Publications

chimpanzees' bystander reactions to infanticide: an evolutionary precursor of social norms?	social norms-generalized expectations about how others should behave in a given context-implicitly guide human social life. however, their existence becomes explicit when they are violated because norm violations provoke negative reactions, even from personally uninvolved bystanders. to explore the evolutionary origin of human social norms, we presented chimpanzees with videos depicting a putative norm violation: unfamiliar conspecifics engaging in infanticidal attacks on an infant chimpanzee. t ...	2015	26108616
a panel of induced pluripotent stem cells from chimpanzees: a resource for comparative functional genomics.	comparative genomics studies in primates are restricted due to our limited access to samples. in order to gain better insight into the genetic processes that underlie variation in complex phenotypes in primates, we must have access to faithful model systems for a wide range of cell types. to facilitate this, we generated a panel of 7 fully characterized chimpanzee induced pluripotent stem cell (ipsc) lines derived from healthy donors. to demonstrate the utility of comparative ipsc panels, we col ...	2015	26102527
restorative justice in children.	an important, and perhaps uniquely human, mechanism for maintaining cooperation against free riders is third-party punishment. our closest living relatives, chimpanzees, will not punish third parties even though they will do so when personally affected. until recently, little attention has been paid to how punishment and a sense of justice develop in children. children respond to norm violations. they are more likely to share with a puppet that helped another individual as opposed to one who beh ...	2015	26096976
orthologous endogenous retroviruses exhibit directional selection since the chimp-human split.	endogenous retroviruses (ervs) are often viewed as selfish dna that do not contribute to host phenotype. yet ervs have also been co-opted to play important roles in the maintenance of stem cell identity and placentation, amongst other things. this has led to debate over whether the typical erv confers a cost or benefit upon the host. we studied the divergence of orthologous ervs since the chimp-human split with the aim of assessing whether ervs exert detectable fitness effects.	2015	26088204
development of a cognitive bias methodology for measuring low mood in chimpanzees.	there is an ethical and scientific need for objective, well-validated measures of low mood in captive chimpanzees. we describe the development of a novel cognitive task designed to measure 'pessimistic' bias in judgments of expectation of reward, a cognitive marker of low mood previously validated in a wide range of species, and report training and test data from three common chimpanzees (pan troglodytes). the chimpanzees were trained on an arbitrary visual discrimination in which lifting a pale ...	2015	26082875
chimpanzee drumming: a spontaneous performance with characteristics of human musical drumming.	despite the quintessential role that music plays in human societies by enabling us to release and share emotions with others, traces of its evolutionary origins in other species remain scarce. drumming like humans whilst producing music is practically unheard of in our most closely related species, the great apes. although beating on tree roots and body parts does occur in these species, it has, musically speaking, little in common with human drumming. researchers suggest that for manual beating ...	2015	26080900
new evidence on the tool-assisted hunting exhibited by chimpanzees (pan troglodytes verus) in a savannah habitat at fongoli, sénégal.	for anthropologists, meat eating by primates like chimpanzees (pan troglodytes) warrants examination given the emphasis on hunting in human evolutionary history. as referential models, apes provide insight into the evolution of hominin hunting, given their phylogenetic relatedness and challenges reconstructing extinct hominin behaviour from palaeoanthropological evidence. among chimpanzees, adult males are usually the main hunters, capturing vertebrate prey by hand. savannah chimpanzees (p. t. v ...	2015	26064638
transposon-mediated death of an ancestral a-23-like allele: evolution of tcr-positioning motifs in the hla-a lineage.	hla-a alleles are characterized by tandem arginine and histidine/arginine motifs (i.e., r65 and h151r motifs) present on the α1- and α2-helix, respectively. in crystallographic structures, α/β t-cell receptors (tcr) contact both motifs and appear to be geometrically positioned for alloreactivity. herein, bioinformatics of "dual-motif" mhc a-like alleles were investigated across phylogeny. while a-like alleles with the r65 motif are widespread, the h151r motif has segregated out of most species. ...	2015	26063599
molecular evolution and expression profile of the chemerine encoding gene rarres2 in baboon and chimpanzee.	chemerin, encoded by the retinoic acid receptor responder 2 (rarres2) gene is an adipocytesecreted protein with autocrine/paracrine functions in adipose tissue, metabolism and inflammation with a recently described function in vascular tone regulation, liver, steatosis, etc. this molecule is believed to represent a critical endocrine signal linking obesity to diabetes. there are no data available regarding evolution of rarres2 in non-human primates and great apes. expression profile and ortholog ...	2015	26063455
chimpanzees (pan troglodytes) produce the same types of 'laugh faces' when they emit laughter and when they are silent.	the ability to flexibly produce facial expressions and vocalizations has a strong impact on the way humans communicate, as it promotes more explicit and versatile forms of communication. whereas facial expressions and vocalizations are unarguably closely linked in primates, the extent to which these expressions can be produced independently in nonhuman primates is unknown. the present work, thus, examined if chimpanzees produce the same types of facial expressions with and without accompanying v ...	2015	26061420
go when you know: chimpanzees' confidence movements reflect their responses in a computerized memory task.	three chimpanzees performed a computerized memory task in which auditory feedback about the accuracy of each response was delayed. the delivery of food rewards for correct responses also was delayed and occurred in a separate location from the response. crucially, if the chimpanzees did not move to the reward-delivery site before food was dispensed, the reward was lost and could not be recovered. chimpanzees were significantly more likely to move to the dispenser on trials they had completed cor ...	2015	26057831
cognitive capacities for cooking in chimpanzees.	the transition to a cooked diet represents an important shift in human ecology and evolution. cooking requires a set of sophisticated cognitive abilities, including causal reasoning, self-control and anticipatory planning. do humans uniquely possess the cognitive capacities needed to cook food? we address whether one of humans' closest relatives, chimpanzees (pan troglodytes), possess the domain-general cognitive skills needed to cook. across nine studies, we show that chimpanzees: (i) prefer co ...	2015	26041356
