Throughout evolutionary history,animals are finely tuned to adjust their behaviors corresponding to environmental variations.Behavioral flexibility represents an important component of a species'adaptive capacity ...Throughout evolutionary history,animals are finely tuned to adjust their behaviors corresponding to environmental variations.Behavioral flexibility represents an important component of a species'adaptive capacity in the face of rapid anthropogenetic environmental change,and knowledge of animal behaviors is increasingly recognized in conservation biology.In aquatic ecosystem,variation of water depth is a key factor affecting the availability of food;thus,the foraging behaviors of many waterbirds,especially piscivores.In this study,we compared the foraging behaviors of the Scaly-sided Merganser(Mergus squamatus),an endangered migratory diving duck endemic to East Asia,in habitats with different water depths(Shallow waters:0–40 cm;Deep waters:40–300 cm),using video camera records obtained from the known wintering sites during three winters from 2018 to 2020.Further,the energy expenditure of foraging behavior profile and energy intake based on fish sizes were calculated to study the foraging energetics.In total,200 effective video footages that contained 1086 min with 17,995 behaviors and 163 events of catching fish were recorded.Results showed that:1)time length for fishing(including eye-submerging,head-dipping,diving and food handling)of M.squamatus in shallow waters was significantly more than in deep waters;2)M.squamatuss spent significantly more time for preparing(including vigilance,preening and swimming)in deep waters than in shallow waters;3)the mean catch rate was 0.28 fish/min in shallow waters,which is significantly higher than the value of 0.13 fish/min in deep waters;4)despite the distinct foraging behavior profiles and energy intakes,M.squamatus showed similar energetics in shallow and deep waters.We concluded that M.squamatus is a good example of behavioral flexibility that aligns with expectations of optimal foraging theory,in that it behaves in accordance to resource availability in different environments,resulting in high foraging efficiency.展开更多
Acinetobacter baumannii(A.baumannii)poses a serious public health challenge due to its notorious antimicrobial resistance,particularly carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii(CRAB).In this study,we isolated a virulent phage,...Acinetobacter baumannii(A.baumannii)poses a serious public health challenge due to its notorious antimicrobial resistance,particularly carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii(CRAB).In this study,we isolated a virulent phage,named P1068,from medical wastewater capable of lysing CRAB,primarily targeting the K3 capsule type.Basic characterization showed that P1068 infected the A.baumannii ZWAb014 with an optimal MOI of 1,experienced a latent period of 10 min and maintained stability over a temperature range of 4–37C and pH range of 3–10.Phylogenetic and average nucleotide identity analyses indicate that P1068 can be classified as a novel species within the genus Obolenskvirus of the Caudoviricetes class as per the most recent virus classification released by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses(ICTV).Additionally,according to classical morphological classification,P1068 is identified as a T4-like phage(Myoviridae).Interestingly,we found that the tail fiber protein(TFP)of P1068 shares 74%coverage and 88.99%identity with the TFP of a T7-like phage(Podoviridae),AbKT21phiIII(NC_048142.1).This finding suggests that the TFP gene of phages may undergo horizontal transfer across different genera and morphologies.In vitro antimicrobial assays showed that P1068 exhibited antimicrobial activity against A.baumannii in both biofilm and planktonic states.In mouse models of intraperitoneal infection,P1068 phage protected mice from A.baumannii infection and significantly reduced bacterial loads in various tissues such as the brain,blood,lung,spleen,and liver compared to controls.In conclusion,this study demonstrates that phage P1068 might be a potential candidate for the treatment of carbapenem-resistant and biofilmforming A.baumannii infections,and expands the understanding of horizontal transfer of phage TFP genes.展开更多
Amphiphilic aminated fullerenes have a broad margin of safety and significant antitumor effects.Herein,we develop a simple and versatile synthesis strategy for tetraamino-[60]fullerene epoxide(C_(60)(NR^(1)R^(2))_(4)O...Amphiphilic aminated fullerenes have a broad margin of safety and significant antitumor effects.Herein,we develop a simple and versatile synthesis strategy for tetraamino-[60]fullerene epoxide(C_(60)(NR^(1)R^(2))_(4)O)using C_(60)Cl_(6)as a precursor,which notably reduces the reaction time to less than 1 h while retaining a high yield of over 80%with both cyclic and linear secondary amine substrates even at the gram level.The molecular structure of C_(60)(NR^(1)R^(2))_(4)O is first validated by single-crystal diffraction,and a two-step reaction mechanism comprising nucleophilic substitution of Cl and the oxidative elimination of Cl_(2)is proposed based on experimental verification and density functional theory simulation.A set of water-soluble aminated C_(60)(NR^(1)R^(2))_(4)O was prepared in large quantities,and in vitro antitumor evaluation unveiled the critical role that terminal primary amino moieties of C_(60)(NR^(1)R^(2))_(4)O play in their antineoplastic effects.This work provides an effective synthesis method for aminated C_(60)(NR^(1)R^(2))_(4)O,facilitating the development of fullerene-derived tumor-targeted drugs.展开更多
基金supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities(BLX202147)the Joint Fund for Regional Innovation and Development of NSFC(U22A20563).
