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Plant Communications Nov 2023Plants adapted to challenging environments offer fascinating models of evolutionary change. Importantly, they also give information to meet our pressing need to develop... (Review)
Review
Plants adapted to challenging environments offer fascinating models of evolutionary change. Importantly, they also give information to meet our pressing need to develop resilient, low-input crops. With mounting environmental fluctuation-including temperature, rainfall, and soil salinity and degradation-this is more urgent than ever. Happily, solutions are hiding in plain sight: the adaptive mechanisms from natural adapted populations, once understood, can then be leveraged. Much recent insight has come from the study of salinity, a widespread factor limiting productivity, with estimates of 20% of all cultivated lands affected. This is an expanding problem, given increasing climate volatility, rising sea levels, and poor irrigation practices. We therefore highlight recent benchmark studies of ecologically adaptive salt tolerance in plants, assessing macro- and microevolutionary mechanisms, and the recently recognized role of ploidy and the microbiome on salinity adaptation. We synthesize insight specifically on naturally evolved adaptive salt-tolerance mechanisms, as these works move substantially beyond traditional mutant or knockout studies, to show how evolution can nimbly "tweak" plant physiology to optimize function. We then point to future directions to advance this field that intersect evolutionary biology, abiotic-stress tolerance, breeding, and molecular plant physiology.
Topics: Salt Tolerance; Soil; Crops, Agricultural
PubMed: 36883005
DOI: 10.1016/j.xplc.2023.100571 -
Journal of Thermal Biology Aug 2023Given the increasing trend of global warming and extreme weather conditions, including heat waves and its effects on health, the present study was done to investigate... (Review)
Review
BACKGROUND
Given the increasing trend of global warming and extreme weather conditions, including heat waves and its effects on health, the present study was done to investigate adaptive behaviors of communities in the world for combating heat waves.
METHOD
ology: In this systematic review, out of 1529 results, 57 relevant and authoritative English papers on adaptation to heat waves hazard were extracted and evaluated using valid keywords from valid databases (PubMed, WOS, EMBASE, and Scopus). In addition, multiple screening steps were done and then, the selected papers were qualitatively assessed. Evaluation results were summarized using an Extraction Table.
RESULTS
In this paper, the adaptive behaviors for combating heat waves hazard were summarized into 11 categories: Education and awareness raising, Adaptation of critical infrastructure, Governments measures, Health-related measures, Application of early warning system, Protective behaviors in workplace, Physical condition, Adaptive individual behaviors, Design and architecture of the building, Green infrastructure (green cover), and Urban design.
CONCLUSION
The findings of this study showed that community actions have significant effects on adaptation to heat wave. Therefore, for reducing heat wave-related negative health effects and vulnerability, more attention should be paid to the above-mentioned actions for mitigation, preparation, and responding regarding heat waves.
PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER
CRD42021257747.
Topics: Hot Temperature; Acclimatization; Adaptation, Physiological; Global Warming; Adaptation, Psychological; Climate Change
PubMed: 37499408
DOI: 10.1016/j.jtherbio.2023.103588 -
Nature Communications Aug 2023Heat-related mortality has been identified as one of the key climate extremes posing a risk to human health. Current research focuses largely on how heat mortality...
Heat-related mortality has been identified as one of the key climate extremes posing a risk to human health. Current research focuses largely on how heat mortality increases with mean global temperature rise, but it is unclear how much climate change will increase the frequency and severity of extreme summer seasons with high impact on human health. In this probabilistic analysis, we combined empirical heat-mortality relationships for 748 locations from 47 countries with climate model large ensemble data to identify probable past and future highly impactful summer seasons. Across most locations, heat mortality counts of a 1-in-100 year season in the climate of 2000 would be expected once every ten to twenty years in the climate of 2020. These return periods are projected to further shorten under warming levels of 1.5 °C and 2 °C, where heat-mortality extremes of the past climate will eventually become commonplace if no adaptation occurs. Our findings highlight the urgent need for strong mitigation and adaptation to reduce impacts on human lives.
Topics: Humans; Hot Temperature; Temperature; Biodiversity; Acclimatization; Climate Change
PubMed: 37620329
DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40599-x -
American Journal of Biological... Aug 2023Identifying scurvy and rickets has important implications for understanding adaptations and variability among past communities, and bioarchaeologists now regularly... (Review)
Review
OBJECTIVES
Identifying scurvy and rickets has important implications for understanding adaptations and variability among past communities, and bioarchaeologists now regularly evaluate these conditions. Due to the increased number of studies, cases with less clear-cut lesions and variable preservation are now frequently reported. Despite an improved understanding of the biological mechanisms for disease expression, there is a lack of consensus on the language used to express diagnostic certainty, limiting comparability. This article aims to address these issues and provide recommendations on more consistent diagnostic terminology using widely accepted diagnostic methodology based on biological mechanisms.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
We review diagnostic terms used in bioarchaeology by considering published cases of rickets, scurvy and co-occurrence alongside M.B.B.'s past project notes. We also consider differences in the diagnosis of rickets and scurvy in living and archeological individuals.