delay of gratification is associated with white matter connectivity in the dorsal prefrontal cortex: a diffusion tensor imaging study in chimpanzees (pan troglodytes).	individual variability in delay of gratification (dg) is associated with a number of important outcomes in both non-human and human primates. using diffusion tensor imaging (dti), this study describes the relationship between probabilistic estimates of white matter tracts projecting from the caudate to the prefrontal cortex (pfc) and dg abilities in a sample of 49 captive chimpanzees (pan troglodytes). after accounting for time between collection of dti scans and dg measurement, age and sex, hig ...	2015	26041344
an archive of longitudinal recordings of the vocalizations of adult gombe chimpanzees.	studies of chimpanzee vocal communication provide valuable insights into the evolution of communication in complex societies, and also comparative data for understanding the evolution of human language. one particularly valuable dataset of recordings from free-living chimpanzees was collected by frans x. plooij and the late hetty van de rijt-plooij at gombe national park, tanzania (1971-73). these audio specimens, which have not yet been analysed, total over 10 h on 28 tapes, including 7 tapes f ...	2015	26029380
social bonds in the dispersing sex: partner preferences among adult female chimpanzees.	in most primate societies, strong and enduring social bonds form preferentially among kin, who benefit from cooperation through direct and indirect fitness gains. chimpanzees, pan troglodytes, differ from most species by showing consistent female-biased dispersal and strict male philopatry. in most east african populations, females tend to forage alone in small core areas and were long thought to have weak social bonds of little biological significance. recent work in some populations is challen ...	2015	26028669
the human iliotibial band is specialized for elastic energy storage compared with the chimp fascia lata.	this study examines whether the human iliotibial band (itb) is specialized for elastic energy storage relative to the chimpanzee fascia lata (fl). to quantify the energy storage potential of these structures, we created computer models of human and chimpanzee lower limbs based on detailed anatomical dissections. we characterized the geometry and force-length properties of the fl, tensor fascia lata (tfl) and gluteus maximus (gmax) in four chimpanzee cadavers based on measurements of muscle archi ...	2015	26026035
signature patterns of mhc diversity in three gombe communities of wild chimpanzees reflect fitness in reproduction and immune defense against sivcpz.	major histocompatibility complex (mhc) class i molecules determine immune responses to viral infections. these polymorphic cell-surface glycoproteins bind peptide antigens, forming ligands for cytotoxic t and natural killer cell receptors. under pressure from rapidly evolving viruses, hominoid mhc class i molecules also evolve rapidly, becoming diverse and species-specific. little is known of the impact of infectious disease epidemics on mhc class i variant distributions in human populations, a ...	2015	26020813
brains, teeth and life histories in hominins: a review.	the role of the brain in the somatic development, as well as in the establishment of the different variables of the life history pattern in vertebrates has been largely debated. moreover, during the last thirty years, dental development has been used as a good proxy to infer different aspects of the life history in hominins, primarily due to the correlation that exists between age at first molar eruption and brain size in the order primates. we review these questions using what is known about br ...	2015	25992637
human evolution: enhancing the brain.	humans have tripled their brain size since they split from the chimpanzee lineage. a new paper provides for the first time functional evidence that an enhancer contributed to this expansion by accelerating the cell cycle in neural progenitors.	2015	25989083
genome-wide patterns and properties of de novo mutations in humans.	mutations create variation in the population, fuel evolution and cause genetic diseases. current knowledge about de novo mutations is incomplete and mostly indirect. here we analyze 11,020 de novo mutations from the whole genomes of 250 families. we show that de novo mutations in the offspring of older fathers are not only more numerous but also occur more frequently in early-replicating, genic regions. functional regions exhibit higher mutation rates due to cpg dinucleotides and show signatures ...	2015	25985141
an alignment-free method to find and visualise rearrangements between pairs of dna sequences.	species evolution is indirectly registered in their genomic structure. the emergence and advances in sequencing technology provided a way to access genome information, namely to identify and study evolutionary macro-events, as well as chromosome alterations for clinical purposes. this paper describes a completely alignment-free computational method, based on a blind unsupervised approach, to detect large-scale and small-scale genomic rearrangements between pairs of dna sequences. to illustrate t ...	2015	25984837
cumulative role of rare and common putative functional genetic variants at npas3 in schizophrenia susceptibility.	schizophrenia may be considered a human-specific disorder arisen as a maladaptive by-product of human-specific brain evolution. therefore, genetic variants involved in susceptibility to schizophrenia may be identified among those genes related to acquisition of human-specific traits. npas3, a transcription factor involved in central nervous system development and neurogenesis, seems to be implicated in the evolution of human brain, as it is the human gene with most human-specific accelerated ele ...	2015	25982957
lineage specific evolution of the vntr composite retrotransposon central domain and its role in retrotransposition of gibbon lava elements.	vntr (variable number of tandem repeats) composite retrotransposons - sva (sine-r-vntr-alu), lava (line-1-alu-vntr-alu), pva (ptgr2-vntr-alu) and fva (fram-vntr-alu) - are specific to hominoid primates. their assembly, the evolution of their 5' and 3' domains, and the functional significance of the shared 5' alu-like region are well understood. the central vntr domain, by contrast, has long been assumed to represent a more or less random collection of 30-50 bp gc-rich repeats. it is only recentl ...	2015	25981446
analysis of five gene sets in chimpanzees suggests decoupling between the action of selection on protein-coding and on noncoding elements.	we set out to investigate potential differences and similarities between the selective forces acting upon the coding and noncoding regions of five different sets of genes defined according to functional and evolutionary criteria: 1) two reference gene sets presenting accelerated and slow rates of protein evolution (the complement and actin pathways); 2) a set of genes with evidence of accelerated evolution in at least one of their introns; and 3) two gene sets related to neurological function (p ...	2015	25977458
chimpanzees strategically manipulate what others can see.	humans often strategically manipulate the informational access of others to their own advantage. although chimpanzees know what others can and cannot see, it is unclear whether they can strategically manipulate others' visual access. in this study, chimpanzees were given the opportunity to save food for themselves by concealing it from a human competitor and also to get more food for themselves by revealing it to a human cooperator. when knowing that a competitor was approaching, chimpanzees kep ...	2015	25964096
