Expression Atlas update: insights from sequencing data at both bulk and single cell level.

Expression Atlas (www.ebi.ac.uk/gxa) and its newest counterpart the Single Cell Expression Atlas (www.ebi.ac.uk/gxa/sc) are EMBL-EBI's knowledgebases for gene and protein expression and localisation in bulk and at single cell level. These resources aim to allow users to investigate their expression in normal tissue (baseline) or in response to perturbations such as disease or changes to genotype (differential) across multiple species. Users are invited to search for genes or metadata terms across species or biological conditions in a standardised consistent interface. Alongside these data, new features in Single Cell Expression Atlas allow users to query metadata through our new cell type wheel search. At the experiment level data can be explored through two types of dimensionality reduction plots, t-distributed Stochastic Neighbor Embedding (tSNE) and Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection (UMAP), overlaid with either clustering or metadata information to assist users' understanding. Data are also visualised as marker gene heatmaps identifying genes that help confer cluster identity. For some data, additional visualisations are available as interactive cell level anatomograms and cell type gene expression heatmaps.

A flexible and highly sensitive organic electrochemical transistor-based biosensor for continuous and wireless nitric oxide detection.

As nitric oxide (NO) plays significant roles in a variety of physiological processes, the capability for real-time and accurate detection of NO in live organisms is in great demand. Traditional assessments of NO rely on indirect colorimetric techniques or electrochemical sensors that often comprise rigid constituent materials and can hardly satisfy sensitivity and spatial resolution simultaneously. Here, we report a flexible and highly sensitive biosensor based on organic electrochemical transistors (OECTs) capable of continuous and wireless detection of NO in biological systems. By modifying the geometry of the active channel and the gate electrodes of OECTs, devices achieve optimum signal amplification of NO. The sensor exhibits a low response limit, a wide linear range, high sensitivity, and excellent selectivity, with a miniaturized active sensing region compared with a conventional electrochemical sensor. The device demonstrates continuous detection of the nanomolar range of NO in cultured cells for hours without significant signal drift. Real-time and wireless measurement of NO is accomplished for 8 d in the articular cavity of New Zealand White rabbits with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) rupture injuries. The observed high level of NO is associated with the onset of osteoarthritis (OA) at the later stage. The proposed device platform could provide critical information for the early diagnosis of chronic diseases and timely medical intervention to optimize therapeutic efficacy.

The association between weight-adjusted-waist index and psoriasis: A cross-sectional study.

INTRODUCTION: This study explored the association between psoriasis and the weight-adjusted waist index (WWI), a newly developed measure of adiposity. The research was conducted among adults in the United States. METHODS: Utilizing survey data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning the years 2009 to 2014, the present study aimed to investigate the potential correlation between psoriasis and WWI within a sample of 15,920 adult participants. Employing multivariable logistic regression and nonlinear curve fitting techniques, we analyzed this plausible association. Additionally, a subgroup analysis was conducted to ascertain the consistency across diverse populations. RESULTS: A significant positive association was discovered between psoriasis and WWI in the investigated sample of 15,920 adults. After conducting a comprehensive adjustment of the model, it was observed that each incremental unit of WWI was significantly associated with an 14% elevated likelihood of developing psoriasis (OR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.01-1.36). Moreover, individuals belonging to the highest quartile of WWI exhibited a 47% higher risk of psoriasis compared to those in the lowest quartile (OR = 1.44, 95% CI 1.01-2.06). This positive correlation remained consistent across various subgroups. The study also compared WWI with BMI and waist circumference, finding that WWI is a more stable metric of obesity. CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggested that in US adults, there is a positive association between WWI and psoriasis. It also indicated that WWI showed potential as a valuable index of psoriasis among the general population.

Expression Atlas update: gene and protein expression in multiple species.

