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opencc-by-4.0Jun 2023View details →

Data for "Host starvation and in hospite degradation of algal symbionts shape the heat stress response of the Cassiopea-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis"

Raw data associated with the publication "Host starvation and in hospite degradation of algal symbionts shape the heat stress response of the Cassiopea-Symbiodiniaceae symbiosis". Temperature profile, daily measurements, physiological measurements, elemental analysis, NanoSIMS data, and cell density data are included as individual tabs in the Excel file.

opencc-zeroFeb 2022View details →

Host-symbiont stress response to lack-of-sulfide in the giant ciliate mutualism

The mutualism between the thioautotrophic bacterial ectosymbiont Candidatus Thiobius zoothamnicola and the giant ciliate Zoothamnium niveum thrives in a variety of shallow-water marine environments with highly fluctuating sulfide emissions. To persist over time, both partners must reproduce and ensure the transmission of symbionts before the sulfide stops, which enables carbon fixation of the symbiont and nourishment of the host. We experimentally investigated the response of this mutualism to depletion of sulfide. We found that colonies released some initially present but also newly produced macrozooids until death, but in fewer numbers than when exposed to sulfide. The symbionts on the colonies proliferated less without sulfide, and became larger and more rod-shaped than symbionts from freshly collected colonies that were exposed to sulfide and oxygen. The symbiotic monolayer was severely disturbed by growth of other microbes and loss of symbionts. We conclude that the response of both partners to the termination of sulfide emission was remarkably quick. The development and the release of swarmers continued until host died and thus this behavior contributed to the continuation of the association.

opencc-by-4.0Sep 2022View details →

Complex plant quality - microbiota - population interactions modulate the response of a specialist herbivore to the defense of its host plant.

1. Many specialist herbivores have evolved strategies to cope with plant defenses, with gut microbiota potentially participating to such adaptations. 2. In this study we assessed whether the history of plant use (population origin) and microbiota may interact with plant defense adaptation. 3. We tested whether microbiota enhance the performance of Melitaea cinxia larvae on their host plant, Plantago lanceolata and increase their ability to cope the defensive compounds, iridoid glycosides (IGs). 3. The gut microbiota was significantly affected by both larval population origin and host plant IG level. Contrary to our prediction, impoverishing the microbiota with antibiotic treatment did not reduce larval performance. 5. As expected for this specialized insect herbivore, sequestration of one of IGs was higher in larvae fed with plants producing higher concentration of IGs. These larvae also showed metabolic signature of intoxication (i.e. decrease in Lysine levels). However, intoxication on highly defended plants was only observed when larvae with history of poorly defended plants were simultaneously treated with antibiotics. 6. Our results suggest that both adaptation and microbiota contribute to the metabolic response of herbivores to plant defense though complex interactions.

opencc-zeroMay 2024View details →

A model of within-host interactions between host resources, macroparasite infection and immune response

This project was designed to mathematically investigate the of different host parasite-mitigation strategies on host condition. The R code herein comprises: <ul> <li>An ODE model of within-host interactions between a macroparasite (e.g. helminth) infection, host resource levels and host immune response, and the consequent effects on host condition. In brief, resources are ingested and utilised by the host, leading to inceased condition. The host is infected by a parasite, which matures and establishes within the host; both age stages cause harm to the host, decreasing host condition. The presence of the parasite stimulates an immune response, which can either target larval or adult parasites (a resistance strategy), or ameliorate the harm they cause (a tolerance strategy). The host can also reduce resource intake in order to also reduce ingestion of parasite infective stages (an avoidance strategy). Resistance responses have an associated immunopathology, in that the immune response also harms the host.</li> <li>Code to plot model trajectories over time.</li> <li>Code to plot multiple trajectories as a heat map, in which the x-axis is time and the y-axis is a parameter representing the host investment in its parasite-mitigation strategy.</li> <li>Code to calculate the optimum host investment for each strategy, over various sets of parameter values, as determined by maximising mean host condition over a given timeframe, and to plot the output.</li> <li>The same are also provided for an ODE model in which the total immune response is allocated between the two resistance responses and tolerance (a combined strategy). The optimisation code optimises both the total investment in immune repsonse, and how much is allocated to the three different individual strategies.</li> </ul> The model and results are described in detail in the associated manuscript. We also provide here the simulated datasets in which the optimum host investments were calculated over a range of different parameter values, as these take several hours to run on a standard desktop computer..