the significance of cooking for early hominin scavenging.	meat scavenged by early homo could have contributed importantly to a higher-quality diet. however, it has been suggested that because carrion would normally have been contaminated by bacteria it would have been dangerous and therefore eaten rarely prior to the advent of cooking. in this study, we quantified bacterial loads on two tissues apparently eaten by hominins, meat and bone marrow. we tested the following three hypotheses: (1) the bacterial loads on exposed surfaces of raw meat increase w ...	2015	25962548
interactional synchrony in chimpanzees: examination through a finger-tapping experiment.	humans often unconsciously coordinate behaviour with that of others in daily life. this interpersonal coordination, including mimicry and interactional synchrony, has been suggested to play a fundamental role in social interaction. if this coordinative behavior is socially adaptive, it may be shared with other highly social animal species. the current study targeted chimpanzees, which phylogenetically are the closest living relatives of humans and live in complex social groups, and examined whet ...	2015	25959242
from lucy to kadanuumuu: balanced analyses of australopithecus afarensis assemblages confirm only moderate skeletal dimorphism.	sexual dimorphism in body size is often used as a correlate of social and reproductive behavior in australopithecus afarensis. in addition to a number of isolated specimens, the sample for this species includes two small associated skeletons (a.l. 288-1 or "lucy" and a.l. 128/129) and a geologically contemporaneous death assemblage of several larger individuals (a.l. 333). these have driven both perceptions and quantitative analyses concluding that au. afarensis was markedly dimorphic. the templ ...	2015	25945314
a geometric morphometric analysis of acetabular shape of the primate hip joint in relation to locomotor behaviour.	the description of acetabular shape variation among primates is essential for our understanding of the locomotor behaviour and ecology of both extant and fossil species. in this study, we use two-dimensional geometric morphometrics to examine variation in acetabular shape in human and non-human primates and to determine the degree to which it co-varies with locomotor behaviour, while taking both intra and inter-specific variation into account. to these ends, we examined the acetabulum of 303 lef ...	2015	25929707
genome-wide amplification of proviral sequences reveals new polymorphic herv-k(hml-2) proviruses in humans and chimpanzees that are absent from genome assemblies.	to date, the human population census of proviruses of the betaretrovirus-like human endogenous retroviral (herv-k) (hml-2) family has been compiled from a limited number of complete genomes, making it certain that rare polymorphic loci are under-represented and are yet to be described.	2015	25927962
the ancestral shape hypothesis: an evolutionary explanation for the occurrence of intervertebral disc herniation in humans.	recent studies suggest there is a relationship between intervertebral disc herniation and vertebral shape. the nature of this relationship is unclear, however. humans are more commonly afflicted with spinal disease than are non-human primates and one suggested explanation for this is the stress placed on the spine by bipedalism. with this in mind, we carried out a study of human, chimpanzee, and orangutan vertebrae to examine the links between vertebral shape, locomotion, and schmorl's nodes, wh ...	2015	25927934
the interdigital brace and other grips for termite nest perforation by chimpanzees of the goualougo triangle, republic of congo.	studies of chimpanzee termite foraging enlighten our understanding of early hominin tool use not only by modeling the cognitive ability of our ancestors but also by emphasizing the possible role of social insects in the hominin diet. the chimpanzees of the goualougo triangle are known to have one of the largest and most complex tool repertoires reported for wild chimpanzees. one tool set habitually used by this population includes a perforating tool to penetrate the hard outer crust of elevated ...	2015	25916822
the contribution of genetics and early rearing experiences to hierarchical personality dimensions in chimpanzees (pan troglodytes).	a reliable literature finds that traits are related to each other in an organized hierarchy encompassing various conceptualizations of personality (e.g., big three, five-factor model). recent work suggests the potential of a similar organization among our closest nonhuman relative, chimpanzees (pan troglodytes), with significant links to neurobiology suggesting an evolutionarily and neurobiologically based hierarchical structure of personality. the current study investigated this hierarchical st ...	2015	25915132
neither chimpanzee nor human, ardipithecus reveals the surprising ancestry of both.	australopithecus fossils were regularly interpreted during the late 20th century in a framework that used living african apes, especially chimpanzees, as proxies for the immediate ancestors of the human clade. such projection is now largely nullified by the discovery of ardipithecus. in the context of accumulating evidence from genetics, developmental biology, anatomy, ecology, biogeography, and geology, ardipithecus alters perspectives on how our earliest hominid ancestors--and our closest livi ...	2015	25901308
psychological distress in chimpanzees rescued from laboratories.	the united states is one of the last countries allowing invasive research on chimpanzees. biomedical research on chimpanzees commonly involves maternal deprivation, social isolation, intensive confinement, and repetitive invasive procedures. these physically harmful and psychologically traumatic experiences cause many chimpanzees to develop symptoms of psychopathology that persist even after relocation from laboratories to sanctuaries. through semistructured interviews with chimpanzee caregivers ...	2015	25893315
loss of gene function and evolution of human phenotypes.	humans have acquired many distinct evolutionary traits after the human-chimpanzee divergence. these phenotypes have resulted from genetic changes that occurred in the human genome and were retained by natural selection. comparative primate genome analyses reveal that loss-of-function mutations are common in the human genome. some of these gene inactivation events were revealed to be associated with the emergence of advantageous phenotypes and were therefore positively selected and fixed in moder ...	2015	25887751
correction: experimental butchering of a chimpanzee carcass for archaeological purposes.		2015	25886570
yes, there is a medial nucleus of the trapezoid body in humans.	the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (mntb) is a collection of brainstem neurons that function within the ascending auditory pathway. mntb neurons are associated with a number of anatomical and physiological specializations which make these cells especially well-equipped to provide extremely fast and precise glycinergic inhibition to its target neurons in the superior olivary complex and ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus. the inhibitory influence of mntb neurons plays essentials roles ...	2015	25873865
