Paw-prints and Genetic Clues

 

    In January of this year, a new research article was published about taking samples from the tracks of animals to study them. More specifically, in this case, it is the bobcat. These big cats are hard to observe since they are not commonly seen during the daytime, especially out in the open where it would be the easiest to observe them. The study presented shows that it is possible to collect viable DNA just from the tracks these hard-to-observe animals leave. This DNA was able to provide information about the animal's ancestry as well as the animal's unique microbial communities. They are calling this environmental DNA or eDNA when collected. 

    This is a huge break in the ways of observing animals, especially those who are not easily observable in the daytime and not often in open areas. This allows researchers to collect data from an animal without causing any interference and also very safely. Collecting eDNA is something important for collecting continuous information on more uncommon animals, even the rare ones! Having this option allows for an easy collection and much less stress for everyone involved. This will change the future of data collection for uncommon animals.

                                        

Resources:

(News Article): https://wildlife.org/bobcat-prints-lead-to-genetic-clues-about-the-species/

(Scientific Article): https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0006320723004160?via%3Dihub

(Alternative Link): https://www.arlingtontx.gov/city_hall/departments/animal_services/urban_wildlife/urban_wildlife_animals/bobcat

Can Electricity From Electric Eels Transfer Genetic Material to Other Animals?

     The Electric eel is named to be the biggest power-producing creature on Earth. These eels can release up to 860 volts. A research team from Nagoya University located In Japan found that electric eels can release enough electricity to genetically modify small fish larvae nearby in the area the electricity is dispersed. They were able to add on to what we already know about electroporation, which is a gene delivery technique. Electroporation allows to create temporary pores in a cell membrane which allows DNA or proteins enter the target cell. The research team had the thought id the electricity flows in a river, it would affect the cells of nearby organisms. To test this hypothesis, they exposed young fish in their labs to a DNA solution with a marker that would glow in the light to see if the fish (zebra fish) had taken the DNA. They introduce the eel that will discharge their electricity when it's bites a feeder fish, and from this they are able to see if that DNA goes to the zebra fish. 

    The experiment shows that 5% of the larvae had markers indicating gene transfer took affect. This indicates that the discharge from the eel promoted gene transfer. Many other studies have observed similar phenomenon's that involve naturally occurring fields such as lightning, affecting nematodes and soil bacteria. 

Sources:

https://phys.org/news/2023-12-discovery-electricity-electric-eels-genetic.html

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/electric-eel

Genetics with Animals

Genetics with animals

Genetics are a big part of life. Humans has approximately 3 billion building blocks of  base pairs and we are about 99.9% genetically similar to the next person. So, scientists has thought to have an array on comparing animal genetics with human genetics. The article that I found focuses on a project called the Zoonomia project. This project focuses on how human traits such as human traits and diseases. The project has looked into 240 species of animals including bison and bats. the project is to show the genomes of each animal and see if they stay the same across all mammals from over millions of years ago. What do you think do we have similar genetics with non-human life forms? 

What I found fascinated about this article was the statistics on that studies was found that at least 10% of the human genome is unchanged across species.  I would say I would aligned the genetic sequence of each species and try to compare them because all species have different genetic sequence. the genetics sequence could at least show how each species are adapted to their natural environment. I believe that all species are different in genes because they are adapted to their different environment. 

References: 

https://apnews.com/article/zoonomia-project-genetics-animals-f80d1570acf5a97a8ed9e2a1104e74e9 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/human-dna-share-cats-cattle-mice-same-genetics-code-a8292111.html 

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/comparing-genetic-similarities-of-various-life-forms/ 

https://www.projetogap.org.br/en/noticia/comparison-of-genomes-from-240-species-makes-fresh-revelations-about-human-evolution/ 

Collecting Animal DNA from Air

Capuchin Monkeys Experience Test Anxiety, Too

 

   A recent article in Science Daily explains that when capuchin monkeys were administered a computerized matching test in which the difference in difficultly was removed, some of the monkeys struggled under pressure. These monkeys, located at Georgia State's Language Research Center, were given rewards when harder tests were passed, and put in timeout when they answered incorrectly, meanwhile, other trials were conducted using difficultly levels the monkeys were familiar with.