The EMBL-EBI Expression Atlas is an added value knowledge base that enables researchers to answer the question of where (tissue, organism part, developmental stage, cell type) and under which conditions (disease, treatment, gender, etc) a gene or protein of interest is expressed. Expression Atlas brings together data from >4500 expression studies from >65 different species, across different conditions and tissues. It makes these data freely available in an easy to visualise form, after expert curation to accurately represent the intended experimental design, re-analysed via standardised pipelines that rely on open-source community developed tools. Each study's metadata are annotated using ontologies. The data are re-analyzed with the aim of reproducing the original conclusions of the underlying experiments. Expression Atlas is currently divided into Bulk Expression Atlas and Single Cell Expression Atlas. Expression Atlas contains data from differential studies (microarray and bulk RNA-Seq) and baseline studies (bulk RNA-Seq and proteomics), whereas Single Cell Expression Atlas is currently dedicated to Single Cell RNA-Sequencing (scRNA-Seq) studies. The resource has been in continuous development since 2009 and it is available at https://www.ebi.ac.uk/gxa.

Hydrothermal carbonization of Chinese medicine residue from licorice: Effects of pore and chemical structures on chromium migration.

The Chinese medicine residue (CMR) is composed of wet substances, so using hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) to recover renewable energy from the residue is a suitable treatment method. Chromium (Cr), a kind of heavy metal element, is enriched in hydrochar and severely restricts its effective utilization. An in-depth analysis of the migration path and mechanism of Cr in hydrochar is helpful in promoting energy utilization for CMR. Here, licorice, a significant Chinese medicine, was selected as the example to analyze the evolutions of its pore and chemical structures and their effects on the migration mechanism of Cr during the HTC process. The products obtained under various HTC conditions were analyzed using nitrogen adsorption, FTIR, and 13C NMR. The results show that, considering reaction time and relevant reactions as the primary factors during the HTC process, the migration pathway of Cr in hydrochar undergoes two stages, and they are the accompanying migration stage and the recovery aggregation stage. Active adsorption sites for Cr may exist within the pore structure of hydrochar. In the HTC process, hydrolysis, decarboxylation, and decarbonylation reactions are the direct drivers of Cr migration, while aromatization is the underlying cause of Cr recovery and aggregation. It is hypothesized that Cr catalyzes the acetylene cyclotrimerization reaction, thereby promoting the formation of aromatic structures in hydrochar and integrating into the hydrochar carbon skeleton.

A Neurosurgical Functional Dissection of the Middle Precentral Gyrus during Speech Production.

Classical models have traditionally focused on the left posterior inferior frontal gyrus (Broca's area) as a key region for motor planning of speech production. However, converging evidence suggests that it is not critical for either speech motor planning or execution. Alternative cortical areas supporting high-level speech motor planning have yet to be defined. In this review, we focus on the precentral gyrus, whose role in speech production is often thought to be limited to lower-level articulatory muscle control. In particular, we highlight neurosurgical investigations that have shed light on a cortical region anatomically located near the midpoint of the precentral gyrus, hence called the middle precentral gyrus (midPrCG). The midPrCG is functionally located between dorsal hand and ventral orofacial cortical representations and exhibits unique sensorimotor and multisensory functions relevant for speech processing. This includes motor control of the larynx, auditory processing, as well as a role in reading and writing. Furthermore, direct electrical stimulation of midPrCG can evoke complex movements, such as vocalization, and selective injury can cause deficits in verbal fluency, such as pure apraxia of speech. Based on these findings, we propose that midPrCG is essential to phonological-motoric aspects of speech production, especially syllabic-level speech sequencing, a role traditionally ascribed to Broca's area. The midPrCG is a cortical brain area that should be included in contemporary models of speech production with a unique role in speech motor planning and execution.

Nanoheterostructure by Liquid Metal Sandwich-Based Interfacial Galvanic Replacement for Cancer Targeted Theranostics.

Nanoheterostructures with exquisite interface and heterostructure design find numerous applications in catalysis, plasmonics, electronics, and biomedicine. In the current study, series core-shell metal or metal oxide-based heterogeneous nanocomposite have been successfully fabricated by employing sandwiched liquid metal (LM) layer (i.e., LM oxide/LM/LM oxide) as interfacial galvanic replacement reaction environment. A self-limiting thin oxide layer, which would naturally occur at the metal-air interface under ambient conditions, could be readily delaminated onto the surface of core metal (Fe, Bi, carbonyl iron, Zn, Mo) or metal oxide (Fe3 O4 , Fe2 O3 , MoO3 , ZrO2 , TiO2 ) nano- or micro-particles by van der Waals (vdW) exfoliation. Further on, the sandwiched LM layer could be formed immediately and acted as the reaction site of galvanic replacement where metals (Au, Ag, and Cu) or metal oxide (MnO2 ) with higher reduction potential could be deposited as shell structure. Such strategy provides facile and versatile approaches to design and fabricate nanoheterostructures. As a model, nanocomposite of Fe@Sandwiched-GaIn-Au (Fe@SW-GaIn-Au) is constructed and their application in targeted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) guided photothermal tumor ablation and chemodynamic therapy (CDT), as well as the enhanced radiotherapy (RT) against tumors, have been systematically investigated.

