Reproductive Cycle Research Articles (Page 1)

In Coffea arabica L., the processes of flowering and fruiting unfold over time as a series of phenological events influenced by both biotic and abiotic factors. This sequence governs the plant’s reproductive cycle, directly affecting vegetative growth, crop productivity, and beverage quality. This review comprehensively addresses the developmental phases and provides descriptions of flower and fruit morphology, factors influencing flowering and fruiting, and competition for resource allocation, all of which are approached from a phenological perspective informed by the extended Biologische Bundesanstalt, Bundessortenamt and CHemical industry (BBCH) scale. The structural and emerging challenges that affect the sustainability of coffee cultivation should be effectively addressed to provide a foundation that supports the design of integrated strategies for the optimization of agronomic practices, increased yield, and genetic improvement.

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) cause significant economic losses and have a profound impact on the agricultural sector, while commercial chemical nematicides have been found to cause pollution and are harmful to human health. The unique qualities and possible advantages of metal-based nanoparticles have gained considerable interest in plant disease control. This study synthesized, described, and evaluated CuONPs against the M. incognita nematode in terms of female biological cycle arrest, reduction of egg hatchability, and second juvenile mortality in pepper plants. It was done in both in vitro and open-field trials. Copper nanoparticles tested concurrently in graded concentrations (100, 75, 50, 25, and 12.5%) were evaluated. CuO nanoparticles were revealed to be effective nematode agents in the in vitro assay against eggs and second juvenile stages (J2s) of M. incognita, with a 100% concentration after 48h of exposure, causing 87.9% larval mortality and 57.5% egg hatchability reduction. The open field experiment on pepper CuONPs application in direct irrigation showed 100% results with a concentration of 100%, an 84.4% decrease in egg masses/plant, a 92% decrease in J2s/100g soil, and ultimately, an effect on the female's life cycle with an 83% decrease in number and an 89.6% reduction in galls/plant. Furthermore, pepper plants treated with CuONPs showed fresh and dry weights for the shoots and roots in open field trials. Finally, the safety effect of CuONPs on the growth of normal human cells was evidenced by its higher safety on normal human lung and skin cell lines (WI-38 and HFB4, respectively). CuONPs exhibited significantly effective growth parameters and strong nematicidal effects against nematodes, so they could be considered a safe and potential nanofertilizer and nematicide agent.

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic apicomplexan parasite that relies on highly orchestrated gene expression programs to coordinate its cell cycle progression. Although epigenetic mechanisms are recognized as pivotal drivers of developmental gene regulation in parasitic life cycles, the contributions of chromatin remodeling complexes to these processes remain largely unexplored. In this study, we focus on two core ATPase subunits of the SWI/SNF chromatin remodeling complex and investigate their roles in parasite biology and gene regulation. Our findings reveal that these SWI/SNF ATPases work coordinately, occupying the promoters of many tachyzoite-specific genes. Their deletion causes diminished chromatin accessibility and transcriptional reprogramming, downregulating tachyzoite-specific genes and unlocking certain transcripts normally confined to merozoite stage. Loss of these genes severely impairs parasite fitness and causes division defects, with incomplete endopolygeny accompanied by starch accumulation. TgSNF2b also interacts with the MORC remodeler to modulate chromatin architecture and gene expression. These findings provide new insights into the epigenetic regulation of gene expression and cell division in T. gondii and open new avenues for innovative strategies in toxoplasmosis control.

This paper examines the implications of the UK government's introduction of a 20% Value Added Tax (VAT) on private school fees. The analysis is framed within the theoretical contexts of the commodification of education, Bourdieu's theory of social reproduction, and the concept of social mobility. The paper argues that while the policy is ostensibly aimed at reducing educational disparities, it is likely to exacerbate social inequalities. The increased cost of private education will likely make it inaccessible for many middle-income families, reinforcing the position of private schools as enclaves for the elite. This, in turn, will hinder social mobility and perpetuate the cycle of social reproduction, as access to the cultural and social capital offered by these institutions becomes even more restricted. The paper concludes that the VAT policy, without other mitigating measures, may unintentionally deepen the very social divides it seeks to address.