    The researchers had discovered that during the monkeys' performances, there was a significant level of cortisol, a hormone in our bodies that responds to stress. This evidence could possibly be used to create a better understanding of the evolution of cognition in humans, and now other species.

For more information on this study, click here.

Artificial Intelligence May Help to Predict the Next Virus to Jump from Animal to Human

Within this article research that was conducted at University of Glaslow to predict what could be the next likely virus to jump to humans from animals using machine learning models using viral genomes. Most of the viruses that are known today such as COVID-19, the advantage of being able to possibly detect newer viruses early can help improve research and surveillance priorities. The machine learning models demonstrated that there are a large amount of zoonotic related viruses can be inferred to a great extent just from genome sequences that can take a toll on humans. Since most viruses are caused by animals there could be a huge advantage in gaining early preparedness for these viruses to come. Other viruses that are discovered but don't use genomic sequencing however are not very good with giving phenotypic data, an approach that would be ideal would be able to quantify relative risk of human inefectivity when having relevant exposure from just sequencing data. In order to get a more accurate machine rather than this one and use viral genomes they assigned a percentage of human infection based on virus taxonomy and/or relatedness to known human-infecting viruses, then used the best-performing model to look for trends in the expected zoonotic potential of other virus genomes from a variety of species. Researchers discovered that viral genomes may include generalizable traits that are independent of virus taxonomic relations, and that these properties may allow viruses to pre-adapt to infect people. Using viral genomes, the team was able to construct machine learning models capable of detecting possible zoonoses. Computer models are merely one stage in the process of detecting zoonotic viruses that might infect people. The effectiveness of the models demonstrates how increasingly common and low-cost genome sequence data may guide early-stage decisions on viral research and surveillance priorities with no additional financial or time commitment.

Gut microbes of chickens independent from genetics in regulation of fat deposits.

A recent study of the gut microbes of yellow broiler chickens has yielded unique results regarding their fat regulation and body distribution. As found in the data of Chaoliang Wen, Wei Yan, Congjiao Sun, and their colleagues, the heritable genetics of the birds had little correlation to the fat deposits in the chickens, and rather the microbial health of the birds (from feces, found in the duodenum and jejunum, as well as other locations) was correlated with the health of the animal in question. This is a departure from previous ideas that fat and health in animals is more majorly dependent on genetics and heritage, rather than gut health.

This is in direct contrast with an earlier claim by Sylwester Świątkiewicz, who regarded the genetic breeding program to have direct influence on the health and fat deposits on chickens.

I am not well versed in genetics, but I am interested in both zoology and farming. I was a farmhand for a short time for a family friend's farm. In terms of the gut health having influence on body mass and fat, it's fairly straight forward. However, I don't believe either argument (made by Wen et al, or by Świątkiewicz ) are completely cut and dry. There is much still mysterious to us about the minor influences that habits, diet, gut biotics, and other things have on animal metabolisms.

I personally would be very interested in a more layman's terms translation of that data, showing the correlation much more graphically digestible. It was with no small amount of trail and error that I had to go through to even comprehend this concept, as well as some minor confusion as to what parts of the bird's anatomy was being referred to.

Bunnies Do Handstands Instead of Hops: Genetic Defects

 

In this article, Erin Garcia de Jesus discusses how a genetic defect may cause bunnies to do handstands instead of hopping as a way to move fast. A rabbit called sauteur d’Alfort sends its back legs sky high and walks on its front paws. That strange form may be the result of a gene tied to limb movement, researchers report March 25 in PLOS Genetics. Mice have also shown this similar trait and walked on their front limbs to run. 

