Biology subjects

Cayo Biobank Research Unit,

Publications and source records attributed to Cayo Biobank Research Unit,.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2022

Evolutionary and biomedical implications of sex differences in the primate brain transcriptome

Humans exhibit sex differences in the prevalence of many neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions. To better understand the translatability of a critical nonhuman primate model, the rhesus macaque, we generated one of the largest multibrain region bulk transcriptional datasets for this species and characterized sex-biased gene expression patterns. We demonstrate that these patterns are similar to those in humans and are associated with overlapping regulatory mechanisms, biological processes, and genes implicated in sex-biased human disorders, including autism. We also show that sex-biased genes exhibit greater genetic variance for expression and more tissue-specific expression patterns, which may facilitate the rapid evolution of sex-biased genes. Our findings provide insights into the biological mechanisms underlying sex-biased disease and validate the rhesus macaque model for the study of these conditions.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

A single-cell multi-omic atlas spanning the adult rhesus macaque brain

Cataloging the diverse cellular architecture of the primate brain is crucial for understanding cognition, behavior and disease in humans. Here, we generated a brain-wide single-cell multimodal molecular atlas of the rhesus macaque brain. Altogether, we profiled 2.58M transcriptomes and 1.59M epigenomes from single nuclei sampled from 30 regions across the adult brain. Cell composition differed extensively across the brain, revealing cellular signatures of region-specific functions. We also identified 1.19M candidate regulatory elements, many novel, allowing us to explore the landscape of cis-regulatory grammar and neurological disease risk in a cell-type-specific manner. Together, this multi-omic atlas provides an open resource for investigating the evolution of the human brain and identifying novel targets for disease interventions.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2022

Ageing in a collective: The impact of ageing individuals on social network structure

Ageing affects many phenotypic traits, but its consequences for social behaviour have only recently become apparent. Social networks emerge from associations between individuals. The changes in sociality that occur as individuals get older are thus likely to impact network structure, yet this remains unstudied. Here we use empirical data from free-ranging rhesus macaques and an agent-based model to test how age-based changes in social behaviour feed up to influence: (1) an individuals level of indirect connectedness in their network; and (2) overall patterns of network structure. Our empirical analyses revealed that female macaques became less indirectly connected as they aged for some, but not all network measures examined, suggesting that indirect connectivity is affected by ageing, and that ageing animals can remain well integrated in some social contexts. Surprisingly, we did not find evidence for a relationship between age distribution and the structure of female macaque networks. We used an agent-based model to gain further understanding of the link between age-based differences in sociality and global network structure, and under which circumstances global effects may be detectable. Overall, our results suggest a potentially important and underappreciated role of age in the structure and function of animal collectives, which warrants further investigation.

animal behavior and cognition↗

bioRxiv2022

Age-related differences in ocular features of a naturalistic free-ranging population of rhesus macaques

PurposeRhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) are the premier nonhuman primate model for studying human health and disease. We aimed to investigate if age was associated with ocular features of clinical relevance in a large cohort of free-ranging rhesus macaques from Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico. MethodsWe evaluated 120 rhesus macaques (73 males, 47 females) aged from 0 to 29 years old (mean{+/-}SD: 12.6{+/-}6.4) from September to December, 2021. The ophthalmic evaluation included IOP assessment, corneal pachymetry, anterior segment biomicroscopy, A-Scan biometry, automated refraction, and fundus photography after pupil dilation. The effects of age on the outcome variables were investigated through multilevel mixed-effects models adjusted for sex and weight. ResultsOn average, IOP, pachymetry, axial length, and automated refraction spherical equivalent were 15.47{+/-}2.47 mmHg, 474.43{+/-}32.21 m, 19.49{+/-}1.24 mm, and 0.30{+/-}1.70 D, respectively. Age was significantly associated with pachymetry (Coef.= -1.20; 95%CI: -2.27 to -0.14; p=0.026), axial length (Coef.= 0.03; 95%CI: 0.01 to 0.05; p=0.002), and spherical equivalent (Coef.= -0.12; 95%CI: -0.22 to -0.02; p=0.015). No association was detected between age and IOP. The prevalence of cataracts in either eye was 10.83% (95% CI: 6.34 - 17.89%) and was significantly associated with age (OR= 1.20; 95%CI: 1.06 - 1.36; p=0.004). Retinal drusen in either eye was observed in 15.00% (95% CI: 9.60 - 22.68%) of the animals, which was also significantly associated with age (OR=1.14; 95%CI: 1.02 - 1.27; p=0.020). ConclusionsRhesus macaques exhibit age-related ocular associations similar to those observed in human aging, including decreased corneal thickness, increased axial length, myopic shift, and higher occurrence of cataract and retinal drusen.

systems biology↗

bioRxiv2021

Sociodemographic effects on immune cell composition in a free-ranging non-human primate.

Increasing age is associated with dysregulated immune function and increased inflammation- patterns that are also observed in individuals exposed to chronic social adversity. Yet we still know little about how social adversity impacts the immune system and how it might promote age-related diseases. Here, we investigated how immune cell diversity varied with age, sex and social adversity (operationalized as low social status) in free-ranging rhesus macaques. We found age-related signatures of immunosenescence, including lower proportions of CD20+ B cells, CD20+/CD3+ ratio, and CD4+/CD8+ T cell ratio - all signs of diminished antibody production. Age was associated with higher proportions of CD3+/CD8+ Cytotoxic T cells, CD16+/CD3-Natural Killer cells, CD3+/CD4+/CD25+ and CD3+/CD8+/CD25+ T regulatory cells, and CD14+/CD16+/HLA-DR+ intermediate monocytes, and lower levels of CD14+/CD16-/HLA-DR+ classical monocytes, indicating greater amounts of inflammation and immune dysregulation. We also found an effect of exposure to social adversity (i.e., low social status) that was sex-dependent. High-status males, relative to females, had higher CD20+/CD3+ ratios and CD16+/CD3 Natural Killer cell proportions, and lower proportions of CD8+ Cytotoxic T cells. Further, low status females had higher proportions of cytotoxic T cells than high status females, while the opposite was observed in males. High status males had higher CD20+/CD3+ ratios than low status males. Together, our study identifies immune cell types that differ by age in a human-relevant primate model animal, and demonstrates a novel link between sex-dependent immunity and social adversity.

immunology↗