@article{863, abstract = {The origins of neural systems remain unresolved. In contrast to other basal metazoans, ctenophores (comb jellies) have both complex nervous and mesoderm-derived muscular systems. These holoplanktonic predators also have sophisticated ciliated locomotion, behaviour and distinct development. Here we present the draft genome of Pleurobrachia bachei, Pacific sea gooseberry, together with ten other ctenophore transcriptomes, and show that they are remarkably distinct from other animal genomes in their content of neurogenic, immune and developmental genes. Our integrative analyses place Ctenophora as the earliest lineage within Metazoa. This hypothesis is supported by comparative analysis of multiple gene families, including the apparent absence of HOX genes, canonical microRNA machinery, and reduced immune complement in ctenophores. Although two distinct nervous systems are well recognized in ctenophores, many bilaterian neuron-specific genes and genes of 'classical' neurotransmitter pathways either are absent or, if present, are not expressed in neurons. Our metabolomic and physiological data are consistent with the hypothesis that ctenophore neural systems, and possibly muscle specification, evolved independently from those in other animals.}, author = {Moroz, Leonid L and Kocot, Kevin M and Citarella, Mathew R and Dosung, Sohn and Norekian, Tigran P and Povolotskaya, Inna and Grigorenko, Anastasia P and Dailey, Christopher A and Berezikov, Eugene and Buckley, Katherine M and Ptitsyn, Andrey A and Reshetov, Denis A and Mukherjee, Krishanu and Moroz, Tatiana P and Bobkova, Yelena V and Yu, Fahong and Kapitonov, Vladimir V and Jurka, Jerzy W and Bobkov, Yuriy V and Swore, Joshua J and Girardo, David O and Fodor, Alexander and Gusev, Fedor E and Sanford, Rachel S and Bruders, Rebecca and Kittler, Ellen L and Mills, Claudia E and Rast, Jonathan P and Derelle, Romain and Solovyev, Victor and Fyodor Kondrashov and Swalla, Billie J and Sweedler, Jonathan V and Rogaev, Evgeny I and Halanych, Kenneth M and Kohn, Andrea B}, journal = {Nature}, number = {7503}, pages = {109 -- 114}, publisher = {Nature Publishing Group}, title = {{The ctenophore genome and the evolutionary origins of neural systems}}, doi = {10.1038/nature13400}, volume = {510}, year = {2014}, } @article{865, abstract = {Research on existing drugs often discovers novel mechanisms of their action and leads to the expansion of their therapeutic scope and subsequent remarketing. The Wnt signaling pathway is of the immediate therapeutic relevance, as it plays critical roles in cancer development and progression. However, drugs which disrupt this pathway are unavailable despite the high demand. Here we report an attempt to identify antagonists of the Wnt-FZD interaction among the library of the FDA-approved drugs. We performed an in silico screening which brought up several potential antagonists of the ligand-receptor interaction. 14 of these substances were tested using the TopFlash luciferase reporter assay and four of them identified as active and specific inhibitors of the Wnt3a-induced signaling. However, further analysis through GTP-binding and β-catenin stabilization assays showed that the compounds do not target the Wnt-FZD pair, but inhibit the signaling at downstream levels. We further describe the previously unknown inhibitory activity of an anti-leprosy drug clofazimine in the Wnt pathway and provide data demonstrating its efficiency in suppressing growth of Wnt-dependent triple-negative breast cancer cells. These data provide a basis for further investigations of the efficiency of clofazimine in treatment of Wnt-dependent cancers.}, author = {Koval, Alexey V and Vlasov, Peter K and Shichkova, Polina and Khunderyakova, S and Markov, Yury and Panchenko, J and Volodina, A and Fyodor Kondrashov and Katanaev, Vladimir L}, journal = {Biochemical Pharmacology}, number = {4}, pages = {571 -- 578}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Anti leprosy drug clofazimine inhibits growth of triple-negative breast cancer cells via inhibition of canonical Wnt signaling}}, doi = {10.1016/j.bcp.2013.12.007}, volume = {87}, year = {2014}, } @article{892, abstract = {The study of molecular evolution is important because it reveals how protein functions emerge and evolve. Recently, several types of studies indicated that substitutions in molecular evolution occur in a compensatory manner, whereby the occurrence of a substitution depends on the amino acid residues at other sites. However, a molecular or structural basis behind the compensation often remains obscure. Here, we review studies on the interface of structural biology and molecular evolution that revealed novel aspects of compensatory evolution. In many cases structural studies benefit from evolutionary data while structural data often add a functional dimension to the study of molecular evolution.