novel chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored respiratory mucosal tuberculosis vaccine: overcoming local anti-human adenovirus immunity for potent tb protection.	pulmonary tuberculosis (tb) remains to be a major global health problem despite many decades of parenteral use of bacillus calmette-guérin (bcg) vaccine. developing safe and effective respiratory mucosal tb vaccines represents a unique challenge. over the past decade or so, the human serotype 5 adenovirus (adhu5)-based tb vaccine has emerged as one of the most promising candidates based on a plethora of preclinical and early clinical studies. however, anti-adhu5 immunity widely present in the lu ...	2015	25872483
chimpanzees facing a dangerous situation: a high-traffic asphalted road in the sebitoli area of kibale national park, uganda.	despite the spread of road infrastructures throughout africa to support regional development, industry, and tourism, few studies have examined how wild animals adapt their behavior and ecology in road-forest ecotones. indeed, while numerous studies have demonstrated chimpanzee adaptability in anthropogenic landscapes, none have examined the effects of asphalted highways on wild chimpanzee behaviors. in a 29-month survey, we assessed the dangers posed by an asphalted road crossing the sebitoli ar ...	2015	25864720
multiple cross-species transmission events of human adenoviruses (hadv) during hominine evolution.	human adenoviruses (hadv; species hadv-a to -g) are highly prevalent in the human population, and represent an important cause of morbidity and, to a lesser extent, mortality. recent studies have identified close relatives of these viruses in african great apes, suggesting that some hadv may be of zoonotic origin. we analyzed more than 800 fecal samples from wild african great apes and humans to further investigate the evolutionary history and zoonotic potential of hominine hadv. hadv-b and -e w ...	2015	25862141
relative versus absolute numerical representation in fish: can guppies represent "fourness"?	in recent years, the use of operant conditioning procedures has shown that species as diverse as chimpanzees, honeybees, and mosquitofish can be trained to discriminate between sets containing different numbers of objects. however, to succeed in this task, subjects can use two different strategies: either select the array containing a specific number of items (an absolute numerosity rule), or select the set containing the larger (or smaller) quantity of items (a relative numerosity rule). in the ...	2015	25846961
inferring positive selection in humans from genomic data.	adaptation can be described as an evolutionary process that leads to an adjustment of the phenotypes of a population to their environment. in the classical view, new mutations can introduce novel phenotypic features into a population that leave footprints in the genome after fixation, such as selective sweeps. alternatively, existing genetic variants may become beneficial after an environmental change and increase in frequency. although they may not reach fixation, they may cause a shift of the ...	2015	25834723
inference of purifying and positive selection in three subspecies of chimpanzees (pan troglodytes) from exome sequencing.	we study genome-wide nucleotide diversity in three subspecies of extant chimpanzees using exome capture. after strict filtering, single nucleotide polymorphisms and indels were called and genotyped for greater than 50% of exons at a mean coverage of 35× per individual. central chimpanzees (pan troglodytes troglodytes) are the most polymorphic (nucleotide diversity, θw = 0.0023 per site) followed by eastern (p. t. schweinfurthii) chimpanzees (θw = 0.0016) and western (p. t. verus) chimpanzees (θw ...	2015	25829516
change they can't find: change blindness in chimpanzees during a visual search task.	although considerable advances have been made in the study of change blindness in humans, research regarding change blindness in nonhuman animals has been rare thus far. indeed, we do not know whether chimpanzees, our closest evolutionary relatives, experience difficulty detecting changes in a stimulus when presentations are separated by blank displays. this study demonstrated that chimpanzees showed severe difficulties in detecting changes in a flicker-type visual search task, and these results ...	2015	28299169
mirror self-recognition: a review and critique of attempts to promote and engineer self-recognition in primates.	we review research on reactions to mirrors and self-recognition in nonhuman primates, focusing on methodological issues. starting with the initial demonstration in chimpanzees in 1970 and subsequent attempts to extend this to other species, self-recognition in great apes is discussed with emphasis on spontaneous manifestations of mirror-guided self-exploration as well as spontaneous use of the mirror to investigate foreign marks on otherwise nonvisible body parts-the mark test. attempts to show ...	2015	26341947
genome sequence of a central chimpanzee-associated polyomavirus related to bk and jc polyomaviruses, pan troglodytes troglodytes polyomavirus 1.	we amplified and sequenced the genome of a polyomavirus infecting a central chimpanzee (pan troglodytes troglodytes). this virus, which is closely related to bk and jc polyomaviruses, may help shed a new light on these human pathogens' evolutionary history.	2015	26337874
captive chimpanzee takes down a drone: tool use toward a flying object.	on 10 april 2015, a dutch tv crew was filming at the royal burgers zoo in arnhem, the netherlands. it was the intention to film the chimpanzees in the enclosure from close-by and from above with the means of a drone. when the drone came a bit closer to the chimpanzees, a female individual made two sweeps with a branch that she held in one hand. the second one was successful and downed the drone. the use of the stick in this context was a unique action. it seemed deliberate given the decision to ...	2015	26335688
the mitochondrial genome of the chimpanzee louse, pediculus schaeffi: insights into the process of mitochondrial genome fragmentation in the blood-sucking lice of great apes.	blood-sucking lice in the genera pediculus and pthirus are obligate ectoparasites of great apes. unlike most bilateral animals, which have 37 mitochondrial (mt) genes on a single circular chromosome, the sucking lice of humans have extensively fragmented mt genomes. the head louse, pediculus capitis, and the body louse, pe. humanus, have their 37 mt genes on 20 minichromosomes. the pubic louse, pthirus pubis, has its 34 mt genes known on 14 minichromosomes. to understand the process of mt genome ...	2015	26335315
pathology in practice. uterine leiomyoma precipitated by hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a chimpanzee.		2015	26331419
no evidence that micrornas coevolve with genes located in copy number regions.	micrornas (mirnas) are a widespread class of regulatory noncoding rnas with key roles in physiology and development, conferring robustness to noise in regulatory networks. consistent with this buffering function, it was recently suggested that human mirnas coevolve with genes in copy number regions (copy number variation [cnv] genes) to reduce dosage imbalance. here, i compare mirna regulation between cnv and non-cnv genes in four model organisms. mirna regulation of cnv genes is elevated in hum ...	2015	25804521