A cross-sectional study of the endorsement proportion of reporting guidelines in 1039 Chinese medical journals.

BACKGROUND: Reporting quality is a critical issue in health sciences. Adopting the reporting guidelines has been approved to be an effective way of enhancing the reporting quality and transparency of clinical research. In 2012, we found that only 7 (7/1221, 0.6%) journals adopted the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) statement in China. The aim of the study was to know the implementation status of CONSORT and other reporting guidelines about clinical studies in China. METHODS: A cross-sectional bibliometric study was conducted. Eight medical databases were systematically searched, and 1039 medical journals published in mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan were included. The basic characteristics, including subject, language, publication place, journal-indexed databases, and journal impact factors were extracted. The endorsement of reporting guidelines was assessed by a modified 5-level evaluation tool, namely i) positive active, ii) positive weak, iii) passive moderate, iv) passive weak and v) none. RESULTS: Among included journals, 24.1% endorsed CONSORT, and 0.8% endorsed CONSORT extensions. For STROBE (STrengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology), PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses), STARD (An Updated List of Essential Items for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy Studies), CARE (CAse REport guidelines), the endorsement proportion were 17.2, 16.6, 16.4, and 14.8% respectively. The endorsement proportion for SPIRIT (Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials), TRIPOD (Transparent Reporting of a Multivariable Prediction Model for Individual Prognosis or Diagnosis), AGREE (Appraisal of Guidelines, Research, and Evaluation), and RIGHT (Reporting Items for Practice Guidelines in Healthcare) were below 0.7%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed that the implementation of reporting guidelines was low. We suggest the following initiatives including i) enhancing the level of journal endorsement for reporting guidelines; ii) strengthening the collaboration among authors, reviewers, editors, and other stakeholders; iii) providing training courses for stakeholders; iv) establishing bases for reporting guidelines network in China; v) adopting the endorsement of reporting guidelines in the policies of the China Periodicals Association (CPA); vi) promoting Chinese medical journals into the international evaluation system and publish in English.

Bioengineering of air-filled protein nanoparticles by genetic and chemical functionalization.

BACKGROUND: Various bacteria and archaea, including halophilic archaeon Halobacterium sp. NRC-1 produce gas vesicle nanoparticles (GVNPs), a unique class of stable, air-filled intracellular proteinaceous nanostructures. GVNPs are an attractive tool for biotechnological applications due to their readily production, purification, and unique physical properties. GVNPs are spindle- or cylinder-shaped, typically with a length of 100 nm to 1.5 µm and a width of 30-250 nm. Multiple monomeric subunits of GvpA and GvpC proteins form the GVNP shell, and several additional proteins are required as minor structural or assembly proteins. The haloarchaeal genetic system has been successfully used to produce and bioengineer GVNPs by fusing several foreign proteins with GvpC and has shown various applications, such as biocatalysis, diagnostics, bioimaging, drug delivery, and vaccine development. RESULTS: We demonstrated that native GvpC can be removed in a low salt buffer during the GVNP purification, leaving the GvpA-based GVNP's shell intact and stable under physiological conditions. Here, we report a genetic engineering and chemical modification approach for functionalizing the major GVNP protein, GvpA. This novel approach is based on combinatorial cysteine mutagenesis within GvpA and genetic expansion of the N-terminal and C-terminal regions. Consequently, we generated GvpA single, double, and triple cysteine variant libraries and investigated the impact of mutations on the structure and physical shape of the GVNPs formed. We used a thiol-maleimide chemistry strategy to introduce the biotechnological relevant activity by maleimide-activated streptavidin-biotin and maleimide-activated SpyTag003-SpyCatcher003 mediated functionalization of GVNPs. CONCLUSION: The merger of these genetic and chemical functionalization approaches significantly extends these novel protein nanomaterials' bioengineering and functionalization potential to assemble catalytically active proteins, biomaterials, and vaccines onto one nanoparticle in a modular fashion.