}, author = {Ivankov, Dmitry and Finkelstein, Alexei and Kondrashov, Fyodor}, journal = {Current Opinion in Structural Biology}, pages = {104 -- 112}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{A structural perspective of compensatory evolution}}, doi = {10.1016/j.sbi.2014.05.004}, volume = {26}, year = {2014}, } @article{9050, abstract = {Self-propelled particles can exhibit surprising non-equilibrium behaviors, and how they interact with obstacles or boundaries remains an important open problem. Here we show that chemically propelled micro-rods can be captured, with little change in their speed, into close orbits around solid spheres resting on or near a horizontal plane. We show that this interaction between sphere and particle is short-range, occurring even for spheres smaller than the particle length, and for a variety of sphere materials. We consider a simple model, based on lubrication theory, of a force- and torque-free swimmer driven by a surface slip (the phoretic propulsion mechanism) and moving near a solid surface. The model demonstrates capture, or movement towards the surface, and yields speeds independent of distance. This study reveals the crucial aspects of activity–driven interactions of self-propelled particles with passive objects, and brings into question the use of colloidal tracers as probes of active matter.}, author = {Takagi, Daisuke and Palacci, Jérémie A and Braunschweig, Adam B. and Shelley, Michael J. and Zhang, Jun}, issn = {1744-6848}, journal = {Soft Matter}, keywords = {General Chemistry, Condensed Matter Physics}, number = {11}, publisher = {Royal Society of Chemistry }, title = {{Hydrodynamic capture of microswimmers into sphere-bound orbits}}, doi = {10.1039/c3sm52815d}, volume = {10}, year = {2014}, } @article{9166, abstract = {Light-activated self-propelled colloids are synthesized and their active motion is studied using optical microscopy. We propose a versatile route using different photoactive materials, and demonstrate a multiwavelength activation and propulsion. Thanks to the photoelectrochemical properties of two semiconductor materials (α-Fe2O3 and TiO2), a light with an energy higher than the bandgap triggers the reaction of decomposition of hydrogen peroxide and produces a chemical cloud around the particle. It induces a phoretic attraction with neighbouring colloids as well as an osmotic self-propulsion of the particle on the substrate. We use these mechanisms to form colloidal cargos as well as self-propelled particles where the light-activated component is embedded into a dielectric sphere. The particles are self-propelled along a direction otherwise randomized by thermal fluctuations, and exhibit a persistent random walk. For sufficient surface density, the particles spontaneously form ‘living crystals’ which are mobile, break apart and reform. Steering the particle with an external magnetic field, we show that the formation of the dense phase results from the collisions heads-on of the particles. This effect is intrinsically non-equilibrium and a novel principle of organization for systems without detailed balance. Engineering families of particles self-propelled by different wavelength demonstrate a good understanding of both the physics and the chemistry behind the system and points to a general route for designing new families of self-propelled particles.}, author = {Palacci, Jérémie A and Sacanna, S. and Kim, S.-H. and Yi, G.-R. and Pine, D. J. and Chaikin, P. M.}, issn = {1471-2962}, journal = {Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences}, keywords = {General Engineering, General Physics and Astronomy, General Mathematics}, number = {2029}, publisher = {The Royal Society}, title = {{Light-activated self-propelled colloids}}, doi = {10.1098/rsta.2013.0372}, volume = {372}, year = {2014}, } @article{925, abstract = {The morphological stability of biological tubes is crucial for the efficient circulation of fluids and gases. Failure of this stability causes irregularly shaped tubes found in multiple pathological conditions. Here, we report that Drosophila mutants of the ESCRT III component Shrub/Vps32 exhibit a strikingly elongated sinusoidal tube phenotype. This is caused by excessive apical membrane synthesis accompanied by the ectopic accumulation and overactivation of Crumbs in swollen endosomes. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the apical extracellular matrix (aECM) of the tracheal tube is a viscoelastic material coupled with the apical membrane. We present a simple mechanical model in which aECM elasticity, apical membrane growth, and their interaction are three vital parameters determining the stability of biological tubes. Our findings demonstrate a mechanical role for the extracellular matrix and suggest that the interaction of the apical membrane and an elastic aECM determines the final morphology of biological tubes independent of cell shape.