captive chimpanzee foraging in a social setting: a test of problem solving, flexibility, and spatial discounting.	in the wild, primates are selective over the routes that they take when foraging and seek out preferred or ephemeral food. given this, we tested how a group of captive chimpanzees weighed the relative benefits and costs of foraging for food in their environment when a less-preferred food could be obtained with less effort than a more-preferred food. in this study, a social group of six zoo-housed chimpanzees (pan troglodytes) could collect pvc tokens and exchange them with researchers for food r ...	2015	25802805
long-term effects of infant attachment organization on adult behavior and health in nursery-reared, captive chimpanzees (pan troglodytes).	this research traces the long-term effects on health, well-being, personality, and behavior of adult chimpanzees as a function of their attachment to a primary human caregiver assessed when they were 1 year of age. of the 46 chimpanzees assessed at 1 year of age, we assessed health in 43 individuals, adult behavior in 20 individuals, and adult well-being and personality in 21 individuals. attachment disorganization was found to be a significant predictor of stereotypic rocking in adult chimpanze ...	2015	25798792
dental eruption in east african wild chimpanzees.	knowledge of chimpanzee development has played an essential role in our understanding of the evolution of human ontogeny. however, recent studies of wild ape dentitions have cast doubt on the use of developmental standards derived from captive individuals. others have called into question the use of deceased wild individuals to infer normative development. we conducted a high resolution photographic study of living known-age subadults in the kanyawara community (kibale national park, uganda) to ...	2015	25796539
first gis analysis of modern stone tools used by wild chimpanzees (pan troglodytes verus) in bossou, guinea, west africa.	stone tool use by wild chimpanzees of west africa offers a unique opportunity to explore the evolutionary roots of technology during human evolution. however, detailed analyses of chimpanzee stone artifacts are still lacking, thus precluding a comparison with the earliest archaeological record. this paper presents the first systematic study of stone tools used by wild chimpanzees to crack open nuts in bossou (guinea-conakry), and applies pioneering analytical techniques to such artifacts. automa ...	2015	25793642
experimental butchering of a chimpanzee carcass for archaeological purposes.	two archaeological assemblages from the sierra de atapuerca sites show evidence of anthropogenic cannibalism. these are the late early pleistocene level td6-2 at gran dolina, and the bronze age level mir4 in the mirador cave. despite the chronological distance between these two assemblages, they share the common feature that the human remains exhibit a high frequency of anthropogenic modifications (cut marks, percussion pits and notches and peeling). this frequency could denote special treatment ...	2015	25793521
adenovirus-mediated artificial micrornas targeting matrix or nucleoprotein genes protect mice against lethal influenza virus challenge.	influenza virus (iv) infection is a major public health problem, causing millions of cases of severe illness and as many as 500 000 deaths each year worldwide. given the limitations of current prevention or treatment of acute influenza, novel therapies are needed. rna interference (rnai) through micrornas (mirna) is an emerging technology that can suppress virus replication in vitro and in vivo. here, we describe a novel strategy for the treatment of infuenza based on rnai delivered by a replica ...	2015	25835311
the other helicobacters.	in the past year, a substantial number of (putative) novel helicobacter species have been described, including helicobacter himalayensis colonizing the himalayan marmot and helicobacter apodemus, colonizing the korean striped field mouse. in addition, a putative novel gastric helicobacter species was identified in wild gorillas and chimpanzees, for which the name "candidatus h. homininae" was proposed. a high incidence of gastric non-h. pylori helicobacter infection was described in china and mu ...	2015	26372827
mouse models of hepatitis b virus pathogenesis.	the host range of hepatitis b virus (hbv) is limited to humans and chimpanzees. as discussed in the literature, numerous studies in humans and chimpanzees have generated a great deal of information on the mechanisms that cause viral clearance, viral persistence, and disease pathogenesis during acute or chronic hbv infection. relevant pathogenetic studies have also been performed in those few species representing natural hosts of hepadnaviruses that are related to hbv, such as the woodchuck hepat ...	2015	26292984
determinants of hepatitis b and delta virus host tropism.	hepatitis b virus (hbv) infections are a global health problem afflicting approximately 360 million patients. of these individuals, 15-20 million are co-infected with hepatitis delta virus (hdv). progress toward curative therapies has been impeded by the highly restricted host tropism of hbv, which is limited to productive infections in humans and chimpanzees. here, we will discuss different approaches that have been taken to study hbv and hdv infections in vivo. the development of transgenic an ...	2015	26164658
modeling hepatitis b virus infection, immunopathology and therapy in mice.	despite the availability of a preventive vaccine, chronic hepatitis b virus (hbv) infection-induced liver diseases continue to be a major global public health problem. hbv naturally infects only humans and chimpanzees. this narrow host range has hindered our ability to study the characteristics of the virus and how it interacts with its host. it is thus important to establish small animal models to study hbv infection, persistence, clearance and the immunopathogenesis of chronic hepatitis b. in ...	2015	26099683
the chimpanzee model for hepatitis b virus infection.	even before the discovery of hepatitis b virus (hbv), it was known that chimpanzees (pan troglodytes) are susceptible to human hepatitis viruses. the chimpanzee is the only primate animal model for hbv infections. much like hbv-infected human patients, chimpanzees can develop acute and chronic hbv infections and consequent hepatitis. chimpanzees also develop a cellular immune response similar to that observed in humans. for these reasons, the chimpanzee has proven to be an invaluable model for i ...	2015	26033082
mir-122 in hepatitis b virus and hepatitis c virus dual infection.	hepatitis b virus (hbv) and hepatitis c virus (hcv) infections are the most common causes of chronic liver diseases and hepatocelluar carcinomas. over the past few years, the liver-enriched microrna-122 (mir-122) has been shown to differentially regulate viral replication of hbv and hcv. it is notable that the level of mir-122 is positively and negatively regulated by hcv and hbv, respectively. consistent with the well-documented phenomenon that mir-122 promotes hcv accumulation, inhibition of m ...	2015	25848473