Understanding this genetic defect and how they move, can help improve our knowledge on the spinal cord. A mutation in the RORB gene is a likely candidate for the rabbits’ handstands. That mutation causes faulty versions of the genetic instructions that cells use to make proteins, which means there is less of the RORB protein in specialized nerve cells in rabbits that have the mutation compared with rabbits that don’t. Without the RORB protein in spinal cord nerve cells (interneurons) , the rabbits may lack the ability to coordinate what their hind limbs are doing, which affects their ability to hop regularly. Understanding this, and how one possible mutation affects how animals move, and ultimately help develop ways to repair the body when defects in RORB cause diseases/immobility. 

Links:

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/rabbit-handstand-front-paws-gene-defect-video

https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-00775-9#:~:text=An%20unusual%20rabbit%20that%20walks,hind%20legs%20in%20the%20air.

Lizard-like tuatara carry two distinct mitochondrial genomes

 

Lizard-like species tuatara has two distinct mitochondrial genomes. This revelation was reported recently in January 2021. Tuataras genomes are a very important discovery in nature today as they are the first vertebrate species that are found to have multiple copies of mitochondrial genomes. Mitochondria are tiny energy factories, and their genetic material is usually important in building the structures and keeping them running. Mitochondrial is essential in the development of aging, cancer, and many other biological diseases. 

Finding animals and other species that carry additional mitochondrial genomes can help advance the research of finding cures and diseases that stem from mitochondrial DNA. By studying animals' mitochondrial genomes, we may potentially be one step closer fully understanding how some human diseases work. Efforts to decode the tuatara’s genetic makeup began in 2012, with the launch of the Tuatara Genome Project led by Neil Gemmell, an evolutionary biologist at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. His team discovered that the tuatara genome is 50 percent larger than the human genome. This led to a deeper exploration of the mitochondrial part of the genome which is where they discover that this species has two mt- genomes. The discovery raised concerns since mitochondrial DNA is usually inherited only from a mother’s egg, so the scientists expected to see a single copy of the mitochondrial genome, not two copies like they would see in nuclear DNA, which is inherited from both the mother and father. They believe that the purpose of the two mt- genomes are to provide flexibility in how their metabolisms respond to temperature extremes. This finding of the genetic basis for the animal’s metabolic feats can eventually help explain the mitochondrial genome’s function which will then help find treatments for human metabolic diseases. It is wild to me to think that a species can carry two distinct genomes.

Links

1. https://www.sciencenews.org/article/lizard-like-tuatara-mitochondrial-genomes-cold-tolerance

2.https://www.reptilesmagazine.com/tuataras-two-sets-of-mitochondrial-genome-may-help-it-withstand-cold-temperatures-better/#:~:text=Researchers%20have%20discovered%20that%20the,adaptive%20advantage%20to%20harsher%20weather

Animals infected with Covid-19

There is more concern now due to the effects that coronavirus has on animals and the way humans can contract it. The issue is that scientists do not know what it could do to the human population, with it being more transmittable and varying in the strand from humans. I believe that even though, as of right now, there are only a few animals such as cats, dogs, and minks are known to carry coronavirus that any animal can. Though scientists are focused on making a cure for humans, what about the animals that can also transmit it? I believe that if there is a way to cure animals of their variation of the disease, it could help create other forms of vaccinations in case someone doesn't react to the common antibody lab test.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/08/science/Covid-virus-transmission-mink.html

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/367/6485/1444

Texas A&M Lion Genetics Study Uncovers Major Consequences Of Habitat Fragmentation

 

They studied DNA from lions from 100 years ago compared to now to see differences in their genetics within the populations as they changed over time. Within prides the females were known to stay close to the pride while the males would travel the long distances which means they were responsible for the movement of genes  in the populations, due to growing of urbanization such as cities, fences and farmlands. Back then they weren't able to easily identify where a lion was based on its nuclear DNA and this was from high gene flows through their populations. However, in modern populations you can determine where the general areas and sub populations are. The reason that this is important is that isolation of lions due to urbanization reduces the gene flow in the population which can lead to reduced genetic diversity in which threatens the survival of their population. The way that they are trying to fix this is by giving prides more space to breed and allowing male lions to move freely into isolated pockets of prides, in which it will be possible to increase their genetic diversity and can reduce population sub division across lion populations. As well as they are reintroducing programs to bring lions back to where they once roamed, and creating coexisting strategies that are being used by wildlife programs. I found this article interesting because I want to be a wildlife biologist and I've just always watched videos of wildlife outside the U.S. I believe what they are doing with the programs are good for the lions as well as natives that live their. As well as possibly being able to coexist with them.   