Throughout the article titled “The Preservation of Sea Turtles on Kifuma/Soyo Beach,” the authors present a thorough analysis of the environmental conditions and the challenges associated with conserving sea turtles in an area of great ecological significance. The study adopts a variety of methodologies by combining on-site monitoring, data collection on nesting rates, and a detailed examination of the impacts resulting from human activities-such as overfishing, uncontrolled tourism, and the degradation of natural habitats. Data gathered during different periods reveal a progressive decline in the hatchlings' survival rate, underscoring the urgent need for preventive measures and sustainable management practices. The research further emphasizes the relevance of cooperation among local communities, government agencies, and scientific institutions, stressing that the implementation of environmental protection areas and the raising of resident awareness can promote the recovery of coastal ecosystems. The results obtained indicate that, in the presence of effective preservation strategies, there is a significant increase in the success rate of sea turtles during the nesting period, demonstrating the natural resilience of the species when adequately protected. The article also discusses the influence of climate change, which imposes additional challenges to the maintenance of reproductive cycles, and suggests the need to invest in continued research to adapt conservation policies to new environmental realities. In conclusion, the integration of efforts between society and environmental managers is truly fundamental to promoting ecological balance and ensuring the survival of sea turtles in the region.

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) was first developed to overcome male factor infertility. ICSI has increased in uptake globally, including in cases where its use is non-essential for fertilisation. To identify temporal trends in the use of, and indications for ICSI in an Australian context. A statewide descriptive cohort study examining the trends in ICSI uptake and reported indication/s for ICSI use. The cohort included women undergoing IVF between 2005 and 2017 at IVF clinics across Victoria, Australia that resulted in a birth after 20 weeks' gestation. The dataset comprised 32 102 assisted reproduction cycles: 22 873 (71.3%) ICSI and 9229 (28.7%) conventional IVF. In 2005, ICSI accounted for 60.6% (1182/1952) of cycles, increasing to 79.5% (2344/2947) by 2017 (ptrend < 0.001). Testicular sperm retrieval as an indication for ICSI remained consistent over time (ptrend = 0.15). Male factor infertility as an indication decreased over time (ptrend = 0.007). Vitrified oocyte thaw (ptrend = 0.016) and 'unexplained subfertility' (ptrend = 0.30) cycles did not surpass 1.7% (39/2293) and 0.4% (9/2048), respectively of total cycles in any year. Donor sperm (ptrend = 0.001), pre-implantation genetic testing (ptrend = 0.004), female factors associated with poor IVF outcome (ptrend = 0.005) and advanced maternal age (ptrend = 0.005) all increased as indications for ICSI over time. 'Unspecified' indication accounted for the majority of ICSI cycles after 2008 (ptrend = 0.015). During our study period, the total use of ICSI increased by 18.9%. Notably, most of these cycles were not medically indicated.

The genetic manipulation of the human parasite Trypanosoma cruzi has been significantly improved since the implementation of the CRISPR/Cas9 technology for genome editing in this organism. Initially, the system was successfully used for gene knockout and endogenous C-terminal tagging in T. cruzi. Recently, an updated version of this technology has been used for gene complementation, site-directed mutagenesis, and N-terminal tagging in trypanosomatids. This cloning-free strategy, called CRISPR/T7RNAP/Cas9, is extremely useful for identifying essential genes when null mutants are not viable. Mutant cell lines obtained by this new system have been used for the functional characterization of proteins in different developmental stages of this parasite's life cycle, including infective trypomastigotes and intracellular amastigotes. In this chapter, we describe the methodology to achieve genome editing by CRISPR/T7RNAP/Cas9 in T. cruzi. Our method involves the generation of T. cruzi epimastigotes that constitutively express the T7 RNA polymerase (T7RNAP) and SpCas9, and their co-transfection with an sgRNA template and donor DNA(s) as polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products. Using this strategy, we have generated genetically modified parasites in 2-3weeks without the need for gene cloning, cell sorting, or having to perform several transfection attempts to verify the sgRNA efficiency for targeting the gene of interest. The methodology has been organized according to three main genetic purposes: gene knockout, gene complementation of knockout cell lines, and endogenous (N- or C-terminal) tagging in T. cruzi.