animal models and the molecular biology of hepadnavirus infection.	australian antigen, the envelope protein of hepatitis b virus (hbv), was discovered in 1967 as a prevalent serum antigen in hepatitis b patients. early electron microscopy (em) studies showed that this antigen was present in 22-nm particles in patient sera, which were believed to be incomplete virus. complete virus, much less abundant than the 22-nm particles, was finally visualized in 1970. hbv was soon found to infect chimpanzees, gorillas, orangutans, gibbon apes, and, more recently, tree shr ...	2015	25833941
a novel mouse model for stable engraftment of a human immune system and human hepatocytes.	hepatic infections by hepatitis b virus (hbv), hepatitis c virus (hcv) and plasmodium parasites leading to acute or chronic diseases constitute a global health challenge. the species tropism of these hepatotropic pathogens is restricted to chimpanzees and humans, thus model systems to study their pathological mechanisms are severely limited. although these pathogens infect hepatocytes, disease pathology is intimately related to the degree and quality of the immune response. as a first step to de ...	2015	25782010
animal models of chronic hepatitis delta virus infection host-virus immunologic interactions.	hepatitis delta virus (hdv) is a defective rna virus that has an absolute requirement for a virus belonging to the hepadnaviridae family like hepatitis b virus (hbv) for its replication and formation of new virions. hdv infection is usually associated with a worsening of hbv-induced liver pathogenesis, which leads to more frequent cirrhosis, increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc), and fulminant hepatitis. importantly, no selective therapies are available for hdv infection. the mainstay ...	2015	25686091
small trna-derived rnas are increased and more abundant than micrornas in chronic hepatitis b and c.	persistent infections with hepatitis b virus (hbv) or hepatitis c virus (hcv) account for the majority of cases of hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc) worldwide. small, non-coding rnas play important roles in virus-host interactions. we used high throughput sequencing to conduct an unbiased profiling of small (14-40 nts) rnas in liver from japanese subjects with advanced hepatitis b or c and hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc). small rnas derived from trnas, specifically 30-35 nucleo ...	2015	25567797
first detection of an enterovirus c99 in a captive chimpanzee with acute flaccid paralysis, from the tchimpounga chimpanzee rehabilitation center, republic of congo.	enteroviruses, members of the picornaviridae family, are ubiquitous viruses responsible for mild to severe infections in human populations around the world. in 2010 pointe-noire, republic of congo recorded an outbreak of acute flaccid paralysis (afp) in the humans, caused by wild poliovirus type 1 (wpv1). one month later, in the tchimpounga sanctuary near pointe-noire, a chimpanzee developed signs similar to afp, with paralysis of the lower limbs. in the present work, we sought to identify the p ...	2015	26301510
a single chimpanzee-human neutralizing monoclonal antibody provides post-exposure protection against type 1 and type 2 polioviruses.	development of anti-poliovirus therapies to complement vaccination is an urgent priority. a number of antiviral drugs are in development. recently we have developed human monoclonal antibodies that could be used for treatment of chronically infected individuals and emergency response to potential reappearance of polioviruses after eradication.	2015	25766984
development of an infectious surrogate hepatitis c virus based on a recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus expressing hepatitis c virus envelope glycoproteins and green fluorescent protein.	to develop surrogate viruses for hepatitis c virus (hcv), we previously produced recombinant vesicular stomatitis viruses (rvsvs) lacking glycoprotein g but instead expressing chimeric hcv e1/e2 fused to g. these rvsvs were not infectious in hcv-susceptible hepatoma cells. in this study, to develop an infectious surrogate hcv based on an rvsv (vesicular stomatitis virus [vsv]/hcv), we generated a novel rvsv encoding the native e1/e2 (h77 strain) and green fluorescent protein (gfp) instead of g. ...	2015	25672345
occurrence of giardia and cryptosporidium in captive chimpanzees (pan troglodytes), mandrills (mandrillus sphinx) and wild zanzibar red colobus monkeys (procolobus kirkii).	the aim of this study was to investigate the occurrence of giardia duodenalis and cryptosporidium spp. in primates and determine their zoonotic or anthropozoonotic potential.	2015	25612000
rhesus enteric calicivirus surrogate model for human norovirus gastroenteritis.	human noroviruses are one of the major causes of acute gastroenteritis worldwide. due to the lack of an efficient human norovirus cell culture system coupled with an animal model, human norovirus research mainly relies on human volunteer studies and surrogate models. current models either utilize human norovirus-infected animals including the gnotobiotic pig or calf and the chimpanzee models, or employ other members of the family caliciviridae including cell culture propagable surrogate calicivi ...	2015	25502652
hexon-modified recombinant e1-deleted adenoviral vectors as bivalent vaccine carriers for coxsackievirus a16 and enterovirus 71.	hand, foot and mouth disease (hfmd) is a major public health concern in asia; more efficient vaccines against hfmd are urgently required. adenoviral (ad) capsids have been used widely for the presentation of foreign antigens to induce specific immune responses in the host. here, we describe a novel bivalent vaccine for hfmd based on the hexon-modified, e1-deleted chimpanzee adenovirus serotype 68 (adc68). the novel vaccine candidate was generated by incorporating the neutralising epitope of coxs ...	2015	26296491
antimicrobial potential of 27 plants consumed by chimpanzees (pan troglodytes verus blumenbach) in ivory coast.	due to their genetic proximity, chimpanzees share with human several diseases including bacterial, fungal and viral infections, such as candidiasis, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (aids), ebola virus disease. however, in its natural environment, chimpanzees are tolerant to several pathogens including simian immunodeficiency virus (siv), virus related to human immunodeficiency virus (hiv) that contribute to the emergence of opportunistic diseases such as microbial infections.	2015	26498034
clinical development of ebola vaccines.	the ongoing outbreak of ebola virus disease in west africa highlighted the lack of a licensed drug or vaccine to combat the disease and has renewed the urgency to develop a pipeline of ebola vaccines. a number of different vaccine platforms are being developed by assessing preclinical efficacy in animal models and expediting clinical development. over 15 different vaccines are in preclinical development and 8 vaccines are now in different stages of clinical evaluation. these vaccines include dna ...	2015	26668751
detection of cyclospora in captive chimpanzees and macaques by a quantitative pcr-based mutation scanning approach.	cyclospora is a protistan parasite that causes enteritis in several species of animals including humans. the aim of this study was to investigate the presence of cyclospora in captive non-human primates.	2015	25972100