}, author = {Dong, Bo and Hannezo, Edouard B and Hayashi, Shigeo}, journal = {Cell Reports}, number = {4}, pages = {941 -- 950}, publisher = {Cell Press}, title = {{Balance between apical membrane growth and luminal matrix resistance determines epithelial tubule shape}}, doi = {10.1016/j.celrep.2014.03.066}, volume = {7}, year = {2014}, } @article{926, abstract = {The regulation of cell growth in animal tissues is a question of critical importance: most tissues contain different types of cells in interconversion and the fraction of each type has to be controlled in a precise way, by mechanisms that remain unclear. Here, we provide a theoretical framework for the homeostasis of stem-cell-containing epithelial tissues using mechanical equations, which describe the size of the tissue and kinetic equations, which describe the interconversions of the cell populations. We show that several features, such as the evolution of stem cell fractions during intestinal development, the shape of a developing intestinal wall, as well as the increase in the proliferative compartment in cancer initiation, can be studied and understood from generic modelling which does not rely on a particular regulatory mechanism. Finally, inspired by recent experiments, we propose a model where cell division rates are regulated by the mechanical stresses in the epithelial sheet. We show that pressure-controlled growth can, in addition to the previous features, also explain with few parameters the formation of stem cell compartments as well as the morphologies observed when a colonic crypt becomes cancerous. We also discuss optimal strategies of wound healing, in connection with experiments on the cornea.}, author = {Hannezo, Edouard B and Prost, Jacques and Joanny, Jean}, journal = {Journal of the Royal Society Interface}, number = {93}, publisher = {Royal Society of London}, title = {{Growth homeostatic regulation and stem cell dynamics in tissues}}, doi = {10.1098/rsif.2013.0895}, volume = {11}, year = {2014}, } @article{927, abstract = {Morphogenesis during embryo development requires the coordination of mechanical forces to generate the macroscopic shapes of organs. We propose a minimal theoretical model, based on cell adhesion and actomyosin contractility, which describes the various shapes of epithelial cells and the bending and buckling of epithelial sheets, as well as the relative stability of cellular tubes and spheres. We show that, to understand these processes, a full 3D description of the cells is needed, but that simple scaling laws can still be derived. The morphologies observed in vivo can be understood as stable points of mechanical equations and the transitions between them are either continuous or discontinuous. We then focus on epithelial sheet bending, a ubiquitous morphogenetic process. We calculate the curvature of an epithelium as a function of actin belt tension as well as of cell-cell and and cell-substrate tension. The model allows for a comparison of the relative stabilities of spherical or cylindrical cellular structures (acini or tubes). Finally, we propose a unique type of buckling instability of epithelia, driven by a flattening of individual cell shapes, and discuss experimental tests to verify our predictions.}, author = {Hannezo, Edouard B and Prost, Jacques and Joanny, Jean}, journal = {PNAS}, number = {1}, pages = {27 -- 32}, publisher = {National Academy of Sciences}, title = {{Theory of epithelial sheet morphology in three dimensions}}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1312076111}, volume = {111}, year = {2014}, } @article{9458, abstract = {Dnmt1 epigenetically propagates symmetrical CG methylation in many eukaryotes. Their genomes are typically depleted of CG dinucleotides because of imperfect repair of deaminated methylcytosines. Here, we extensively survey diverse species lacking Dnmt1 and show that, surprisingly, symmetrical CG methylation is nonetheless frequently present and catalyzed by a different DNA methyltransferase family, Dnmt5. Numerous Dnmt5-containing organisms that diverged more than a billion years ago exhibit clustered methylation, specifically in nucleosome linkers. Clustered methylation occurs at unprecedented densities and directly disfavors nucleosomes, contributing to nucleosome positioning between clusters. Dense methylation is enabled by a regime of genomic sequence evolution that enriches CG dinucleotides and drives the highest CG frequencies known. Species with linker methylation have small, transcriptionally active nuclei that approach the physical limits of chromatin compaction. These features constitute a previously unappreciated genome architecture, in which dense methylation influences nucleosome positions, likely facilitating nuclear processes under extreme spatial constraints.