Fig. 2. Linear regression models showing the relationship between Aphis citricola and Harmonia axyridis abundance. A in Behavioral responses of Aphis citricola (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its natural enemy Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to non-host plant volatiles

Fig. 2. Linear regression models showing the relationship between Aphis citricola and Harmonia axyridis abundance. A: Catnip (Nepeta cataria) + French marigold (Tagetes patula), B: ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum) + French marigold, C: catnip + ageratum, and D: native vegetation.

Fig. 6 in Behavioral responses of Aphis citricola (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its natural enemy Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to non-host plant volatiles

Fig. 6. Typical chromatograms obtained from headspace collections of volatiles from French marigold (Tagetes patula) (B) and catnip (Nepeta cataria) (C). A, air control.

Fig. 9 in Behavioral responses of Aphis citricola (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its natural enemy Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to non-host plant volatiles

Fig. 9. An Aphis citricola infestation model showing the effects of aromatic plant volatiles. Solid arrows refer to positive effects. Dotted lines refer to negative effect. The thickness of the arrows indicates the magnitude of the effects. The model includes data from this study and the studies by Song et al. (2013) and Chen et al (2014).

Fig. 8 in Behavioral responses of Aphis citricola (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its natural enemy Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to non-host plant volatiles

Fig. 8. Response of Harmonia axyridis adults to 12.5 μL/L, 25 μL/L, and 50 μL/L 1:1 mixed D-limonene and terpinolene afer 60 min. A: No aphids; B: aphids present. The numbers of asterisks represent the level of significance: ** highly significant (P <0.01); * significant (P <0.05); n.s. no significant difference.

Fig. 5 in Behavioral responses of Aphis citricola (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its natural enemy Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to non-host plant volatiles

Fig. 5. Differences in the number of Harmonia axyridis adults responding to French marigold (Tagetes patula) (A) and catbip (Nepeta cataria) (B) afer 60 min. T: Apple trees + aromatic plants; CK: apple trees. Aphids removed: aphids introduced for 2 h and then removed. The numbers of asterisks represent the level of significance: * significant (P <0.05); n.s. no significant difference.

Fig. 7 in Behavioral responses of Aphis citricola (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its natural enemy Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to non-host plant volatiles

Fig. 7. Differences in the number Harmonia axyridis adults in response to 12.5 μL/L, 25 μL/L, and 50 μL/L D-limonene (A, B) and terpinolene (C, D) afer 60 min. A, C: No aphids;B, D: aphids present.The numbers of asterisks represent the level of significance:** highly significant (P <0.01);* significant (P <0.05);n.s. no significant difference.

Fig. 3 in Behavioral responses of Aphis citricola (Hemiptera: Aphididae) and its natural enemy Harmonia axyridis (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae) to non-host plant volatiles

Fig. 3. Linear regression models showing the relationship in the ratio of Harmonia axyridis abundance to Aphis citricola abundance with sampling years. A: Catnip (Nepeta cataria) + French marigold (Tagetes patula), B: ageratum (Ageratum houstonianum) + French marigold, C: catnip + ageratum, and D: native vegetation.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

Can predators stabilize host-parasite interactions? Changes in aquatic predator identity alters amphibian responses and parasite abundance across life stages

The role of parasites can change depending on the food web community. Predators, for instance, can amplify or dilute parasite effects on their hosts. Likewise, exposure to parasites or predators at one life stage can have long-term consequences on individual performance and survival, which can influence population and disease dynamics. To understand how predators affect amphibian parasite infections across life stages, we manipulated exposure of northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens) tadpoles to three predators (crayfish [Orconectes rusticus], bluegill [Lepomis macrochirus], or mosquitofish [Gambusia affinis]) and to trematode parasites (Echinostoma spp.) in mesocosms and followed juveniles in outdoor terrestrial enclosures through overwintering. Parasites and predators both had strong impacts on metamorphosis with bluegill and parasites individually reducing metamorph survival. However, when fish were present, the negative effects of parasites on survival were not apparent, likely because fish altered community composition via increased algal food resources. Bluegill also reduced snail abundance, which could explain the reduced abundance of parasites in surviving metamorphs. Bluegill and parasite exposure increased mass at metamorphosis, which increased metamorph jumping, swimming, and feeding performance, suggesting larger frogs would experience better terrestrial survival. Effects on size at metamorphosis persisted in the terrestrial environment but did not influence overwintering survival. Based on our results, we constructed stage-structured population models to evaluate the lethal and sublethal effects of bluegill and parasites on population dynamics. Our models suggested that the positive effects of bluegill and parasites on body size may have greater effects on population growth than the direct effects of mortality. This study illustrates how predators can alter the outcome of parasitic infections and highlights the need for long-term experiments that investigate how changes in host-parasite systems alter population dynamics. We show some predators reduce parasite effects and have indirect positive effects on surviving individuals potentially increasing host population persistence.