Links:

 https://today.tamu.edu/2020/11/03/texas-am-lion-genetics-study-uncovers-major-consequences-of-habitat-fragmentation/ 

https://www.enn.com/articles/66071-texas-a-m-lion-genetics-study-uncovers-major-consequences-of-habitat-fragmentation

Adaptations of the Rock Pocket Mouse

         Throughout the the southwest United States and Mexico, a tiny rodent, called the Rock Pocket Mouse, lives in the rocky deserts. Light brown sand covers most of the desert, and has for quite some time. About 1.7 million years ago, volcanic eruptions spewed lava into the desert causing portions of the land to be fractured with dark black colors. For the pocket mice, this was a huge ecological change, which in turn resulted in a rather fascinating genetic phenomenon.
         Currently, two forms of pocket mice exist. One dark colored, and one light colored. From an biological standpoint it might be rather easy to see why the two coat colors exist. Mammalian and avian predators have perfectly modeled out what is known as natural selection. Natural selection is a process in which organisms most fit for their environment survive and produce offspring. Having this knowledge, it makes sense that the mice living in the brown sand environment have a brown coat, and the mice living in the dark lava colored sand have a dark black coat. Their coat colors clearly emphasize the importance of a tactic animals use crypsis, which is essentially camouflage. Natural selection has driven these animals to evolve based on their environment being more brown, or more black. Now, these mice have different phenotypes for coat color, but the story becomes more interesting when we start to analyze the genetic information about the mice coat colors.
       Researchers have worked diligently in recent years to try to find correlation between ecological and environmental changes, and changes in animal genetics. However, in order to do this, the biologist working on the project must have a solid understanding of genetic information of the animal they are working on, AND then compare it to how the environment has newly changed that genetic information. Luckily for the researchers in the rock pocket mice, many studies have been done on the pigmentation of laboratory mice, which lended a hand in the study done on the rock pocket mice. Due to the pocket mice wild nature, they are hard to breed in captivity. This made crossing them with each other almost impossible. Instead, researchers studied the current mice comparing them with lab mice and came up with some interesting results.
     In the lava dwelling mice, four mutations were found in the MC1R gene. The MC1R plays a crucial role in normal pigmentation. From the information gathered, it was concluded that the dark colored coat was more dominant that the light colored coat, which is consistent with the observations seen on laboratory mice. All mice with that were homozygous dominant, or heterozygous dominant showed a dark coat. The change of just 4 nucleotides seem to have caused the drastic shift from a light brown, to a dark almost black coat color. These studies leave scientist to even more questions. In the dark colored sand, approximately 9% of mice are born with a light coat, and 89% are born with a dark coat. Since selection is driving these phenotypic changes, this makes perfect sense. But does this mean that all the mice in light-colored sand area have only recessive genotypes? In the future, researches hope to answer two questions that have arisen: 1.) Has the color change in mice been driven by a single nucleotide, and the other 3  have just come along for the ride? *or perhaps* 2.) It takes multiple nucleotide variants to produce the colored phenotype of the rock pocket mouse?
     This was an awesome article to read up on because it really shows how LITERALLY one nucleotide could potentially change the whole future of a species. If what the study suggests is true, imagine if the mutation of the MC1R never occurred, and all the mice stayed light colored. The species would probably not even be able to continue on because the light colored mice would be eaten by prey. It's amazing to think that one nucleotide changed the whole course of the rock pocket mouse's future.

https://www.pnas.org/content/100/9/5268
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12704245
https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/selection/comparative
https://www.biointeractive.org/classroom-resources/making-fittest-natural-selection-and-adaptation

Bottleneck Effect on the American Bison

         