Survival Outcomes and Prognostic Factors of Dermatofibrosarcoma Protuberans: A Population-Based Retrospective Cohort Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Limited information is available regarding survival outcomes and risk factors of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP). OBJECTIVE: To investigate the clinicopathologic characteristics and survival outcomes of DFSP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study cohort (7,567 patients) was selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (2000-2018). Demographic and clinicopathologic variables, survival outcomes, and prognostic factors were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 5,640 (74.53%) and 1,927 (25.47%) tumors were located in the skin and soft tissue, respectively. The median follow-up duration was 92 months. Median follow-up times were similar between patients with lymph node (107 months) and distant (102 months) metastases; the median survival time of the 89 patients (1.18%) who died of DFSP was significantly short (41 months, p < .001). Independent risk factors for cancer-specific mortality included age at diagnosis, histologic grade, and tumor size. Patients with tumors ≥10 cm in size or histologic grade III had significantly higher DFSP-specific mortality (7.07% and 10.08%, respectively, p < .001). Tumor locations and surgical procedures did not significantly influence survival. CONCLUSION: Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans has a favorable survival prognosis, even in patients with node-positive or distant metastases. Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans-specific mortality is significantly higher in patients with grade III or large (≥10 cm) tumors.

Mechanisms of distinctive mismatch tolerance between Rad51 and Dmc1 in homologous recombination.

Homologous recombination (HR) is a primary DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) repair mechanism. The recombinases Rad51 and Dmc1 are highly conserved in the RecA family; Rad51 is mainly responsible for DNA repair in somatic cells during mitosis while Dmc1 only works during meiosis in germ cells. This spatiotemporal difference is probably due to their distinctive mismatch tolerance during HR: Rad51 does not permit HR in the presence of mismatches, whereas Dmc1 can tolerate certain mismatches. Here, the cryo-EM structures of Rad51-DNA and Dmc1-DNA complexes revealed that the major conformational differences between these two proteins are located in their Loop2 regions, which contain invading single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) binding residues and double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) complementary strand binding residues, stabilizing ssDNA and dsDNA in presynaptic and postsynaptic complexes, respectively. By combining molecular dynamic simulation and single-molecule FRET assays, we identified that V273 and D274 in the Loop2 region of human RAD51 (hRAD51), corresponding to P274 and G275 of human DMC1 (hDMC1), are the key residues regulating mismatch tolerance during strand exchange in HR. This HR accuracy control mechanism provides mechanistic insights into the specific roles of Rad51 and Dmc1 in DNA double-strand break repair and may shed light on the regulatory mechanism of genetic recombination in mitosis and meiosis.

Multi-Level Biomarkers for Early Diagnosis of Ischaemic Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Blood biomarkers hold potential for the early diagnosis of ischaemic stroke (IS). We aimed to evaluate the current weight of evidence and identify potential biomarkers and biological pathways for further investigation. We searched PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science, used R package meta4diag for diagnostic meta-analysis and applied Gene Ontology (GO) analysis to identify vital biological processes (BPs). Among 8544 studies, we included 182 articles with a total of 30,446 participants: 15675 IS, 2317 haemorrhagic stroke (HS), 1798 stroke mimics, 846 transient ischaemic attack and 9810 control subjects. There were 518 pooled biomarkers including 203 proteins, 114 genes, 108 metabolites and 88 transcripts. Our study generated two shortlists of biomarkers for future research: one with optimal diagnostic performance and another with low selection bias. Glial fibrillary acidic protein was eligible for diagnostic meta-analysis, with summary sensitivities and specificities for differentiating HS from IS between 3 h and 24 h after stroke onset ranging from 73% to 80% and 77% to 97%, respectively. GO analysis revealed the top five BPs associated with IS. This study provides a holistic view of early diagnostic biomarkers in IS. Two shortlists of biomarkers and five BPs warrant future investigation.

