TY - JOUR AB - The purpose of this contribution is to summarize and discuss recent advances regarding the onset of turbulence in shear flows. The absence of a clear-cut instability mechanism, the spatio-temporal intermittent character and extremely long lived transients are some of the major difficulties encountered in these flows and have hindered progress towards understanding the transition process. We will show for the case of pipe flow that concepts from nonlinear dynamics and statistical physics can help to explain the onset of turbulence. In particular, the turbulent structures (puffs) observed close to onset are spatially localized chaotic transients and their lifetimes increase super-exponentially with Reynolds number. At the same time fluctuations of individual turbulent puffs can (although very rarely) lead to the nucleation of new puffs. The competition between these two stochastic processes gives rise to a non-equilibrium phase transition where turbulence changes from a super-transient to a sustained state. AU - Song, Baofang AU - Hof, Björn ID - 2232 IS - 2 JF - Journal of Statistical Mechanics Theory and Experiment SN - 17425468 TI - Deterministic and stochastic aspects of the transition to turbulence VL - 2014 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Based on the measurements of noise in gene expression performed during the past decade, it has become customary to think of gene regulation in terms of a two-state model, where the promoter of a gene can stochastically switch between an ON and an OFF state. As experiments are becoming increasingly precise and the deviations from the two-state model start to be observable, we ask about the experimental signatures of complex multistate promoters, as well as the functional consequences of this additional complexity. In detail, we i), extend the calculations for noise in gene expression to promoters described by state transition diagrams with multiple states, ii), systematically compute the experimentally accessible noise characteristics for these complex promoters, and iii), use information theory to evaluate the channel capacities of complex promoter architectures and compare them with the baseline provided by the two-state model. We find that adding internal states to the promoter generically decreases channel capacity, except in certain cases, three of which (cooperativity, dual-role regulation, promoter cycling) we analyze in detail. AU - Rieckh, Georg AU - Tkacik, Gasper ID - 2231 IS - 5 JF - Biophysical Journal SN - 00063495 TI - Noise and information transmission in promoters with multiple internal states VL - 106 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Coriolis force effects on shear flows are important in geophysical and astrophysical contexts. We report a study on the linear stability and the transient energy growth of the plane Couette flow with system rotation perpendicular to the shear direction. External rotation causes linear instability. At small rotation rates, the onset of linear instability scales inversely with the rotation rate and the optimal transient growth in the linearly stable region is slightly enhanced ∼Re2. The corresponding optimal initial perturbations are characterized by roll structures inclined in the streamwise direction and are twisted under external rotation. At large rotation rates, the transient growth is significantly inhibited and hence linear stability analysis is a reliable indicator for instability. AU - Shi, Liang AU - Hof, Björn AU - Tilgner, Andreas ID - 2226 IS - 1 JF - Physical Review E Statistical Nonlinear and Soft Matter Physics SN - 15393755 TI - Transient growth of Ekman-Couette flow VL - 89 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The Balkan Peninsula, characterized by high rates of endemism, is recognised as one of the most diverse and species-rich areas of Europe. However, little is known about the origin of Balkan endemics. The present study addresses the phylogenetic position of the Balkan endemic Ranunculus wettsteinii, as well as its taxonomic status and relationship with the widespread R. parnassiifolius, based on nuclear DNA (internal transcribed spacer, ITS) and plastid regions (rpl32-trnL, rps16-trnQ, trnK-matK and ycf6-psbM). Maximum parsimony and Bayesian inference analyses revealed a well-supported clade formed by accessions of R. wettsteinii. Furthermore, our phylogenetic and network analyses supported previous hypotheses of a likely allopolyploid origin for R. wettsteinii between R. montenegrinus and R. parnassiifolius, with the latter as the maternal parent. AU - Cires Rodriguez, Eduardo AU - Baltisberger, Matthias AU - Cuesta, Candela AU - Vargas, Pablo AU - Prieto, José ID - 2227 IS - 1 JF - Organisms Diversity and Evolution SN - 14396092 TI - Allopolyploid origin of the Balkan endemic Ranunculus wettsteinii (Ranunculaceae) inferred