Despite the benefits of phototrophy, many algae have lost photosynthesis and have converted back to heterotrophy. Parasitism is a heterotrophic strategy, with apicomplexans being among the most devastating parasites for humans. The presence of a nonphotosynthetic plastid in apicomplexan parasites suggests their phototrophic ancestry. The discovery of related phototrophic chromerids has unlocked...
Abstract: A planetary-scale understanding of the ocean ecosystem, particularly in light of climate change, is crucial. Here, we review the work of Tara Oceans, an international, multidisciplinary project to assess the complexity of ocean life across comprehensive taxonomic and spatial scales. Using a modified sailing boat, the team sampled plankton at 210 globally distributed sites at depths...
We detected Leishmania infantum infection in 45% of tigers and 5.3% of sand flies tested at a zoo in southern Italy in 2019. These infections in tigers and the abundance of Phlebotomus perniciosus sand flies represent a potential risk to other animals and humans living in or visiting the zoo.
Abstract Mitochondrial metabolic remodeling is a hallmark of the Trypanosoma brucei digenetic life cycle because the insect stage utilizes a cost-effective oxidative phosphorylation (OxPhos) to generate ATP, while bloodstream cells switch to aerobic glycolysis. Due to difficulties in acquiring enough parasites from the tsetse fly vector, the dynamics of the parasite’s metabolic rewiring in the...
The French biotech Valneva will collaborate with Pfizer to develop and commercialize Valneva’s phase II-stage Lyme disease vaccine candidate. The deal they signed is expected to help compensate for the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on Valneva’s financial outlook for 2020.
Researchers from the Biology Center of the Czech Academy of Science say that a vaccine against Lyme disease has shown 100% effectiveness in tests. The results were published at the beginning of May in NPJ Vaccines, a partner journal of Nature.
Researchers have found that molecules from ticks called Evasins have the potential to halt cytokine storms, the leading cause of COVID-19 fatalities.
Engineered Plasmodium parasites form the basis of two experimental malaria vaccines that showed safety and encouraging immune responses in clinical trials. by Ruth Williams
More K., Klinger C.M., Barlow L.D., Dacks J.B. 2020: Evolution and natural history of membrane trafficking. Current Biology 30: R553–R564.
Pánek T., Eliáš M., Vancová M., Lukeš J., Hashimi H. 2020: Returning to the fold for lessons in mitochondrial crista diversity and evolution. Current Biology 30: R575–R588