文摘Throughout evolutionary history,animals are finely tuned to adjust their behaviors corresponding to environmental variations.Behavioral flexibility represents an important component of a species'adaptive capacity in the face of rapid anthropogenetic environmental change,and knowledge of animal behaviors is increasingly recognized in conservation biology.In aquatic ecosystem,variation of water depth is a key factor affecting the availability of food;thus,the foraging behaviors of many waterbirds,especially piscivores.In this study,we compared the foraging behaviors of the Scaly-sided Merganser(Mergus squamatus),an endangered migratory diving duck endemic to East Asia,in habitats with different water depths(Shallow waters:0–40 cm;Deep waters:40–300 cm),using video camera records obtained from the known wintering sites during three winters from 2018 to 2020.Further,the energy expenditure of foraging behavior profile and energy intake based on fish sizes were calculated to study the foraging energetics.In total,200 effective video footages that contained 1086 min with 17,995 behaviors and 163 events of catching fish were recorded.Results showed that:1)time length for fishing(including eye-submerging,head-dipping,diving and food handling)of M.squamatus in shallow waters was significantly more than in deep waters;2)M.squamatuss spent significantly more time for preparing(including vigilance,preening and swimming)in deep waters than in shallow waters;3)the mean catch rate was 0.28 fish/min in shallow waters,which is significantly higher than the value of 0.13 fish/min in deep waters;4)despite the distinct foraging behavior profiles and energy intakes,M.squamatus showed similar energetics in shallow and deep waters.We concluded that M.squamatus is a good example of behavioral flexibility that aligns with expectations of optimal foraging theory,in that it behaves in accordance to resource availability in different environments,resulting in high foraging efficiency.
基金supported by a grant from the NHC Key laboratory of Enteric Pathogenic Microbiology(Jiangsu Provincial Center for Disease Control and Prevention,EM202303)Guizhou Province Science and Technology Plan Project(Grant No.QKH[2023]008)+3 种基金the Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province Health Department(ZDB2020014)National Natural Science Foundation of China(82002108)Science and Technology Program of Suzhou(SKYD2023050)Suzhou Municipal Health Commission(KJXW2023061).
文摘Acinetobacter baumannii(A.baumannii)poses a serious public health challenge due to its notorious antimicrobial resistance,particularly carbapenem-resistant A.baumannii(CRAB).In this study,we isolated a virulent phage,named P1068,from medical wastewater capable of lysing CRAB,primarily targeting the K3 capsule type.Basic characterization showed that P1068 infected the A.baumannii ZWAb014 with an optimal MOI of 1,experienced a latent period of 10 min and maintained stability over a temperature range of 4–37C and pH range of 3–10.Phylogenetic and average nucleotide identity analyses indicate that P1068 can be classified as a novel species within the genus Obolenskvirus of the Caudoviricetes class as per the most recent virus classification released by the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses(ICTV).Additionally,according to classical morphological classification,P1068 is identified as a T4-like phage(Myoviridae).Interestingly,we found that the tail fiber protein(TFP)of P1068 shares 74%coverage and 88.99%identity with the TFP of a T7-like phage(Podoviridae),AbKT21phiIII(NC_048142.1).This finding suggests that the TFP gene of phages may undergo horizontal transfer across different genera and morphologies.In vitro antimicrobial assays showed that P1068 exhibited antimicrobial activity against A.baumannii in both biofilm and planktonic states.In mouse models of intraperitoneal infection,P1068 phage protected mice from A.baumannii infection and significantly reduced bacterial loads in various tissues such as the brain,blood,lung,spleen,and liver compared to controls.In conclusion,this study demonstrates that phage P1068 might be a potential candidate for the treatment of carbapenem-resistant and biofilmforming A.baumannii infections,and expands the understanding of horizontal transfer of phage TFP genes.
基金supported by the major research project of the National Natural Science Foundation of China(grant no.52272049)the National Key Research and Development Program of China(grant no.2022YFA1205900).
文摘Amphiphilic aminated fullerenes have a broad margin of safety and significant antitumor effects.Herein,we develop a simple and versatile synthesis strategy for tetraamino-[60]fullerene epoxide(C_(60)(NR^(1)R^(2))_(4)O)using C_(60)Cl_(6)as a precursor,which notably reduces the reaction time to less than 1 h while retaining a high yield of over 80%with both cyclic and linear secondary amine substrates even at the gram level.The molecular structure of C_(60)(NR^(1)R^(2))_(4)O is first validated by single-crystal diffraction,and a two-step reaction mechanism comprising nucleophilic substitution of Cl and the oxidative elimination of Cl_(2)is proposed based on experimental verification and density functional theory simulation.A set of water-soluble aminated C_(60)(NR^(1)R^(2))_(4)O was prepared in large quantities,and in vitro antitumor evaluation unveiled the critical role that terminal primary amino moieties of C_(60)(NR^(1)R^(2))_(4)O play in their antineoplastic effects.This work provides an effective synthesis method for aminated C_(60)(NR^(1)R^(2))_(4)O,facilitating the development of fullerene-derived tumor-targeted drugs.