from nuclear and plastid DNA sequences VL - 14 ER - TY - JOUR AB - We study Markov decision processes (MDPs) with multiple limit-average (or mean-payoff) functions. We consider two different objectives, namely, expectation and satisfaction objectives. Given an MDP with κ limit-average functions, in the expectation objective the goal is to maximize the expected limit-average value, and in the satisfaction objective the goal is to maximize the probability of runs such that the limit-average value stays above a given vector. We show that under the expectation objective, in contrast to the case of one limit-average function, both randomization and memory are necessary for strategies even for ε-approximation, and that finite-memory randomized strategies are sufficient for achieving Pareto optimal values. Under the satisfaction objective, in contrast to the case of one limit-average function, infinite memory is necessary for strategies achieving a specific value (i.e. randomized finite-memory strategies are not sufficient), whereas memoryless randomized strategies are sufficient for ε-approximation, for all ε > 0. We further prove that the decision problems for both expectation and satisfaction objectives can be solved in polynomial time and the trade-off curve (Pareto curve) can be ε-approximated in time polynomial in the size of the MDP and 1/ε, and exponential in the number of limit-average functions, for all ε > 0. Our analysis also reveals flaws in previous work for MDPs with multiple mean-payoff functions under the expectation objective, corrects the flaws, and allows us to obtain improved results. AU - Brázdil, Tomáš AU - Brožek, Václav AU - Chatterjee, Krishnendu AU - Forejt, Vojtěch AU - Kučera, Antonín ID - 2234 IS - 1 JF - Logical Methods in Computer Science SN - 18605974 TI - Markov decision processes with multiple long-run average objectives VL - 10 ER - TY - CONF AB - Consider a joint distribution (X,A) on a set. We show that for any family of distinguishers, there exists a simulator such that 1 no function in can distinguish (X,A) from (X,h(X)) with advantage ε, 2 h is only O(2 3ℓ ε -2) times less efficient than the functions in. For the most interesting settings of the parameters (in particular, the cryptographic case where X has superlogarithmic min-entropy, ε > 0 is negligible and consists of circuits of polynomial size), we can make the simulator h deterministic. As an illustrative application of our theorem, we give a new security proof for the leakage-resilient stream-cipher from Eurocrypt'09. Our proof is simpler and quantitatively much better than the original proof using the dense model theorem, giving meaningful security guarantees if instantiated with a standard blockcipher like AES. Subsequent to this work, Chung, Lui and Pass gave an interactive variant of our main theorem, and used it to investigate weak notions of Zero-Knowledge. Vadhan and Zheng give a more constructive version of our theorem using their new uniform min-max theorem. AU - Jetchev, Dimitar AU - Pietrzak, Krzysztof Z ED - Lindell, Yehuda ID - 2236 SN - 978-364254241-1 TI - How to fake auxiliary input VL - 8349 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Clathrin-mediated endocytosis is the major mechanism for eukaryotic plasma membrane-based proteome turn-over. In plants, clathrin-mediated endocytosis is essential for physiology and development, but the identification and organization of the machinery operating this process remains largely obscure. Here, we identified an eight-core-component protein complex, the TPLATE complex, essential for plant growth via its role as major adaptor module for clathrin-mediated endocytosis. This complex consists of evolutionarily unique proteins that associate closely with core endocytic elements. The TPLATE complex is recruited as dynamic foci at the plasma membrane preceding recruitment of adaptor protein complex 2, clathrin, and dynamin-related proteins. Reduced function of different complex components severely impaired internalization of assorted endocytic cargoes, demonstrating its pivotal role in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Taken together, the TPLATE complex is an early endocytic module representing a unique evolutionary plant adaptation of the canonical eukaryotic pathway for clathrin-mediated endocytosis. AU - Gadeyne, Astrid AU - Sánchez Rodríguez, Clara AU - Vanneste, Steffen AU - Di Rubbo, Simone AU - Zauber, Henrik AU - Vanneste, Kevin AU - Van Leene, Jelle AU - De Winne, Nancy AU - Eeckhout, Dominique AU - Persiau, Geert AU - Van De Slijke, Eveline AU - Cannoot, Bernard AU - Vercruysse, Leen AU - Mayers, Jonathan AU - Adamowski, Maciek AU - Kania, Urszula AU - Ehrlich, Matthias AU - Schweighofer, Alois AU - Ketelaar, Tijs AU - Maere, Steven AU - Bednarek, Sebastian AU - Friml, Jirí AU - Gevaert, Kris AU - Witters, Erwin AU - Russinova, Eugenia