Environmental fluctuations challenge juvenile hibernators to efficiently balance growth, fattening, and energy conservation prior to their first winter. This study investigates how social thermoregulation (huddling) and food availability affect the use of torpor, growth, fat accumulation, and hibernation in late-born juvenile garden dormice. Juveniles exhibited flexible energy-saving strategies, with huddling influencing torpor patterns and food […]
The Desmoulin's whorl snail, Vertigo moulinsiana (Dupuy, 1849) (Gastropoda: Vertiginidae), an endangered micro-mollusc listed as Vulnerable in Annex II of the EU Habitats Directive, uses aestivation to survive environmental stress. This study aims to evaluate the effects of constant versus fluctuating thermal regimes on survival and activation dynamics of V. moulinsiana. Specimens from each age […]
Bacterial ribonucleases regulate gene expression in response to environmental stress and host interactions. In Staphylococcus aureus, the hibernation-promoting factor (Hpf) induces the formation of RNase R-resistant 100S ribosomes. We previously showed that the 3'-5' exoribonuclease YhaM cleaves the hpf transcript, reducing Hpf synthesis and leading to ribosome degradation. No structure of any YhaM homolog bound […]
The PYHIN (pyrin and HIN domain-containing) gene family encodes central cytosolic DNA sensors, including AIM2 and IFI16, that activate inflammasome and type I interferon pathways during infection. While these pathways are critical for antiviral and antimicrobial defense, how ecological pressures shape their evolution remain unclear. The PYHIN gene family varies across mammals, and bats have […]
Secondary degeneration following optic nerve crush (ONC) is driven in part by mitochondrial dysfunction and microglial activation. Inspired by hibernation, where reduced succinate oxidation limits reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, we tested whether pharmacological inhibition of this pathway confers neuroprotection. Using in vivo ONC models and in vitro microglial assays, we evaluated the effects of […]