RESULTS
We provide recommendations on a framework that can be used to show diagnostic certainty in cases of rickets, scurvy, and co-occurrence. Core lesions of rickets and scurvy are used alongside a limited lexicon of diagnostic terminology based on the Istanbul protocol.
DISCUSSION
It is not the number of lesions that determines whether an individual is assigned to a particular diagnosis category, but rather the range and expression of lesions present. Avoiding a "tick-list" approach to core lesions of these diseases will be critical to ensure that identifying rickets and scurvy continues to contribute to understanding adaptations and variability among past communities. The framework allows more consistency in diagnostic certainty, facilitating greater comparability in research.
Topics: Humans; Scurvy; Body Remains; Rickets; Archaeology; Acclimatization
PubMed: 37337361
DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24799 -
World Journal of Microbiology &... Sep 2023Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt.b), a deadly disease causer, is a facultative parasite. This microorganism has developed several methods to defend itself, once... (Review)
Review
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mt.b), a deadly disease causer, is a facultative parasite. This microorganism has developed several methods to defend itself, once internalized within specialised vacuoles in the macrophages. A wide array of receptors like the complement receptor mannose receptors, scavenger receptor assists the entry of the microbe within the phagocytic macrophages. However, Mt.b is clever enough to protect itself from the hostile environment of the macrophage thereby prevailing within it. The microbe can efficiently inhibit processes like phagosome-lysosome fusion, acidification of phagosomes, release of proinflammatory cytokines and stop crucial events like apoptosis. Additionally, it also adopts resistance to killing by reactive oxygen intermediates and reactive nitrogen intermediates. There are multiple genes both in host and the pathogen which are involved in this successful survival of Mt.b. The regulation of phagolysosome fusion is mediated by proteins such as Coronin, TlyA, SapM, PnkG, EsxH. The microbe has certain mechanisms to even acquire iron from the host cell, to withstand iron deprivation as a mode of host's defence mechanism. This review focuses on the various defensive adaptations acquired by Mt.b for fighting against the deprived conditions existing within the macrophages and their capability of proliferating successfully within it, thereby resulting in a diseased condition.
Topics: Mycobacterium tuberculosis; Macrophages; Acclimatization; Apoptosis; Iron
PubMed: 37667129
DOI: 10.1007/s11274-023-03735-9 -
The Journal of Physiological Sciences :... Oct 2023Heat acclimation/acclimatisation (HA) mitigates heat-related decrements in physical capacity and heat-illness risk and is a widely advocated countermeasure for... (Review)
Review
Heat acclimation/acclimatisation (HA) mitigates heat-related decrements in physical capacity and heat-illness risk and is a widely advocated countermeasure for individuals operating in hot environments. The efficacy of HA is typically quantified by assessing the thermo-physiological responses to a standard heat acclimation state test (i.e. physiological biomarkers), but this can be logistically challenging, time consuming, and expensive. A valid molecular biomarker of HA would enable evaluation of the heat-adapted state through the sampling and assessment of a biological medium. This narrative review examines candidate molecular biomarkers of HA, highlighting the poor sensitivity and specificity of these candidates and identifying the current lack of a single 'standout' biomarker. It concludes by considering the potential of multivariable approaches that provide information about a range of physiological systems, identifying a number of challenges that must be overcome to develop a valid molecular biomarker of the heat-adapted state, and highlighting future research opportunities.
Topics: Humans; Hot Temperature; Acclimatization; Biomarkers; Phenotype; Heart Rate
PubMed: 37848829
DOI: 10.1186/s12576-023-00882-4 -
Cell Reports Aug 2023To understand how a bacterium ultimately succeeds or fails in adapting to a new host, it is essential to assess the temporal dynamics of its fitness over the course of...
To understand how a bacterium ultimately succeeds or fails in adapting to a new host, it is essential to assess the temporal dynamics of its fitness over the course of colonization. Here, we introduce a human-derived commensal organism, Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron (Bt), into the guts of germ-free mice to determine whether and how the genetic requirements for colonization shift over time. Combining a high-throughput functional genetics assay and transcriptomics, we find that gene usage changes drastically during the first days of colonization, shifting from high expression of amino acid biosynthesis genes to broad upregulation of diverse polysaccharide utilization loci. Within the first week, metabolism becomes centered around utilization of a predominant dietary oligosaccharide, and these changes are largely sustained through 6 weeks of colonization. Spontaneous mutations in wild-type Bt also evolve around this locus. These findings highlight the importance of considering temporal colonization dynamics in developing more effective microbiome-based therapies.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Mice; Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron; Acclimatization; Biological Assay; Gene Expression Profiling; Microbiota
PubMed: 37598339
DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.113009 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Aug 2023NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase C (NTRC) is a chloroplast redox regulator in algae and plants. Here, we used site-specific mutation analyses of the thioredoxin...
