Toll-like receptors (TLRs) represent an important part of the innate immune system. While human and murine TLRs have been intensively studied, little is known about TLRs in non-model species. The order Perissodactyla comprises a variety of free-living and domesticated species exposed to different pathogens in different habitats and is therefore suitable for analyzing the diversity and evolution of immunity-related genes. We an...

In 2019, the EPMA celebrated its 10th anniversary at the 5th World Congress in Pilsen, Czech Republic. The history of the International Professional Network dedicated to Predictive, Preventive and Personalised Medicine (PPPM / 3PM) is rich in achievements. Facing the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic it is getting evident globally that the predictive approach, targeted prevention and personalisation of medical services is the opti...

Stilbonematinae are a subfamily of conspicuous marine nematodes, distinguished by a coat of sulphur‐oxidizing bacterial ectosymbionts on their cuticle. As most nematodes, the worm hosts have a relatively simple anatomy and few taxonomically informative characters, and this has resulted in numerous taxonomic reassignments and synonymizations. Recent studies using a combination of morphological and molecular traits have helped t...

Summary The sulfate‐dependent, anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is an important sink for methane in marine environments. It is carried out between anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANME) and sulfate‐reducing bacteria (SRB) living in syntrophic partnership. In this study, we compared the genomes, gene expression patterns and ultrastructures of three phylogenetically different microbial consortia found in hydrocarbon‐rich en...

Summary Deep‐sea hydrothermal vents are highly dynamic habitats characterized by steep temperature and chemical gradients. The oxidation of reduced compounds dissolved in the venting fluids fuels primary production providing the basis for extensive life. Until recently studies of microbial vent communities have focused primarily on chemolithoautotrophic organisms. In our study, we targeted the change of microbial community com...

Summary The anaerobic oxidation of methane (AOM) is mediated by consortia of anaerobic methane‐oxidizing archaea (ANME) and their specific partner bacteria. In thermophilic AOM consortia enriched from Guaymas Basin, members of the ANME‐1 clade are associated with bacteria of the HotSeep‐1 cluster, which likely perform direct electron exchange via nanowires. The partner bacterium was enriched with hydrogen as sole electron dono...

The level of integration between associated partners can range from ectosymbioses to extracellular and intracellular endosymbioses, and this range has been assumed to reflect a continuum from less intimate to evolutionarily highly stable associations. In this study, we examined the specificity and evolutionary history of marine symbioses in a group of closely related sulphur‐oxidizing bacteria, called Candidatus Thiosymbion, t...