AU - Persson, Staffan AU - De Jaeger, Geert AU - Van Damme, Daniël ID - 2240 IS - 4 JF - Cell SN - 00928674 TI - The TPLATE adaptor complex drives clathrin-mediated endocytosis in plants VL - 156 ER - TY - CONF AB - The analysis of the energy consumption of software is an important goal for quantitative formal methods. Current methods, using weighted transition systems or energy games, model the energy source as an ideal resource whose status is characterized by one number, namely the amount of remaining energy. Real batteries, however, exhibit behaviors that can deviate substantially from an ideal energy resource. Based on a discretization of a standard continuous battery model, we introduce battery transition systems. In this model, a battery is viewed as consisting of two parts-the available-charge tank and the bound-charge tank. Any charge or discharge is applied to the available-charge tank. Over time, the energy from each tank diffuses to the other tank. Battery transition systems are infinite state systems that, being not well-structured, fall into no decidable class that is known to us. Nonetheless, we are able to prove that the !-regular modelchecking problem is decidable for battery transition systems. We also present a case study on the verification of control programs for energy-constrained semi-autonomous robots. AU - Boker, Udi AU - Henzinger, Thomas A AU - Radhakrishna, Arjun ID - 2239 IS - 1 SN - 978-145032544-8 TI - Battery transition systems VL - 49 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Emerging infectious diseases (EIDs) pose a risk to human welfare, both directly and indirectly, by affecting managed livestock and wildlife that provide valuable resources and ecosystem services, such as the pollination of crops. Honeybees (Apis mellifera), the prevailing managed insect crop pollinator, suffer from a range of emerging and exotic high-impact pathogens, and population maintenance requires active management by beekeepers to control them. Wild pollinators such as bumblebees (Bombus spp.) are in global decline, one cause of which may be pathogen spillover from managed pollinators like honeybees or commercial colonies of bumblebees. Here we use a combination of infection experiments and landscape-scale field data to show that honeybee EIDs are indeed widespread infectious agents within the pollinator assemblage. The prevalence of deformed wing virus (DWV) and the exotic parasite Nosema ceranae in honeybees and bumblebees is linked; as honeybees have higher DWV prevalence, and sympatric bumblebees and honeybees are infected by the same DWV strains, Apis is the likely source of at least one major EID in wild pollinators. Lessons learned from vertebrates highlight the need for increased pathogen control in managed bee species to maintain wild pollinators, as declines in native pollinators may be caused by interspecies pathogen transmission originating from managed pollinators. AU - Fürst, Matthias AU - Mcmahon, Dino AU - Osborne, Juliet AU - Paxton, Robert AU - Brown, Mark ID - 2235 IS - 7488 JF - Nature SN - 00280836 TI - Disease associations between honeybees and bumblebees as a threat to wild pollinators VL - 506 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The brain demands high-energy supply and obstruction of blood flow causes rapid deterioration of the healthiness of brain cells. Two major events occur upon ischemia: acidosis and liberation of excess glutamate, which leads to excitotoxicity. However, cellular source of glutamate and its release mechanism upon ischemia remained unknown. Here we show a causal relationship between glial acidosis and neuronal excitotoxicity. As the major cation that flows through channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) is proton, this could be regarded as an optogenetic tool for instant intracellular acidification. Optical activation of ChR2 expressed in glial cells led to glial acidification and to release of glutamate. On the other hand, glial alkalization via optogenetic activation of a proton pump, archaerhodopsin (ArchT), led to cessation of glutamate release and to the relief of ischemic brain damage in vivo. Our results suggest that controlling glial pH may be an effective therapeutic strategy for intervention of ischemic brain damage. AU - Beppu, Kaoru AU - Sasaki, Takuya AU - Tanaka, Kenji AU - Yamanaka, Akihiro AU - Fukazawa, Yugo AU - Shigemoto, Ryuichi AU - Matsui, Ko ID - 2241 IS - 2 JF - Neuron SN - 08966273 TI - Optogenetic countering of glial acidosis suppresses glial glutamate release and ischemic brain damage VL - 81 ER - TY - CHAP AB - Exogenous application of biologically important molecules for plant growth promotion and/or regulation is very common both in plant research and horticulture. Plant hormones such as auxins and cytokinins are classes of compounds which are often applied