The endocytosis of nano-Pt into non-small cell lung cancer H1299 cells and intravital therapeutic effect in vivo.

Lung cancer remains the most common fatal malignant disease, and the 5-year survival rate of patients with metastasis is merely 6%. In this research, the platinum nanocluster (short for nano-Pt) was used for optical imaging without the help of other fluorescent probes and possess targeted antitumor activity as well as low systemic toxicity. The endocytic pathway and distribution of nano-Pt in non-small cell lung cancer NSCLC H1299 cells was explored by the means of quantitative and qualitative tests. Furthermore, the targeting capability and antitumor efficiency of nano-Pt was detected by intravital imaging experiment and antitumor experiment. The research implies that nano-Pt entered H1299 cells dominatingly through macropinocytosis and clathrin-dependent endocytosis pathway, and has significant antitumor efficiency, targeting properties and reliable safety for mouse tumor, indicating this nano-Pt has great potential for clinical diagnosis and therapy of NSCLC H1299 cells.

VRmol: an integrative web-based virtual reality system to explore macromolecular structure.

SUMMARY: Structural visualization and analysis are fundamental to explore macromolecular functions. Here, we present a novel integrative web-based virtual reality (VR) system-VRmol, to visualize and study molecular structures in an immersive virtual environment. Importantly, it is integrated with multiple online databases and is able to couple structure studies with associated genomic variations and drug information in a visual interface by cloud-based drug docking. VRmol thus can serve as an integrative platform to aid structure-based translational research and drug design. AVAILABILITY AND IMPLEMENTATION: VRmol is freely available (https://VRmol.net), with detailed manual and tutorial (https://VRmol.net/docs). The code of VRmol is available as open source under the MIT license at http://github.com/kuixu/VRmol. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Langmuir-Blodgett Deposition of Cellulose Nanocrystal Surfactants into Ordered Monolayers.

The cellulose nanocrystals (CNCs) are shown to interact with amine-functionalized polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS-NH2) strongly at the water/oil interface, forming the CNC-POSS assemblies, that is, CNC surfactants that decrease the interfacial tension of the water/chloroform greatly. When bringing the CNC aqueous solution and POSS chloroform solution into a Langmuir trough, they form a monolayer of the CNC surfactants. Upon applying a continuous compression, a distinct transition appears in the surface pressure-area curves, and during this transition, the packing of the CNC surfactants in the produced monolayers transits from network-like patterns to ordered alignment.

Expression Atlas update: from tissues to single cells.

Expression Atlas is EMBL-EBI's resource for gene and protein expression. It sources and compiles data on the abundance and localisation of RNA and proteins in various biological systems and contexts and provides open access to this data for the research community. With the increased availability of single cell RNA-Seq datasets in the public archives, we have now extended Expression Atlas with a new added-value service to display gene expression in single cells. Single Cell Expression Atlas was launched in 2018 and currently includes 123 single cell RNA-Seq studies from 12 species. The website can be searched by genes within or across species to reveal experiments, tissues and cell types where this gene is expressed or under which conditions it is a marker gene. Within each study, cells can be visualized using a pre-calculated t-SNE plot and can be coloured by different features or by cell clusters based on gene expression. Within each experiment, there are links to downloadable files, such as RNA quantification matrices, clustering results, reports on protocols and associated metadata, such as assigned cell types.

Effects of artificially induced complete mixing on dissolved organic matter in a stratified source water reservoir.

Naturally complete mixing promotes the spontaneous redistribution of dissolved oxygen (DO), representing an ideal state for maintaining good water quality, and conducive to the biomineralization of organic matter. Water lifting aerators (WLAs) can extend the periods of complete mixing and increase the initial mixing temperature. To evaluate the influence of artificial-induced continuously mixing on dissolved organic matter (DOM) removal performance, the variations of DOM concentrations, optical characteristic, environmental factors were studied after approaching the total mixing status via WLAs operation. During this process, the dissolved organic carbon reduced by 39.18%, whereas the permanganate index decreased by 20.47%. The optical properties indicate that the DOM became more endogenous and its molecular weight decreased. Based on the results of the Biolog EcoPlates, the microorganisms were maintained at a relatively high metabolic activity in the early stage of induced mixing when the mixing temperature was relatively high, whereas DOM declined at a high rate. With the continuous decrease in the water temperature, both the metabolic capacity and the diversity of aerobic microorganisms significantly decreased, and the rate of organic matter mineralization slowed down. The results of this study demonstrate that the artificial induced mixing largely enhanced the removal DOM performance by providing a long period of aerobic conditions and higher initial temperature.