Canine leishmaniasis is a vectorial zoonotic disease caused by the obligate intracellular trypanosomatid parasite Leishmania infantum. This chronic disease is characterized by a variable combination of cutaneous and visceral clinical signs. Despite the availability of insecticides and first-line drug therapies, prevalence remains high in many areas fundamentally distributed in the Mediterranean basin and Brazil. The development of a vaccine against leishmaniasis is a challenging objective in veterinary medicine due to the parasite's life cycle complexity, resistance, relapses, and toxicity of the currently available drugs. Vaccination against canine leishmaniasis intends to decrease the parasite burden and the risk of clinical disease. Neoleish is a third generation DNA vaccine based on the L. infantum LACK gene encoding the 36 kDa protein, analogue of the receptor of the activated protein kinase C (LACK/p36) included in the antibiotic resistance-free plasmid pPAL. Once safety and efficacy of this intranasally delivered vaccine was confirmed in the preclinical phase, this randomized double-blind field trial was performed to assess safety and efficacy of the Neoleish vaccine. It was assessed by exposing 361 healthy naïve dogs to natural L. infantum infection during two consecutive transmission seasons in three endemic areas of Spain. 361 dogs were randomly split into two treatment groups (181 vaccinated and 180 placebo-treated). The primary safety endpoint was the absence of serious local and/or systemic adverse events and/or deaths attributable to vaccination. Neoleish demonstrated a high safety profile. No signs of shock, local or systemic reactions were observed even after the administration of an overdose (10x) of Neoleish followed by a repeated dose. In addition, repeated vaccine administration in infected dogs (PCR positive and/or seropositive) was followed up for at least one year, demonstrating that Neoleish was also safe in infected dogs and did not exacerbate the course of the disease. The absence of Neoleish interference with the ELISA and IFAT serological tests was confirmed after repeated vaccination. Regarding efficacy, Neoleish vaccine affected the progression of parasite multiplication in bone marrow and peripheral blood, showing a statistically significant reduction of parasite load in vaccinated animals at the end of the study. In summary, the contributions of Neoleish, a vaccine with a very high safety profile, to canine leishmaniasis prevention are: i) The odds-ratio for detectable parasites in blood is 3.5 for vaccinated dogs compared to non-vaccinated dogs; if detected, 86% lower parasitemia levels are expected; ii) A vaccinated dog has a 2-fold lower risk of developing active infection compared to a non-vaccinated dog; in case positive, the parasite load in bone marrow is expected to be 96% lower; iii) A 3-fold lower risk (72.7%) of developing clinical disease is expected in a vaccinated compared to a non-vaccinated dog.

The global rise of drug-resistant malaria parasites is becoming an increasing threat to public health, emphasizing the urgent need for the development of new therapeutic strategies. Artimisinin- based therapies, once the backbone of malaria treatment, are now at risk due to the resistance developed in parasites. The lack of a universally accessible malaria vaccine exacerbates this crisis, underscoring the need to explore new antimalarial drugs. A more comprehensive understanding of the parasites's life cycle has revealed several promising targets, including enzymes, transport proteins, and essential metabolic pathways that the parasite relies on for its survival and proliferation. This review provides an in-depth analysis of the vulnerabilities displayed by Plasmodium and recent advances that highlight potential drug targets and candidate molecules.

Analysis of marine litter ingested by sea turtles stranded in Sicily: a 7-year report.

Microbial infections continue to pose significant threats to global health, necessitating the development of innovative therapeutic strategies. One promising avenue is the use of protease inhib-itors, with darunavir (DRV) emerging as a potent candidate in the field. Designed to combat re-sistance to standard HIV therapy, DRV is a second-generation protease inhibitor. Regarding micro-bial infections, this study sheds light on the internal processes behind the impact of DRV within cells. Novel protease inhibitor DRV targets essential proteolytic enzymes that are essential for microbial survival and growth in order to achieve its antimicrobial actions. By interfering with the proteolytic digestion of important microbial proteins, its inhibitory effect prevents infectious particles from being assembled and maturing. DRV is a viable treatment option for microbial infections as its selective suppression reduces the possibility of off-target consequences. DRV efficiently penetrates the intra-cellular milieu of host cells, where it prevents the proteolytic cleavage of vital viral and bacterial proteins, hence combating pathogenic infections. Microbial infections may be treated in a variety of ways using DRV as it disrupts the cycle of pathogen reproduction. The present review explores the molecular principles behind the effectiveness of DRV against microbial infections, emphasizing the drug's ability to fight a wide range of pathogens. The comprehension of the intracellular activity of DRV is promising for the creation of novel treatment approaches, providing encouragement in the continuous fight against microbial diseases.

