other large-scale data sets, has great potential to clarify species distribution and related ecological processes within the Neotropics. There are no copyright restrictions and no restriction for using data from this data paper, as long as the data paper is cited as the source of the information used. We also request that users inform us of how they intend to use the data