Biology subjects

Visser, T.

Publications and source records attributed to Visser, T..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Green cities and the risk for vector-borne disease transmission for humans and animals: a scoping review

BackgroundGreening cities is a nature-based strategy for sustainable urban development that integrates natural elements like plants or water bodies, to mitigate climate change impacts and enhance human well-being. However, urban green infrastructures (UGIs) can influence the distribution of disease vectors, potentially affecting vector-borne diseases (VBDs). UGIs may provide new suitable environments for urban vectors, while also creating opportunities to mitigate VBD risks through predation, competition, and dilution effects. This article examined the relationships between UGIs, vectors, and associated pathogens, impacting both human and animal health, highlighting knowledge gaps and identifying research priorities to support VBD risk mitigation measures and to guide smart urban planning and design. MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted following PRISMA guidelines in three databases (Pubmed, Scopus, Web of Science). Selected articles involved (i) any aspect of a urban vector system, (ii) in UGIs, and (iii) statistical analysis of the effects of UGIs on VBD risk. Methods employed to characterize UGIs and VBDs were described and the identified impacts were summarized by vector group. ResultsAmong the 98 articles reviewed, most addressed mosquito-pathogen systems (66), tick-pathogen systems (29), and few other vector-borne pathogen systems (3), with studies often confined to a single city or several cities within the same country and focused on one vector group. Urban vegetation generally appeared to heighten the risk of tick-borne diseases. In contrast, the influence of UGIs on the risk of mosquito-borne diseases varied depending on the vector system and on the environmental and climatic context. The diversity of indicators used to assess UGIs and VBD risks may affect the observed impact on VBD risk. ConclusionGiven the increasing popularity of urban greening, it is crucial to investigate its potential implications for public health, and thereby urban planning decisions. However, the lack of standardized protocols complicates the accurate assessment of the effects of UGIs on the risk for VBD emergence and transmission and consequently, on potential mitigation measures.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

Mitochondrial efficiency determines Crabtree effect across yeasts

Under excess glucose conditions, many yeasts switch from high-yield respiratory metabolism to low-yield fermentation, a phenomenon called the Crabtree effect in yeast, or the Warburg effect in mammalian cells. Cellular constraints and limited resources are generally believed to govern the metabolic strategies of cells to adapt to environmental conditions, but which constraints drive this switch is still under debate. Here we study the Crabtree-negative, fully respiratory yeast Pichia kluyveri and compare it to the Crabtree-positive yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae from a resource allocation perspective. By integrating quantitative physiology and proteomics into whole-cell proteome-constrained models, we find that the Crabtree effect is determined by the composition and catalytic efficiency of the electron transport chain. We find that the subsequent proteome efficiency of respiration versus fermentation varies between these species. The variation in parameters and composition of the respiratory machinery likely reflects the evolutionary and ecological history of these yeast species. This study advances our understanding of the role of proteome constraints and proteome efficiency in governing cellular metabolism of yeasts, and that of eukaryotic cells at large.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2018

The pyriproxyfen metabolite 4’OH- pyriproxyfen disrupts thyroid hormone signaling and enhances Musashi-1 levels in neuroprogenitors

Epidemiological and experimental studies have raised questions as to whether the insecticide pyriproxyfen (PPF) could be implicated in the increased incidence of microcephaly associated with ZIKA infection during pregnancy. This pesticide is documented as a thyroid hormone (TH) disrupting chemical. We investigated whether environmentally relevant amounts of its main metabolite, 4-OH-pyriproxyfen (4-OH-PPF), modified TH signaling and early neuronal development. First, an in silico study revealed strong affinity of 4-OH-PPF to fit the ligand binding pocket of TH receptors (TRs). Further, in vitro assays on human cell lines showed 4OH-PPF (> 3 mg/L) to act as a TR antagonist. Next, using a transgenic Xenopus TH-sensitive reporter system, Tg(thibz:GFP) tadpoles showed that 4OH-PPF (> 10-7 mg/L) displayed TH-disruptive activity and reduced tadpole mobility (> 10-1 mg/L). Exposure to 4OH-PPF significantly reduced Xenopus head size at levels equivalent to the maximum recommended daily intake of PPF (3x 10-1 mg/L). Most strikingly, in both the Xenopus system in vivo and in mouse neurosphere cultures, environmentally relevant concentrations of 4OH-PPF increased expression of the gene encoding an RNA-binding protein that enables ZIKA replication: Musashi-1 (msi1) in neurogenic brain areas. We conclude that first, the PPF metabolite, 4OH-PPF, disrupts thyroid signaling, neuronal development and behavior in Xenopus embryos, and second, that it increases Musashi-1 levels in neurogenic zones of both mouse and Xenopus, creating the potential to enhance viral replication. As PPF is used in areas with high microcephaly incidence and is readily broken down to 4OH-PPF, these findings provide a plausible mechanism whereby PPF could, through modulating expression of Musashi-1, exacerbate the effects of ZIKA virus infection.\n\n\n\nO_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=167 SRC=\"FIGDIR/small/352088_ufig1.gif\" ALT=\"Figure 1\">\nView larger version (23K):\norg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@12f397borg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@166bbdforg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1b83665org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@fb5a30_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG

pharmacology and toxicology↗