Enhancing reproductive access: the influence of expanded employer fertility benefits at a single academic center from 2017 to 2021.

Wickerhamomyces anomalus is a predator of the Castanea spp. ink disease-causing oomycetes Phytophthora cinnamomi and P.xcambivora. Based on morphological evidence, a model illustrating a specific mode of action is provided.

Malaria remains a major public health challenge in sub-Saharan Africa, contributing to significant morbidity and mortality despite decades of control efforts. Conventional interventions—including vector control, chemoprevention, and diagnostics—face limitations due to drug and insecticide resistance, climate variability, and health system constraints. Artificial intelligence (AI) offers transformative potential to strengthen malaria control programs by enhancing surveillance, predicting outbreaks, improving diagnostics, optimizing treatment, and guiding resource allocation. This narrative review synthesizes current applications of AI in African malaria programs, highlighting case studies such as Kenya’s drone-assisted vector surveillance, Nigeria’s mobile health platforms for real-time case reporting, and Tanzania’s climate-informed forecasting models. We further discuss AI-driven bioinformatics for Plasmodium genomic surveillance, modeling of parasite life cycle dynamics under environmental stress, and network-based analyses of vector–parasite molecular interactions. Challenges, including data quality, ethical considerations, infrastructure limitations, and potential inequities, are critically examined. By integrating practical examples with emerging AI methodologies, this review underscores both the opportunities and risks of AI in malaria control and provides guidance for policymakers, researchers, and public health practitioners aiming to leverage AI to accelerate malaria elimination in Africa.

Shifts in the timing and rate of reproductive development have played a central role in plant evolution, often being shaped by seasonal climates. Araucariaceae provides a valuable opportunity to study developmental timing across climates. While most species inhabit warm regions, Araucaria araucana occurs in a temperate region with marked seasonality. We anatomically describe its previously undocumented female reproductive cycle, considering seasonality as a selective pressure on ontogeny. We sampled female cones of A. araucana periodically during their development. We resin-embedded, sectioned, stained (toluidine blue, PAS), and photographed the developing ovules. We compared these results with published studies on Araucaria angustifolia and Agathis australis. Female cone development in A. araucana follows a sequence of clearly distinguishable anatomical stages, which begin prior to pollination, and are consistent with those described for other conifers. These include seed scale and nucellus formation, megaspore mother cell differentiation, gametophyte development, archegonia maturation, fertilization, and embryo formation. Ovule development followed an evolutionarily conserved sequence across Araucariaceae; however, A. araucana showed distinct timing and rate: its cycle was shorter, ovule development started later but progressed faster, and pollination occurred at a later ovule stage, followed by accelerated pollen tube growth. These shifts likely reflect adaptation to temperate climates through the alignment of development with favourable climatic conditions. A comparable shift was observed in cone growth: while A. angustifolia delayed growth until after fertilization, A. araucana started early but paused in winter, likely an efficient resource strategy in its seasonal environment. Our study provides the first comparative analysis of female cone development timing in Araucariaceae. While ovule development appears structurally conserved across the family, its timing and resource allocation strategies differ among species, likely reflecting climatic adaptations. More broadly, these findings may reflect the evolutionary potential of the conifers' female reproductive cycle to respond to environmental pressures, which is particularly relevant in the context of climate change.

Growth in the margins: Field measured protein metabolism rates in the common limpet, Patellavulgata.

Although viral dynamics is typically modeled using ordinary differential equations, a natural way to address the phenomena of viral persistence and host cell survival is to use stochastic models of viral reproduction. Here we present a study of viral and substrate cell extinction and their dependence on viral production rate for two simple stochastic models of viral reproduction that differ in the method of viral release: one accounts for viral bursting, in which the release of viruses is instantaneous after cell lesion, the other for viral budding, in which new viral particles are released from infected cells gradually. We show that for both viral release mechanisms, simulation of continuous-time Markov chain versions of the stochastic models is the most accurate but also time-consuming way to obtain the results, and that traditional diffusion approximation methods lead to serious discrepancies in extinction probabilities and mean times. We then propose a modified stochastic differential equation approach that achieves a significant improvement in simulation speed while maintaining accuracy.

