Biology subjects

Maurizio, P.

Publications and source records attributed to Maurizio, P..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2026

Adaptive immune responses to vaccination reflect social status at first exposure in female rhesus macaques

Social gradients are consistently associated with variation in health outcomes, including infectious disease. However, distinguishing between social gradients in antigen exposure versus social gradients in susceptibility remains challenging. Here, we use a nonhuman primate model for chronic social stress to investigate how social status affects the influenza vaccine-induced adaptive immune response. We first manipulated the social status of female rhesus macaques and then tested the response to influenza antigens in naive individuals and after secondary exposure. Higher social status at the time of first exposure, but not at the time of secondary exposure, predicted stronger antibody responses to both exposures. Social status also drove gene expression differences in adaptive immune pathways, and genes that predicted the magnitude of the antibody response overlapped with those linked to social status. Thus, social gradients shape the adaptive immune response in a temporally dependent manner, with particular sensitivity at the time of initial antigen exposure.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2021

Genetic regulation of homeostatic immune architecture in the lungs of Collaborative Cross mice

Variation in immune homeostasis, immune system stability, in organ systems such as the lungs is likely to shape the host response to infection at these exposed tissues. We evaluated immune homeostasis in immune cell populations in the lungs of the Collaborative Cross (CC) mouse genetic reference population. We found vast heritable variation in leukocyte populations with the frequency of many of these cell types showing distinct patterns relative to classic inbred strains C57BL/6J and BALB/cJ. We identified 28 quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with variation in baseline lung immune cell populations, including several loci that broadly regulate the abundance of immune populations from distinct developmental lineages, and found that many of these loci have predictive value for influenza disease outcomes, demonstrating that genetic determinants of homeostatic immunity in the lungs regulate susceptibility to virus-induced disease. All told, we highlight the need to assess diverse mouse strains in understanding immune homeostasis and resulting immune responses.

genetics↗

bioRxiv2017

Dissecting the genetic architecture of shoot growth in carrot (Daucus carota L.) using a diallel mating design

Crop establishment in carrot (Daucus carota L.) is limited by slow seedling growth and delayed canopy closure, resulting in high management costs for weed control. Varieties with improved growth habit (i.e. larger canopy and increased shoot biomass) may help mitigate weed control, but the underlying genetics of these traits in carrot is unknown. This project used a diallel mating design coupled with recent Bayesian analytical methods to determine the genetic basis of carrot shoot growth. Six diverse carrot inbred lines with variable shoot size were crossed in WI in 2014. F1 hybrids, reciprocal crosses, and parental selfs were grown in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) with two blocks in CA (2015, 2016) and in WI (2015). Measurements included canopy height, canopy width, shoot biomass, and root biomass. General and specific combining abilities were estimated using Griffings Model I. In parallel, additive, inbreeding, epistatic, and maternal effects were estimated from a Bayesian linear mixed model, which is more robust to dealing with missing data, outliers, and theoretical constraints than traditional biometric methods. Both additive and non-additive effects significantly influenced shoot traits, with non-additive effects playing a larger role early in the growing season, when weed control is most critical. Results suggest that early season canopy growth and root size express hybrid vigor and can be improved through reciprocal recurrent selection.\n\nArticle SummaryBreeding for improved competitive ability is a priority in carrot, which suffers yield losses under weed pressure. However, improvement and in-depth genetic studies for these traits relies on knowledge of the underlying genetic architecture. This study estimated heritable and non-heritable components of carrot shoot growth from a diallel mating design using a Bayesian mixed model. Results directly contribute to improvement efforts by providing estimates of combining ability, identifying a useful tester line, and characterizing the genetic and non-genetic influences on traits for improved competitive ability in carrot.

genetics↗