exogenously. Nevertheless, plants possess a well-established machinery to regulate the active pool of exogenously applied compounds by converting them to metabolites and conjugates. Consequently, it is often very useful to know the in vivo status of applied compounds to connect them with some of the regulatory events in plant developmental processes. The in vivo status of applied compounds can be measured by incubating plants with radiolabeled compounds, followed by extraction, purification, and HPLC metabolic profiling of plant extracts. Recently we have used this method to characterize the intracellularly localized PIN protein, PIN5. Here we explain the method in detail, with a focus on general application. AU - Simon, Sibu AU - Skůpa, Petr AU - Dobrev, Petre AU - Petrášek, Jan AU - Zažímalová, Eva AU - Friml, Jirí ED - Hicks, Glenn ED - Robert, Stéphanie ID - 2245 SN - 10643745 T2 - Plant Chemical Genomics TI - Analyzing the in vivo status of exogenously applied auxins: A HPLC-based method to characterize the intracellularly localized auxin transporters VL - 1056 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Muller games are played by two players moving a token along a graph; the winner is determined by the set of vertices that occur infinitely often. The central algorithmic problem is to compute the winning regions for the players. Different classes and representations of Muller games lead to problems of varying computational complexity. One such class are parity games; these are of particular significance in computational complexity, as they remain one of the few combinatorial problems known to be in NP ∩ co-NP but not known to be in P. We show that winning regions for a Muller game can be determined from the alternating structure of its traps. To every Muller game we then associate a natural number that we call its trap depth; this parameter measures how complicated the trap structure is. We present algorithms for parity games that run in polynomial time for graphs of bounded trap depth, and in general run in time exponential in the trap depth. AU - Grinshpun, Andrey AU - Phalitnonkiat, Pakawat AU - Rubin, Sasha AU - Tarfulea, Andrei ID - 2246 JF - Theoretical Computer Science SN - 03043975 TI - Alternating traps in Muller and parity games VL - 521 ER - TY - JOUR AB - MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small RNAs that play important regulatory roles in many cellular pathways. MiRNAs associate with members of the Argonaute protein family and bind to partially complementary sequences on mRNAs and induce translational repression or mRNA decay. Using deep sequencing and Northern blotting, we characterized miRNA expression in wild type and miR-155-deficient dendritic cells (DCs) and macrophages. Analysis of different stimuli (LPS, LDL, eLDL, oxLDL) reveals a direct influence of miR-155 on the expression levels of other miRNAs. For example, miR-455 is negatively regulated in miR-155-deficient cells possibly due to inhibition of the transcription factor C/EBPbeta by miR-155. Based on our comprehensive data sets, we propose a model of hierarchical miRNA expression dominated by miR-155 in DCs and macrophages. AU - Dueck, Anne AU - Eichner, Alexander AU - Sixt, Michael K AU - Meister, Gunter ID - 2242 IS - 4 JF - FEBS Letters SN - 00145793 TI - A miR-155-dependent microRNA hierarchy in dendritic cell maturation and macrophage activation VL - 588 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The genome sequences of new viruses often contain many "orphan" or "taxon-specific" proteins apparently lacking homologs. However, because viral proteins evolve very fast, commonly used sequence similarity detection methods such as BLAST may overlook homologs. We analyzed a data set of proteins from RNA viruses characterized as "genus specific" by BLAST. More powerful methods developed recently, such as HHblits or HHpred (available through web-based, user-friendly interfaces), could detect distant homologs of a quarter of these proteins, suggesting that these methods should be used to annotate viral genomes. In-depth manual analyses of a subset of the remaining sequences, guided by contextual information such as taxonomy, gene order, or domain cooccurrence, identified distant homologs of another third. Thus, a combination of powerful automated methods and manual analyses can uncover distant homologs of many proteins thought to be orphans. We expect these methodological results to be also applicable to cellular organisms, since they generally evolve much more slowly than RNA viruses. As an application, we reanalyzed the genome of a bee pathogen, Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV). We could identify homologs of most of its proteins thought to be orphans; in each case, identifying homologs provided functional clues. We discovered that CBPV encodes a domain homologous to the Alphavirus