}, author = {Huff, Jason T. and Zilberman, Daniel}, issn = {1097-4172}, journal = {Cell}, number = {6}, pages = {1286--1297}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Dnmt1-independent CG methylation contributes to nucleosome positioning in diverse eukaryotes}}, doi = {10.1016/j.cell.2014.01.029}, volume = {156}, year = {2014}, } @article{9479, abstract = {Centromeres mediate chromosome segregation and are defined by the centromere-specific histone H3 variant (CenH3)/centromere protein A (CENP-A). Removal of CenH3 from centromeres is a general property of terminally differentiated cells, and the persistence of CenH3 increases the risk of diseases such as cancer. However, active mechanisms of centromere disassembly are unknown. Nondividing Arabidopsis pollen vegetative cells, which transport engulfed sperm by extended tip growth, undergo loss of CenH3; centromeric heterochromatin decondensation; and bulk activation of silent rRNA genes, accompanied by their translocation into the nucleolus. Here, we show that these processes are blocked by mutations in the evolutionarily conserved AAA-ATPase molecular chaperone, CDC48A, homologous to yeast Cdc48 and human p97 proteins, both of which are implicated in ubiquitin/small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO)-targeted protein degradation. We demonstrate that CDC48A physically associates with its heterodimeric cofactor UFD1-NPL4, known to bind ubiquitin and SUMO, as well as with SUMO1-modified CenH3 and mutations in NPL4 phenocopy cdc48a mutations. In WT vegetative cell nuclei, genetically unlinked ribosomal DNA (rDNA) loci are uniquely clustered together within the nucleolus and all major rRNA gene variants, including those rDNA variants silenced in leaves, are transcribed. In cdc48a mutant vegetative cell nuclei, however, these rDNA loci frequently colocalized with condensed centromeric heterochromatin at the external periphery of the nucleolus. Our results indicate that the CDC48ANPL4 complex actively removes sumoylated CenH3 from centromeres and disrupts centromeric heterochromatin to release bulk rRNA genes into the nucleolus for ribosome production, which fuels single nucleus-driven pollen tube growth and is essential for plant reproduction.}, author = {Mérai, Zsuzsanna and Chumak, Nina and García-Aguilar, Marcelina and Hsieh, Tzung-Fu and Nishimura, Toshiro and Schoft, Vera K. and Bindics, János and Ślusarz, Lucyna and Arnoux, Stéphanie and Opravil, Susanne and Mechtler, Karl and Zilberman, Daniel and Fischer, Robert L. and Tamaru, Hisashi}, issn = {1091-6490}, journal = {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences}, number = {45}, pages = {16166--16171}, publisher = {National Academy of Sciences}, title = {{The AAA-ATPase molecular chaperone Cdc48/p97 disassembles sumoylated centromeres, decondenses heterochromatin, and activates ribosomal RNA genes}}, doi = {10.1073/pnas.1418564111}, volume = {111}, year = {2014}, } @article{9519, abstract = {Transposons are selfish genetic sequences that can increase their copy number and inflict substantial damage on their hosts. To combat these genomic parasites, plants have evolved multiple pathways to identify and silence transposons by methylating their DNA. Plants have also evolved mechanisms to limit the collateral damage from the antitransposon machinery. In this review, we examine recent developments that have elucidated many of the molecular workings of these pathways. We also highlight the evidence that the methylation and demethylation pathways interact, indicating that plants have a highly sophisticated, integrated system of transposon defense that has an important role in the regulation of gene expression.}, author = {Kim, M. Yvonne and Zilberman, Daniel}, issn = {1878-4372}, journal = {Trends in Plant Science}, number = {5}, pages = {320--326}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{DNA methylation as a system of plant genomic immunity}}, doi = {10.1016/j.tplants.2014.01.014}, volume = {19}, year = {2014}, } @article{9594, abstract = {Let d≥3 be a fixed integer. We give an asympotic formula for the expected number of spanning trees in a uniformly random d-regular graph with n vertices. (The asymptotics are as n→∞, restricted to even n if d is odd.) We also obtain the asymptotic distribution of the number of spanning trees in a uniformly random cubic graph, and conjecture that the corresponding result holds for arbitrary (fixed) d. Numerical evidence is presented which supports our conjecture.