adenovirus and herpesvirus diversity in free-ranging great apes in the sangha region of the republic of congo.	infectious diseases have caused die-offs in both free-ranging gorillas and chimpanzees. understanding pathogen diversity and disease ecology is therefore critical for conserving these endangered animals. to determine viral diversity in free-ranging, non-habituated gorillas and chimpanzees in the republic of congo, genetic testing was performed on great-ape fecal samples collected near odzala-kokoua national park. samples were analyzed to determine ape species, identify individuals in the populat ...	2015	25781992
plasmodium falciparum genetic crosses in a humanized mouse model.	genetic crosses of phenotypically distinct strains of the human malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum are a powerful tool for identifying genes controlling drug resistance and other key phenotypes. previous studies relied on the isolation of recombinant parasites from splenectomized chimpanzees, a research avenue that is no longer available. here we demonstrate that human-liver chimeric mice support recovery of recombinant progeny for the identification of genetic determinants of parasite trait ...	2015	26030447
efficacy of a virus-vectored vaccine against human and bovine respiratory syncytial virus infections.	human respiratory syncytial virus (hrsv) is a major cause of lower respiratory tract disease in children and the elderly for which there is still no effective vaccine. we have previously shown that panad3-rsv, which is a chimpanzee adenovirus-vectored vaccine candidate that expresses a secreted form of the hrsv f protein together with the n and m2-1 proteins of hrsv, is immunogenic in rodents and nonhuman primates, and protects mice and cotton rats from hrsv challenge. because the extent to whic ...	2015	26268314
suspected lyme borreliosis in a captive adult chimpanzee (pan troglodytes).	an 18-yr-old female captive-born chimpanzee (pan troglodytes) presented with an intermittent history of inappetence, lethargy, and lower limb stiffness. no notable abnormalities were found on exam or complete blood cell count and serum biochemistry analysis. serologic testing was strongly positive via indirect fluorescent antibody testing and western blot for borrelia burgdorferi. treatment with doxycycline was initiated, and a clinical response was seen within 1 wk. convalescent serum exhibited ...	2015	26056910
accelerating the smith-waterman algorithm with interpair pruning and band optimization for the all-pairs comparison of base sequences.	the smith-waterman algorithm is known to be a more sensitive approach than heuristic algorithms for local sequence alignment algorithms. despite its sensitivity, a greater time complexity associated with the smith-waterman algorithm prevents its application to the all-pairs comparisons of base sequences, which aids in the construction of accurate phylogenetic trees. the aim of this study is to achieve greater acceleration using the smith-waterman algorithm (by realizing interpair block pruning a ...	2015	26445214
bacillus anthracis capsular conjugates elicit chimpanzee polyclonal antibodies that protect mice from pulmonary anthrax.	the immunogenicity of bacillus anthracis capsule (poly-γ-d-glutamic acid [pga]) conjugated to recombinant b. anthracis protective antigen (rpa) or to tetanus toxoid (tt) was evaluated in two anthrax-naive juvenile chimpanzees. in a previous study of these conjugates, highly protective monoclonal antibodies (mabs) against pga were generated. this study examines the polyclonal antibody response of the same animals. preimmune antibodies to pga with titers of >10(3) were detected in the chimpanzees. ...	2015	26041039
epidemiology and molecular characterization of cryptosporidium spp. in humans, wild primates, and domesticated animals in the greater gombe ecosystem, tanzania.	cryptosporidium is an important zoonotic parasite globally. few studies have examined the ecology and epidemiology of this pathogen in rural tropical systems characterized by high rates of overlap among humans, domesticated animals, and wildlife. we investigated risk factors for cryptosporidium infection and assessed cross-species transmission potential among people, non-human primates, and domestic animals in the gombe ecosystem, kigoma district, tanzania. a cross-sectional survey was designed ...	2015	25700265
hiv-1 group o origin, evolution, pathogenesis, and treatment: unraveling the complexity of an outlier 25 years later.	twenty-five years ago, an aberrant hiv-1 (now classified as hiv-1 group o) was described from a cameroonian hiv patient living in belgium. the epicenter of group o was later found to be in central africa, overlapping with the geographical location of the central chimpanzees (pan troglodytes troglodytes) and western gorillas (gorilla gorilla), the likely original hosts of group o. although the prevalence of group o has remained low at 1-2% in cameroon, some european countries (france, spain, belg ...	2015	26450803
origin of the hiv-1 group o epidemic in western lowland gorillas.	hiv-1, the cause of aids, is composed of four phylogenetic lineages, groups m, n, o, and p, each of which resulted from an independent cross-species transmission event of simian immunodeficiency viruses (sivs) infecting african apes. although groups m and n have been traced to geographically distinct chimpanzee communities in southern cameroon, the reservoirs of groups o and p remain unknown. here, we screened fecal samples from western lowland (n = 2,611), eastern lowland (n = 103), and mountai ...	2015	25733890
human pdcs preferentially sense enveloped hepatitis a virions.	unlike other picornaviruses, hepatitis a virus (hav) is cloaked in host membranes when released from cells, providing protection from neutralizing antibodies and facilitating spread in the liver. acute hav infection is typified by minimal type i ifn responses; therefore, we questioned whether plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pdcs), which produce ifn when activated, are capable of sensing enveloped virions (ehav). although concentrated nonenveloped virus failed to activate freshly isolated human pdc ...	2015	25415438
determinants involved in hepatitis c virus and gb virus b primate host restriction.	hepatitis c virus (hcv) only infects humans and chimpanzees, while gb virus b (gbv-b), another hepatotropic hepacivirus, infects small new world primates (tamarins and marmosets). in an effort to develop an immunocompetent small primate model for hcv infection to study hcv pathogenesis and vaccine approaches, we investigated the hcv life cycle step(s) that may be restricted in small primate hepatocytes. first, we found that replication-competent, genome-length chimeric hcv rnas encoding gbv-b st ...	2015	26401036
chimpanzee susceptibility to hepatitis c virus infection correlates with presence of pt-kir3ds2 and pt-kir2dl9: paired activating and inhibitory natural killer cell receptors.	infection of humans and chimpanzees with hepatitis c virus (hcv) results in either the resolution of the acute infection or its progression to a persistent infection associated with chronic liver disease. in cohorts of human patients, resolution of hcv infection has been associated with homozygosity for both c1(+)hla-c and its cognate inhibitory receptor, kir2dl3. compared here are the killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors (kir) and major histocompatibility complex (mhc) class i factors of c ...	2015	26260270