Ecdysone-induced protein 93 (E93) is an adult specifier that governs insect pupal-adult conversion. It affects the reproductive transition in adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the significant vectors of numerous devastating human diseases. Here, we show that E93 is essential for maintaining metabolic homeostasis during the reproductive cycle of mosquitoes. E93 deficiency led to insufficient production of insulin-like peptide 3 (ILP3) from insulin-producing cells in the brain, resulting in reduced phosphorylation of protein kinase B (Akt), a key regulator in the insulin signaling pathway. This reduction facilitated the nuclear translocation of FoxO and enhanced the activity of glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β), which in turn respectively activated the transcription of genes encoding phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK) during gluconeogenesis and reduced glycogen synthesis. Further insulin rescue and the luciferase activity assays demonstrated that E93 directly inhibited PEPCK transcription. Ultimately, E93-depleted mosquitoes exhibited systemic metabolic reprogramming, characterized by the dysregulation of carbohydrate, lipid, and amino acid metabolism. Our findings establish that E93 orchestrates metabolic homeostasis by coordinating the insulin signaling cascade and directly regulating PEPCK expression, thus providing an intrinsic connection between endocrine signaling and E93-mediated reproduction in mosquitoes.

Conventional cell cultures utilizing transformed or immortalized cell lines or primary human epithelial cells have played a fundamental role in furthering our understanding of Cryptosporidium infection. However, they remain inadequate with respect to their inability to emulate in vivo conditions and support long-term growth and completion of the parasite's life cycle. Previously, we developed a three-dimensional (3D) silk scaffold-based model using transformed human intestinal epithelial cells (IECs). This model supported C. parvum infection for up to 2weeks and resulted in completion of the life cycle of the parasite. However, transformed IECs are not representative of primary human IECs.Human intestinal organoids (hIOs) or human intestinal enteroids (hIEs) are 3D cultures derived from Lgr5+ stem cells isolated from the crypts of human intestinal biopsies or surgical intestinal tissues. These multicellular cultures can be induced to differentiate into enterocytes, enteroendocrine cells, goblet cells, Paneth cells, and tuft cells. hIEs better represent human intestinal structure and function than immortalized, IEC lines. Recently, significant progress has been made in the development of technologies to culture hIEs in vitro. When grown in a 3D matrix, hIEs provide a spatial organization resembling the native human intestinal epithelium. Additionally, they can be dissociated and grown as monolayers in tissue culture plates, permeable supports, or silk scaffolds that enable mechanistic studies of pathogen infections. They can also be co-cultured with other human cells such as macrophages, myofibroblasts, and immune cells. The hIEs grown in these novel culture systems recapitulate the physiology, the 3D architecture, and functional diversity of native intestinal epithelium and provide a powerful and promising new tool to study Cryptosporidium-host cell interactions and screen for interventions ex vivo. In this chapter, we describe a 3D silk scaffold-based model using transformed IECs co-cultured with human intestinal myofibroblasts as well as 2D and 3D hIE-derived models of C. parvum infection.

All animals require food to survive, grow, reproduce, and thus optimize fitness in nature. Food availability can profoundly affect demographic parameters such as longevity and fecundity. Here, we compared reproductive parameters in the false widow spider, Steatoda grossa (Araneae, Theridiidae), when the availability and size of prey (the house cricket, Acheta domesticus) were manipulated. Adult mated female spiders that were fed weekly (constant prey treatment) produced more progeny during their lifetime than females fed every 3weeks (intermittent prey treatment). Furthermore, the monitoring of fecundity schedules showed that over the first 10 egg sacs, the mean number of neonate spiderlings per egg sac was around 40% higher in constantly fed than intermittently fed spiders. Time intervals between egg sac productions were generally higher when prey availability was lower. Some females lost more than 50% of their body mass after the production of the first egg sac, although reproductive investment tended to decrease thereafter. The amount of prey offered to females significantly affected mass gain between reproductive events, but fewer progeny were produced by females per egg sac, as well as cumulatively over the first three egg sacs, when they were only fed small prey. Starved females that had not produced egg sacs in several months exhibited total reproductive recovery when fed. Our results demonstrate the importance of prey attributes on S. grossa reproduction. Furthermore, females invest remarkably large amounts of resources during each reproductive cycle and over the course of a lifetime.