}, author = {Greenhill, Catherine and Kwan, Matthew Alan and Wind, David}, issn = {1077-8926}, journal = {The Electronic Journal of Combinatorics}, number = {1}, publisher = {The Electronic Journal of Combinatorics}, title = {{On the number of spanning trees in random regular graphs}}, doi = {10.37236/3752}, volume = {21}, year = {2014}, } @article{96, abstract = {Multielectron spin qubits are demonstrated, and performance examined by comparing coherent exchange oscillations in coupled single-electron and multielectron quantum dots, measured in the same device. Fast (>1 GHz) exchange oscillations with a quality factor Q∼15 are found for the multielectron case, compared to Q∼2 for the single-electron case, the latter consistent with experiments in the literature. A model of dephasing that includes voltage and hyperfine noise is developed that is in good agreement with both single- and multielectron data, though in both cases additional exchange-independent dephasing is needed to obtain quantitative agreement across a broad parameter range.}, author = {Higginbotham, Andrew P and Kuemmeth, Ferdinand and Hanson, Micah and Gossard, Arthur and Marcus, Charles}, journal = {APS Physics, Physical Review Letters}, number = {2}, publisher = {American Physiological Society}, title = {{Coherent operations and screening in multielectron spin qubits}}, doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.026801}, volume = {112}, year = {2014}, } @article{9655, abstract = {Correlative microscopy incorporates the specificity of fluorescent protein labeling into high-resolution electron micrographs. Several approaches exist for correlative microscopy, most of which have used the green fluorescent protein (GFP) as the label for light microscopy. Here we use chemical tagging and synthetic fluorophores instead, in order to achieve protein-specific labeling, and to perform multicolor imaging. We show that synthetic fluorophores preserve their post-embedding fluorescence in the presence of uranyl acetate. Post-embedding fluorescence is of such quality that the specimen can be prepared with identical protocols for scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM); this is particularly valuable when singular or otherwise difficult samples are examined. We show that synthetic fluorophores give bright, well-resolved signals in super-resolution light microscopy, enabling us to superimpose light microscopic images with a precision of up to 25 nm in the x–y plane on electron micrographs. To exemplify the preservation quality of our new method we visualize the molecular arrangement of cadherins in adherens junctions of mouse epithelial cells.}, author = {Perkovic, Mario and Kunz, Michael and Endesfelder, Ulrike and Bunse, Stefanie and Wigge, Christoph and Yu, Zhou and Hodirnau, Victor-Valentin and Scheffer, Margot P. and Seybert, Anja and Malkusch, Sebastian and Schuman, Erin M. and Heilemann, Mike and Frangakis, Achilleas S.}, issn = {1047-8477}, journal = {Journal of Structural Biology}, number = {2}, pages = {205--213}, publisher = {Elsevier}, title = {{Correlative light- and electron microscopy with chemical tags}}, doi = {10.1016/j.jsb.2014.03.018}, volume = {186}, year = {2014}, } @article{9662, abstract = {Fractionation of isotopes among distinct molecules or phases is a quantum effect which is often exploited to obtain insights on reaction mechanisms, biochemical, geochemical, and atmospheric phenomena. Accurate evaluation of isotope ratios in atomistic simulations is challenging, because one needs to perform a thermodynamic integration with respect to the isotope mass, along with time-consuming path integral calculations. By re-formulating the problem as a particle exchange in the ring polymer partition function, we derive new estimators giving direct access to the differential partitioning of isotopes, which can simplify the calculations by avoiding thermodynamic integration. We demonstrate the efficiency of these estimators by applying them to investigate the isotope fractionation ratios in the gas-phase Zundel cation, and in a few simple hydrocarbons.}, author = {Cheng, Bingqing and Ceriotti, Michele}, issn = {1089-7690}, journal = {The Journal of Chemical Physics}, number = {24}, publisher = {AIP Publishing}, title = {{Direct path integral estimators for isotope fractionation ratios}}, doi = {10.1063/1.4904293}, volume = {141}, year = {2014}, } @article{9686, abstract = {It is well known that ultrasonic vibration can soften metals, and this phenomenon has been widely exploited in industrial applications concerning metal forming and bonding. Recent experiments show that the simultaneous application of oscillatory stresses from audible to ultrasonic frequency ranges can lead to not only softening but also significant dislocation annihilation and subgrain formation in metal samples from the nano- to macro-size range. These findings indicate that the existing understanding of ultrasound softening – that the vibrations either impose additional stress waves to augment the quasi-static applied load, or cause heating of the metal, whereas the metal’s intrinsic deformation resistance or mechanism remains unaltered – is far from complete. To understand the softening and the associated enhanced subgrain formation