Microscale optoelectronic infrared-to-visible upconversion devices and their use as injectable light sources.

Optical upconversion that converts infrared light into visible light is of significant interest for broad applications in biomedicine, imaging, and displays. Conventional upconversion materials rely on nonlinear light-matter interactions, exhibit incidence-dependent efficiencies, and require high-power excitation. We report an infrared-to-visible upconversion strategy based on fully integrated microscale optoelectronic devices. These thin-film, ultraminiaturized devices realize near-infrared (∼810 nm) to visible [630 nm (red) or 590 nm (yellow)] upconversion that is linearly dependent on incoherent, low-power excitation, with a quantum yield of ∼1.5%. Additional features of this upconversion design include broadband absorption, wide-emission spectral tunability, and fast dynamics. Encapsulated, freestanding devices are transferred onto heterogeneous substrates and show desirable biocompatibilities within biological fluids and tissues. These microscale devices are implanted in behaving animals, with in vitro and in vivo experiments demonstrating their utility for optogenetic neuromodulation. This approach provides a versatile route to achieve upconversion throughout the entire visible spectral range at lower power and higher efficiency than has previously been possible.

Non-Magnetic Injectable Implant for Magnetic Field-Driven Thermochemotherapy and Dual Stimuli-Responsive Drug Delivery: Transformable Liquid Metal Hybrid Platform for Cancer Theranostics.

Transformable liquid metal (LM)-based materials have attracted considerable research interest in biomedicine. However, the potential biomedical applications of LMs have not yet been fully explored. Herein, for the first trial, the inductive heating property of gallium-indium eutectic alloy (EGaIn) under alterative magnetic field is systematically investigated. By virtue of its inherent metallic nature, LM possesses excellent magnetic heating property as compared to the conventional magnetite nanoparticles, therefore enabling its unique application as non-magnetic agents in magnetic hyperthermia. Moreover, the extremely high surface tension of LM could be dramatically lowered by a rather facile PEGylation approach, making LM an ideal carrier for other theranostic cargos. By incorporating doxorubicin (DOX)-loaded mesoporous silica (DOX-MS) within PEGylated LM, a magnetic field-driven transformable LM hybrid platform capable of pH/AFM dual stimuli-responsive drug release and magnetic thermochemotherapy are successfully fabricated. The potential application for breast cancer treatment is demonstrated. Furthermore, the large X-ray attenuation ability of LM endows the hybrid with the promising ability for CT imaging. This work explores a new biomedical use of LM and a promising cancer treatment protocol based on LM hybrid for magnetic hyperthermia combined with dual stimuli-responsive chemotherapy and CT imaging.

Long-lasting vocal plasticity in adult marmoset monkeys.

Humans exhibit a high level of vocal plasticity in speech production, which allows us to acquire both native and foreign languages and dialects, and adapt to local accents in social communication. In comparison, non-human primates exhibit limited vocal plasticity, especially in adulthood, which would limit their ability to adapt to different social and environmental contexts in vocal communication. Here, we quantitatively examined the ability of adult common marmosets ( Callithrix jacchus), a highly vocal New World primate species, to modulate their vocal production in social contexts. While recent studies have demonstrated vocal learning in developing marmosets, we know much less about the extent of vocal learning and plasticity in adult marmosets. We found, in the present study, that marmosets were able to adaptively modify the spectrotemporal structure of their vocalizations when they encountered interfering sounds. Our experiments showed that marmosets shifted the spectrum of their vocalizations away from the spectrum of the interfering sounds in order to avoid the overlap. More interestingly, we found that marmosets made predictive and long-lasting spectral shifts in their vocalizations after they had experienced a particular type of interfering sound. These observations provided evidence for directional control of the vocalization spectrum and long-term vocal plasticity by adult marmosets. The findings reported here have important implications for the ability of this New World primate species in voluntarily and adaptively controlling their vocal production in social communication.