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- Zanne, Amy E, et al.
(författare)
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Fungal functional ecology: bringing a trait-based approach to plant-associated fungi.
- 2020
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Ingår i: Biological reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. - : Wiley. - 1469-185X .- 1464-7931. ; 95:2, s. 409-433
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Fungi play many essential roles in ecosystems. They facilitate plant access to nutrients and water, serve as decay agents that cycle carbon and nutrients through the soil, water and atmosphere, and are major regulators of macro-organismal populations. Although technological advances are improving the detection and identification of fungi, there still exist key gaps in our ecological knowledge of this kingdom, especially related to function. Trait-based approaches have been instrumental in strengthening our understanding of plant functional ecology and, as such, provide excellent models for deepening our understanding of fungal functional ecology in ways that complement insights gained from traditional and -omics-based techniques. In this review, we synthesize current knowledge of fungal functional ecology, taxonomy and systematics and introduce a novel database of fungal functional traits (FunFun ). FunFun is built to interface with other databases to explore and predict how fungal functional diversity varies by taxonomy, guild, and other evolutionary or ecological grouping variables. To highlight how a quantitative trait-based approach can provide new insights, we describe multiple targeted examples and end by suggesting next steps in the rapidly growing field of fungal functional ecology.
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| 2. |
- Munthe, Christian, 1962
(författare)
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Djurhållning och antibiotika: en gyllene triangel!
- 2023
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Ingår i: Tidskriften Alba. - 1403-5448. ; :2023-10-24
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Tidskriftsartikel (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- För ett par veckor sedan var jag i Amsterdam och talade om etiska dilemman och utmaningar i arbetet med antibiotikaresistens i djurhållning och veterinärmedicin på en konferens. ”Från fabrik till gödselstack” var devisen för mitt bidrag, för att framhålla att djurhållningens användning av antibiotika – precis som sjukvårdens – är en del av en större helhet, där även produktionssystemen för läkemedel och mat (och friska djur och människor), och naturmiljön ingår. Varje del både bidrar till utmaningen med resistens – att vår användning och hantering av dessa viktiga mediciner gör dem obrukbara – och utgör löften för att sätta in åtgärder som kan mildra problemet. Alla sådana åtgärder kommer samtidigt ha nackdelar och kostnader – därav behovet att analysera etiken. På konferensen fick jag också chans att förkovra mig i olika slags forskning om hur jordbruk och annan djurhållning kan hantera antibiotikaresistensen bättre. Jag lärde mig då att området utgör en riktig gyllene triangel – på gott och ont.
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| 5. |
- Hajkazemian, Melika, 1988-
(författare)
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Decoding the language of transmission among vector-pathogen-host
- 2023
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Vector-borne diseases account for over 17 percent of all infectious diseases and lead to more than 700,000 mortalities annually. Importantly, there is a complex interaction between infectious organisms and their host. Vectors spread pathogens, which have a significant negative health effect on humans and animals and therefore detrimental economic and environmental impacts. Only 2% of the more than 3,600 mosquito species are blood feeders, primarily; the Anopheles, Culex, and Aedes which spread the Malaria parasite, Zika, Chikungunya, West Nile, and Dengue viruses. Therefore, understanding the complex chemical signaling and the molecular mechanisms that mediate pathogen and vector interaction, and allow the pathogen to survive and spread, are the subjects of this thesis.In project I, we determined the production and release of Anopheles male aggregation Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) that initiate swarming, and enhance mating success. In addition, we compared the RNA-sequencing libraries of swarming to flag for chemosensory and circadian genes. The goal was to identify the molecular mechanisms of swarming and metabolite roles in mating success.In project II, we evaluated the phagostimulant effects of (E)-4-Hydroxy-3-methyl-but-2-enyl pyrophosphate (HMBPP) on an artificial feeding system for some important vectors (Anopheles coluzzii, An. arabiensis, An. gambiae s.s., Culex pipiens/Culex torrentium, and Aedes aegypti). We showed that our toxic plant-based solution can kill the five lethal vectors.In project III, we studied the alteration of An. gambiae behavior by the Plasmodium falciparum at infected (oocyst-carrying, 7 days post-infection) and infective (sporozoite-carrying, 14 days post-infection) stages. To discover whether antennal chemosensory genes expression changes at different stages of infection, we performed RNA-seq and examined the candidate olfactory genes’ abundance to provide a possible molecular mechanism for manipulating the parasite-carrying mosquitoes' behavior.Finally, in project IV, we presented the results of RNA-seq analysis that revealed the network connection between developmental genes and the physiological plasticity in male mosquitoes of An. funestus. We identified the transcripts that associated with the male An. funestus sexual maturation and mating success.In summary, this thesis focuses on understanding how vector-pathogen interaction manipulates the vector’s transcriptome, physiology, and behavior to enhance transmission success and thereby identify novel targets for vector-borne disease control.
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| 7. |
- Verbeek, Else, et al.