antibodies to an interfering epitope in hepatitis c virus e2 can mask vaccine-induced neutralizing activity.	hepatitis c virus (hcv) neutralization occurring at the e2 region 412-426 (ep-i) could be enhanced when antibodies directed specifically to the e2 region 434-446 (ep-ii) were removed from serum samples of persistently infected patients and vaccinated chimpanzees, a phenomenon of so-called antibody interference. here, we show that this type of interference can be observed in individuals after immunization with recombinant e1e2 proteins. one hundred twelve blinded serum samples from a phase i, pla ...	2015	26251214
immunoglobulin with high-titer in vitro cross-neutralizing hepatitis c virus antibodies passively protects chimpanzees from homologous, but not heterologous, challenge.	the importance of neutralizing antibodies (nabs) in protection against hepatitis c virus (hcv) remains controversial. we infused a chimpanzee with h06 immunoglobulin from a genotype 1a hcv-infected patient and challenged with genotype strains efficiently neutralized by h06 in vitro. genotype 1a nabs afforded no protection against genotype 4a or 5a. protection against homologous 1a lasted 18 weeks, but infection emerged when nab titers waned. however, 6a infection was prevented. the differential ...	2015	26085160
advances in experimental systems to study hepatitis c virus in vitro and in vivo.	hepatitis c virus (hcv) represents a global health concern affecting over 185 million people worldwide. chronic hcv infection causes liver fibrosis and cirrhosis and is the leading indication for liver transplantation. recent advances in the field of direct-acting antiviral drugs (daas) promise a cure for hcv in over 90% of cases that will get access to these expensive treatments. nevertheless, the lack of a protective vaccine and likely emergence of drug-resistant viral variants call for furthe ...	2015	25847726
hepatitis c virus-specific cytotoxic t cell response restoration after treatment-induced hepatitis c virus control.	hepatitis c virus (hcv)-specific cytotoxic t cell (ctl) response plays a major role in viral control during spontaneous infection resolution. these cells develop an exhausted and pro-apoptotic status during chronic onset, being unable to get rid of hcv. the role of this response in contributing to sustained viral response (svr) after anti-hcv is controversial. recent studies show that after successful interferon-based anti-hcv treatment, hcv traces are still detectable and this correlates with a ...	2015	25834312
hepatitis c virus infects rhesus macaque hepatocytes and simianized mice.	at least 170 million people are chronically infected with hepatitis c virus (hcv). owing to the narrow host range of hcv and restricted use of chimpanzees, there is currently no suitable animal model for hcv pathogenesis studies or the development of a hcv vaccine. to identify cellular determinants of interspecies transmission and establish a novel immunocompetent model system, we examined the ability of hcv to infect hepatocytes from a small nonhuman primate, the rhesus macaque (macaca mulatta) ...	2015	25820364
generation of improved mouse models for the study of hepatitis c virus.	approximately 3% of the world׳s population suffers from chronic infections with hepatitis c virus (hcv). although current treatment regimes are capable of effectively eradicating hcv infection from these patients, the cost of these combinations of direct-acting antivirals are prohibitive. approximately 80% of untreated chronic hcv carriers will be at high risk for developing severe liver disease, including fibrosis, cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma. a vaccine is urgently needed to lessen ...	2015	25814250
interaction of host cell micrornas with the hcv rna genome during infection of liver cells.	it has remained an enigma how hepatitis c viral (hcv) rna can persist in the liver of infected patients for many decades. with the recent discovery of roles for micrornas in gene expression, it was reported that the hcv rna genome subverts liver-specific microrna mir-122 to protect its 5' end from degradation by host cell exoribonucleases. sequestration of mir-122 in cultured liver cells and in the liver of chimpanzees by small, modified antisense rnas resulted in dramatic loss of hcv rna and vi ...	2015	25632937
immune mechanisms of vaccine induced protection against chronic hepatitis c virus infection in chimpanzees.	hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection is characterized by a high propensity for development of life-long viral persistence. an estimated 170 million people suffer from chronic hepatitis caused by hcv. currently, there is no approved prophylactic hcv vaccine available. with the near disappearance of the most relevant animal model for hcv, the chimpanzee, we review the progression that has been made regarding prophylactic vaccine development against hcv. we describe the results of the individual vacci ...	2015	25624997
control of hepatitis c virus replication in mouse liver-derived cells by mavs-dependent production of type i and type iii interferons.	hepatitis c virus (hcv) efficiently infects only humans and chimpanzees. although the detailed mechanisms responsible for this narrow species tropism remain elusive, recent evidence has shown that murine innate immune responses efficiently suppress hcv replication. therefore, poor adaptation of hcv to evade and/or counteract innate immune responses may prevent hcv replication in mice. the hcv ns3-4a protease cleaves human mavs, a key cellular adaptor protein required for rig-i-like receptor (rlr ...	2015	25609814
single-genome sequencing of hepatitis c virus in donor-recipient pairs distinguishes modes and models of virus transmission and early diversification.	despite the recent development of highly effective anti-hepatitis c virus (hcv) drugs, the global burden of this pathogen remains immense. control or eradication of hcv will likely require the broad application of antiviral drugs and development of an effective vaccine. a precise molecular identification of transmitted/founder (t/f) hcv genomes that lead to productive clinical infection could play a critical role in vaccine research, as it has for hiv-1. however, the replication schema of these ...	2015	26468546
efficient infectious cell culture systems of the hepatitis c virus (hcv) prototype strains hcv-1 and h77.	the first discovered and sequenced hepatitis c virus (hcv) genome and the first in vivo infectious hcv clones originated from the hcv prototype strains hcv-1 and h77, respectively, both widely used in research of this important human pathogen. in the present study, we developed efficient infectious cell culture systems for these genotype 1a strains by using the hcv-1/sf9_a and h77c in vivo infectious clones. we initially adapted a genome with the hcv-1 5'utr-ns5a (where utr stands for untranslat ...	2015	25355880
induced pluripotent stem cells (ipscs) in the modeling of hepatitis c virus infection.	the development of induced pluripotent stem cells (ipscs) has shown a great potential in disease modeling, drug screening, organ reconstruction and cancer therapy. hepatitis c virus (hcv) infection is a leading cause of hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc), particularly in western countries. however, hcv infection has never been fully understood because the culprit virus only preferably infects human and chimpanzee. hepatocyte-like cells derived from human ipscs have been reported to be susceptible to ...	2015	25248675