      In the United States, there were once 60 million American Bison. During a time period in the mid to late 1800's the overexploitation of the animal caused that number to drop to about 325. This severe decrease in population size caused what is known as a "bottleneck effect". These types of events are caused by severe decreases in population size due to environmental or human activity. The results of events like this are usually not one that a species can recover from. Fortunately for this species, in the early 1900s, 5 private ranchers and government agencies worked diligently to make sure this American icon would not go extinct. However, this does mean that today's bison are all descendants from about 100 founders of the current population, and only 4 herds of genetically pure bison live in the United States today.
           A bottle neck effect, like the one seen in the American Bison, can lead to many health problems for future generations. In losing genetic diversity, the future generation of wild bison become more susceptible to things like disease and pathogens. To combat this, ranchers and private government agencies bred the bison with cattle, which produces a hybrid, known as a "beefalo". Unlike other hybrids, this particular hybrid is fertile. This ability to reproduce as a hybrid helped increased population size, and brought the American Bison back to a population size of around 500,000. While 500,000 may seem like a high number, it is nothing compared to the estimated 60 million that once ruled the United States. Of these 500,000, only about 4% are in herds managed for conservation purposes, and roughly 10,000 are actual wild wood Bison. Many of the wild wood Bison are pestered by diseases like bovine tuberculosis, or brucellosis. This might leave you wondering, where are the other 470,000 bison living in the United States? These bison are used in commercial herds for meat, leather, and commercial production. Bison that are commercially farmed are bred for specific purposes, with specific mates. The artificial crossing of these bison, often with cattle, leads the American Bison to be more favorable for production of traits the ranchers find favorable, and not necessarily favorable for the survival of the species.
          While the efforts to conserve the American Bison have made great strides, it still is saddening to think that the American Bison once ruled the United States, and now are essentially held in captive, only bred for profit. The American Bison is an iconic symbol of North America, once roaming from Alaska into Mexico. Now, they roam about 1% of the United States. Thanks to the genetic conservation of a few ranchers in the early 1900's the American Bison is still around.
          This event fascinated me so much because of the dramatic change in population in such a short period of time. The fact that the American Bison exists today is truly a wonder after the slaughter of so many. Even though most of the bison in the wild today are the result of hybridization, it gives me comfort in knowing that someone along the way realized that what was happening to these animals was wrong, and they needed to be saved. I often wonder what the ecological effects of this event have been. Losing almost 60 millions animals in a population is a drastic change to an ecosystem.






https://academic.oup.com/jhered/article/100/4/411/858147
https://www.nps.gov/articles/bison-bellows-12-3-15.htm
http://www.softschools.com/facts/hybrid_animals/beefalo_facts/2695/

Who Cares, He Is Just A Dog They Said, That Dog Remembers What You Did!

People frown upon animals, they think they are just animals and they shouldn't be treated as well as people. Why people have that mindset, I will never know and nor would I want to know. People have the ability to remember and recall things from the past, even if they aren't important. What if I told you that dogs also have that ability as well? Researchers have proof that dogs do have that "episodic memory" too.

Claudia Fugazza is a researcher at the Comparative Ethology Research Group in Budapest, Hungary. She said,"dogs are among the few species that people consider 'clever,' and yet we are still surprised whenever a study reveals that dogs and their owners may share some mental abilities despite our distant evolutionary relationship." In this study, the researchers used the trick "Do as I Do." The dogs that were trained using the "do as I do" trick,  can watch their owners perform an action and then do that same thing themselves. For instance, if the owner rolls over on the floor and gives their dog the "do it!" command, their dog will roll over on the floor too.  Researchers trained 17 dogs to imitate things humans do with the "do as I do" training method. Next their did another part of training in which dogs were trained to lay down on the floor after the human action, no matter what it was.
When the dogs learned to lie down, the researchers then surprised them and said "DO IT", and the dogs did it. Amazingly, the dogs remembered what they saw the person doing even though they did not have a reason to think they would need to remember that, they showed episodic-like memory.

In easier words, the dogs remembered what their owner did even when they had no reason to remember it, just like us humans. I think this is a great discovery, dogs are a humans best friend, they are one of the most loyal animals, and one benefit we can get from this discovery with dogs is safety. They can be trained to remember specific things in order to protect someone, in order to help someone.