(författare)
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The gut microbiota and microbial metabolites are associated with tail biting in pigs
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Reports. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2045-2322. ; 11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Tail biting is an abnormal behaviour that causes stress, injury and pain. Given the critical role of the gut-microbiota in the development of behavioural problems in humans and animals, the aim of this study was to determine whether pigs that are biters, victims of tail biting or controls (nine matched sets of pigs) have a different microbiota composition, diversity and microbial metabolite profile. We collected faecal and blood samples from each individual for analysis. The gut microbiota composition was most different between the biter and the control pigs, with a higher relative abundance of Firmicutes in tail biter pigs than the controls. Furthermore, we detected differences in faecal and plasma short chain fatty acids (SCFA) profiles between the biter and victim pigs, suggesting physiological differences even though they are kept in the same pen. Thus, in addition to supporting an association between the gut microbiota and tail biting in pigs, this study also provides the first evidence of an association between tail biting and SCFA. Therefore, further research is needed to confirm these associations, to determine causality and to study how the SCFA profiles of an individual play a role in the development of tail biting behaviour.
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| 8. |
- Björnström, Agnes, et al.
(författare)
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Sindbis virus neutralising antibodies detected in Swedish horses
- 2021
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Ingår i: One Health. - : Elsevier. - 2352-7714. ; 12
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- A number of viruses transmitted by mosquitoes are well known to cause disease in both humans and horses, ranging from mild fevers to mortal neurological disease. A recently discovered connection between the alphavirus Sindbis virus (SINV) and neurological disease in horses in South Africa initiated this serological study in northern Europe, where the same genotype of SINV (SINV-I) is also highly endemic. We tested 171 serum samples, originally obtained from horses for other reasons from April to October 2019, for presence of SINV neutralising antibodies using a plaque reduction neutralisation test (PRNT). The serum from six horses reduced the plaque count more than 80%, and two out of these reduced the plaque count more than 90%. These horses were sampled in six different regions of Sweden, and included individuals sampled from April to August. This study shows that horses in Sweden have become infected with SINV and developed neutralising antibodies. Potential connections between infection and development of disease are important questions for future studies.
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| 9. |
- Löfgren, Maria, et al.
(författare)
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Conditioned serum in vitro treatment of chondrocyte pellets and osteoarthritic explants
- 2023
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Ingår i: Equine Veterinary Journal. - : Wiley. - 0425-1644 .- 2042-3306. ; 55:2, s. 325-335
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Autologous conditioned serum (ACS) is used to treat osteoarthritis in horses, although its effects are not fully investigated. Objectives: To investigate the effects of equine serum and conditioned serum on chondrocytes stimulated with interleukin (IL)-1 beta and cartilage explants with mild osteoarthritis. Study design: In vitro experimental study. Methods: The effect of three different serum preparations (unincubated control [PS], serum incubated 24 h [PS24h] and serum incubated 24 h in ACS containers [PCS]) pooled from lame horses were tested in two in vitro models. IL-1 beta and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) concentrations were measured in all sera. In model 1, chondrocyte pellet cultures were stimulated with IL-1 beta prior to treatment with the serum preparations for 2 and 48 h. Microarray, polymerase chain reaction, and matrix metallopeptidase-13 analyses were performed. In model 2, cartilage explants from horses with structural osteoarthritis were treated with PS or PCS on days 0, 6 and 12, or left untreated, and evaluated at day 24 using the OARSI grading scale for histological evaluation of articular cartilage. Results: The IL-1Ra concentration in PS24h and PCS was significantly higher than in PS. In model 1, inflammation- and cartilage matrix degradation-related genes were upregulated after 48 h in all treatment groups versus untreated controls. Cartilage matrix molecules, aggrecan and collagens, were downregulated in PS24h- and PCS-treated pellets versus untreated controls. Growth factor signalling genes were upregulated-FGF7 in all treatment groups, BMP2 in PS24h-, and INHBA in PCS-treated-compared with untreated controls. In model 2, the OARSI score at day 24 was not significantly different between treatment groups. Main limitations: Results from in vitro models cannot be directly translated to in vivo situations. Conclusions: In vitro treatment with conditioned serum did not alleviate IL-1 beta-induced responses in chondrocyte pellets or lead to morphological improvement in osteoarthritic cartilage explants.
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| 10. |
- Tengvall, Katarina, 1980-, et al.
(författare)
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Bayesian model and selection signature analyses reveal risk factors for canine atopic dermatitis
- 2022
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Ingår i: Communications Biology. - : Springer Nature. - 2399-3642. ; 5:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Canine atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disease with clinical similarities to human atopic dermatitis. Several dog breeds are at increased risk for developing this disease but previous genetic associations are poorly defined. To identify additional genetic risk factors for canine atopic dermatitis, we here apply a Bayesian mixture model adapted for mapping complex traits and a cross-population extended haplotype test to search for disease-associated loci and selective sweeps in four dog breeds at risk for atopic dermatitis. We define 15 associated loci and eight candidate regions under selection by comparing cases with controls. One associated locus is syntenic to the major genetic risk locus (Filaggrin locus) in human atopic dermatitis. One selection signal in common type Labrador retriever cases positions across the TBC1D1 gene (body weight) and one signal of selection in working type German shepherd controls overlaps the LRP1B gene (brain), near the KYNU gene (psoriasis). In conclusion, we identify candidate genes, including genes belonging to the same biological pathways across multiple loci, with potential relevance to the pathogenesis of canine atopic dermatitis. The results show genetic similarities between dog and human atopic dermatitis, and future across-species genetic comparisons are hereby further motivated.
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