The Sooty Mangabey's Sequence

research highlights

Genetics patterns to explain the evolution of nervous The sooty mangabey’s system anatomies. DG sequence https://doi.org/10.1038/s41684-018-0014-y Nature 553, 77–81 (2018)

Nonhuman primates have been critical Antivirals models for understanding the pathogenesis Nanoparticles vs. viruses of HIV in humans and the development of Nat. Mater. https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat5053 effective antiretroviral drugs. Macaques, (2017) which are susceptible to SIV (simian immunodeficiency virus) and develop symptoms similar to human AIDS, have Broad-spectrum and effective antiviral been particularly important to researchers. drugs are difficult to come by, and many However, just as important to understanding of the most deadly viruses still do not have why SIV causes AIDs in some species of vaccines to provide protection in humans. primates, it’s also critical to understand why In new work led by David Lembo, Francesco other species can be infected, but never Stellacci and colleagues, they have taken develop symptoms. advantage of a mechanism in viruses for cell In a new paper, researchers sequenced interaction, combined with nanoparticles, to the whole genome of sooty mangabey make a new broad-spectrum antiviral. (Cercocebus atys), which are natural hosts of The team designed nanoparticles with SIV but do not develop AIDS despite high long linkers that mimic heparin sulfate viremia, and found significant differences proteoglycans (HSPG), a conserved surface in the coding sequence of several immune protein used by viruses in the first steps related genes compared with other AIDS- to binding to cells for infection. Testing the susceptible primate species. The team nanoparticles in several in vitro and focused on two genes that showed the largest in vivo assays, the team shows that they differences between sooty mangabey and bind strongly to a wide range of viruses other primates, namely toll-like receptor-4 and effectively inhibit them from (TLR4) and intercellular adhesion molecule infecting cells. DG 2 (ICAM-2). Combining genomics with functional assays, the researchers confirmed https://doi.org/10.1038/s41684-018-0015-x significant immunological consequences Improve your written to the sequence differences in these two Neuroregeneration English to help your genes, and conclude that they are potentially Fish concussions important candidates for regulating host eNeuro https://doi.org/10.1523/ research stand out resistance to AIDS. DG ENEURO.0208-17.2017 (2018) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41684-018-0018-7 Get expert language Researchers interested in the editing today neuroregenerative abilities of the zebrafish Evolution brain have a new way to model mild Independent nerves traumatic brain injury (TBI). Previous Nature 553, 45–50 (2018) approaches involved physically penetrating the brain, but that’s a bit more severe that what many concussion patients There is an ongoing debate about the experience. Taking inspiration from weight evolutionary history of nerve cord drop apparatuses commonly used to development in Bilateria, and a recent paper model TBI in rodents, a team at the Keck in Nature provides new evidence that the Science Department in Claremont, CA has variety of nerve cord types seen in several developed a relatively simple device for use species evolved independently, as opposed to in an aquarium tank that jolts the brain arising from a single common ancestor. without causing external damage. authorservices.springernature.com/ Using molecular and anatomical During validation testing, adult zebrafish language-editing techniques and studying representatives that took the small ball-bearing to the head of Xenacoelomorpha, Rotifera, Nemertea, (while anesthetized) performed worse on a Formerly known as NPG Brachiopoda, and Annelida, the authors spatial memory behavioral test than their Language Editing found that none of the species showed non-concussed counterparts. With the new a conserved pattern of molecular model, the researchers were also able to take regionalization of nerve cord. In addition an initial look at differentially expressed to providing evidence for convergent genes post-injury. EN evolution of nerve cords, the new work also places restrictions on the use of molecular https://doi.org/10.1038/s41684-018-0016-9