Gene Editing, Changing the Way Animals Look

Changing the way animals look is starting to take it too far.  For years scientists have been using animals to test many scientific ideas, including medications, cancer, or genetic variations. I understand that certain animals such as mice and flies are easy to manipulate, along with having a quick reproductive cycle. Along with that, they ironically have very similar reactions to these tests like humans would. It is understandable that things cannot just be tested on the human population but things are going too far.

In this article, geneticists and scientists are using a gene editing system that affects a genome so the enzyme Cas9 can actually slice DNA and add brand new genes into the sequence. This idea is still being twisted and turned to come out perfectly, but it is in production. It is beginning to change the way animals look. One scientist stated that this allows them to change or manipulate anything they want without even knowing the DNA sequence. This is going way too far.

I do not think new animals should just be made up. This is no longer testing animals to benefit and help humans or other animals, its beginning to mess up and disturb the natural world. I do not think this is fair to do this to animals, they do not have a voice and they cannot say "please don't do this to me". Its very disturbing to me. If we have the technology today to do something like this, then we have the technology to make fake animals to test on, similar to the dummies they have in hospitals and medical schools to help students learn. There is no need to continue testing like this and completely change animals.

Global Genetic Diversity Map

    Throughout history, maps have been used to represent many aspects of the animal kingdom, such as the range, regional mix, and species at risk. Now however, there is a new set of maps designed to show the distribution of genetic diversity around the world. These maps can help track loss of biodiversity and its cause in a certain region. As population geneticist Andreia Miraldo says, "Without genetic diversity, species can't evolve into new species," and "It also plays a fundamental role in allowing species populations to adapt to changes in their environment."

    Miraldo and her research team conducted an experiment in which they gathered geographical coordinates for over 92,000 records of mitochondrial DNA from 4,675 species of land mammals and amphibians. They compared the changes in cytochrome b, a gene used to measure genetic diversity within a species, and mapped the average genetic diversity for all species within areas of about 150,000 square kilometers.
   
    On the map above, the results show that the tropical Andes and the Amazon have high genetic diversity for both mammals and amphibians, which are shown in dark blue. The South African subtropical regions has high genetic diversity in mammals, while eastern North America has high genetic diversity for amphibians. Results also determined that genetic diversity is 27% higher in the tropics than in non-tropic regions. In conclusion, Industrialized cities and rural areas that are occupied by humans are shown to have very low genetic diversity than wild habitats, as shown in green and yellow. This implies that a lot of human activity could have a large impact on genetic diversity for other species. However, more research has to be done in this area in order to confirm these results and Miraldo hopes to learn more about how human activity and climate change affect global genetic diversity.

  I found this research topic very interesting because it can help us learn more about endangered species and how to save them from extinction. I also think that it can help us as humans to learn the harm and impact our actions have on other living organisms sharing our planet. I believe that it can perhaps prove that climate change is indeed happening and that it's negatively affecting genetic diversity around the world. And maybe when we accept this reality, we can start reducing pollution, deforestation, and over-hunting.

Links:

• https://www.sciencenews.org/article/maps-show-genetic-diversity-mammals-amphibians-around-world
• http://science.sciencemag.org/content/353/6307/1532.full

Genetically Modified Maggots Could Speed Up Wound Healing

Currently in the USA, 29 million people suffer from diabetes, a chronic and far-reaching disease. Among many things, diabetes effects circulation and wound healing, specifically in the peripheral limbs (ex: feet and hands). Therefore, what would be just a blister on a non-diabetic patients often becomes a foot sore, and in some cases amputation, in a patient with diabetes. 

Currently, one of the go-to treatments for foot ulcers is maggot debridement therapy. This treatment involves introducing sterile green bottle fly maggots into the wound. These maggots eat the dead tissue, while also depositing antimicrobial secretions, which keeps the wound from getting any further infected.