methyltransferase-guanylyltransferase; a putative membrane protein, SP24, with homologs in unrelated insect viruses and insect-transmitted plant viruses having different morphologies (cileviruses, higreviruses, blunerviruses, negeviruses); and a putative virion glycoprotein, ORF2, also found in negeviruses. SP24 and ORF2 are probably major structural components of the virionsd. AU - Kuchibhatla, Durga AU - Sherman, Westley AU - Chung, Betty AU - Cook, Shelley AU - Schneider, Georg AU - Eisenhaber, Birgit AU - Karlin, David ID - 2250 IS - 1 JF - Journal of Virology SN - 0022538X TI - Powerful sequence similarity search methods and in-depth manual analyses can identify remote homologs in many apparently "orphan" viral proteins VL - 88 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Theta-gamma network oscillations are thought to represent key reference signals for information processing in neuronal ensembles, but the underlying synaptic mechanisms remain unclear. To address this question, we performed whole-cell (WC) patch-clamp recordings from mature hippocampal granule cells (GCs) in vivo in the dentate gyrus of anesthetized and awake rats. GCs in vivo fired action potentials at low frequency, consistent with sparse coding in the dentate gyrus. GCs were exposed to barrages of fast AMPAR-mediated excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs), primarily relayed from the entorhinal cortex, and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs), presumably generated by local interneurons. EPSCs exhibited coherence with the field potential predominantly in the theta frequency band, whereas IPSCs showed coherence primarily in the gamma range. Action potentials in GCs were phase locked to network oscillations. Thus, theta-gamma-modulated synaptic currents may provide a framework for sparse temporal coding of information in the dentate gyrus. AU - Pernia-Andrade, Alejandro AU - Jonas, Peter M ID - 2254 IS - 1 JF - Neuron SN - 08966273 TI - Theta-gamma-modulated synaptic currents in hippocampal granule cells in vivo define a mechanism for network oscillations VL - 81 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Sharp wave/ripple (SWR, 150–250 Hz) hippocampal events have long been postulated to be involved in memory consolidation. However, more recent work has investigated SWRs that occur during active waking behaviour: findings that suggest that SWRs may also play a role in cell assembly strengthening or spatial working memory. Do such theories of SWR function apply to animal learning? This review discusses how general theories linking SWRs to memory-related function may explain circuit mechanisms related to rodent spatial learning and to the associated stabilization of new cognitive maps. AU - Csicsvari, Jozsef L AU - Dupret, David ID - 2251 IS - 1635 JF - Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences SN - 09628436 TI - Sharp wave/ripple network oscillations and learning-associated hippocampal maps VL - 369 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Plant growth is achieved predominantly by cellular elongation, which is thought to be controlled on several levels by apoplastic auxin. Auxin export into the apoplast is achieved by plasma membrane efflux catalysts of the PIN-FORMED (PIN) and ATP-binding cassette protein subfamily B/phosphor- glycoprotein (ABCB/PGP) classes; the latter were shown to depend on interaction with the FKBP42, TWISTED DWARF1 (TWD1). Here by using a transgenic approach in combination with phenotypical, biochemical and cell biological analyses we demonstrate the importance of a putative C-terminal in-plane membrane anchor of TWD1 in the regulation of ABCB-mediated auxin transport. In contrast with dwarfed twd1 loss-of-function alleles, TWD1 gain-of-function lines that lack a putative in-plane membrane anchor (HA-TWD1-Ct) show hypermorphic plant architecture, characterized by enhanced stem length and leaf surface but reduced shoot branching. Greater hypocotyl length is the result of enhanced cell elongation that correlates with reduced polar auxin transport capacity for HA-TWD1-Ct. As a consequence, HA-TWD1-Ct displays higher hypocotyl auxin accumulation, which is shown to result in elevated auxin-induced cell elongation rates. Our data highlight the importance of C-terminal membrane anchoring for TWD1 action, which is required for specific regulation of ABCB-mediated auxin transport. These data support a model in which TWD1 controls lateral ABCB1-mediated export into the apoplast, which is required for auxin-mediated cell elongation. AU - Bailly, Aurélien AU - Wang, Bangjun AU - Zwiewka, Marta AU - Pollmann, Stephan AU - Schenck, Daniel AU - Lüthen, Hartwig AU - Schulz, Alexander AU - Friml, Jirí AU - Geisler, Markus ID - 2253 IS - 1 JF - Plant Journal SN - 09607412 TI - Expression of TWISTED DWARF1 lacking its in-plane membrane anchor