Biology subjects

Metzger, B.

Publications and source records attributed to Metzger, B..

5 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2025

Low breeding propensity and success of European Turtle Doves in Germany

Understanding the breeding success of European Turtle Doves is crucial for their conservation, helping to address the threats they face, and optimizing the species prospects for future successful reproduction and survival. However, data on breeding success of this species in Germany are missing due to the low density and poor accessibility of nests and chance to disturb nesting efforts during direct nest searches. We therefore used two indirect methods to obtain data on breeding success. First, we analyzed field age ratios, i.e. the proportion of juveniles from Citizen Science data. We observed a marked decrease in observed fledglings from 1.28 in the years 1957-1989 to 0.44 in 1990-2009 and to 0.32 in 2010-2023. This suggests a sharp decline in breeding success. Very low juvenile numbers in July further suggest that first broods were especially affected. Second, nesting sites were determined from GPS data, and the breeding constancy was checked at these sites. Based on data from 32 GPS-marked birds representing 28 breeding pairs, we obtained values of maximum breeding success of 1.5 chicks per potential breeding pair at hatching and 0.7 chicks per potential breeding pair at fledging. This is an optimistic calculation for fledglings, as it assumes that two chicks per nest survive until fledging. Overall, these data highlight an urgent need to improve the habitat conditions in the breeding areas to conserve this once common species.

ecology↗

bioRxiv2024

A tale of two tumors: differential, but detrimental, effects of glioblastoma extracellular vesicles (EVs) on normal human brain cells

Glioblastomas (GBMs) are dreadful brain tumors with abysmal survival outcomes. GBM EVs dramatically affect normal brain cells (largely astrocytes) constituting the tumor microenvironment (TME). EVs from different patient-derived GBM spheroids induced differential transcriptomic, secretomic, and proteomic effects on cultured astrocytes/brain tissue slices as GBM EV recipients. The net outcome of brain cell differential changes nonetheless converges on increased tumorigenicity. GBM spheroids and brain slices were derived from neurosurgical patient tissues following informed consent. Astrocytes were commercially obtained. EVs were isolated from conditioned culture media by ultrafiltration, ultraconcentration, and ultracentrifugation. EVs were characterized by nanoparticle tracking analysis, electron microscopy, biochemical markers, and proteomics. Astrocytes/brain tissues were treated with GBM EVs before downstream analyses. EVs from different GBMs induced brain cells to alter secretomes with pro-inflammatory or TME-modifying (proteolytic) effects. Astrocyte responses ranged from anti-viral gene/protein expression and cytokine release to altered extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase (ERK1/2) signaling pathways, and conditioned media from EV-treated cells increased GBM cell proliferation. Thus, astrocytes/brain slices treated with different GBM EVs underwent non-identical changes in various omics readouts and other assays, indicating "personalized" tumor-specific GBM EV effects on the TME. This raises concern regarding reliance on "model" systems as a sole basis for translational direction. Nonetheless, net downstream impacts from differential cellular and TME effects still led to increased tumorigenic capacities for the different GBMs.

cancer biology↗

bioRxiv2023

Annelid adult cell type diversity and their pluripotent cellular origins

Annelids are a broadly distributed, highly diverse, economically and environmentally important group of animals. Most species can regenerate missing body parts, and many are able to reproduce asexually. Therefore, many annelids can generate all adult cell types in adult stages. However, the putative adult stem cell populations involved in these processes, as well as the diversity of adult cell types generated by them, are still unknown. Here, we recover 75,218 single cell transcriptomes of Pristina leidyi, a highly regenerative and asexually-reproducing freshwater annelid. We characterise all major annelid adult cell types, and validate many of our observations by HCR in situ hybridisation. Our results uncover complex patterns of regionally expressed genes in the annelid gut, as well as neuronal, muscle and epidermal specific genes. We also characterise annelid-specific cell types such as the chaetal sacs and globin+ cells, and novel cell types of enigmatic affinity, including a vigilin+ cell type, a lumbrokinase+ cell type, and a diverse set of metabolic cells. Moreover, we characterise transcription factors and gene networks that are expressed specifically in these populations. Finally, we uncover a broadly abundant cluster of putative stem cells with a pluripotent signature. This population expresses well-known stem cell markers such as vasa, piwi and nanos homologues, but also shows heterogeneous expression of differentiated cell markers and their transcription factors. In these piwi+ cells, we also find conserved expression of pluripotency regulators, including multiple chromatin remodelling and epigenetic factors. Finally, lineage reconstruction analyses reveal the existence of differentiation trajectories from piwi+ cells to diverse adult types. Our data reveal the cell type diversity of adult annelids for the first time and serve as a resource for studying annelid cell types and their evolution. On the other hand, our characterisation of a piwi+ cell population with a pluripotent stem cell signature will serve as a platform for the study of annelid stem cells and their role in regeneration.

genomics↗

bioRxiv2022

Frontotemporal network engagement by human intracranial stimulation in limbic hubs

BackgroundPrefrontal circuits in the human brain play an important role in cognitive and affective processing. Neuromodulation therapies delivered to certain key hubs within these circuits are being used with increasing frequency to treat a host of neuropsychiatric disorders. However, the detailed neurophysiological effects of stimulation to these hubs are largely unknown. MethodsHere, we performed intracranial recordings across prefrontal networks while delivering electrical stimulation to two well-established white matter hubs involved in cognitive regulation and depression: the subcallosal cingulate (SCC) and ventral capsule/ventral striatum (VC/VS). ResultsWe demonstrate a shared frontotemporal circuit consisting of the ventromedial PFC, amygdala, and lateral orbitofrontal cortex where gamma oscillations are differentially modulated by stimulation target. Additionally, we found subject-specific responses to stimulation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and demonstrate the capacity for further tuning of neural activity using current-steered stimulation. ConclusionsOur findings indicate a potential neurophysiological mechanism for the dissociable therapeutic effects seen across the SCC and VC/VS DBS targets for psychiatric neuromodulation and our results lay the groundwork for personalized, network-guided neurostimulation therapy.

neuroscience↗

bioRxiv2016

Deciphering the genic basis of environmental adaptations by simultaneous forward and reverse genetics in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae is the best studied eukaryote in molecular and cell biology, but its utility for understanding the genetic basis of natural phenotypic variation is limited by the inefficiency of association mapping owing to strong and complex population structure. To facilitate association mapping, we analyzed 190 high-quality genomes of diverse strains, including 85 newly sequenced ones, to uncover yeasts population structure that varies substantially among genomic regions. We identified 181 yeast genes that are absent from the reference genome and demonstrated their expression and role in important functions such as drug resistance. We then simultaneously measured the growth rates of over 4500 lab strains each deficient of a nonessential gene and 81 natural strains across multiple environments using unique DNA barcode present in each strain. We combined the genome-wide reverse genetic information with genome-wide association analysis to determine potential genomic regions of importance to environmental adaptations, and for a subset experimentally validated their role by reciprocal hemizygosity tests. The resources provided permit efficient and reliable association mapping in yeast and significantly enhances its value as a model for understanding the genetic mechanisms of phenotypic polymorphism and evolution.

genomics↗