However, although maggot debridement therapy is fairly quick and cheap, the treatment does not speed up the healing, which with diabetes, time is of the essence. Scientists are now experimenting with genetically modified maggots, which could cut the healing time in half. This is accomplished by modifying the maggots to secrete human platelet derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) in addition to their own antimicrobial secretions.

Although on the surface, using maggots sounds old-fashioned and disgusting, the implementation of genetically-modified maggots would be revolutionary. It is cheap, effective and the demand is there and growing. The next step would be to test the effectiveness on wounds in animals, my guess rats. If these show success, then next would be clinical trials with human test subjects. If successful, this new form of maggot therapy could help treat many conditions, such as bedsores and burns, that are currently treated with maggots, even more efficiently.     

http://www.popsci.com/genetically-modified-maggots-could-help-heal-wounds
http://bmcbiotechnol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12896-016-0263-z

Surface Mutation Lets Canine Parvovirus Jump to Other Species

In the 1970’s, a disease had arisen and was a deadly threat to dogs. This disease is called canine parvovirus, or CPV. It is believed to have been a direct transfer from a disease or similar virus that was found in domesticated cats called feline panleukopenia. Recently researchers have found that CPV has been transferred to wild forest-dwelling animals, including raccoons. Nobody knows for sure how this disease has spread from one animal to others. Colin Parrish, professor of virology and director of the Baker Institute for Animal Health at Cornell University, has been looking into this mystery. He co-authored a research paper with Susan Daniel, who is an associate professor at Cornell’s School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and they found that there is a mutation in the protein shell of CPV, which allows the virus to have the ability to infect hosts of different species. It is a single amino acid substitution. Another factor that gives the virus this ability is that during the TfR binding, CPV’s infectivity is adhesion strengthening. He said that at first there is an attachment that is not very strong. There then is a second attachment that is much stronger and does not let go. The second attachment is where they believe to be the most important step. They believe that it causes a shift in the virus that makes it possible to infect successfully. Daniels had developed a method in which studies the effects of single virus particles on many different membrane host receptors. They used this method to research dogs and raccoons. With this method they can test various kinds of chemistries. They are still looking to find the exact reason behind the ability of viruses to switch host species, specifically CPV.

Viruses having the ability to switch host species can be frightening. If viruses evolve enough, one specific virus found only in one species could possibly infect another species very easily. For example if you have a dog and it comes across a squirrel with a virus, your dog could potentially contract the virus. There could even be a chance for humans to contract these viruses. I think that understanding how a virus can do this is very important. Studying where or why this takes place could help scientists create vaccinations that will help all species. I think they should continue to research this topic.

Links:

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/04/160414122007.htm

http://walz.med.harvard.edu/Research/Iron_Transport/Tfrtf.php

Dumbo May Hold The Key To Treating Cancer Better In Humans

Elephants are known for their majestic size and resilience, but also for their long lives. In fact, elephants live longer than any other land mammal, except for man, only beating them by less than a decade. However, elephants have 100 times more cells than humans do. This provides ample opportunity for cancer-causing mutations to occur. However, only 5% of elephants die of cancer, whereas up to 25% of humans do. This lead to the hypothesis that elephants’ bodies must have evolved a way to suppress cancer. 

Scientists analyzed the DNA of both African and Asian elephants and discovered that both species had 20 copies of P53 gene, which is known to have tumor-suppressing qualities. In comparison, humans only have one copy of the P53 gene. Moreover, the genes of elephants’ smaller ancestors showed only a few copies of the P53 gene. This implies that as elephants evolved, their genetic code developed more copies of the P53 gene. However, although this is an interesting discovery, it does not answer all of scientists’ questions about the P53 gene.

 I think that it is awesome that medical scientists may find cancer-fighting tactics from other members of the animal kingdom! Since it seems that the high amount of P53 gene in elephants is coordinated with their large size, it makes me wonder if this relationship of having natural cancer-fighting abilities transfers over to the genomes of other large mammals, such as whales. If that is the case, then those animals should be looked at too, since they may have their own ways of combatting cancer that could be useful in humans.

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2456041

http://www.popsci.com/this-gene-prevents-elephants-from-getting-cancer