NADPH-dependent thioredoxin reductase C (NTRC) is a chloroplast redox regulator in algae and plants. Here, we used site-specific mutation analyses of the thioredoxin domain active site of NTRC in the green alga to show that NTRC mediates cold tolerance in a redox-dependent manner. By means of coimmunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry, a redox- and cold-dependent binding of the Calvin-Benson Cycle Protein 12 (CP12) to NTRC was identified. NTRC was subsequently demonstrated to directly reduce CP12 of as well as that of the vascular plant in vitro. As a scaffold protein, CP12 joins the Calvin-Benson cycle enzymes phosphoribulokinase (PRK) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) to form an autoinhibitory supracomplex. Using size-exclusion chromatography, NTRC from both organisms was shown to control the integrity of this complex in vitro and thereby PRK and GAPDH activities in the cold. Thus, NTRC apparently reduces CP12, hence triggering the dissociation of the PRK/CP12/GAPDH complex in the cold. Like the mutant, CRISPR-based mutants also exhibited a redox-dependent cold phenotype. In addition, deletion resulted in robust decreases in both PRK and GAPDH protein levels implying a protein protection effect of CP12. Both CP12 functions are critical for preparing a repertoire of enzymes for rapid activation in response to environmental changes. This provides a crucial mechanism for cold acclimation.
Topics: Acclimatization; Glyceraldehyde-3-Phosphate Dehydrogenases; Oxidation-Reduction; Photosynthesis; Thioredoxin-Disulfide Reductase; Chlamydomonas reinhardtii
PubMed: 37549282
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2306338120 -
High Altitude Medicine & Biology Jun 2024Ramchandani, Rashi, Ioana Tereza Florica, Zier Zhou, Aziz Alemi, and Adrian Baranchuk. Review of athletic guidelines for high-altitude training and acclimatization.... (Review)
Review
Ramchandani, Rashi, Ioana Tereza Florica, Zier Zhou, Aziz Alemi, and Adrian Baranchuk. Review of athletic guidelines for high-altitude training and acclimatization. 00:000-000, 2024. Exposure to high altitude results in hypobaric hypoxia with physiological acclimatization changes that are thought to influence athletic performance. This review summarizes existing literature regarding implications of high-altitude training and altitude-related guidelines from major governing bodies of sports. A nonsystematic review was performed using PubMed and OVID Medline to identify articles regarding altitude training and guidelines from international governing bodies of various sports. Sports inherently involving training or competing at high altitude were excluded. Important physiological compensatory mechanisms to high-altitude environments include elevations in blood pressure, heart rate, red blood cell mass, tidal volume, and respiratory rate. These responses can have varying effects on athletic performance. Governing sport bodies have limited and differing regulations for training and competition at high altitudes with recommended acclimatization periods ranging from 3 days to 3 weeks. Physiological changes in response to high terrestrial altitude exposure can have substantial impacts on athletic performance. Major sport governing bodies have limited regulations and recommendations regarding altitude training and competition. Existing guidelines are variable and lack substantial evidence to support recommendations. Additional studies are needed to clarify the implications of high-altitude exposure on athletic ability to optimize training and competition.
Topics: Humans; Acclimatization; Altitude; Athletic Performance; Sports; Guidelines as Topic; Hypoxia; Blood Pressure
PubMed: 38207236
DOI: 10.1089/ham.2023.0042 -
Proceedings. Biological Sciences Jul 2023Most animals on earth have evolved under daily light-dark cycles and consequently possess a circadian clock which regulates much of their biology, from cellular...
Most animals on earth have evolved under daily light-dark cycles and consequently possess a circadian clock which regulates much of their biology, from cellular processes to behaviour. There are however some animals that have invaded dark ecosystems and have adapted to an apparently arrhythmic environment. One such example is the Mexican blind cavefish , a species complex with over 30 different isolated cave types, including the founding surface river fish. These cavefish have evolved numerous fascinating adaptations to the dark, such as loss of eyes, reduced sleep phenotype and alterations in their clock and light biology. While cavefish are an excellent model for studying circadian adaptations to the dark, their rarity and long generational time makes many studies challenging. To overcome these limitations, we established embryonic cell cultures from cavefish strains and assessed their potential as tools for circadian and light experiments. Here, we show that despite originating from animals with no eyes, cavefish cells in culture are directly light responsive and show an endogenous circadian rhythm, albeit that light sensitivity is relatively reduced in cave strain cells. Expression patterns are similar to adult fish, making these cavefish cell lines a useful tool for further circadian and molecular studies.
Topics: Animals; Ecosystem; Fishes; Acclimatization; Caves; Circadian Clocks
PubMed: 37434525
DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0981