opencc-by-4.0Dec 2022View details →

VIGET: A web portal for study of vaccine-induced host responses based on Reactome pathways and ImmPort data

Host responses to vaccines are complex but important to investigate. To facilitate the study, we have developed a tool called Vaccine Induced Gene Expression Analysis Tool (VIGET), with the aim to provide an interactive online tool for users to efficiently and robustly analyze the host immune response gene expression data collected in the ImmPort database. VIGET allows users to select vaccines, choose ImmPort studies, set up analysis models by choosing confounding variables and two groups of samples having different vaccination times, and then perform differential expression analysis to select genes for pathway enrichment analysis and functional interaction network construction using the Reactome’s web services. VIGET provides features for users to compare results from two analyses, facilitating comparative response analysis across different demographic groups. VIGET uses the Vaccine Ontology (VO) to classify various types of vaccines such as live or inactivated flu vaccines, yellow fever vaccines, etc. Different variables are classified using our Vaccine Investigation Ontology (VIO). To showcase the utilities of VIGET, we conducted a longitudinal analysis of immune responses to yellow fever vaccines and found an intriguing complex activity response pattern of pathways in the immune system annotated in Reactome, demonstrating that VIGET is a valuable web portal that supports effective vaccine response studies using Reactome pathways and ImmPort data. The portal has been deployed at <a href="https://viget.violinet.org/">https://viget.violinet.org/</a>.

opencc-zeroDec 2022View details →

Whole blood RNA-seq demonstrates an increased host immune response in individuals with cystic fibrosis who develop nontuberculous mycobacterial pulmonary disease

Background Individuals with cystic fibrosis have an elevated lifetime risk of colonization, infection, and disease caused by nontuberculous mycobacteria. A prior study involving non-cystic fibrosis individuals reported a gene expression signature associated with susceptibility to nontuberculous mycobacteria pulmonary disease (NTM-PD). In this study, we determined whether people living with cystic fibrosis who progress to NTM-PD have a gene expression pattern similar to the one seen in the non-cystic fibrosis population. Methods We evaluated whole blood transcriptomics using bulk RNA-seq in a cohort of cystic fibrosis patients with samples collected closest in timing to the first isolation of nontuberculous mycobacteria. The study population included patients who did (n = 12) and did not (n = 30) develop NTM-PD following the first mycobacterial growth. Progression to NTM-PD was defined by a consensus of two expert clinicians based on reviewing clinical, microbiological, and radiological information. Differential gene expression was determined by DESeq2. Results No differences in demographics or composition of white blood cell populations between groups were identified at baseline. Out of 213 genes associated with NTM-PD in the non-CF population, only two were significantly different in our cystic fibrosis NTM-PD cohort. Gene set enrichment analysis of the differential expression results showed that CF individuals who developed NTM-PD had higher expression levels of genes involved in the interferon (α and γ), tumor necrosis factor, and IL6-STAT3-JAK pathways. Conclusion In contrast to the non-cystic fibrosis population, the gene expression signature of patients with cystic fibrosis who develop NTM-PD is characterized by increased innate immune responses.

publicNov 2022View details →

Can predators stabilize host-parasite interactions? Changes in aquatic predator identity alters amphibian responses and parasite abundance across life stages

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publicMay 2024View details →

A model of within-host interactions between host resources, macroparasite infection and immune response

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publicJul 2024View details →

Data from: Responses of juvenile blacklegged ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) to hosts of varying quality

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