leads to increased cell elongation and hypermorphic growth VL - 77 ER - TY - JOUR AB - Avian forelimb digit homology remains one of the standard themes in comparative biology and EvoDevo research. In order to resolve the apparent contradictions between embryological and paleontological evidence a variety of hypotheses have been presented in recent years. The proposals range from excluding birds from the dinosaur clade, to assignments of homology by different criteria, or even assuming a hexadactyl tetrapod limb ground state. At present two approaches prevail: the frame shift hypothesis and the pyramid reduction hypothesis. While the former postulates a homeotic shift of digit identities, the latter argues for a gradual bilateral reduction of phalanges and digits. Here we present a new model that integrates elements from both hypotheses with the existing experimental and fossil evidence. We start from the main feature common to both earlier concepts, the initiating ontogenetic event: reduction and loss of the anterior-most digit. It is proposed that a concerted mechanism of molecular regulation and developmental mechanics is capable of shifting the boundaries of hoxD expression in embryonic forelimb buds as well as changing the digit phenotypes. Based on a distinction between positional (topological) and compositional (phenotypic) homology criteria, we argue that the identity of the avian digits is II, III, IV, despite a partially altered phenotype. Finally, we introduce an alternative digit reduction scheme that reconciles the current fossil evidence with the presented molecular-morphogenetic model. Our approach identifies specific experiments that allow to test whether gene expression can be shifted and digit phenotypes can be altered by induced digit loss or digit gain. AU - Capek, Daniel AU - Metscher, Brian AU - Müller, Gerd ID - 2248 IS - 1 JF - Journal of Experimental Zoology Part B: Molecular and Developmental Evolution SN - 15525007 TI - Thumbs down: A molecular-morphogenetic approach to avian digit homology VL - 322 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The unfolded protein response (UPR) is a signaling network triggered by overload of protein-folding demand in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), a condition termed ER stress. The UPR is critical for growth and development; nonetheless, connections between the UPR and other cellular regulatory processes remain largely unknown. Here, we identify a link between the UPR and the phytohormone auxin, a master regulator of plant physiology. We show that ER stress triggers down-regulation of auxin receptors and transporters in Arabidopsis thaliana. We also demonstrate that an Arabidopsis mutant of a conserved ER stress sensor IRE1 exhibits defects in the auxin response and levels. These data not only support that the plant IRE1 is required for auxin homeostasis, they also reveal a species-specific feature of IRE1 in multicellular eukaryotes. Furthermore, by establishing that UPR activation is reduced in mutants of ER-localized auxin transporters, including PIN5, we define a long-neglected biological significance of ER-based auxin regulation. We further examine the functional relationship of IRE1 and PIN5 by showing that an ire1 pin5 triple mutant enhances defects of UPR activation and auxin homeostasis in ire1 or pin5. Our results imply that the plant UPR has evolved a hormone-dependent strategy for coordinating ER function with physiological processes. AU - Chen, Yani AU - Aung, Kyaw AU - Rolčík, Jakub AU - Walicki, Kathryn AU - Friml, Jirí AU - Brandizzí, Federica ID - 2249 IS - 1 JF - Plant Journal SN - 09607412 TI - Inter-regulation of the unfolded protein response and auxin signaling VL - 77 ER - TY - JOUR AB - The pattern of inheritance and mechanism of sex determination can have important evolutionary consequences. We studied probabilistic sex determination in the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, which was previously shown to cause evolution of skewed sex ratios. We find that the genetic background alters the sex determination patterns of mat alleles in heterozygotes and that allelic interaction can differentially influence the expression probability of the 7 sexes. We quantify the dominance relationships between several mat alleles and find that A-type alleles, which specify sex I, are indeed recessive to B-type alleles, which are unable to specify that sex. Our results provide additional support for the presence of modifier loci and raise implications for the dynamics of sex ratios in populations of T. thermophila. AU - Phadke, Sujal AU - Paixao, Tiago AU - Pham, Tuan AU - Pham, Stephanie AU - Zufall, Rebecca ID - 2252 IS - 1 JF - Journal of Heredity SN - 00221503 TI - Genetic background alters dominance relationships between mat alleles in the ciliate Tetrahymena Thermophila VL - 105 ER -