Acoustic Signalling in Eurasian Penduline Tits Remiz Pendulins: Repertoire Size Signals Male Nest Defence

Elaborate male song may restrain competitors in various songbirds, although the exact mechanism, information content and information flow of acoustic signals are not completely understood. Here we focus on the interactions between resident and intruder males using the Eurasian penduline tit Remiz pendulinus. The breeding system of this small passerine bird is unusually variable including sequential polygamy by both sexes, and appears to be driven by intense sexual selection and sexual conflict over parental care. We had two objectives in this study: (i) to investigate whether male repertoire size is an intra-sexual signal in penduline tits, and (ii) to determine emitter and receiver roles during acoustic communication between residents and intruders. We tested these objectives in a natural population by recording the resident males' song and then challenging them by song playbacks. The residents' approach to intruder stimuli and behavioural responses were monitored. We found that intruder repertoire size did not evoke different responses by the residents. Rather, the resident's approach distance and behavioural response was predicted by his own repertoire size, suggesting that song in penduline tits is involved in male-male communication, and repertoire size may function as a reliable signal of the resident male's ability and willingness to defend his nest and avert possible intruders

The prognostic association of SPAG5 gene expression in breast cancer patients with systematic therapy

Background: Despite much effort on the treatment of breast cancer over the decades, a great uncertainty regarding the appropriate molecular biomarkers and optimal therapeutic strategy still exists. This research was performed to analyze the association of SPAG5 gene expression with clinicopathological factors and survival outcomes. Methods: We used a breast cancer database including 5667 patients with a mean follow-up of 69 months. Kaplan-Meier survival analyses for relapse free survival (RFS), overall survival (OS), and distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) were performed. In addition, ROC analysis was performed to validate SPAG5 as a prognostic candidate gene. Results: Mean SPAG5 expression value was significantly higher with some clinicopathological factors that resulted in tumor promotion and progression, including poor differentiated type, HER2 positive or TP53 mutated breast cancer. Based on ROC-analysis SPAG 5 is a suitable prognostic marker of poor survival. In patients who received chemotherapy alone, SPAG5 had only a moderate and not significant predictive impact on survival outcomes. However, in hormonal therapy, high SPAG5 expression could strongly predict prognosis with detrimental RFS (HR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.2-2.06, p = 0.001), OS (HR = 2, 95% CI 1.05-3.8, p = 0.03) and DMFS (HR = 2.36, 95% CI 1.57-3.54, p < 0.001), respectively. In addition, SPAG5 could only serve as a survival predictor in ER+, but not ER- breast cancer patients. Patients might also be at an increased risk of relapse despite being diagnosed with a lower grade cancer (well differentiated type). Conclusions: SPAG5 could be used as an independent prognostic and predictive biomarker that might have clinical utility, especially in ER+ breast cancer patients who received hormonal therapy. © 2019 The Author(s)

Acoustic signalling in Eurasian penduline tits remiz pendulinus: Repertoire size signals male nest defence

Elaborate male song may restrain competitors in various songbirds, although the exact mechanism, information content and information flow of acoustic signals are not completely understood. Here we focus on the interactions between resident and intruder males using the Eurasian penduline tit Remiz pendulinus. The breeding system of this small passerine bird is unusually variable including sequential polygamy by both sexes, and appears to be driven by intense sexual selection and sexual conflict over parental care. We had two objectives in this study: (i) to investigate whether male repertoire size is an intra-sexual signal in penduline tits, and (ii) to determine emitter and receiver roles during acoustic communication between residents and intruders. We tested these objectives in a natural population by recording the resident males' song and then challenging them by song playbacks. The residents' approach to intruder stimuli and behavioural responses were monitored. We found that intruder repertoire size did not evoke different responses by the residents. Rather, the resident's approach distance and behavioural response was predicted by his own repertoire size, suggesting that song in penduline tits is involved in male-male communication, and repertoire size may function as a reliable signal of the resident male's ability and willingness to defend his nest and avert possible intruders