Biology subjects

Mancuso, C.

Publications and source records attributed to Mancuso, C..

3 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2024

Influence of environmental and biological factors on functional connectivity of the superior temporal sulcus in neonates scanned at term age

The superior temporal sulcus (STS), one of the first sulci visible during brain development, is a key region for human communication, notably hosting linguistic functions in the left hemisphere. Fetuses and premature newborns already process external sound, but the auditory environment is vastly different in-utero and ex-utero. Does this have an impact on the development of the auditory and linguistic networks? To answer this question, we studied the functional connectivity of regions bordering the STS, delimited in each individual including full-term and preterm male and female neonates born at different gestational ages but all scanned at term. We found that in addition to the expected contralateral connectivity, various STS parts were more strongly connected to specific distant regions, revealing the typical auditory/linguistic division across the two banks of the STS reported in adults. Furthermore, the right posterior STS was more connected to the contralateral hemisphere than the left. Finally, sex and premature birth had effects on both STS volume and connectivity. Female neonates displayed a lesser left-right asymmetry in STS depth, and heightened connectivity from the left posterior STS compared to males. Most importantly, despite equivalent scan age, full-term newborns had deeper sulci compared with preterms, and local connectivity in the right temporal region increased linearly with gestation length. These results emphasize the impact of both sex and early auditory environment on the setting up of the cerebral networks that might contribute to explain the milder impact of premature birth on language in females.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2024

Highly-resolved within-species dynamics in the human facial skin microbiome

Adult human facial skin microbiomes are remarkably similar at the species-level, dominated by Cutibacterium acnes and Staphylococcus epidermidis, yet each person harbors a unique community of strains. Understanding how person-specific communities assemble is critical for designing microbiome-based therapies. Here, using 4,055 isolate genomes and 360 metagenomes, we reconstruct on-person evolutionary history to reveal on and between-person strain dynamics. We find that multiple cells are typically involved in transmission, indicating ample opportunity for migration. Despite this accessibility, family members share only some of their strains. S. epidermidis communities are dynamic, with each strain persisting for an average of only 2 years. C. acnes strains are more stable and have a higher colonization rate during the transition to an adult facial skin microbiome, suggesting this window could facilitate engraftment of therapeutic strains. These previously undetectable dynamics may influence the design of microbiome therapeutics and motivate the study of their effects on hosts.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Colonization with heterologous bacteria reprograms a Caenorhabditis elegans nutritional phenotype

Animals rely on the gut microbiome to process complex food compounds that the host cannot digest and to synthesize nutrients that the host cannot produce. New systems are needed to study how the expanded metabolic capacity provided by the gut microbiome impacts the nutritional status and health of the host. Here we colonized the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans gut with cellulolytic bacteria that enabled C. elegans to utilize cellulose, an otherwise indigestible substrate, as a carbon source. The nutritional benefits of colonization with cellulolytic bacteria were assayed directly, by incorporation of isotopic biomass, and indirectly, as host larval yield resulting from glucose release in the gut. As a community component in the worm gut, cellulolytic bacteria can also support additional bacterial species with specialized roles, which we demonstrate by using Lactobacillus to protect against Salmonella infection. As a model system, C. elegans colonized with cellulolytic bacteria can be used to study microbiome-host interactions. Engineered microbiome communities may provide host organisms with novel functions, such as the ability to use more complex nutrient sources and to fight against pathogen infections. One Sentence SummaryHeterologous bacteria colonizing an animal gut help digest complex sugars to provide nutrition for the host in a model system.

microbiology↗