and dislocation annihilation, a new simulator based on the dynamics of dislocation-density functions is employed. This new simulator considers the flux, production and annihilation, as well as the Taylor and elastic interactions between dislocation densities. Softening during vibrations as well as enhanced cell formation is predicted. The simulations reveal the main mechanism for subcell formation under oscillatory loadings to be the enhanced elimination of statistically stored dislocations (SSDs) by the oscillatory stress, leaving behind geometrically necessary dislocations with low Schmid factors which then form the subgrain walls. The oscillatory stress helps the depletion of the SSDs, because the chance for them to meet up and annihilate is increased with reversals of dislocation motions. This is the first simulation effort to successfully predict the cell formation phenomenon under vibratory loadings.}, author = {Cheng, Bingqing and Leung, H.S. and Ngan, A.H.W.}, issn = {1478-6443}, journal = {Philosophical Magazine}, number = {16-18}, pages = {1845--1865}, publisher = {Taylor & Francis}, title = {{Strength of metals under vibrations – dislocation-density-function dynamics simulations}}, doi = {10.1080/14786435.2014.897008}, volume = {95}, year = {2014}, } @article{97, abstract = {The distribution of Coulomb blockade peak heights as a function of magnetic field is investigated experimentally in a Ge-Si nanowire quantum dot. Strong spin-orbit coupling in this hole-gas system leads to antilocalization of Coulomb blockade peaks, consistent with theory. In particular, the peak height distribution has its maximum away from zero at zero magnetic field, with an average that decreases with increasing field. Magnetoconductance in the open-wire regime places a bound on the spin-orbit length (lso < 20 nm), consistent with values extracted in the Coulomb blockade regime (lso < 25 nm).}, author = {Higginbotham, Andrew P and Kuemmeth, Ferdinand and Larsen, Thorvald and Fitzpatrick, Mattias and Yao, Jun and Yan, Hao and Lieber, Charles and Marcus, Charles}, journal = {APS Physics, Physical Review Letters}, number = {21}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, title = {{Antilocalization of coulomb blockade in a Ge/Si nanowire}}, doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.216806}, volume = {112}, year = {2014}, } @misc{9722, author = {Lovrics, Anna and Gao, Yu and Juhász, Bianka and Bock, István and Byrne, Helen M. and Dinnyés, András and Kovács, Krisztián}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, title = {{Transition probability between TF expression states when Dbx2 inhibits Nkx2.2}}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0111430.s006}, year = {2014}, } @misc{9739, author = {Chatterjee, Krishnendu and Pavlogiannis, Andreas and Adlam, Ben and Novak, Martin}, publisher = {Public Library of Science}, title = {{Detailed proofs for “The time scale of evolutionary innovation”}}, doi = {10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003818.s001}, year = {2014}, } @misc{9740, abstract = {The fitness effects of symbionts on their hosts can be context-dependent, with usually benign symbionts causing detrimental effects when their hosts are stressed, or typically parasitic symbionts providing protection towards their hosts (e.g. against pathogen infection). Here, we studied the novel association between the invasive garden ant Lasius neglectus and its fungal ectosymbiont Laboulbenia formicarum for potential costs and benefits. We tested ants with different Laboulbenia levels for their survival and immunity under resource limitation and exposure to the obligate killing entomopathogen Metarhizium brunneum. While survival of L. neglectus workers under starvation was significantly decreased with increasing Laboulbenia levels, host survival under Metarhizium exposure increased with higher levels of the ectosymbiont, suggesting a symbiont-mediated anti-pathogen protection, which seems to be driven mechanistically by both improved sanitary behaviours and an upregulated immune system. Ants with high Laboulbenia levels showed significantly longer self-grooming and elevated expression of immune genes relevant for wound repair and antifungal responses (β-1,3-glucan binding protein, Prophenoloxidase), compared with ants carrying low Laboulbenia levels. This suggests that the ectosymbiont Laboulbenia formicarum weakens its ant host by either direct resource exploitation or the costs of an upregulated behavioural and immunological response, which, however, provides a prophylactic protection upon later exposure to pathogens.}, author = {Konrad, Matthias and Grasse, Anna V and Tragust, Simon and Cremer, Sylvia}, publisher = {Dryad}, title = {{Data from: Anti-pathogen protection versus survival costs mediated by an ectosymbiont in an ant host}}, doi = {10.5061/dryad.vm0vc}, year = {2014}, }